"The End" Week: Batgirls #19!

I know I bought a few issues of this: it was fast-paced, fun, colorful, a fan-favorite setting itself apart from other Bat-titles. Of course it only lasted like a year and a half. From 2023, Batgirls #19, "From Hell's Heart, finale" Written by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad, art by Robbi Rodriguez.

Because internet searches are kind of garbage now, I haven't been able to figure out if the creative team was leaving to do something else; or if editorial wanted to move Cassandra Cain over to Birds of Prey, or if sales really just weren't what they wanted them to be; because Google will find you stories about the tax write-off Batgirl movie or the cancellation of the CW's Batwoman. Still, the Batgirls go out on a high note, as Gotham rallies behind them.

Stephanie Brown gets to win a fight, taking down Gunbunny with the Deadpool-mouth-off technique: everybody knew, the one in black was the asskicker. I'm hoping both Batgirls are still out there kicking ass, but Steph probably got sent back to the minors, for like the fifth time. Still, just a matter of time before there's another Batgirl series. Probably. Read more!

Spoiler alert: found my new go-to reaction image!

I've got just a few before I go see Shin Kamen Rider, so just enough time for...a random, recent-ish issue of a Bat-title. Sure. From 2017, Detective Comics #944, "The Victim Syndicate, part two: Payback" Written by James Tynion IV, pencils by Eddy Barrows, inks by Eber Ferreira. Got the variant cover by Rafael Albuquerque.

Boy, this isn't an old comic, but it feels like it's from a while back: this was during a stretch of 'Tec where Bats was running with a pretty full crew: Spoiler, Cassandra Cain as...ugh, "Orphan," Batwing, Batwoman, even a Clayface. Although, I think Red Robin had just recently been written out/allegedly killed. Today they're up against a familiar super-hero tradition: the innocent bystander/victim, now out for revenge...against the hero, as opposed to being sore at the villain they should have a gripe with. Aside from the Victim Syndicate's leader the First Victim, who is left all mysterious here, the others are given brief backstories, mostly to the effect of what villain wrecked their lives: none of them had been seen before, but their little origins all make sense; except they're all mad because they weren't even the targets, Batman was.

Spoiler gets poisoned pretty hard by Poison Ivy survivor Mr. Noxious, which Leslie Thompkins takes as an opportunity to berate Batman that he's doing it wrong: she should have a legitimate point, but comes across as a nag. Also, she gets quite a glow-up here, because was she significantly de-aged in the New 52? Unless something else updated, she was a grown woman when she met Bruce after his parents were shot; but here they look about the same age! Meanwhile, the First Victim visits Spoiler in her hospital bed...I haven't read enough of the rest of this run to say, but Spoiler seems to split writers evenly: some think she's awesome because she perseveres even if she messes up, while others treat her like she's never ever ever going to ever do anything right and why does she keep getting to do anything? That may sound like hyperbole but I honestly think I'm underselling it. 

Also this issue: a surprising amount of ads for DC stuff, even for a DC book. Lot of trades and figures. I did get that DC Collectibles Static Shock figure; but that was about it.

Read more!

Oh, sure, it's fine when Batman does it.

It has to be tough to use a villain next after Grant Morrison. Can you top him? Today's book makes a game try of it, by having him start with the most Morrison speech possible. From 2000, Batman: Gotham Knights #5, "Locked" Written by Devin Grayson, pencils by Dale Eaglesham, inks by John Floyd.

If I recall correctly, the first maybe year of this title was narrated by Hugo Strange, building his case files to get into Batman's head. And, in passing, the Key's as well; (relatively) fresh from his JLA appearance: he had been left in a "doorless fractal time-maze" by the Martian Manhunter. (Just say "mind-prison." Done.) Having freed himself in what sounds like a solid batch of self-actualization, the Key had now locked all the doors in Arkham, while he and his little outfitted goons fight Batman, Azrael, and (Cassie) Batgirl. Any one of whom should've been able to beat the tar out of them, but let's go on.

