Barbara Gordon: Batgirl, Oracle Appreciation 2018

[Restingvoice]

I was at Dick's thread arranging a recommendation list and Batgirl Year One popped up. When is this story in the timeline? I know she's made younger and I know this is supposed to be read as a flashback when you're reading Post Crisis, but if I place it around the same time as her original first appearance, does it work?

[MajorHoy]

I was at Dick's thread arranging a recommendation list and Batgirl Year One popped up. When is this story in the timeline? I know she's made younger and I know this is supposed to be read as a flashback when you're reading Post Crisis, but if I place it around the same time as her original first appearance, does it work?

Probably not, since Barbara's back story was seriously altered for the post-CoIE era.

[millernumber1]

Speaking of the grossness that is TKJ, has anyone peeked at the new novelization of that book that just came out to see if they do a better job with Babs?

[Jackalope89]

Speaking of the grossness that is TKJ, has anyone peeked at the new novelization of that book that just came out to see if they do a better job with Babs?

No. The animated film kind of killed my interest in it. Not to mention, it only proved that Bruce Timm needs someone like Paul Dini to reign him in.

[millernumber1]

No. The animated film kind of killed my interest in it. Not to mention, it only proved that Bruce Timm needs someone like Paul Dini to reign him in.

100% agree about Timm and the film. But I don't think Timm was involved in the novel?

[Shadowcat]

What are some of Barbara’s more memorable adventures in the Pre-Crisis 80’s era? I own the entire Doug Moench run, and currently working on the Gerry Conway run, as well as the end of the Brave & the Bold up to issue 200, so I’m just looking for some good 80’s Babsgirl books to look for.

[kjn]

Speaking of the grossness that is TKJ, has anyone peeked at the new novelization of that book that just came out to see if they do a better job with Babs?

Looking at the Amazon reviews and the short excerpt available, I wouldn't hold my hopes up. Sure, they don't mention Babs, but when you have several reasoned 1- and 2-star reviews, the book's not good. The writing in the excerpt also felt similar to the quickly-produced short novels available in newsstands in my youth. Sure, there were some gems in there if you picked the right author (writing in that format is its own talent), but this called back to the poorly-written and poorly-plotted ones.

An interview with the authors discusses Babs specifically, but I'm not sure TKJ is salvagable from its misogynist roots, even if they had Ursula K Le Guin or Margaret Atwood writing the novelisation.

[millernumber1]

Looking at the Amazon reviews and the short excerpt available, I wouldn't hold my hopes up. Sure, they don't mention Babs, but when you have several reasoned 1- and 2-star reviews, the book's not good. The writing in the excerpt also felt similar to the quickly-produced short novels available in newsstands in my youth. Sure, there were some gems in there if you picked the right author (writing in that format is its own talent), but this called back to the poorly-written and poorly-plotted ones.

An interview with the authors discusses Babs specifically, but I'm not sure TKJ is salvagable from its misogynist roots, even if they had Ursula K Le Guin or Margaret Atwood writing the novelisation.

I mean, I've been listening to the Graphic Audio novelization dramatization thingies from the Humble Bundle this summer, and I thought Christopher Priest and Denny O'Neil turned out some solid novels. But a lot of the other books are just pretty thinly written, so I wouldn't be surprised.

[Oberon]

I very recently found out that the current writer of Batgirl, Mairghreads Scott, is the daughter of a friend, associate and colleage. I know her too, but mostly when she was a younger one, ummm, some 15 years ago or so, when she and her mom came to the places we associated at. A couple of years ago I remet her, as an adult, when I found out she was writing for comics in general, at the Detroit Comique event, which is dedicated to female creators and characters, indies, etc. (so pre her DC Batgirl gig).

So that is two writers, from the Detroit area, that I knew as children and now as adults, for Saladin Ahmed is also the child of a friend and associate, and now writes for Marvel and others I think.

