We've Moved!

After over a year and a half of loving service, I am leaving Blogger for my new home! Please meet me over at batgirltooracle.net! I'll see you there!

CBR Interview with BtO-Friend Bryan Q. Miller

Taken from CBR:

When Bruce Wayne returned and secretly confronted his cohorts during DC Comics' "The Road Home" series of one-shots, testing their abilities and in essence their right to wear the Bat Symbol, current Batgirl Stephanie Brown responded in a way that surprised everyone -- including herself -- and simultaneously asserted herself worthy of the mantle. She slapped Batman in the face.

Daughter of the small-time criminal Cluemaster, Stephanie first introduced herself to the Bat Family as the rookie crime-fighter known as Spoiler, acting against her father's wishes and eventually alongside the dynamic duo. She went on to not only form a romantic relationship with then-Robin Tim Drake, but eventually donned the Robin costume herself for a brief period of time. After an apparent -- but later revealed as faked -- death, Stephanie disappeared from the Bat books for a while, resurfacing during the "Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul" crossover once again under the Spoiler identity. However, Steph graduated to the big leagues after Bruce Wayne's "death," taking on the role of the newest Batgirl in her very own ongoing series.

Since donning on the cape and cowl, Stephanie has formed a close relationship with both former Batgirl Barbara Gordon and daughter of the supervillain The Calculator, Wendy Harris, both of whom act as her point women during missions. To complicate matters, along with her nights as Batgirl, Steph spends her days as a college student while desperately attempting to keep both identities in balance.

As THE BAT SIGNAL lights the metaphorical skies of Comic Book Resources once again, "Batgirl" writer Bryan Q. Miller answers the call to give the rundown on his plans for the title in the coming months, what makes Stephanie Brown a relatable character and why readers won't be seeing her pulling up to school in a brand new Ferrari anytime soon.

CBR News: With Bruce's return, Stephanie is still doing her thing. She's much more confident in the role of Batgirl, but still maintains her self-deprecating sense of humor. What can you say about where you'll be taking the character and what we'll be seeing from her?

Bryan Q. Miller: Moving forward, not specifically in issue #17 and #18 because they're a little more separate from the larger arc, now that she knows who she is as Batgirl and she's finally comfortable with the life she has, there'll be the challenge for her of that world that she has become comfortable with changing around her. It's going to be her trying to maintain her position, her status, not just in her own life but in her relationship with her mother and her relationship with Barbara. Gail [Simone] has the "Death of Oracle" thing happening, which will impact how Team Batgirl works. She's got that murder rap as well, put on her by the cloister of rogues from issue #15 and #16. Even though she was cleared, there will still be repercussions from that happening. She's finally comfortable, but the world will be throwing that back in her face. "How important is it for you to stay who you are?" It's her navigating a sea of change as the year goes forward.

Series artist Dustin Ngyuen's cover for "Batgirl" #21

Nothing ever comes easy for Stephanie, it seems.

No, no. If it was all easy for her, what fun would that be?

Artist Dustin Nguyen came onto the title in a grand way with issue #15. I wanted to talk about the opening three pages to that issue, which gained a lot of talk for it's adorable and yet concise recap of the history of the Bat Family. How did that segment come together?

I was trying to take advantage of a valuable resource. [Laughs] Knowing that it was going to be Dustin's first issue on the book and how much people do love his Lil' Gotham stuff -- if you ever see Dustin at any conventions, almost all people want are little chibi drawings -- it was a really good way to frame a jumping on point to catch people up who haven't been with the book or who haven't been with the Batman saga to understand everything. Also, I knew it was going to be something that would be published in previews for the book, so that style and that kind of collection of images would go out to the world and get people's attention. And he knocked it out of the park. So, it was a good internal storytelling device and hopefully an effective marketing tool to say, "Look, Dustin Nguyen's over here." Also, it's awesome.

"Batgirl" has a pretty great cast already between the new characters introduced through Stephanie at college and Team Batgirl with Oracle and Wendy. But throughout the first year and even now, we've seen guest appearances from other characters from the greater DCU. Is this something you'll be continuing in the coming year?

A little bit of both. We spent a lot of time, if not all of last year, with Stephanie proving to the everybody in the Bat Family, all the Gotham heroes, why she deserves to be Batgirl, why she should be Batgirl and why she was right for the job. That presented a very natural way to get all of the Gotham folks into the book. It helps brings in other readers from other titles as well, so they can see their favorite characters interacting with Stephanie. This year, we've got Damian again, of course, and he's always a kick to write. There will be a few issues where Blue Beetle will come in to help with the story. So, in that sense, it's broadening her support network outside of the Bat Family. It'll be other heroes of approximate the same age, to which she can relate, who exist out there in the world. It's not just her and Supergirl. Although we did have that fun issue with her and Kara taking on all the Draculas last year. But aside from that, it'll be her dealing with the threat of the Order of the Scythe that presented themselves in issue #15 and #16. That's kind of the spine of the arc for this year. They're the instrument of change in her year going forward.