Every door in Arkham Asylum locked included locking up all the food as well, so inmates and trapped staff alike were both near starved at this point. Batman tears into the Key; to the point that Batgirl and Azrael have to intervene. And if those two think Bats has gone too far; that's a bit. Batman then throws a drug dealer off a roof to his death, if not for Batgirl saving him. Azrael confronts Batman, as the 'captured' Key drugs Robin and explains his game: if he can get Batman to kill him, he'll achieve a level of unprecedented fame, as well as "the ultimate escape! What door, after all, can bar you from death?"

In a reversal of their earlier positions, Azrael finds himself fighting to keep Batman from killing; but their fight is given short shrift, with Bats walking over him. Instead, it's a random doctor that talks Batman down, albeit while Bats hallucinates hearing it from his dead dad. Batman produces an injector of some kind, with an antidote to the Key's drug, from under his cape...or out of his ass, since where did that come from? It's possible he had it the whole time, but the drug precluded him from thinking to use it. The Key threatens to kill himself, but a disgruntled Batman takes a scalpel away from him, and says the only way to impress him would be to figure out a way to lock the Key up, which that nut sees as a challenge.

I've been trying to scare up the last issue of Azrael: Agent of the Bat for a while now; but I don't think anyone really took to his more-generically super-hero looking costume. That, and he had luxurious blonde locks that Thor would envy. Also this issue: a Batman: Black & White story, "Hide and Seek" Written by Paul Levitz, art by Paul Rivoche. It's not bad, but has one of those moments where Bats should maybe tell people what he's doing, before Commissioner Gordon has to start an unnecessary citywide lockdown...
Read more!

I don't know if I'd call it motivational, exactly.

Whenever I find a whole run of a series, limited or otherwise, in the quarter bins I feel almost obligated to scoop it up. Which doesn't explain how I have so many limited that are missing one issue! I know I'm short the next issue here: from 2003, Batman: Family #7, "Chapter Seven: Precipice" Written by John Francis Moore, art by Steve Lieber and Stefano Gaudiano.

Unlike the classic 70's anthology book, this has a colon in it. Oh, all right: it was an eight issue mini-series; and the "Family" in the title has a double meaning. It's Batman and his extended squad--Huntress and Spoiler appear early on, and one issue has Orpheus and Black Canary--versus a crime family; and I think every issue introduced a new villain. The cover here proclaims "Mulligan of Death!" for the intro of Mr. Fun, who just whomps on Nightwing with a nine iron. Mr. Fun's panels are all filled with cheerful, business platitudes like "Make a good impression on the people that you meet" as he clubs Nightwing; but the effect is lessened whenever Fun has dialog. He does completely own Nightwing and to a lesser extent Batgirl; partially because it's implied he's had serious assassin training, but also because this was the point in the story where a snitch needed to be shut up.

Mr. Fun also plays into this issue's flashbacks, as Batman gets the dirt on Celia Kazantkakis from a wiseguy dying of cancer in jail. No longer fearing retribution, he's more than willing to spill his guts, including the fact he had dated Martha Kane, Bruce's mom! He had broken it off when it got too serious, but not before going after her friend Celia, who strung him along just long enough to blackmail him for embezzlement and torch his club before she left town! Charming. Later Celia would return to further crush the wiseguy, with a young "collegiate psychopath" able to beat to death a hardened thug who outweighed by a hundred pounds, the nascent Mr. Fun.

Fun seems like an update on Sportsmaster, perhaps with a stronger work ethic. I've never seen the last issue of this one, though; and I suspect Kazantkakis and her whole crew went down hard. Of course, even if I find it I wonder where the other six got to...
Read more!

Hopefully not spoiling your next trip to Wal-Mart.

In 2012 we looked at Stephanie Brown's last issue as Batgirl, yet as Spoiler we've only seen her once on the blog, in Secret Origins 80-Page Giant #1. And yet today we have her new figure!