Fun fact: When Saladin was around 12, he asked his father, my friend Ish, if I could teach him how to read Tarot cards (reader since 1972) but that never happened. I actually met this child when he was around 5 or so, during a school play he was in, which was a parody of Wizard of OZ (for a counter-cultural type school, obviously). That was around 1980.

[Jackalope89]

Always one of more surreal moments I've seen in comics; Babs playing pingpong with Penguin.

[Starrius]

Probably not, since Barbara's back story was seriously altered for the post-CoIE era.

yep
introduced as Dr. Barbara Gordon
she had a Ph.D.
was Head Librarian of Gotham City Library

she was a U.S. House Representative, and Dick had worked as her assistant
This was in the Batman Family Comic issues


I wonder why they made comic Barbara Gordon a redhead.
In the 1960s Batman TV show, Barbara Gordon was played by Yvonne Craig who had dark brown hair. The redhair was wig attached to her cowl.


It just seems it wouldn't be hard to figure out Batgirl is Barbara Gordon from her hair color, eye color, hair formation, height and body frame
but then again, domino masks (The Robins,Nightwing), clear eyeglasses (Clark Kent,Diana Prince) , and sunglasses (Kory Anders) were thought to conceal people's identities

[kjn]

I mean, I've been listening to the Graphic Audio novelization dramatization thingies from the Humble Bundle this summer, and I thought Christopher Priest and Denny O'Neil turned out some solid novels. But a lot of the other books are just pretty thinly written, so I wouldn't be surprised.

Found one review:

Batman: The Killing Joke (the novel) doesn’t add anything clever, creative or even meaningful to the story.

Instead of getting some great insight on Batgirl to make the later events more impactful, we get Barbara in the suit doing some crime fighting. Nothing more, nothing less.

[yohyoi]

We know how Dick felt about the Barbara and Bruce affair. It's a big reason he hates Bruce in Batman Beyond and why their relationship became unsalvagable. But I can't find anything about Barbara's inner thoughts and feelings about the affair and the result of it? Most of it are just her acting like a Batman fangirl or a groupie. Any issues reasoning why Barbara did it and how it affected her in the long run?

Even when she was dating Dick again, she didn't tell him about Bruce. Trust and honesty are a huge things for Grayson. She knew Dick quitted before because Batman didn't tell him Batgirl is his girlfriend, Barbara Gordon. I just find it cold for Barbara to do that. I don't know. I think most of Barbara's side of story was not told.

[Starrius]

We know how Dick felt about the Barbara and Bruce affair. It's a big reason he hates Bruce in Batman Beyond and why their relationship became unsalvagable. But I can't find anything about Barbara's inner thoughts and feelings about the affair and the result of it? Most of it are just her acting like a Batman fangirl or a groupie. Any issues reasoning why Barbara did it and how it affected her in the long run?

Even when she was dating Dick again, she didn't tell him about Bruce. Trust and honesty are a huge things for Grayson. She knew Dick quitted before because Batman didn't tell him Batgirl is his girlfriend, Barbara Gordon. I just find it cold for Barbara to do that. I don't know. I think most of Barbara's side of story was not told.

Bruce/Barbara only occurred in Timms DC Animated Universe

[Jackalope89]

We know how Dick felt about the Barbara and Bruce affair. It's a big reason he hates Bruce in Batman Beyond and why their relationship became unsalvagable. But I can't find anything about Barbara's inner thoughts and feelings about the affair and the result of it? Most of it are just her acting like a Batman fangirl or a groupie. Any issues reasoning why Barbara did it and how it affected her in the long run?

Even when she was dating Dick again, she didn't tell him about Bruce. Trust and honesty are a huge things for Grayson. She knew Dick quitted before because Batman didn't tell him Batgirl is his girlfriend, Barbara Gordon. I just find it cold for Barbara to do that. I don't know. I think most of Barbara's side of story was not told.

Ask Bruce Timm.

That's one of the few parts of the DCAU I would rather pretend didn't exist.