Batgirl: Year One #1
“Masquerade”, February 2003, written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, pencilled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, colored by Javier Rodriguez, lettered by Willie Schubert, edited by Matt Idelson, cover by Marcos Martin and Alvaro Lopez
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I think the art is good for the story, harking back to the “simpler” days when Barbara was young. Her Batgirl days always seem cleaner, crisper, very Silver Age and primary-colored, with sillier villains and lots more flirting. Marcos Martin’s art works subliminally to underscore that while at the same time showing shadows and mystery implying that there’s more there than nostalgia necessarily remembers.
But I am getting so tired of the arbitrary rewriting of supporting characters’ origin stories. I personally thought the Secret Origins #20 tale summed up her story and updated the details very well to post-Crisis continuity; I then thought that the Legends of the DC Universe 2-parter (#10 and #11, “Folie a Deux”) made minor (somewhat annoying, but still minor) changes to the Secret Origins story and fleshed things out very well.
So why change the source of Barbara’s inspiration? Why change her height so drastically? Barbara has ALWAYS been tall, all the way back to her debut. She has always, from the dawn of her character, been upwards of 5’10” — perhaps she’s supposed to have a growth spurt later in the story… but I have to say that did bother me. Canary’s the short one; Babs is the tall one.
I don’t mind a bit of origin tweaking, but WHY!!!! They wouldn’t let this stuff happen to BATMAN!!!
While I enjoyed this story on the surface very much, on a deepr level, I’m pretty ambivalent about this. It looks like a good setup, and I like the direction it’s taking and Babs’ characterization on a broader scale, but I’m not pleased with the canonical changes being made to her origin.
Batgirl: Year One #2
“Future-Tense”, March 2003, written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, pencilled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, colored by Javier Rodriguez, lettered by Willie Schubert, edited by Matt Idelson, cover by Marcos Martin and Alvaro Lopez
I really like the art in this story. It just works very well with the Silver Age villain and the modern, dark undertones and overtones, the looming menace… I like the art.
And taking a deep breath and accepting the origin story changes, this is a good story so far. Barbara is smart and driven by a sense of her own value which she believes (for good reason) is not appreciated by those around her.
Her ambition is also well-illustrated as well as her recklessness — qualities she’s often shown in the pages of Birds of Prey
An excellent character study and so far, so good.
Batgirl: Year One #3
“Afterglow”, April 2003, written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, pencilled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, colored by Javier Rodriguez, lettered by Willie Schubert, edited by Matt Idelson, cover by Marcus Martin.
The retelling of Batgirl’s origin continues, with forays into Robin’s early crush on Barbara “Batgirl” Gordon, Jason Bard’s attempts to romance Babs, Batman’s first attempts to discourage her from “the life.”
The most interesting aspect of this installment is its portrayal of Barbara’s first minor attempts at really being a vigilante, her close calls, and her determination to be better. She revamps her costume-party costume into a real crimefighter’s costume (by DCU standards) complete with a useful utility belt and sensible boots.
The best thing in the series is the way Barbara’s personality is explored. As Batgirl, she has a lot of doubts about her abilities (“that was stupid!”) but still has that superiority complex that is Oracle’s hallmark. The path from Batgirl to Oracle is made clearer by this story.
Batgirl: Year One #4
“Cave Dwellers”, May 2003, written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, pencilled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, colored by Javier Rodriguez, lettered by Willie Schubert, edited by Matt Idelson, cover by Marcus Martin.
Really, the art and coloring in this series are just gorgeous. Very specific, style-wise, but they fit this flashback tale of Barbara Gordon’s past.
And this issue is all about Babs’ first visit to the boy’s club — the Batcave! Naturally, Robin is all for letting Batgirl join the team, but Batman — being Batman — would prefer if she’d just go away.
Batgirl gets run through her paces and has a good ol’ Huntress-style yell at Batman about being treated badly, but in the end, she’s impressed (or smitten) Robin, and he secretly supplies her with official Bat-gear.
He also believes he’s scooped Batman by knowing Batgirl’s secret… has he? Future issues, I’m sure, will tell.
Batgirl: Year One #5
“Moth to a Flame”, June 2003, written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, pencilled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, colored by Javier Rodriguez, lettered by Willie Schubert, edited by Matt Idelson, cover by Marcus Martin.
This issue deals with Batgirl’s self-nominated archnemesis, Killer Moth, and his life post-humiliation at Batgirl’s hands. He’s lost everything — his henchman, his home, his money — and is in despair, impotently dreaming of revenge, until a new partner offers himself up: Firefly. Now, Firefly is quite the despicable character — a pyromaniac film FX man who is fired from his latest job for rigging an effect which almost kills the film’s leading lady. Ewwww.
Once again, Moth is in over his head, teamed with a psychopath while he’s just kind of a loser wannabe criminal who was in it for the money and prestige (only in Gotham!) But this new partner makes Killer Moth’s revenge a true danger to the unsuspecting Batgirl.
Batgirl: Year One #6
“Bird of Prey”, July 2003, written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, pencilled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, colored by Javier Rodriguez, lettered by Willie Schubert, edited by Matt Idelson, cover by Marcus Martin.
Another origin story! This time of the team that will become the Birds of Prey. The first meeting of Barbara Gordon and Dinah Lance (unbeknownst to either of them at the time) is told in this issue.
Canary calls Batgirl “kid” several times in this story, which is funny. Because they aren’t that far apart in age, and in the real DCU, Barbara is taller than Canary, so she should be towering over her… But hey.
