Exclusive Preview: BATGIRL #38

BATGIRL #38

(W) Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher (A) Babs Tarr (CA) Cameron Stewart

Things are going surprisingly well in Batgirl's new life! But nothing good ever lasts long in Gotham City - and the other yellow boot is about to drop...hard!

Item Code: NOV140251 In Shops: 1/14/2015 SRP: $2.99

Looks like it's going to continue to be fantastic.

The Art style is very light hearted. After the previous Batgirl title became my favourite I aint thrilled about the direction. But not saying anything bad about it until I actually start reading it.

This comic is always so wordy. But in a good way! Been loving it!

I think this issue will be great. But why clothes on this run of Batgirl looks alike Black Canary´s costume? Wouldnt be easy to find out Dinah and Barbara´s secret identity.

the batgirl comics are just getting better and better.

Yep!

I thought everyone hated this new run?

I don't know, I'd have thought Barbara would be old enough to know this stuff already.

@transformers1024: No it's been very well recived

@transformers1024 said:

Well I do.

@transformers1024: I do. Totally destroyed 30+ issues of who Barbara is in new 52.

This thing is aimed at teenage girls.

too much words. 7.8.

<SWAG>

@jayc1324: 1. No it didn't, if you bothered reading it you'd know it respects the previous run of both Batgirl and Birds of Prey

2. You say that like it's a bad thing, this book's target demographic is women.

I'm really enjoying this new run. it's simple and fun. the only thing i don't like is the treatment Black Canary has been given. she's only Barbara's blonde friend. no action, no fighting at all, it reminds me of what happened to her int the early 90's, in the green arrow's series, when she was stripped of all her iconic elements, and became some kinda sidekick.

love the diversity of the book! and barbs necklace...a new must have?

Can't help but agree. It could be set up for reconciliation, but I'm not exactly a trusting sort when it comes to comic writers I have not read much of.

It seems like more than one writer has been trying to uproot the friendship between Barbara and Dinah since the reboot, and I am not a fan of that as a story item.

I have to agree with another coment on this new run, it feels like Barbara has age regressed compared to the previous run, she's written like she's either in complete denial or just 10 years younger, it is really distracting and honestly ruins the fun of the book. I kind of get the feeling the writers of this book are only familiar with Barbara through some of the TV shows and were only given a brief outline of the previous run. If this book were set in the past or featured Stephanie Brown, all the problem's would dissipate.

I feel bad being so harsh on this book, especially given one of my big complaints about DC is the lack of fun its willing to have, but i think i'm done with it. On the plus side, i can still get my fun female led book with Harley next week.

@crystalmaster: Not really, just like how some people in life move on and turn over a new leaf, Barbara is ready to go back to her true self. Also considering how much this run respects the previous run, I don't think that's the case.

Yeah, you really should feel bad, you're a bad bad person.

@captainmarvel4ever: Only this isn't her true self Barbara is not this fun going hipster internet star, the use of the latter is clever but it's not who Barbara is. Either way this will explode in her face before too long and i look forward to that.

Actually i'm more of a smooth criminal kind of guy

I think it's actually 50/50 now

I'm not reading this, it's just not my thing, but the art is excellent.

@crystalmaster: This is just a somewhat more modern take on her. Not to mention the book also goes out of the way to make fun of hipster culture. Like I said before and showcased in those videos, this is Barbara being Barbara again, if your not a fan, then maybe you're just not a Batgirl fan.

Oh C'mon, you can make better puns then that.

@crystalmaster: totally agree with your regression call. She looks and sounds like a college student, but isn't she supposed to be older than Dick?

I even looked past the age thing and still couldn't get into it. It panders to teenage girls way too aggressively. I don't usually mind that because I think teenage girls have good taste in comics, and I can get into a love triangle with the best of them, but this just feels out of touch.

The changes on Catwoman feel similar, where the team is just trying too hard to appeal to a demographic.

I think Gotham Academy does it best. It's appealing to young women, but never does it feel like it's trying to portray the modern girl. Instead the characters feel like classic archetypes that people from any generation can enjoy.

That's a good way of explaining the change into this new direction.

Unfortunately it was too much of a change for me, it became something I didn't like. I can see where the plot is going though, and it looks interesting, but I prefer my 'dark & gritty' comics more.

These preview have me sitting on the fence about picking the book up again though, might give it a few months...

@cobsohn: She is supposed to be about the same age as Dick so around 21. People seem to think this new take is age regressed but honestly, the previous run she always felt waaaaaay too old imo. She was in her early twenties but looked and felt like a 30 plus year old.

@cave_duck: It's kinda funny, the whole reason I like it is because I feel like Batgirl is one of the few Batfamily members who shouldn't be dark and gritty. Different strokes I suppose.

@syncig: @captainmarvel4ever:

That's what's giving me the most difficulties with the change, I only started reading her in the New-52 version which did have her talking at a more 'mature' level. Now that she's actually acting her age, which is done well, it alienated me.

I could understand her rage at the world in the old 'version' and that helped me understand her. When she decided to turn over a new leaf and act like her age group does, I lost that connection.

Its still well written, but its not for me anymore.

(At least my wallet is thanking me for dropping a book!)

