What is DC doing with Batgirl?

[atomicbattery]

DC should be smart enough to do the most logical thing on this case, Barbara becomes Oracle again, the current "tone" of the Batgirl title is dropped to a more serious and less silly one, the costume is dropped and next year they give the mantle to either Cass or Steph...everybody wins

My favorite character in comics is Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, so I'm not seeing how I win in this 'everybody wins' scenario.

[millernumber1]

My favorite character in comics is Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, so I'm not seeing how I win in this 'everybody wins' scenario.

Well, my personal "everybody wins" scenario is the League of Batgirls, but we have Birds of Prey, so that's probably out.

[oasis1313]

I liked Barbara when she studied with Bane, then mentored a bunch of little Batgirls in that Annual.

[RedQueen]

She needs to be given a new codename because the batGIRL title on someone who's supposed to be Babs is kind of ridiculous.

[Digifiend]

But what? She can't do what Marvel's Sue Richards and Mayday Parker did and switch the Girl to Woman, because Batwoman is taken. I know Marvel has quite a few double mantles right now, but aren't Green Lantern (which is justified as they're a Corps) and Flash the only dupes in the DC lineup? Well, not counting the Justice League of China from New Super-Man or any alternate dimension counterparts.

[Osiris-Rex]

Three seperate women leapfrogged over Babs to the coveted Batwoman moniker in that universe.

It's only fair. Batwoman existed for over a decade before Batgirl came along. Batwoman aka Kathy Kane was introduced in Detective Comics #233 (1956). Only to be killed off in Detective Comics #485 (1979)
Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon didn't come along until Detective Comics #359 (1967). And there was even a Bat-Girl before her, Betty Kane, Kathy's niece. First appearing in Batman #139 (1961)

[Carabas]

It's only fair. Batwoman existed for over a decade before Batgirl came along. Batwoman aka Kathy Kane was introduced in Detective Comics #233 (1956). Only to be killed off in Detective Comics #485 (1979)
Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon didn't come along until Detective Comics #359 (1967). And there was even a Bat-Girl before her, Betty Kane, Kathy's niece. First appearing in Batman #139 (1961)

I know this; my reply was aimed at AngryComicBookNerd, who was singing the praises of the Timm-verse while blasting the regular DCU for allowing Kate Kane to be Batoman instead of Babs, who had apparently earned it more to not be called a Girl.

[Confuzzled]

Three seperate women leapfrogged over Babs to the coveted Batwoman moniker in that universe.

Is that moniker really all that coveted? It is a derivative (Oracle being a much stronger identity that helped Babs come into her own), and also slightly cumbersome ('scuse me, did you say Catwoman?).

[Carabas]

Is that moniker really all that coveted? It is a derivative (Oracle being a much stronger identity that helped Babs come into her own), and also slightly cumbersome ('scuse me, did you say Catwoman?).

Context matters. I was being sarcastic when replying to AngryComicBookNerd's DCAU praise when he had also just posted this:

Yeah that is weird, why does she stay Batgirl when Kate gets to leap frog her and call herself Batwoman? Hasn't Barbara paid her dues? Where's her Final Fantasy class promotion? It's not unprecedented. Dick/Robin became Nightwing. I'm not sure we've ever actually seen Barbara as a mature seasoned crimefighter. We only ever saw her as this 16 year old goofy rookie, Oracle in a wheelchair, or her future version as an old woman.

So yeah, some fans apparently think it is coveted.

[Frontier]

Is that moniker really all that coveted? It is a derivative (Oracle being a much stronger identity that helped Babs come into her own), and also slightly cumbersome ('scuse me, did you say Catwoman?).

I think Catwoman and Batwoman role off the tongue quite well, but that's just me...

[RedQueen]

Being the Batwoman is something but I don't think Babs should inherit it or anything because Kate is very established atm. I say her let her have own moniker for on the field, like her own equivalent of Nightwing. Maybe keep the bat in there some where because she's very connected to the word and it lets her keep the iconography that she's been associated with.

[Carabas]

Being the Batwoman is something but I don't think Babs should inherit it or anything because Kate is very established atm. I say her let her have own moniker for on the field, like her own equivalent of Nightwing. Maybe keep the bat in there some where because she's very connected to the word and it lets her keep the iconography that she's been associated with.

Of course she did have that in the past, when she was much more powerful than any Batgirl, as Oracle. Then nostalgia happened.

[Digifiend]

Isn't Babs reverting back to Batgirl one of the New 52 changes? Spoiler was Batgirl immediately before Flashpoint. Though I do see that they have kept her previously being disabled in continuity. If I'm not mistaken, time got rolled back to after The Killing Joke, but before Cass became Batgirl? Meaning in current continuity she'd never had a successor.

And didn't a new Oracle get introduced recently?

[Confuzzled]

I think Catwoman and Batwoman role off the tongue quite well, but that's just me...

I meant that even the title Batwoman sounds so similar to Catwoman that saying the name out loud may confuse casual fans. I find it hilarious that we have Batman/Catman and Catwoman/Batwoman in the same universe.

[Osiris-Rex]

I meant that even the title Batwoman sounds so similar to Catwoman that saying the name out loud may confuse casual fans. I find it hilarious that we have Batman/Catman and Catwoman/Batwoman in the same universe.

Not really. The whole point of Catman was that he felt if a woman could be a great thief disguised as a cat, a man would disguised as a cat would be an even greater thief. Because of course men are superior
in everything. Just ask the Superman fans when it comes to Supergirl and who is more powerful. But I digress. Without Catwoman there wouldn't be a Catman. Likewise Batwoman stole Batman's shtick,
though I'm not really sure why in her case. Hero worship? Without Batman no Batwoman or Batgirl.