One of the interesting aspects of "Batgirl" is that you put a pretty big focus on Stephanie's personal life as a teenager and student, as much as you do her life as Batgirl. Where did that want come from, the idea to include that aspect as such as big part of the title?

I think the want and the need to do that comes from wanting to make Stephanie an everyman and as accessible as possible. It's very easy to give one's self over to just doing the hero stuff all the time. But with just the hero stuff all the time, there's not that much to latch on to. How much of us have run from rooftop to rooftop or have fought someone who shoots laser beams from their fingertips? Whereas lots of people can say, "Yes, I have fallen asleep in class," or, "Yes, I have been late on a report before," or, "I have tried to make my relationship work with my boyfriend and girlfriend or with family." It's one of those things to try and make Stephanie as accessible as possible, so folks can find a hero that's like someone they know or they wish they were.

You touched on this earlier, but I want to come back to it because it warrants further discussion. Oracle has been a big part of this book, so how much effect can readers expect the current "Death of Oracle" storyline to have on "Batgirl?"

Honestly, there's nothing I can say to it that's within my rights to say because it's going on over in Gail's "Birds of Prey." But it definitely will have an impact on how Team Batgirl works. I can say that.

Besides Oracle, there is Wendy, the daughter of the villain Calculator, who you've made into a very integral part of this title. Some people see her as Oracle Junior, but what can you say about your plans for her and the role she'll be playing moving forward?

Batgirl faces off against the Order of the Scythe in coming issues of her series

It's very easy to just say Proxy is Oracle Lite or Oracle Junior because she is good with computers and she is very smart and she is in a wheelchair. So, there are an alarmingly similar number of characteristics between them. However -- and I'm pointing my finger in the air here -- what hopefully will become more apparent as the year moves forward is, she goes about things very differently than Oracle. She's not come to terms with her condition in the same way Oracle has and Wendy has a bit of a temper that Barbara Gordon does not. She's very much a hothead. She's very aggressive. She's very much by the book. So, she and Stephanie, because they both have criminal fathers, are kindred spirits to an extent. But at the same time, they're not going to get along as easily as Stephanie and Babs did once they got through their Batgirl related baggage. It's a very different relationship and hopefully that will become more apparent as we go forward.

Looking at the current arc, as you mentioned, it doesn't completely tie in with the rest of the year's story but instead shares loose ties with "Batman, Inc." How much will that series and those plans be influencing your stories?

Not too much. I believe Batgirl is going to show up in Grant's side of the fence for another mission at some point. So, aside from some new toys from the official Bruce Wayne money coming their way -- new upgrades and new weapons and new computers -- it won't impact the storytelling very much.

It's too bad that with that Bruce Wayne money, it all has to go to the Batgirl side of things. Stephanie can't treat herself to a Ferrari or something.

No she can't. She doesn't actually get paid for being Batgirl. She and her mom live a very modest kind of life. So, that's certainly something that could come up at some point. But the title's spine this year is more about catching the guys that blamed her for murder and killed an innocent student than it is gallivanting about on international missions of intrigue.

Obviously, you have this year planned out, but what about beyond 2011? Some writers plan out years and years ahead for stories. How far do your plans reach for Stephanie and "Batgirl?"

I would say that barring whether something turns into a two-part or three-part issues, I've got safely tucked away coming out of the finale of this "Order of the Scythe" arc, probably at least another year or two. But that's what I have planned out. There's always potential for more!

BoP and Batgirl Preview Art

Thanks to Zaius for these wonderful news bits! Kimberley may soon be out of a job!!!

Taken from DC Universe: The Source:

A few ghosts from Dinah Lance’s past have come back to haunt her in the penultimate chapter of Birds of Prey’s “Death of Oracle” storyline. Can Batman and Oracle save her from an inescapable nightmare?

BIRDS OF PREY #9 is on sale February 9th.

Click the link above to see more images!

Also taken from The Source:

Dustin Nguyen’s given us some amazing Batgirl covers, and he’s also given us some REALLY amazing BATGIRL covers - this shot of Batgirl perched in front of an exquisitely-detailed stained glass window is one of my favorites yet.

BATGIRL #21 hits stores in May.

I love this cover! It really shows Stephanie's colorful nature, as well as just being beautiful!

