Batgirl #1 Preview

[ctc]

>And I think it stinks that The Killing Joke was not meant to be part of regular continuity.

THis is one of the reasons why I don't think the yearly hype over the latest reboot is a good idea; 'cos you don't NEED it. They used to put stuff like this out, let the fans enjoy it, and that was it. No fuss, no muss. Although I kinda wonder if the fans would LET them do that any more, or would there be incessant rants about where a given story fits into the big picture. I suspect that if the story was any good, most folks wouldn't sweat it.

Don C.

[samurainoir]

It is kind of funny that for the longest time, a good chunk of best sellers were in fact the books that were branded out of continuity (Elseworlds, Vertigo, etc), particularly in the collected book format.

Graphic Novels like Watchmen, Dark knight Returns/killing Joke, Sandman, Kingdom Come, Superman Red Son... All critically acclaimed as well notbonly because of the talent, but the fact that they were all allowed a story with a beginning, middle and end. Which is often a very satisfying experience for a reader accustomed to a constant middle in serialized superhero comics.

Didio was very public in his condemnation of Elseworlds, preferring istead to try and marry the ongoing obsessive continuity with the kind of storytelling that is not condusive to long form mainstream superhero monthlies. So there are constant "ends" because you continually need to ratchet up the stakes, but that kind of storytelling con only be sustained for so long before you need to reset the status quo again... Thus constant "shocking" events followed by reboots/retcons/one year later style stunts.

[johnmiic]

Jill Pantozzi is a comic-girl and pretty upset about this whole Batgirl debacle. Arguably no other Batgirl has been as popular as Barbara Gordon but in an industry where cheap tricks and reboots in continuity reign Barbara Gordon as Oracle was a refreshing if tragic slice of reality. Jill also has a very good blog where she goes into it in great detail:

Newsarama.com : DCnU | OP/ED: ORACLE Is Stronger Than BATGIRL Will Ever Be

It was also my understanding that the events of The Killing Joke were most definitely in continuity. I had heard years ago, when Alan Moore wrote it, his agreement with DC was they would not un-do anything he wrote in it. Yet somehow they have.

[thunderbolt]

That Alan Moore thing is a urban myth, no way would DC ever agree to that on its flagship character just to stroke his ego.

[Cosmicman]

I think with all the jokes about Spandex and some guys looking like a wiener sausage maybe DC is having these designs created for some kind of "real life' explanation to what a modern super hero outfit looks like. I'm hoping it isn't armor like metal or some kind of padded gear. Maybe a new way to explain the super hero outfit without saying they are wearing the dreaded spandex.

[ctc]

>but that kind of storytelling con only be sustained for so long before you need to reset the status quo again... Thus constant "shocking" events followed by reboots/retcons/one year later style stunts.

I can see that. I think it started WAY earlier with the non-events of the 80's. The original "Crisis" was SUPPOSED to change stuff and sort out the muddy bits, which it DID.... but for a perpetual book like any given superhero that trick only works so long before you have to do it again. Marvel lucked out when they did "Secret Wars" 'cos it was MEANT as the same sort of universe-shaking event, but ultimately had few lasting effects. 25 years down the road and we see the results; DC redoing EVERYTHING every year, and Marvel doing their yearly crossovers. Two sides of the same coin.

Don C.

[Nostalgiabuff]

Not true...here's a quote from the article:

Co-publisher Jim Lee said that while the relaunched character will be younger, they’re keeping her time as a paralytic as part of her history.
"We thought when you see her recovering from that, it would continue to add nuance and depth to the character," he said

well that does not really fit with the whole 5 years ago vibe they are going with then, does it. bottom line is they are trying to please both new and old fans and not going about it very well. much as I wanted Barbara back in the cowl, the time to do it was when they did the death of batman storyline and teased with the BG miniseries called "The Cure", after that crap i stopped caring

[BlackKnight]

^^^ The Cure ****ed me off.

[The Bat]

I can't really comment on the whole 5 years ago thing and how it ties into Batgirl #1...as I haven't read the Comic yet. It'll be interesting to see how they explain it.

[david_b]

Jill Pantozzi is a comic-girl and pretty upset about this whole Batgirl debacle. Arguably no other Batgirl has been as popular as Barbara Gordon but in an industry where cheap tricks and reboots in continuity reign Barbara Gordon as Oracle was a refreshing if tragic slice of reality. Jill also has a very good blog where she goes into it in great detail:

Newsarama.com : DCnU | OP/ED: ORACLE Is Stronger Than BATGIRL Will Ever Be

It was also my understanding that the events of The Killing Joke were most definitely in continuity. I had heard years ago, when Alan Moore wrote it, his agreement with DC was they would not un-do anything he wrote in it. Yet somehow they have.

I just started reading Jill's blog a few weeks ago. She showcases a lot of great in-depth commentary, not to mention she's gorgeous... Great ComicCon pics as well.

[The Bat]

She also admits she's going to buy the book.

"All that being said, I totally reserve the right to contradict myself in the next few months once I find out what’s actually happening to my favorite characters (because fans are fickle like that) but this is how I see it right now. Change needs to happen, let’s see where DC takes us."

[emeraldknight47]

Funny "DC Relaunch" Video

This is actually a pretty funny video. The guy in it reflects, I think, how a lot of long time readers perceive this "relaunch"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=jH3W1gQYiD4

[boynightwing]

I don't know if anyone reads the webcomic Gutters but it's a pretty funny commentary on the comic industry. I came across this one that kind of shocked me. It was that kind of shock where you know it's not right but you laugh because you didn't see it coming.

[johnmiic]

That Alan Moore thing is a urban myth, no way would DC ever agree to that on its flagship character just to stroke his ego.

That may be but, the character was confined to a wheelchair for like 26 years. How did that happen when many writers and artists were banging on doors to restore Barbara as Batgirl? Could be DC's lawyers may have found a loophole or a way to overturn it. I asked my friend who told me this a long time ago to see if he can remember where he heard it. Maybe there's an interview somewhere's that mentions it. If I find it; I'll post the info here.

She also admits she's going to buy the book.

You can't review the book unless you read it. Maybe she didn't hear Barnes & Noble will be carrying it and she could read it for free.

[samurainoir]

I don't know if anyone reads the webcomic Gutters but it's a pretty funny commentary on the comic industry. I came across this one that kind of shocked me. It was that kind of shock where you know it's not right but you laugh because you didn't see it coming.

http://cdn.the-gutters.com/comics/ff...32a3178edb.jpg

Hey Carl, did you see the big huge hardcover gutters collection that they had at Fan Expo? It was quite tempting despite the price-point.