Mattel's distribution or sales plan or whatever continues to be somewhat inexplicable and baffling to me: I swear there were just about no DC Multiverse figures released this year until we got Two-Face last month. (I know the Clayface series may have shown in other areas...maybe.) This week, Spoiler and Harley Quinn showed up at Walmart; where they may be exclusive? And they're part of a variant for the Collect & Connect Lex Luthor? It's Lex in the armor with the Superman-logo that he wore as part of the Justice League, and Spoiler came with a Lex-Darkseid head while Harley comes with a Mother Box. (Harley gets more accessories, but I didn't grab her yet: I don't love her modern look.) And the rest of that Luthor's parts are coming out until later, I guess. Meanwhile, not unlike Walgreen's Fantastic Four Thing, there were several Spoilers and Harley's at this Wal-Mart...as well as another case of Justice League figures, for some reason. What are you doing, Mattel...?

They call Spoiler "the Violet Vindicator" on the package, which I hope is never ever used in the comics. She's a nice figure: good articulation, paint was good on mine, I like that she has flat boots! She only gets one accessory for herself, a three-part staff. Still, not unlike last week's FF, this figure makes me wonder if I have a decent Tim Drake Robin! I don't know if any writer played with this, but Tim was a planner, more tactical than the other Robins; while Steph works best as Spoiler, someone who wrecks plans. It would be tempting to really lean into making that her thing, almost a monomania like her dad Cluemaster had for leaving clues. Hmm, I know a local Walgreens has a couple of the basic Robin figures, and I thought those might make a decent Tim, maybe.


I really doubt I'm going to finish Lex, but I wonder if this head would fit on the New 52 Darkseid. And I haven't made any headway on Clayface, and I won't until a Jessica Cruz turns up.

Read more!

It's like Pixar's Up, except set during No Man's Land!

Gotham was recently renewed for a fifth and final season; and the season finale is setting up No Man's Land, since the show's goal seems to have been to burn through as many Batman plotlines as they possibly can before Bruce Wayne even puts on the cowl. But I picked this issue out of the quarter bin based on the artist, not the event: from 1999, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #86, "Home Sweet Home" Written by Lisa Klink, art by Guy Davis.

Even though large chunks of the city have been wrecked by the Bat-quake and the ongoing turf wars, a pleasant little house still stands; home of Sergeant William S. Riley, known to the neighborhood as Sarge. After the war, he had built that house and lived there with his wife for many years, and although they had never been able to have children of their own, they befriended local kids and had a good life. Now alone, Sarge wasn't about to give up his home, even when confronted by Zsasz.

While Sarge is forced to give 'tribute' to Zsasz, he's not dumb enough to have all his stuff out in the open, and had stockpiled enough in his bomb shelter to still help out his neighbors. Still, the area changes hands several times just over the course of this issue, with the Joker ultimately taking charge, "elected mayor of this little community, by a majority of one."

This wasn't the first bad bit of business Sarge had seen, and it's implied it probably won't be the last; but at least he'll be there to face it, at home. I have to wonder if that house is still there now...Also, the GCD entry makes a point of it: Batman doesn't appear this issue. Batgirl (Cassandra) makes a brief appearance defending the neighborhood, but that's about it.
Read more!

It's the spirit of Gotham! Or rabies.

Maybe the spirit of Gotham is rabies, in today's book: from 1999, Batman: No Man's Land Secret Files #1, opening with "The Message" Written by Alisa Kwitney, pencils by Michael Zulli, inks by Vince Locke.

It's New Year's Eve in Gotham City, right on the eve of No Man's Land: at midnight, the federal government will blow the bridges, cutting off anyone who hasn't already evacuated. (Criminals, insane criminals, the stubborn, the delusional, the deeply impoverished, and so forth.)  Jason had waited to the last minute, but with only bats left in his building it was time to move on. Until he hears the voice of Gotham, telling him he must deliver a message to Gotham's guardian spirit.  The voice does save him from a falling sign, but tells him he can't leave until the message is delivered.

This of course leads to a little tour of Gotham's new status quo, visiting Oracle, the Penguin, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, and finally Huntress; before Jason succumbs to rabies. Then what saved him from the sign?  

"Assignment: Bruce Wayne"  is a bit more cheery, as a reporter racks up an epic expense account trying to chase down the missing Wayne.  ("A Day in the Life" Written by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Sal Velluto, inks by Bob Almond.) The last story, "No Man's Land: the Animated Series" could maybe fit into regular continuity, except for the framing device of a boy watching it on TV.  

