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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 5, 2019 15:10:38 GMT -5
I have requested the following books from the library: The Greatest Batgirl Stories Ever Told! - It doesn't include Batgirl's Costume Cut-Ups, The Supergirl-Batgirl Plot, The one where Robin and Batgirl are fighting over Batman, the one where Wonder Woman and Batgirl are fighting over Batman or the one where Catwoman and Batgirl are fighting over Batman. Or Justice League #60. So I'm dubious that these are really Batgirl's greatest stories. Batgirl: Redemption - It reprints the first six issues of Cassandra Cain's adventures as Batgirl.
Batgirl: Fists of Fury - It reprints Batgirl # 15, 16, 21, 26, 27, 28. And it features appearances by the Joker and the Spoiler!
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Post by berkley on Feb 5, 2019 15:45:53 GMT -5
Apart from Yvonne Craig in the tv show, I mostly like Batgirl for the solid-black uniform with the yellow symbol, as seen on the cover of her first appearance. How long did that last before they changed it to the grey with black shading? And are there any stories where it looks as good as it did on that cover?
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Post by chadwilliam on Feb 5, 2019 17:35:16 GMT -5
I have requested the following books from the library: The Greatest Batgirl Stories Ever Told! - It doesn't include Batgirl's Costume Cut-Ups, The Supergirl-Batgirl Plot, The one where Robin and Batgirl are fighting over Batman, the one where Wonder Woman and Batgirl are fighting over Batman or the one where Catwoman and Batgirl are fighting over Batman. Or Justice League #60. So I'm dubious that these are really Batgirl's greatest stories.
On the off chance that you don't have it already, I'll mention that Batman in the Sixties has the following Batgirl tales along with one Bat-Girl showing: " Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl!" from Batman 144, 1961. " Batgirl Breaks up the Dynamic Duo!" from Detective 369, 1967. " Surprise! This'll Kill You!" Batgirl back-up from Detective 388, 1969. " Batgirl's Bag of Tricks!" Batgirl back-up from Detective 389, 1969. It's not really a Batgirl centric volume, but since three of those tales have been mentioned here already (those last two are the ones with Barbara Gordon being hired to impersonate Batgirl for a group of jewel thieves dressed as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern) and you get a Betty Kane/Bat-Mite team-up tossed into the mix (I believe that this is the issue where Robin explains that he can't get romantically involved with Betty Kane because he's devoted to another woman. "Oh Robin, how could you?" "Let me take you to her - well, here she is, a statue of Lady Justice!" "Oh, Robin! You're wonderful!"). |
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 5, 2019 23:19:10 GMT -5
On the off chance that you don't have it already, I'll mention that Batman in the Sixties has the following Batgirl tales along with one Bat-Girl showing: " Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl!" from Batman 144, 1961. " Batgirl Breaks up the Dynamic Duo!" from Detective 369, 1967. " Surprise! This'll Kill You!" Batgirl back-up from Detective 388, 1969. " Batgirl's Bag of Tricks!" Batgirl back-up from Detective 389, 1969. It's not really a Batgirl centric volume, but since three of those tales have been mentioned here already (those last two are the ones with Barbara Gordon being hired to impersonate Batgirl for a group of jewel thieves dressed as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern) and you get a Betty Kane/Bat-Mite team-up tossed into the mix (I believe that this is the issue where Robin explains that he can't get romantically involved with Betty Kane because he's devoted to another woman. "Oh Robin, how could you?" "Let me take you to her - well, here she is, a statue of Lady Justice!" "Oh, Robin! You're wonderful!"). Batman in The Sixties is available from the local library system and I've checked it out a few times over the years. And "Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl!" is one of the greatest comic-book stories EVER! Actually, the Betty Kane Bat-Girl only appeared 6 or 7 times in the 1960s and they're pretty much all great stories! Her debut, her meeting with Bat-Mite, the Joker-Clayface Feud, "Prisoners of Three Worlds" and the one where Robin and Bat-Girl have to figure out how to stop Batman after he gets turned into a genie and is being controlled by gangsters! That's only five. I'll have to figure out which one I can't think of. |
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Post by Farrar on Feb 6, 2019 17:11:37 GMT -5
Batman in The Sixties is available from the local library system and I've checked it out a few times over the years. And "Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl!" is one of the greatest comic-book stories EVER! Actually, the Betty Kane Bat-Girl only appeared 6 or 7 times in the 1960s and they're pretty much all great stories! Her debut, her meeting with Bat-Mite, the Joker-Clayface Feud, "Prisoners of Three Worlds" and the one where Robin and Bat-Girl have to figure out how to stop Batman after he gets turned into a genie and is being controlled by gangsters! That's only five. I'll have to figure out which one I can't think of. I think the Bat-Girl stories you are missing are "Batwoman's Junior Partner" in Batman #141 (Bat-Girl's second appearance) and "Bat-Girl--Batwoman II", an imaginary story in Batman #163. The latter story is included in the DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories Vol. 2: Batman and Robin tpb. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2019 17:56:01 GMT -5
Here's my top 5 StoriesNumber 1 ... Detective Comics #359  A classic and a winning debut ... loved this story to death. Number 2 ... "One Man's Hell" Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1 I read this story a thousand times ... and never, ever, failed to please me. Number 3 ... "On Wings" Birds of Prey #8 Great Story and a winner in my book and I cherish it very much ... Number 4 ... Batgirl: Year One #1-9 A gem of a find ... no doubt about it. Number 5 ... "The Cat and the Bat" Batman Confidential #17-21 First time these two met, and getting the notebook back to Commissioner Gordon was more than she bargained for and this really an action packed book loaded with everything ...