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Coming to BluRay

Taken from TVShowsonDVD:

The greatest villain of all comes out of the past to threaten Batman, Bruce Wayne and all of Gotham City in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the first feature-length Batman Beyond movie. The sleeker, deadlier and seemingly immortal Clown Prince of Crime is back with his own unique brand of havoc and mayhem. While trying to uncover the Joker's secrets, the new Batman, Terry McGinnis, discovers the greatest mystery in the life of the original Caped Crusader: What happened the night he fought the Joker for the last time. When Bruce Wayne is almost killed in one of the Joker's latest attacks, Batman vows to avenge his mentor and put the Joker to rest forever. Get ready for heart-stomping action, awesomeadventure and amazing revelations in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.

On December 12, 2000, Warner Home Video released a direct-to-video DVD titled Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker, bringing a "post-series" story to home video about two-thirds of the way through the show's third and last season, BEFORE the series actually had a broadcast finale (event shown in this tory were also tied in to a couple of later-produced episodes of Justice League Unlimited). But that was not even the most unusual thing about the title, though! The word got out, even before the DVD was in stores, that the new feature was not only edited to remove some controversial scenes of violence, but also reformatted from the original widescreen video aspect ratio to the then-standard (at the time) 1.33:1 "full screen" format.

A grassroots fan campaign soon followed, and grew in popularity until Warner Home Video finally decided to revisit the title with an upgraded release, which became available on April 23, 2002. "Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker: The Original, Uncut Version" on DVD brought fans the missing minute-or-so of intense footage, and also returned the production to the director's vision by presenting it in a letterboxed widescreen format (despite the fact that the original snap-case box indicated it was 'standard", i.e. full screen). The new release was submitted by Warner to the MPAA, which gave this edit of the production a PG-13 ("Parents Strongly Cautioned: Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13") rating. Note, too, that both versions of the title were originally released in Warner's old-style "snapper" cardboard-and-plastic cases, and were later re-issued by the studio in fully-plastic "keepcase" packages.

It's worth mentioning here, briefly, that all of these historical events we're describing here started before TVShowsOnDVD existed, and concluded when our site was just a handful of months old. So if you look in old news posts for this, you won't find it: we simply didn't cover it! Still, based on our site's coverage guidelines over the years we've been around, we certainly would have done so if we had been there at the time! So we want to chime in now, with the latest events for this decade-old production.

Today Warner Home Video has announced that they are releasing Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker on high-definition Blu-ray Disc this coming April 5th. The single-disc release is rated PG-13, so even though the subtitle of "The Original, Uncut Version" is missing from this new release, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that this will include the controversial scenes. However, it's worth pointing out that the rear package art (shown at the bottom of this story) also mentions a running time of 76 minutes, which matches the first (edited) DVD version of the title. AND the same rear box art says the video presentation is "1080p High Definition 4x3 1.33:1" (i.e., the old "standard full-frame" aspect ratio, just like the first DVD release was, except in high-def). That certainly makes us wonder which edit of the feature will be included here. However, at the top of the rear box art it DOES say quite plainly that this is "the original uncut version", so we're trusting that description to be accurate.

Audio soundtracks included on this Blu version include DTS-HD MA: English 5.1, Dolby Digital: French 2.0 and Spanish 2.0. Also on board are Subtitles in English "SDH", plus French and Spanish. Bonus material on the new release was all previously seen on the DVD versions: Commentary by the Filmmakers, "Batman Beyond: The Legend Lives" Featurette, Animation Tests, Animated Character Bios, and Mephisto Odyssey Crash Music Video Featuring Static X. Cost for this high-def release is $19.98 SRP. Here's a look at the package art, both front and back:

Batgirl News: Praise and a Sneak Peak

Over at DCU's The Source:

Bryan Q. Miller’s , Dustin Nguyen’s and Pere Perez’s last few issues of BATGIRL have seen a ton of love from the critics lately, and it couldn’t be going to a more fun-to-read book. If you’ve been skipping out on this one, maybe a few of these reviews will help pull you in…

Joey Esposito at IGN Comics gave Batgirl #17 a stellar 9.5 rating:

“I’ve been enjoying Batgirl for a while now, but issue #17 has completely uprooted my expectations for the series. Maybe it’s the interplay between the two characters, the perfectly constructed jokes, or the utter enjoyment I get from Damian Wayne in general, but Batgirl #17 is unapproachable as the best book I’ve read this week.”