Well, I don't think the Cassandra-Batgirl talked much at that point. Still, looks nice.
Read more!

We saw an earlier chapter of this some time back, but we found the conclusion at the comicon: from 2002, Batman #605, "Courage" Written by Ed Brubaker, pencils by Scott McDaniel, inks by Andy Owens.

This issue does take a moment to acknowledge a couple of points that I had thought were going to fall by the wayside: Batman visits the grave of Vesper Fairchild, who had been murdered and Bruce Wayne framed for it. And in the Batcave, to his then-current support team of Nightwing, Robin, Cassandra Cain/Batgirl, Oracle, and Alfred; Batman admits "I'm not an easy person to know." The conspiracy behind the frame-up is revealed, but that it had two parts that hadn't occurred to them: it was a two-pronged attack on Bruce Wayne and Batman.

Then-president Lex Luthor was behind the first part, since Wayne and Luthor had been at odds since the "No Man's Land" crossover. Luthor's man Amherst, whom Batman had recently captured, had hired a professional to break Wayne, and said professional had used a nerve strike on Vesper: a nerve strike that Batman would know, which threw suspicion on him killing her to protect his secret identity. Batgirl had recognized the move, since she had learned it from the same man who taught Batman: the assassin David Cain, Batgirl's father.

Most of the rest of this issue is a shell game, as Batman's team tries to trap Cain, who knows Batman's identity and doesn't consider that "emotional cripple" fit to be Cassandra's father-figure. Batman beats Cain down, but won't kill him; and Cain, having no reason not to now and at Cassandra's behest, confesses to Vesper's murder. In Washington, Luthor asks his staff to track down Amherst; but they won't find him: Batman had him taken to Arkham, and committed under an alias. This would be as close to justice as Vesper would get, since I'm not sure she was brought up when Luthor's presidency ended.
Read more!

"The End" Week: Batgirl #24!

The last page of this issue almost perfectly encapsulates all of these "The End" issues: from 2011, Batgirl #24, "Unsinkable" Written by Bryan Q. Miller, art by Pere Perez.

Former Spoiler/Robin/dead Stephanie Brown, the current Batgirl, has just found her dad the Cluemaster isn't dead either, and has been responsible for most of the trouble she's faced recently. He's either legitimately concerned for his daughter and trying to make her a better Batgirl, or a bit of a nutball. Cluemaster mentions also picking up a new hobby, gardening. Namely, Black Mercy, as seen in "For the Man who has Everything..."!

Cluemaster doses Batgirl with the Mercy, but she manages to keep him from getting away before she goes under. Batgirl wakes up in a hospital, where her mom works as a nurse: Supergirl brought her in, while Dr. Mid-Nite set up a transfusion. Her mom says she's proud of her, as are the little kids of Gotham, and even a certain snotty Robin. Later, Stephanie visits former Batgirl/current Oracle/future Batgirl Barbara Gordon, who tells her she fought off the Mercy before the transfusion. Steph had several dreams while under the influence, which could also be seen as Miller burning off unused plotlines before the 52 reboot; but cleverly, they're all drawn with the Black Mercy somewhere in the picture!

I hadn't realized Miller wrote this whole run of Batgirl, but I think he'd been on fire since around #15. Of course, since Barbara's Batgirl again in the new 52, Stephanie (and Cassandra, the other other Batgirl) have either been shelved or demoted to other identities. I'm personally kicking myself that Stephanie won me over long after her DC Direct action figure--possibly the only one she'll ever get--became insanely expensive...

Read more!

DC Relaunch/Retcon/Retread thoughts:

Sooooo...this is the big one. But first, some thoughts on DC's other in-comic changes.

