I’m glad you liked it…but I think people are seeing meta commentary where there is none. It’s not me or DC speaking to the audience, it’s Bruce, speaking to Barbara, the way I always like to write him, with love to someone he thinks of as a daughter. Truthfully, I think meta-commentary in fiction is getting really trite and tedious…I feel like they are always trying to pander to me. It’s frustrating…and I’m kind of glad to be slowly moving away from it, if that makes sense. Also, this doesn’t mean Cass or Steph couldn’t be or have been Batgirl, that never even crossed our minds. It’s just that Barbara is the first…then she had a hiatus. What happened to the name during that time is still open. But I am glad you enjoyed it!Yes, that one line isn’t doing anybody any favors and I hate it just as much as the rest of you. But to write off an entire issue, an entire series, based on a single sentence that Bruce probably only told Barbara because he felt she needed to hear it? That says more about your own feelings than…
Babs had a “hiatus”? No. She was Batgirl. Then she passed the name to other heroes that deserved it, while she went on to bigger things. Then she took the name back for no adequately-explained reason. That’s not a hiatus, and calling it that basically says that Steph and Cass were never ‘real’ Batgirls, they were just keeping the cowl warm. This is why people object, it’s Bruce ignoring 2 Batgirls and Oracle to pump up Babs, which is the exact same thing editorial has been doing since the reboot was announced. Assuming that’s metacommentary isn’t a big stretch.
I wouldn’t use the word, ‘stretch,’ maybe. But I’ve read quite a few long posts that present authority on what this ‘invalidates’ that couldn’t be further from the truth.
People have concluded that this means there was never and will be no Cass Batgirl, was never and will be no Steph Batgirl, and was never and will be no Oracle. And I have to say, that is a lot of weight to put on a single sentence in a single panel under the best of circumstances.
Some of the conclusions are not correct. Some are not in my control or haven’t yet been decided by editorial. But none of it has anything to do with that sentence.
It’s Bruce telling Barbara that he trusts her and that she’s earned his trust.
This is still VERY early in Barbara’s actual career in the cowl.
I mean this with the utmost respect and care, so please, I hope you understand that that’s how I mean this.
You miss Cass, and Steph, and Oracle. I do, too. There’s a lot of stuff in the new DCnU we haven’t yet seen come back in force. And things always move slower than we would like. I am writing Barbara right now. I want there to be a successful Batgirl book in the DCU. I want Barbara to have a place in the DCU. No one is ever going to get me to write a sentence that erases Cass or Steph in any way.Their role might evolve somewhat, it might not be in my hands at all. Maybe the next B.Q.M. is out there, or the CURRENT B.Q.M., even, to rebuild those characters. I might not get to bring them back personally, but if anyone thinks I want them on the bench, they are very mistaken.
Again, I understand WHY people look for meta-commentary in so much genre fiction right now, and we lose ownership of the meaning of a story once it is in front of a reader’s eyes. It’s never a good idea for a writer to get down to parsing individual sentences, I think it sort of diminishes the reader and the story both, and it’s even a little bit patronizing, and I don’t want to do that.
So all I can say is, looking at every Batgirl through the lens of missing Cass and Steph, it’s understandable why people think this is some kind of shut-down of those characters. But there is nothing in that sentence that invalidates any of those characters either before or after Barbara put the cape back on.
I’m a little bummed that it’s taking longer than I had hoped to get some of these characters off the bench, but it doesn’t mean we’ve stopped trying.
I just finished reading Batgirl #6 after reading a fair amount of the commentary popping up all over the net. This is some of the silliest controversy I’ve ever seen.
I can’t see how that single sentence can be interpreted as Cass & Steph or their times as Batgirl being removed from existence. Bruce never says Babs was the only Batgirl. Just that in Bruce’s opinion, Barbara was meant to be Batgirl. That doesn’t imply that there weren’t other Batgirls. People sure interpret things in strange ways.
Even if Steph never was Batgirl, I thought she was mighty fine as Spoiler, so I for one would be totally fine if that’s how she was eventually reintroduced.
Some of these other rants about this issue are so ridiculous like “Barbara doesn’t need Batman’s approval to be Batgirl!” -that Bruce’s words were sexist and anti-feminist.
Well, that’s just silly. Of course she does! Not to be a costumed crime-fighter of course. But she wants to be Batgirl. Bruce didn’t make his fortune giving away licensing rights to just anyone. I think Batman has a right to decide who can wear his symbol. He started a whole global initiative to do just that. Barbara couldn’t walk into Best Buy wearing an employee uniform if she wasn’t an employee. Not that Babs is necessarily Batman’s employee (though he does help her with the bills).
As an extension to this argument spurred by this panel, I read someone saying that the name BatGIRL also was offensive, because she’s a grown woman. That somehow calling her a “girl” belittles her position to the “man.” I think some people are thinking too hard.
I totally agree that there should be changes in the industry regarding female characters and creators, but there are so many over-the-top, incredibly negative rants on this subject that I think it hurts the credibility of people trying to make a legitimate case or effort, especially when the attacks are now even aimed at a series with a female lead written by a female creator.
I happened to like Batgirl #6. I think the new villains in this series are kinda awesome. I don’t think it’s a perfect book. While well written, I think (for me) Barbara was never really that interesting as Batgirl the first time around. I still enjoy it for what it is, even if I’d rather see someone else behind the cowl.
Whoa whoa whoa…I appreciate all the kind words but, really, there’s no reason to attack anyone. I’m not offended, people aren’t being mean, they just had a reaction to the book or the scene or whatever, which is ALWAYS fair game.Really, it’s okay, everyone’s entitled to their opinion.
A lot of these people deeply love Cass, Oracle, or Steph and they feel, rightly or wrongly, that this book invalidates those characters in some manner. It’s completely understandable to be upset about that. Completely.
For others, they just plain don’t like the scene, or the book, or my work, or whatever. All of that is ALSO fair game.
It’s fine! I was really just having a discussion with some posters and I thought everyone was being perfectly respectful even in disagreement. There’s no need to circle any wagons or anything.
The truth is, for all the anger on some Tumblr threads, this is probably the best reception we’ve had for an issue of the new Batgirl. We’ve been hearing about it from people all day long. That’s just how it is, the story one person loves is hated by someone else. It doesn’t make anyone a bad person.
We’re all comics readers, no reason to forget that, okay?
Circling the wagons? Didn’t realize I was attacking anyone. Sorry if it sounded that way. Maybe my Best Buy uniform bit didn’t come off as funny as I thought it sounded in my head. Of course everyone is entitled to their opinions. I never said anyone was a bad person. Just that I thought some commentary on this issue seemed blown out of proportion. I did say some of the sexism arguments are a bit over-the-top without justifiable context. Just commenting on general commentary.
All I’m trying to say is that I think some readers are thinking a little too hard about finding meanings that aren’t there. Just enjoy the book for what it is. Otherwise, this relaunch is just going to drive fans crazy, yearning for yesteryear that isn’t coming back (at least not currently).
The New 52 is full of great books. They may not be what every longtime fan wanted. I certainly would prefer Steph as Batgirl. I know plenty of others who would prefer Cass. I’ll take Babs though, because it’s a decent book.
I messed up, I was responding to the poster before you who was a little more confrontational. I am not sure what I did wrong but it ended up reblogging you, instead. I caught it just after and sent you a pm. My mistake entirely!