… While iFanboy gave the issue their coveted “pick of the week”:

“Batgirl #17 is a comic book rarity these days. It tells a complete story that is compelling, emotional, and not lacking action, and it does it all in just 22 pages. I’ve talked a lot about Batgirl over the last year, it truly is one of my favorite titles, and if you have at all wondered about the book, if you have at all thought about giving it a shot, then I urge you to check this one out. You don’t have to know anything; you don’t have to be following any storylines here or anywhere else. Batgirl #17 is just two great characters playing off each other while solving a crime and reading it was by far the most fun I had with my comics this week.”

And last, but far from least, Ain’t It Cool News gave issue #16 a spotlight review, with all sorts of nice things to say about the book:

“Charming… funny… and a glowing reminder that even the darkest legacies work towards the hope of a brighter future … [a] fantastic issue”

Have you been reading the series? What do you think?

And...Dustin Nguyen's cover for Batgirl #20 is revealed, as well as some information on the issue!

With Oracle out of the picture, Batgirl and Proxy must throw everything they’ve got at the super-fast villain Slipstream.

And by throwing everything, we mean everything - including Batgirl’s new car, as seen in Dustin Nguyen’s cover to April’s BATGIRL #20.

Hey, That's My Cape! The Batman Animated Series That Never Was

Taken from a recent Newsarama.com article:

What if Bruce Wayne never got privately tutored or went to boarding school but attended a regular public high school instead? And what if those halls were filled with teenagers plotting the demise of the student body or scheming to steal bake sale profits? Well, you’d have something called Gotham High.

We don’t usually hear about the failed or passed over projects being developed by networks but every once in a while someone reveals a gem that fell through the cracks. Seemingly spotted first by Nerd Bastards, the brainchild of Jeffrey Thomas and Celeste Green, Gotham High (or what we assume would have been called that) is the unrealized animated series that fell through DC’s hands. Saved By The Bat Signal anyone?Thomas and Green revealed their secret project last week on their blog. They were approached about a year and a half ago to create a series based on an illustration Thomas made depicting The Joker and Harley Quinn as high school students. They sent their ideas, including several other outstanding drawings to DC but it wound up, in their words, getting “lost in the sea of all the other Batman related projects in the works.” And I think it’s a damn shame because Thomas is an amazing artist and the synopsis sounds like it had real potential.

The plot is as follows, “We all go through incredible changes as teenagers: growth spurts, bad skin, a sudden insatiable need to uphold justice and avenge your murdered parents.... Well, that is if you’re Bruce Wayne. As if being a freshman at Gotham High wasn’t tough enough, Bruce’s insomnia and technological fascinations are taking their toll. Instead of spending his time studying, he has begun to obsess over an emerging personality trait: Batman. But under the watchful eye of his guardian and steward, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce is forced to put his intelligence to good use: graduating high school. But given his classmates, can Bruce survive Gotham High?”

Although a lot of people would easily compare this to Smallville, oddly enough, it reminds me of Boy Meets World for some reason. As seen through the illustrations, the cast would have included Bruce, Batgirl, The Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow, Clayface, Killer Croc (one of the more unusual students of Gotham high to be sure), Catwoman, Two-Face, The Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze. He’s not mentioned but Commissioner Gordon could totally be the Principal and I hope to god Jeremiah Arkham would have been the school nurse.

The preview images Thomas and Green produces show us several hilarious setups that would
be just perfect for the screen. Bruce playing football with Ivy and Harley as cheerleaders, Penguin and the Riddler being bullied by Croc and Bain, Batgirl hiding a secret crush on Bruce who’s being seduced by Catwoman and Two-Face and Ivy running for Student Council President. Ivy’s motto? “Vote for Ivy: “I’m hot, he’s not.” No voting for Harvey Dent this time around.

I think it would have been really interesting to see Bruce pre-I-know-everything-I’m-the-goddamn-Batman and just getting into hijinks with that crew. Could it be possible that Young Justice is what got in the way of Gotham High making its debut? It’s very possible considering both contain teenage characters. It would be sort of redundant to have two shows like that on at the same time but I still feel this would be the stronger product. Sure, Young Justice is the tried and true material but it’s also not much different to what we’ve seen before. I’m not saying it will be bad, I would just have liked to see something out of the ordinary. I mean, the possibilities are almost endless with a story and cast Gotham High would present.

What do you think? Wanna see Batman being completely awkward and out of place in high school? How about seeing the Joker poisoning the lunchroom on Sloppy Joe day? Should Gotham High still get its curriculum approved?

Wow, this would have been a really inventive/cute show. I'm would liken it to X-Men: Evolution which also took place in and out of high school. The only thing I disagree with is A) Babs has blue eyes and B) SHE HAS A CRUSH ON BRUCE?! Come now, this is just a strange set up and we all know that Babs is meant to be with Dick!

Birds of Prey News

Thanks to Zaius for all the heads up!