Now, everyone has their own tastes, which means everyone has their own things that they would like to see in DC's new 52 number one issues. I personally would love to see Doom Patrol (previously cancelled five or six times), Warlord (cancelled three times and a miniseries), the Creeper (cancelled three times and a Vertigo mini where he was a French chick?), the Vic Sage Question (Um, once, then a quarterly, a limited, and other stuff), and the Ted Kord Blue Beetle (geez, I think Ted got cancelled a couple times at Charlton...). Maybe it's just me, and maybe those characters didn't set the sales charts on fire before, but why the hell not? DC's rolling back the odometer on a bunch of other stuff, and they're giving another shot to Firestorm (cancelled four times?), Captain Atom (one prior series and a mini, but he gets the shaft every big event they can shaft him in: Armageddon: 2001, Kingdom Come, Countdown: Arena...), Grifter (at least twice solo), and Hawkman (yeah, you tell me).

That's why I'm a little disappointed in some of DC's choices for new number ones. (So far, there's still a few left to be revealed.) A lot of these have had books before, and I'm not sure they'll do any better this time around. I wish all the best to Resurrection Man (28 issues), OMAC (depends what OMAC you mean...) and Aquaman (guh) but trotting them out like they're going to save comics this time around is just dumb.

Now, they were a few that were surprising choices, and by surprising I mean baffling. Mr. Terrific gets his first first issue ever, and that name's been around for over 70 years. I, Vampire is another interesting choice: I know that was a J. M. DeMatteis scripted series running in House of Mystery in 1982-83. Of course, now it looks like Twilight: the Anime, and if I'm the first person to make that joke I'll eat an issue of it.

Then there's Batgirl. Man, this is a tough one. There's no denying that Gail Simone is probably the best choice for the book, and is legitimately excited to be writing Barbara Gordon. But, she's back as Batgirl, not Oracle...and apparently, no longer in a wheelchair. (Jill Pantozzi has a great piece at Newsarama on this.)

Now, comics have a tradition of bringing characters back from the dead, of rebooting them, taking them back to their root; and yeah, Professor X has been in and out of his wheelchair more than a couple times. But...Barbara getting to walk again doesn't feel right, really. Like she shouldn't get out...unless everyone else does, too.

And Barbara as Batgirl has the unfortunate consequence of displacing Stephanie, who displaced Cassandra: I think Bully's suggestion of Batgirl, Inc. may have been the right track...and J. Caleb Mozzocco of Everyday is Like Wednesday pointed out that with Batwoman (who is newer, and possibly younger?) and Barbara both in costume, that's two red-haired Bat-femmes tearing about concurrently.

But, that is going to be the trouble with an undertaking like this: someone's favorite character is always going to be left out, altered, short-changed, or otherwise burned. Some have noticed the absence of Tim Drake as Red Robin, so far. Some would prefer Damien be removed--if Batman's being made a little younger, when did he have him? There's the possibility Lois and Clark will get the Mary Jane/Peter "One More Day" treatment. And that's just the big ones.

DC did get people talking, that much is true. Even if a lot of that talk is "...why?" or "...really?" Still, it's a start.

One last thing: I don't know about bringing Grifter, Voodoo, and possibly the whole Wildstorm Universe into the DC Universe; since they already have folded in Charlton, Quality, Milestone, maybe Red Circle and the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and who all else in there. Hell, I'd rather they gave one of those slots to a Milestone book, anyway.
(EDIT: And of course, since writing this, Red Robin is going to be in Teen Titans, which looks...yeah; and Static will be back.)

Read more!

Supergirl/Wonder Girl 4: It says something when your new girlfriend has the same name...

The quiet (and recently replaced) Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, seems doomed to be one of those female characters seemingly beloved by all but unable to translate that into sales. I never read a ton of books with her, but the idea of her dating the vastly less-competent Conner (still misspelled in the strips, sorry) could be ripe for comedy. Which doesn't seem like her forte, but still.

After being mishandled after the end of her book and then fighting her way back into the role, Cassandra recently passed the Batgirl cowl to Stephanie Brown, formerly the Spoiler, formerly Robin, formerly dead. Steph's death as the result of her trying to run one of Batman's plans without Batman in War Games was retconned into a fake; and that's why Bats never had her costume in the trophy case of the honored dead. Yeah...let's move on, yes?

I don't know if Wonder Girl Cassie knew about Batgirl Cassandra's brief romance with Superboy Conner (there's been like five versions of each of these characters, so you have to use both names...) but she doesn't seem like the type to be cool about it.

Read more!