Broken Frontier

The first Bat-Girl arrived in the pages of Batman #139 (April 1961).  The origins of the character’s creation are muddied, but it seems likely that Bat-Girl was conceived equally as part-spin-off, part public-relations effort.  At this point in DC’s history, the Superman franchise had successfully expanded into a “Superman Family”, with several derivative characters providing new streams of revenue to the publisher – making a similar expansion into the struggling Batman line a short leap in marketing logic.  An additional struggle for the Batman titles had been the ongoing suggestion that Batman and Robin’s relationship could be perceived as homosexual.  Whatever the driving force, Batwoman was born, and on her heels, a female Robin counterpart in the form of Bat-Girl. 

Having successfully deduced the dual identity of her aunt (Kathy Kane, the Batwoman), young Betty Kane elected to follow in her heels.  Creating a costume in homage to Robin, Betty struck out to both earn a place at her aunt’s side and win the heart of the Boy Wonder.  After successfully aiding the trio of Batman, Batwoman and Robin in a case, Betty became a semi-regular sidekick over the next several years.  By 1964 however, the Batman titles were still struggling, and the line was passed over to Editor Julius Schwartz who embarked on a “back-to-basics” remake of both Detective Comics (#327, May 1964) and Batman (#164, June 1964).  In addition to jettisoning the more fantastical sci-fi and fantasy plot devices of the time, the extended Bat-Family disappeared as well. 

Betty made a few brief revivals, re-appearing as Bat-Girl in Teen Titans (#50-52, October-December 1977), but ultimately the character was removed from continuity by Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Re-imagined in a similar role under the name “Flamebird,” she has made infrequent appearances since then.  The character’s exact chronology has further been called into to question with the introduction a modern day Batwoman, who mentions the existence of her niece, Bette Kane.  Whether or not this is a throw-away reference or a foreshadowing of events to come will only become clear in the pages of upcoming issues of Detective Comics or Batgirl.

And Featuring Special Guest - Batgirl

As fortunes would turn-out, a revision of the Batman titles would not be the shift that saved them – rather the increased interest in the property came as a result of the wildly popular live-action TV show.  When the a new Batgirl arrived in the comics (Detective Comics #359, January 1967), she did so to serve as a spring-board for the introduction of the Yvonne Craig television character of the same name.  The daughter of Commissioner Gordon, Barbara Gordon came into her crime-fighting career almost by accident.  A respected scholar, accomplished librarian and talented martial artist, Gordon was frustrated at the way she was viewed upon as “bookish.”  Crafting a form-fitting female Batman outfit for a costume ball, Gordon planned to show off a less inhibited side of herself.  On the way to the bash however, she observed millionaire Bruce Wayne ambushed by the dastardly Killer Moth.  Although her altruistic efforts met with mixed results, the efforts introduced her to Batman and Robin, as well as whetted her appetite for excitement and adventure.  By the end of the issue, Barbara had committed herself to training as a costumed crime-fighter and had been reluctantly accepted by the dynamic duo.

Batgirl grew into her place in the DC Universe fairly quickly, establishing a friendship with Supergirl in the pages of World’s Finest Comics (beginning with #169, September 1967) and fighting alongside the Justice League (Justice League of America #60, February 1968).  Closer to home, Barbara began a run of back-up features in Detective Comics, where her civilian identity began to develop, even gaining her own supporting cast - most significantly, Jason Bard (Detective Comics #392, October 1969) an occasional ally and romantic interest.  As the character continued to grow, Barbara became disillusioned with the prison system, leading her to reveal her dual identity to her father (although he had deduced it several months earlier in Detective Comics #417, November 1971) and launch a run for congress (Detective Comics 422, April 1972).  Following a successful campaign, Barbara left Gotham City and Detective Comics for Washington (#424, June 1972), although she did still pop up as Batgirl occasionally in several Superman related titles. 

Batgirl “returned home” with the expansion of DC’s line of “Family” titles – building from launch of the Superman Family anthology, The Batman Family debuted in September 1975.  Featuring several of the Batman supporting cast, Batgirl was a lead feature, pairing her with the likes of Robin and even the original Batwoman (Batman Family #10, March 1977).  With the onset of the “DC Implosion”, Batman Family was cancelled (following issue #20, November 1978) and the content was used to bolster the sales-challenged Detective Comics (beginning with #481, December 1978).  Detective Comics remained Batgirl’s home for the next four years (to Detective Comics #519, October 1982), the last survivor of the Batman Family cast. 