Today was a big day for The Source and Birds of Prey as three news pieces came out.

First, Jesus Saiz has been named the new ongoing artist:

We’ve seen this question posed here in The Source’s comments section a lot these last two weeks, and we couldn’t be more excited to give you an answer. Starting in May with issue #12, Jesus Saiz will be joining BIRDS OF PREY as the regular ongoing artist.

Writer Gail Simone shared with us just what it takes to draw BIRDS OF PREY:

“It’s not a small order…it has to be someone who can draw action, humor, suspense, love, hate, beauty, villainy. It has to be someone who can draw beautiful women who can also kick your rear end. It’s a special book, we think, and it needs a special artist.

“And oh, boy, did we get one.

“Jesus is at the top of a very short list of dream artists on our, “Oh, man, wouldn’t HE be fantastic?” list. His previous work has been silky and sexy and powerful all at the same time. He’s fantastic with design, storytelling, body language…an artist this good frees up the writer to make the stories even bigger and more complex.

“We were lucky to get him, and when his first piece of art came in, the cover to Birds of Prey #12, we knew absolutely he was the perfect choice. We cannot WAIT for you to see his take on Dinah, Helena, Babs and Zinda. Together, we’re going to make 2011 the best year for Birds of Prey ever!”

For those of you who haven’t seen his work in books like THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, CHECKMATE and MANHUNTER, here’s a taste of what you can expect: the cover to BIRDS OF PREY #12, by Jesus Saiz.

Next, we got a chance to see some pages from the just-released Birds of Prey #8. Go here to see the pages.



Finally, looks like romance is in the air for Huntress and Catman...what a beautiful cover!

Huntress and Catman make the long-threatened first attempt at romance in “First Date” - anyone want to make bets on how long these two hot-headed lovebirds on opposite sides of the law will go before trying to kill each other?

BIRDS OF PREY #11 hits stores in April.

Grant Morrison Talks Batman INC.

Thanks to DarkKnightJared for the heads up! Over at The Source, Grant Morrison shares a little of what is to come for the Bat-family!

“Bruce Wayne’s back from the dead with barely a moment to catch his breath before he must prepare for the battle of his life in BATMAN INC.

“On the way towards this ultimate confrontation, Batman and El Gaucho, Argentina’s No.1 crimebuster, face a terrifying new villain whose world-shaking masterplan stretches across 2 decades, 3 countries and 3 interlocked issues, which also feature Batwoman, a whole new team of British heroes and the debut of The Batman of Africa, in a dark and twisted super-espionage thriller.

“And waiting in the wings are team-ups with Chief-Man-of-Bats, Batgirl and a mind-blowing CGI adventure with Oracle, as piece by piece, we learn the secrets of Batman Inc. and find out what Bruce is REALLY up to!”

What does this mean for our two girls? I guess we will have to wait and see!

Unseen Artwork from Dixon's Birds of Prey

Over at The Dixonverse, Chuck Dixon shows some artwork that was supposed to run in a Christmas issue of Birds of Prey 10 years ago. "It features what is basically a dream sequence in which Babs re-imagine her and Dinah’s life as a WWII Era aviation newspaper strip. It was to be drawan by Butch Guice who was looking forward to paying homage to his (and my) idols of comics past like Milton Caniff and Frank Robbins."

Be sure to check out his website for the full description, as well as all the artwork! Here are some images to whet your pallet!

Future Plans for Cassandra Cain?

Newsarama.com recently had an interview with Fabian Nicieza, the current writer of Red Robin. Nicieza had some interesting things to say about Cassandra Cain and some potential plans for her. This is only part of the interview. To read the rest, please visit here.

Newsarama: Fabian, I know you didn't want to make too much of a big deal out of Cassandra's appearance in Red Robin, but her fans have been hailing her return in Red Robin #17. Can you describe why you felt she fit with what's happening in the book now and with the world of Batman?

Fabian Nicieza: I just felt the time was right to give Cass a chance to reclaim her status as a strong character. The loss of Bruce Wayne and his subsequent return seemed like the right time to address her "absence" and knowing Tim was expanding into more coordinated international operations, Red Robin seemed like the right book to give her some face time.

She works very well as a wandering warrior looking to help people in trouble and that fits in with the Batman, Inc. -- and the Red Robin -- approach to expanding the use of operatives all over the world.

Nrama: For those who may be looking at this article without having read the story, how would you describe her current status, and what was the character was feeling during her time with Tim?

Nicieza: I'd say right now, all we know is that Cass is in Hong Kong and she is clearly patrolling at night and helping innocent people from getting harmed. Other than that, it's all up for interpretation depending on who uses her next or who uses her the most.