@cave_duck: Well here's the thing, if she can walk again there is no need for her to be full of angst anymore, she's finally moved past that. I hated her being so dark even after the tragedy was over, it really sent a bad message my way. As someone who is disabled (not in the same way she is, but I understand how she feels) I don't like the idea that after you've gotten over your hurdle things still need be so grim, seeing her so free spirited that she practically jumps out of the book is one of the most welcomed breaths of fresh air I could ask for.

That being said, I completely understand where your coming from, and I appreciate you saying that even if it's not for you, it's still good.

Na, she the PTSD-sufferer thats borderline on a psychosis and constantly being confronted with villains that like to remind her that she is crap.

Even Gail Simone approves of Barbara's book has a lighter tone than the one she was writing.

@outside_85: Exactly, everyone seems to think the new team stole this book from her and are undoing her work, when in reality they've been very respectful of what she's done. Wish I could say the same for other comic series (Green Arrow certainly comes to mind).

@transformers1024: It's actually one of DC's more popular titles right now.

@outside_85: Also wrong.

Barbara Gordan's life IS terrible, there is no argueing that, but the key thing is that her life would suck without or with her being a hero. Terrible family life, evil brother, crippled for no good reason, boy sh loves has a better match, lives in Gotham, the list goes on.

The reason i love the character is because she captured the hectic life very well. Sometimes life goes out of controll and there is nothing you can do to stop it, you just have to make the most of it. Barbara's ability to take her terrible life and become such a great character at ever turn was inspirational, and made me love the character. Her life never stopped sucking, but that didn't mean it was bad and certainly wasn't joyless.

This new run feels like a step back words, and a complete wrong direction to take. This is not the character i feel in love with all those years ago, or maybe she's just going through a denial phase.

@captainmarvel4ever: 1. don't tell me how to feel about my second fav Bat character

2. You overestimate my sense of humor

@crystalmaster: 1. I'm not telling you how to feel, I'm just helping you interpreting your feelings, and letting you know they may be somewhat misguided or misplaced.

2.

Which is why Barbara Gordon was so important by the time of her creation. Not just because she was a girl or woman wearing the bat. But she was a breath of fresh untragic air in a group where everyone's parents were murdered. Barbara was supposed to be the light spot of the family... then Alan Moore happened, and the bright spot was moved over to Tim Drake, who has now been given the chlorine treatment and is now virtually identical with Dick Grayson, only dumbed down now.

So read Batman, since his book was, in tone, identical to hers under Simone.

Or you know, perhaps she just stopped living in the past?

@captainmarvel4ever: I agree with you. Babs has always been fun and less broody than others Bat clan members and this book lets it shine. Plus, the constant poking fun of the digital age with social media and coffee shops is hilarious.

I like this run more than the previous one when Babs felt TOO old and depressed all the time.

@the_stegman: Couldn't have said it better myself.

@outside_85: "Stop living in the past"

That's exactly what comicbook's do

Also, Dick Grayson was already the more light-hearted character in spite of tragic origins

@crystalmaster: If that's the case, in the past she was a sunny, fun, and energetic character (sorry to gang up on ya like that).

@captainmarvel4ever: No, i know exactly how i feel, my feelings on Barbara are Crystal clear.

@crystalmaster: Oh, Crystal Clear, the pun meister strikes again :)

And it's killing them. See Legion of Superheroes.

I havnt read a batgirl comic since the first 2 arcs of the new 52. but wow...the direction has changed soo much ican't even tell if it's good or bad...but it;s certainly waaaay different. way....lighthearted? i can't even find a word has anyone been up to date with what happened and why the big change?

I'm sure glad that this newest version of Bizarro Barbara continues to be an idiot.

@captainmarvel4ever: Okay, let put it more like this, the amount of time she spent as the post killing joke Barbara is much longer then original fun Barbara. And she has grown beyond that origin now, you need to understand that backtracking is my number 1 biggest comic gripe, and this book feels like a complete step backwords. I don't care if she's going back to her roots, characters grow beyond there roots, ie: i don't see anyone demand asshole Superman, or kill happy Batman, and i certainly didn't want fun (which i don't even really get from this book) Barbara.

I acknowledge this is a decent series (my average score of the first three issues was 7/10), but it is not the character i want to read about, and this argument has only sealed the deal.

@crystalmaster: Well it looks like it she might go back to the way you like it, if you believe the covers

@captainmarvel4ever: @comicvine_is_jericho529: @crystalmaster:

If you the nj that the darkness is gone from this title, you have not actually read the preview.

The periods of memory loss are a REALLY important give away that things are deteriorating for Babs.

I want to see what else comes from it.

PS I had to step off the battle forums, so this is much different. And nice.

@crystalmaster: She had stopped being Batgirl before TKJ. Simone made a really good argument that the reason she went back was the same as the reason she started the first time. Less about making the city safe by beating up thugs, and more about not living in fear of the next time the bad guys come for her. When GotHam actually seemed better, she stopped.

I fDC actually felt that humans in DC were capable of improving their lives and society, we would have a well written and optimistic street level scene...

...but then there would be nowhere for the hacks to hide.

At least there is Astro City.