Collecting Batgirl

Please Note: As of 2005, I have stopped updating this collecting list. Barbara Gordon continues to be a driving force in Birds of Prey and all issues of that title are recommeded as Essential Reading for all Babs fans.

In this list:
SHOWING means that Babs is in the story briefly — anywhere from a cameo shot to a few, fleeting frames — but impacts on the overall story very little
FEATURED means that Babs plays an active, supporting role in the story
STARRING means just that, too — that Babs is the main focus of the story (the term "CO-STARRING" is used for most Birds of Prey story appearances and a few of Babs' appearances when she is clearly acting in a starring role but is not the only character doing so).

Please Note: Appearance lists are organized alphabetically by comic title and then in ascending chronological order by comic publication date.

"BoP!" indicates that the story includes an appearance by Babs & Dinah in BoP mode.

Essential Reading: I've put a beside all appearances I consider "Essential Reading" for Barbara Gordon fans. If you want to get a good, basic overview of Babs' post-Crisis history, pick up the starred issues.

 Batgirl Secret Files & Origins 1, August 2002, “Batgirl vs. Batgirl” — co-starring — this is a holographic version of Babs as Batgirl: this issue also includes a one-page bio of the original Batgirl

 Batgirl Special 1, 1988, “The Last Batgirl Story” — starring

 Batgirl: Year One 1, February 2003, “Masquerade” — starring

 Batgirl: Year One 2, March 2003, “Future-Tense” — starring — the rewrite of Barbara Gordon's origin continues

 Batgirl: Year One 3, April 2003, “Afterglow” — starring

 Batgirl: Year One 4, May 2003, “Cave Dwellers” — starring

 Batgirl: Year One 5, June 2003, “Moth to a Flame” — starring

 Batgirl: Year One 6, July 2003, “Bird of Prey” — starring

 Batgirl: Year One 7, August 2003, “Hearts Afire” — starring —the first meeting and team-up of the original Batgirl and the second Black Canary concludes

 Batgirl: Year One 8, September 2003, “Seasoned Crime-Fighter” — starring —the first proper Batgirl & Robin team-up!

 Batgirl: Year One 9, October 2003, “Ashes and Blood” — starring

 Batman 451, July 1990, “Judgments” — showing — only appears as Barbara Gordon in this story

 Batman 511, September 1994, “The Night Before Zero” — featured

 Batman 600, April 2002, “Joker Tips His Hat” — co-starring

 Batman 614, June 2003, “Hush, Chapter Seven: The Joke” — showing — Batman remembers the original Batgirl

 Batman and Superman: World's Finest , August 1999, “Year Five: A Woman's Work” — co-starring

 Batman Annual 13, 1989, “Faces” — showing

 Batman Chronicles 1, Summer 1995, “Midnight Train” — showing — flashback

 Batman Chronicles 9, Summer 1997, “Photo Finish” — starring

 Batman Chronicles Gallery 1, 1997, “” — showing — pictured with Huntress & Catwoman

 Batman: Batgirl , 1997, “Batgirl” — starring

 Batman: Batgirl 1, June 1998, “Scars” — starring

 Batman: Gotham Knights 21, November 2001, “Day & Night in Black & White!” — starring — in a sort of quasi-animated/quasi-pre-Crisis story with Poison Ivy

 Batman: Gotham Knights 43, September 2003, “Knights Passed, Part One: Batgirl & Robin” — featured

 Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 180, August 2004, “The Secret City, Part One” — showing

 Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 181, September 2004, “The Secret City, Part Two” — featured —the original Batgirl returns action in an unusual venue

 Batman: Madness -- A Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special , 1994, “” — featured — includes what is presumably Barbara's first face-to-face meeting with the Batman

 Batman: The Killing Joke , 1988, “” — featured — this story takes place after she has retired as Batgirl but before she has created Oracle

 Birds of Prey 71, Early October 2004, “Between Dark and Dawn, Part Three: Insanity Defense” — showing —a brief flashback, beautifully drawn

 Birds of Prey 79, April 2005, “Hero Hunters, Part Four: She Rides the Eye of a Hurricane” — showing

 Birds of Prey: Batgirl/Catwoman 1, 2003, “” — starring —a wonderful character-driven detective story which includes a quick origin review (which sticks FAR closer to canon than the concurrent Batgirl: Year One) and a highly engaging match-up at its heart.

 Black Canary/Batgirl: Birds of Prey 1, February 1998, “Birds of Prey” — starring — BoP!

 DC First: Batgirl/Joker 1, July 2002, “Clowntime” — featured

 Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl , 1998, “” — starring — Elseworld's version

 Harley Quinn 11, October 2001, “Quintessence — Part 3: The Girl Is Bats” — showing — flashback — and this issue also features Harley dressing up like the original Babs Batgirl

 Harley Quinn 12, November 2001, “Quintessence — Conclusion: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy!” — showing — not really but Poison Ivy dons the classic duds this time out

 JLA in Crisis Secret Files 1, November 1998, “” — showing

 JLA: The Nail 1, August 1998, “” — showing — Elseworlds version

 Justice League of America: Another Nail 2, 2004, “” — showing —brief flashback to the action of the original Nail miniseries

 Legends of the DC Universe 10, November 1998, “Folie a Deux -- Part One” — starring

 Legends of the DC Universe 11, December 1998, “Folie a Deux -- Part Two” — starring

 Nightwing 10, July 1997, “” — showing — pictured on cover only

 Nightwing 9, June 1997, “” — showing — nightmare vision

 Nightwing 38, December 1999, “Face to Face” — showing — dream version

 Nightwing 88, February 2004, “Flurry” — showing —in a brief nightmare of Nightwing's

 Robin: Year One 4, 2001, “” — showing — a sort of proto-Batgirl tale as this is one of the moments that inspires her own ambitions

 Secret Origins 20, November 1987, “Batgirl: Flawed Gems” — starring

 Silver Age 80-Page Giant 1, July 2000, “SOS to Nowhere” — featured

 Silver Age Secret Files 1, July 2000, “Seven Soldiers of Victory (bio sheet)” — featured

 Silver Age: Showcase 1, July 2000, “The 7 Soldiers of Victory” — featured

 Thrillkiller , 1997, “” — starring — Elseworld's version

 Thrillkiller '62 , 1998, “” — starring — Elseworld's version

 Zero Hour , September 1994, “(miniseries)” — featured

Special thanks to Bonnie Hamilton, M. Hall, Omar Ramos, and Mickey
for their contributions to this list