Nrama: Who came up with her costume? Do you think that costume will stick, or is it a temporary thing?

Nicieza: It's just a look we wanted to give her to show she's still operating undercover, but not using the bat-motif. Marcus designed it and did a great job as he does with everything. I might have suggested the half-mask to connote her "mute days" when she first appeared.

As for whether it's permanent or not, that's up to the editors and other artists. I purposely had Tim leave her a set of her old Batgirl togs so maybe when she appears again, some elements of that original costume and the bat-emblem might be incorporated into her new look, we'll see.

Nrama: Gail Simone has mentioned the possibility of a Cass appearing within the pages of Birds of Prey. Will she be returning to Red Robin? If so, can you say when or give any indication where it will fit into what's coming in Red Robin?

Nicieza: I know Gail has mentioned that, but I don't know if there are specific issue plans. If it does happen in Birds of Prey, I'm sure it'll be a great opportunity for the character. If I were a character, I'd want Gail to write me!

I do know Cass will be returning to the Red Robin book to guest-star in a couple issues in the spring as part of a larger storyline between #22-25, but in no way am I claiming "propriety" over the character.

BtO Call-in Special!

Yes! December 19th is the rapidly approaching birthday date for the BtO podcast! Since I will not be anywhere near my computer on that day (in fact, I will be in or around NYC after seeing Spider-Man the Musical), I knew that I would have to choose another date!

*drum roll* SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5th @ 100PM E.S.T
(+5 for my British friends, -3 for my West Coast friends)

I will be conducting this via Skype (which is a free program). Just add my username (BatgirltoOracle) and call in! I look forward to speaking with you!

Fly on, Babs lovers!
Stella

Bryan Q. Miller Talks Writing Teen Heroes

Thanks again to my friend, Zaius, for the find! Taken from DCU: The Source

"Bruce Wayne travelled through time, a living, temporal bomb – teeming with highly dangerous Omega energy. He was a caveman, a pirate, a pilgrim, a cowboy, a gumshoe… something with computer tentacles from the far future… And when he finally got home, when Bruce Wayne finally beat death, beat fate, conquered time itself, what happened?

BATGIRL SLAPPED HIM IN THE FACE.

Right across that beautiful, battle-scarred, chiseled chin of his. It was a gut reaction. He put her through a test she knew she didn’t need, after a year of Stephanie proving to the entire world that she deserved a second chance. She was offended. Disgusted. And in that moment… she had a natural, human reaction. And then what happened after that?

Batgirl apologized.

Because Stephanie Brown is a person. Who is also a hero. And a girl. But first and foremost, she’s a person… who watches Futurama reruns on basic cable (but that’s beside the point). Knowing that is key to writing Batgirl (not the Zoidberg part; the person part.)

She’s a human being. Free to make her own mistakes, to have her own triumphs. Sure, she has limitations… but Stephanie knows what they are. And she isn’t going to let anything hold her back. Batgirl’s becoming more self-aware, as we all do when we’re her age. She’s growing.

Have I ever been a nineteen year old girl who moonlights as a costumed vigilante?

The short answer is “No.” But I have been nineteen – just like Stephanie. Right at the edge of undeniable, honest-to-goodness adulthood. She’s finding herself, and in the pages of Batgirl, we’re right there beside her, along for the ride.

And much like everyone’s first year of college, Stephanie’s is going to be a bumpy one. Filled with Reapers and Witch Boys. Beetles and Bathounds. Deadlines and finals. Even though extraordinary things come her way, there’s always the “normal” thrown into the mix.

Batgirl by her very nature should be immediately relatable to the reader. That’s why we gave her a costume where you can see her eyes and, more importantly, her smile. She’s a hero with emotion, which is both her biggest vulnerability… and her greatest asset. And in that space in between, that’s where Batgirl’s sense of hope comes from.

Hope for a brighter tomorrow. Hope for a safer Gotham. Hope for a second chance at… everything. Batgirl not only wants the world to be a better place, but she believes that it’s possible. Which means that (hopefully) Stephanie Brown is just like you and me. Except that she knows some karate.

I do not know karate. Kudos to you if you do."

Gail Simone Talks Birds of Prey

Thanks to our friend and reviewer Zaius for this find!

In a 90 second interview on Newsarama.com, Gail Simone says things like "Game Changer" and ripples felt "across the DCU" when asked about the upcoming arc, "Death of Oracle." Ruh-roh! You can view the video here.

What does this means for Babs? Be sure to check out this month's BtO episode and hear one listener's thoughts.

Fly on, Babs lovers!

Are you an artist? Create a background for BtO!

Hello, friends! Happy Halloween!