Babs graduates from “kid” to “sister” pretty quickly, and the reason behind their team-up soon becomes clear. A mobster has hired two baddies to be fake Killer Moth & Firefly and have sent them off to kidnap someone (a set-up within a set-up!) Their target? James Gordon.
Now, a note here. When Dixon first referred to Batgirl & Canary’s first meeting in the pages of BoP 15, the case was the kidnapping of CANARY’s dad. However, I (yes me) pointed out to him on his message board, that there is no way in any version of DC continuity that Larry Lance could have been alive at the time. He was always dead before BC II took up the mantle. So this redirection of the story may have happened anyway thanks to some alert DC editor or continuity cop, but I happen to know I’m the first one who pointed it out to him!
Back to the story! Gordon visits an old friend and source, the late Larry Lance’s partner, and on the way out is set upon by the fakes who injure his sidekick Jason Bard and make away wth their quarry, destroying Lance’s old office building and killing his partner. This calls Black Canary’s attention to the case and brings her onto the scene.
Mayhem ensues, our heroines unite in their common cause, the real Killer Moth and Firefly follow along to see what all the fuss is, and in a great final image, the Moths & Flys square off while Batgirl and Canary, weirdly outnumbered, react with disgruntlement rather than fear at their predicament. This all works amazingly well. The banter, while a bit off (I mean, do women talk like this? Not so much though maybe some do…), is fun and action-filmish and both heroines are strong, determined, and just keep movin’ on. The cliffhanger is a good one, not really scary but funny and with enough of the unknown danger looming to add a bit of “what next!” to the sting. Groovy story
Batgirl: Year One #7
“Bird of Prey”, August 2003, written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, pencilled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, colored by Javier Rodriguez, lettered by Willie Schubert, edited by Matt Idelson, cover by Marcus Martin.
The BoP team-up wraps in this issue with Babs’ new motorcycle (bestowed last issue by Robin who pretends its on the sly though it’s actually at Batman’s behest who wants to help her survive until she quits ;-)
The team manages to rescue the innocent and not-so-innocent victims of the Fireflys and Killer Moths but don’t manage to save Bressi’s house (the mobster who started the whole mess by hiring the fakes). Canary goes back “home” to the JLA Watchtower, getting all the credit for the rescue in the papers the next day, and Barbara goes home with a heatburnt face which shows the outline of her cowl quite clearly! This is a funny and realistic touch which leads to some amusing interplay between Babs and her dad.
A poignant moment with Jason Bard — now in the hospital and off the force due to permanent disability — as Babs realizes she really does like him. But they’re interrupted by Gordon and Babs runs off, deciding to hit the rooftops for some stress-relieving crimebusting which leads to another meet-cute with Robin who’s delivering a replacement for the batcycle she trashed…
But that’s not all! Batman’s away and Robin wants to party. And the teen vigilante’s idea of a fun date? A team-up with the new Batgirl.
This issue and the last are the strongest ones in this story so far. The characters are very well-drawn, interesting, and funny. Robin is endearing, Babs is confused and shaken but still determined, and Canary was just flat-out fun! Where was THIS Dinah Lance in the pages of most of Dixon’s run on BoP? That would be my only criticism…
Batgirl: Year One #8
“Seasoned Crime-Fighter”, September 2003, written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, pencilled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, colored by Javier Rodriguez, lettered by Willie Schubert, edited by Matt Idelson, cover by Marcus Martin.
The penultimate issue of this maxi-series features the first team-up adventure of the original Batgirl and Robin, their first encounter with the Condiment King, a forshadowing first match with the original Blockbuster, and an important first kiss.
This is another delightful outing in the series. Batgirl and Robin both come across as age-appropriate but also very talented at their chosen pastime. Even though they both have some idea of how dangerous their lives are, they also have that youthful sense of immortality necessary to leap into things whole-heartedly when perhaps they don’t quite know what they’ll do next let alone if anything goes wrong. One of the major talents of both characters is their ability to think fast, and this saves their lives more often than not.
Barbara’s father has deep suspicions that his daughter is Batgirl, and their rocky relationship seems about to blow up as the issue ends with a huge fire.
There’s a nice cameo by historic Bruce Wayne girlfriend and reporter (all the superhero guys dated “nosey” girl reporters back in the day) Vicki Vale. The art is truly excellent; consistent, beautifully colored, and clean. Barbara’s internal monologue is realistic and shows a smart, maturing, but imperfect human being — a quality it would have been nice to see shown in the older, more experienced, but still dangerously headstrong Oracle during Dixon’s BoP tenure.
Batgirl: Year One #9
“Ashes and Blood”, October 2003, written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, pencilled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, colored by Javier Rodriguez, lettered by Willie Schubert, edited by Matt Idelson, cover by Martin, Lopez, and Rodriguez.
It ends not with a bang or a whimper but with a triumphant carpe diem attitude. This limited series was a bit wobbly at first, but the last few issues have been wonderful, really capturing the characters — epecially Barbara and Dick Grayson/Robin — and making the action and villains really work. The art has been uniformly wonderful, very clean and crisp, Silver Agey without looking old, and capturing the Gotham Noir feel.
I still don’t know why Dixon went to all the trouble to make Barbara short (which she never was and still isn’t). I’m sure he could have found some other obstacle (eyesight, maybe? I have a cousin who was discharged from the Air Force for some obscure eye problem…) to throw in her path to “legitimate” law enforcement.
But in the end, this series is highly recommended for all Barbara Gordon fans. We finally get to see Barbara in the Batcave, Barbara learning “the secret,” the early Batgirl/Robin flirtations, and all that good stuff that was either not exactly done “then” as it is now (post-Crisis) or never actually told before. All hail, Batgirl! She was one of the greats, and this series shows us just why.