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 7, 2019 12:40:25 GMT -5
Batman in The Sixties is available from the local library system and I've checked it out a few times over the years. And "Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl!" is one of the greatest comic-book stories EVER! Actually, the Betty Kane Bat-Girl only appeared 6 or 7 times in the 1960s and they're pretty much all great stories! Her debut, her meeting with Bat-Mite, the Joker-Clayface Feud, "Prisoners of Three Worlds" and the one where Robin and Bat-Girl have to figure out how to stop Batman after he gets turned into a genie and is being controlled by gangsters! That's only five. I'll have to figure out which one I can't think of. I think the Bat-Girl stories you are missing are "Batwoman's Junior Partner" in Batman #141 (Bat-Girl's second appearance) and "Bat-Girl--Batwoman II", an imaginary story in Batman #163. The latter story is included in the DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories Vol. 2: Batman and Robin tpb. I don't think I've read either of those! |
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 8, 2019 23:11:31 GMT -5
I read this one last night. It's one of the greats! It's got the edge on the Number One spot in my list of Favorite Batgirl stories. And it's not because of the goofy Silver Age sexism wherein Batgirl is letting the bad guys get away because of her female vanity. (For example, she stops to wipe the mud off her costume and the bad guys escape while she's distracted.) No, what put this over the top is the bad guys. They are a sports-themed gang, and all the crimes are based on extreme sports. For example. radball! It's soccer on bicycles! And the gang rides their bicycles behind an armored truck and "kick" the ball under the truck, where it blows up and enables them to loot the armored vehicle! Also, great art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene! |
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 8, 2019 23:12:43 GMT -5
I picked up Batgirl: Redemption and Batgirl: Fists of Fury from the library today, but I haven't had time to read them.
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 11, 2019 18:40:30 GMT -5
I've read about half of Batgirl: Redemption and it's not that great. Too much Deathstroke the Terminator, a character I really don't like at all. The only story where I liked Deathstroke the Terminator was the movie Teen Titans Go to the Movies, where Deathstroke (voiced by Will Arnett) was the main villain. Very funny!
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 11, 2019 19:56:20 GMT -5
I read Detective Comics #369 this morning. So dumb and so wonderful! Robin ditches Batman and starts riding around with Batgirl, who has added a sidecar to her motorcycle - and the sidecar has a Robin symbol on it! She it's SERIOUS! There's a logical explanation. (HAH!) Batman has contracted swamp fever and he could collapse any time in the next seven days. So if Robin is running around with Batgirl, then Batman will take it easy on his own and be less likely to collapse while fighting a bad guy. And they can't tell him because you know Batman ... it won't stop him! Yeah. It makes no sense on any level. Nice art by Infantino and Greene. And on the last page, Catwoman is following this little caper and assumes that Batgirl has a crush on Batman ... and we can't have that! The Cat Queen of Crime lets out her claws and Batgirl is her prey! That thread leads to Batman #197, which I'll be getting to soon. The Elongated Man story in Detective #369 is drawn by Neal Adams! I like :Batgirl Breaks Up the Dynamic Duo!" a lot, but it's not quite up there with The Batgirl/Supergirl Plot or Batgirl's Costume Cut-Ups or Justice League #60 or Brave and the Bold #78, so I don't know if it's going to make my Top Ten Batgirl list unless I decide to ignore everything that happened after the early 1970s. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 20:08:33 GMT -5
^^^ Totally Forgot that one ... Hoosier X and that's a fun one to read. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 11, 2019 22:48:44 GMT -5
I've requested this from the library: I'm really looking forward to reading it! |
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 12, 2019 16:40:08 GMT -5
The Batgirl Special issue is a good read. I’d nominate it. I have never read this one! I'll try to see if I can find it cheap. I put a low bid on the Batgirl Special on an eBay auction. I won't know until the weekend if I got it. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 12, 2019 16:43:39 GMT -5
Batman 311 is one of those comics I fondly recalled having as a kid and appreciate even more as an adult. It's one of those tightly written stories which upon reflection, seems difficult to believe could be contained within a mere 17 pages. Early on in the tale, Englehart has Batman and Commissioner Gordon acknowledge that given their relationship, Barbara Gordon may as well be Batman's niece. After all, how many nights did she spend watching as he and her father planned all sorts of strategies for taking down criminals in her family home? It's a moment which could exist on its own as a nice summation of why it was inevitable that Barbara Gordon chose the path she did, but here it pays out in dividends as Batgirl is presented as a hero up against incredible odds, but at no point is she in over her head. She's a master tactician who, unlike Batman and Robin, is completely self-taught. Interestingly, Batman tracks down the villain of this issue, Dr. Phosphorous only to be taken out of the game early on in the issue's final battle. Now, Phosphorous could kill you simply by touching you and Batgirl knows this. Therefore, her best bet is to maintain a safe distance from him at all times, except the further she gets from Phosphorous, the closer Phosphorous gets to an unconscious Batman laying about ten feet away. You can't help but realise that you're watching a master tactician at work when Batgirl's every move in this battle is both offensive and defensive. Batman only wakes up after the battle is over in fact. This sounds like a contender. I've never read it. I'll be looking for it. Maybe it's reprinted somewhere. I ordered Batman #311 off eBay and got it a few days ago. I flipped through it, but I want to go through it again a little more slowly when I get time. I don't like Dr. Phosphorus very much. But the Irv Novick art is cool! Barbara looks great! |
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