As I look outside of my window and see the beautiful Fall season take shape, I am suddenly struck with an idea. Today is, in fact, Halloween, but sadly, the BtO Boards do not reflect this. My co-creator, Noctis, and I had discussed an idea when the boards were first created that we would have different backgrounds/themes. I would really like to start to do this, and who better to give me a design than you! I would love to have all of you creative people out there create backgrounds for the BtO boards.

What am I looking for?

1. Any, and ALL, incarnations of Batgirl! Babs, Cass, Steph...comics, tv, cartoons...
2. The background can be 'normal' or...
3. The background can pull in the holidays or seasons! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Valentine's Day, Easter, July 4th, or Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, etc.

I really hope that I get many wonderful submissions because I am ready to show off the talents that I know many of you have. Let's make BtO ours!

You can e-mail submissions to me at batgirltooracle@gmail.com or just send me a link to an online photo album. The current background has a resolution size of 1024 x 819!

Fly on, Babs lovers! Fly on and draw on!
Stella

Batman: Arkham City

Is this for real?! It certainly looks legit! It makes me happy to see Tim Drake and, though I would prefer to see Stephanie as Batgirl, I'm just glad that there is a Batgirl in the game (if it's true). What do you think? Could you see these characters in the game? Are you as taken with the image as me?

So far this is what we know of Arkham City (taken from IGN.com):

"Based on the short summary provided by Rocksteady, we know Arkham City's story sees Quincy Sharp, Arkham's warden in the first game, now entrenched as mayor of Gotham City. With the former Arkham complex in ruins thanks to the Joker, Sharp converts a large portion of Gotham's slums into a new facility run by Dr. Hugo Strange.

Strange has only one rule for its legion of insane patients: don't escape. This leaves dangerous villains like Joker and Two-Face free to battle it out to become insane king of the urban jungle, and you can bet your britches that Batman will find himself smack dab in the middle of the war. The insertion of Catwoman into the crazy mix is where things get really interesting, as it's unclear whether she'll serve as friend or foe to Batman in the game."

Excited yet? I sure am! Until next time...

Fly on, Babs lovers!

Dustin Nguyen new artist on Batgirl starting in November

As I sit here in Iowa ready to pull my hair out since a teaching job fell into my lab and starts in 10 days and I'm not even in my home state, I feel like it is as good a time as ever to share a bit of news. While my heart is heavy now that Lee Garbett will no longer be the main penciller on Batgirl, I am excited with the news that Dustin Nguyen will be joining Bryan Q. Miller in November as the artist. In an interview taken from CBR:

Batman: Streets of Gotham artist Dustin Nguyen is moving down the street to another Bat title in November. On DC's The Source blog today, Alex Segura announced Nguyen is taking over the art duties on Batgirl from Lee Garbett, who is moving on to a new project.

“This is definitely going to be an exciting venture for me, besides the outline Bryan has for us, i’m just plain excited to be drawing Batgirl,” Nguyen said. “This latest incarnation of her has lots of the aesthetics of the original Babs that i love and some new ones. It’ll take me some getting used to drawing a female in horns, but i’m looking forward to putting away the “mean and moody” for a while and kick in the ‘fun and sexy.’”

Nguyen will work with writer Bryan Q. Miller on the book.

“Dustin’s joining the team at JUST the right time, as BATGIRL: THE LESSON begins. Steph’s world is going to get a smidge more gritty, a skosh more chaotic, and LOADS more dangerous - Dustin’s the perfect man to help tell this tale! And, as an added bonus, Dustin’s on the ground floor for the creation of Steph’s very own gallery of rogues (So, there’s that to look forward to, too!) Consider his cover to Batgirl #15 one of the last truly quiet moments our Batgirl is going to have for quite a while. But she’s ready for it - you can tell from the look on her face. That’s Steph for you — always smiling!” Miller said.

If the cover is any indication, Nguyen will be bringing something special and different to Batgirl. I will miss Garbett but I will welcome Nguyen with an open heart and mind!

Fly on, Babs lovers!

I have returned...

Well, after falling off of the face of the earth, I'm happy to return to my website. Have you been sad, reader, to check on this site and see no new updates for a while? I apologize! I feel like I have been going non-stop...plus I've encountered even more woe-is-me technical problems. Alas! I shall spare you the whine and dance routine, however.

I have recently returned from NYC where I saw six Broadway shows (Next to Normal, Lend Me a Tenor, The Addams Family, Million Dollar Quartet, Promises, Promises, and Lion King) in five days. I perused Midtown Comics (found nothing I needed, sadly), met up with a few Crawl Spacers (I'll be sure to share a picture), and had a great time! I've since decided to start auditioning again and I'm very excited about that...

But...what has all this to do with BtO?! Well, nothing. So, in actual news, BtO has recently (right after the Bryan Q. Miller interview, in fact) joined Twitter. You can follow me...us...it...via @BatgirltoOracle. I'd like to thank my ever-faithful friend Zaius, and Mr. Miller for pushing me towards Twitter. If it helps get the word out for BtO, then I am satisfied. I'm also glad at the reception of my interview with Mr. Miller. I'm glad that people are enjoying it and learning from it as well. I hope that it is the first of many!

I shall be away next week again, this time to Iowa, but another episode is soon to come following my return. I thank-you for your patience and once again apologize for my prolonged absence.

Fly on, Babs lovers!

Ask Writer Bryan Q. Miller a Question

Ita vero! (Yes, indeed!) Mr. Bryan Q. Miller has agreed to come on BtO! He has also kindly agreed to answer questions from you, the listeners. Please follow the following guidelines:

1. NO questions about Smallville. Mr. Miller has already told me that he cannot discuss anything Smallville related. This is a Batgirl podcast anyway! ;)

2. NO rambling questions. As this is the first guest I'd like it to be as problem-free as possible and to not take up a lot of Mr. Miller's time. Please make the questions short, sweet, and to the point!

3. LIMIT OF 3 QUESTIONS! I love answering your questions but I don't want to scare away our guest or make this a taxing event. I also don't want to have to delete questions. Make the list no longer than 3 questions! (In the event of an overload of questions, I do reserve the right to edit the number allowed per person.)

Thanks in advance, friends! I'm quite excited! Let's make Mr. Miller feel welcome!

Go here to post a question, or e-mail me!

Fly on, Babs lovers!

Batgirl: Year One Petition Update

As of approximately 1100 hours today, I sent in my letters--hand-signed and with a "Confidential" sticker on the envelope--to the "Big Wigs" at Warner Home Video. Pray or cross your fingers that the recipients read with an open mind and reconsider their position. Thank-you for the enormous help that you all have been thus far.

We are not out of the woods yet! Keep signing the petition and keep passing along the word! Let's see this through and get an "affirmative" on the Batgirl: Year One movie!

In the words of the great Gorf, Bird's the word!
Stella

September Solicitations

Is it just me, or does time seem to fly and we always seem to be receiving solicitations so quickly after we've just seen the previous solicitations? Maybe it is just me!

BIRDS OF PREY #5

Written by Gail Simone, art by Alvin Lee, cover by Alina Urusov.

Two Birds track down a missing team member in Thailand...where someone is hunting them to make sure they never return! Plus, the shocking events of BRIGHTEST DAY continue to rock Hawk and Dove, the newest recruits to Oracle's organization!

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 15.

Well...only #5 and it seems like Black Canary is SOL! The cover is interesting and certainly has a different feel to it. It reminds me somewhat of an Anime-style. I'm most interested to see how Simone is able to add Hawk and Dove to a team which already has a great amount of chemistry.


BATGIRL #14

Written by Bryan Q. Miller, art by Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott, cover by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau.

It's terror in the third dimension starring Batgirl, Supergirl and Dracula and Dracula, and Dracula! When Supergirl decides to get away from it all and visit Stephanie Brown on the campus of Gotham City University, a quiet, relaxing weekend turns into a monster movie mash-up! After a science experiment goes horribly wrong, 24 black-and-white Draculas are brought to life, and Batgirl and Supergirl are forced to become vampire hunters in order to stop an army of the celluloid undead!

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 8.

Hehe, I'm excited about this! I think that it's time for Batgirl to have a team-up, and whom is better to have it with than Supergirl?! I like that Steph is getting recognition outside of the Bat-circle. This issue, sadly, could be the last time that we see the wonderful Mr. Garbett on pencils. I hope to see him back on this title soon!


X-23 #1

Written by MARJORIE LIU, penciled by WILL CONRAD, cover by DANNI SHINYA LUO Variant Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC Variant Cover by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO Women of Marvel Variant by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC

After the events of Second Coming and the stunning conclusion to X-Force, X-23 strikes out on her own in this all-new ongoing series,

Written by best-selling author MARJORIE LIU, spinning out of the events of Wolverine #1! X-23 has never had an easy relationship with the rest of the X-Men, but when she learns someone has taken down Wolverine, she must step up to fill his shoes.

40 pages, $3.99.

I'm including this in the BtO solicits because I will most likely praise X-23 on the next episode of BtO. This should be a great series, and if Liu's Black Widow #1-2 is anything to base it on, it will be!

That's it for now! Fly on, Babs lovers!