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Batgirl took a significantly reduced role (the continuity revisions also dictated that she was now Commissioner Gordon’s niece, rather than daughter) in the DC Universe, before formally retiring in Batgirl Special #1 (1988).  A peaceful retirement would not be in the cards for Barbara however, as later that year she was brutally attacked and shot by the Joker (in the controversial Batman: The Killing Joke, 1988).  Paralyzed from the waist down, Barbara’s story would likely have ended there if not for the involvement of creators Kim Yale and John Ostrander.  Re-envisioning Barbara Gordon as a computer hacker and information broker (Suicide Squad #23, January 1989), the former Batgirl soon claimed her place in the DC Universe as Oracle.  Since that time, Oracle has given Barbara Gordon as much, if not more, exposure than her heyday as Batgirl.  A regular fixture in the Batman titles, Oracle also has been featured prominently in her own book (Birds of Prey, beginning in 1996), JLA (beginning #16, March 1998) and guest spots in most of the major DC titles. 

Although Oracle has remained a major contributor to the lore of the DC Universe, fan and creator reaction over her disability remains split, even after 20 years.  On one hand, the argument is made that Barbara acts as a role model, one of the few disabled superheroes.  The other side debates that the strength of the character comes from how she is written, and given that fantastic technology found in the DC Universe, there is no reason that Barbara Gordon’s spine could not be repaired.  Given the cancellation of Birds of Prey and the launch of a new Batgirl title, many fans have speculated that DC editorial may have made a decision on this debate. 

No Man's Land

The next Batgirl appeared only briefly in 1999, during the Batman event known as No Man’s Land.  During this arc, Gotham City was nearly destroyed by a massive earthquake, the ruins sealed off and declared a no man’s land by the United States government.  The remaining citizens, locked in with a the rampant inmates of Arkham Asylum were left with only a handful of defenders.  During the period when Batman was missing in action, the vigilante, Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), adopted the role of Batgirl (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83, March 1999).  Garbed in a much darker costume and utilizing brutal methods, the new Batgirl began winning back sections of the city.  Following a confrontation with Batman, Huntress relinquishes the Batgirl persona, as she was unwilling to follow Batman’s orders.

The fourth Batgirl debuted during No Man’s Land as well, appearing first as an ally of Oracle (Batman #567, July 1999).  Proving herself by saving the life of Commissioner Gordon, Cassandra Cain was handed the mantle of Batgirl immediately after Batman forced the Huntress to relinquish it (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120, August 1999).  The new twist for this Batgirl was that she was mute, never having been taught to speak, but rather trained to be the ultimate assassin.  As such, Cain had the ability to “read” a person’s physical movements, making her able to instantly assess a situation and quickly counter and physical attacks.  Turning away from her dark destiny, Cain wandered the world for years before finally being welcomed into the extended Bat Family.

Batgirl soon spun-off into her own self-titled series (beginning April 2000), which began with Cain learning to speak, but losing her extra-normal ability to “read” physical movements.  Over the course of the first two years of the run, Cain gradually unraveled the lost secrets of her past, honing her fighting skills and began a fierce rivalry with the assassin Lady Shiva (also Cain’s mother).   Following a particularly intense showdown with Shiva and the League of Assassins, Cain walked away from the Batgirl legacy (Batgirl #73, April 2006 – the final issue of her series). 

When she next surfaced in the pages of Robin #150 (July 2006 – although from the character’s perspective, a full year had passed), operating under her own name and leading the League of Assassins.  Following her showdown with the Boy Wonder, Cain’s sudden shift to villainy continued, operating once again in the guise of Batgirl.  During a confrontation with the Teen Titans (with Batgirl fighting as part of the villainous Deathstroke’s Titans East team), Robin managed to inject his former ally with a serum (Teen Titans #43-44, March-April 2007) which countered a mind-altering drug that had driven Cain evil (later expanded upon in World War III, June 2007).

Since that time, Cain has sought redemption for her “year of villainy,” having become a key player in the latest incarnation of the Outsiders (beginning with Batman and the Outsiders #2, January 2008), as well as within her own 6-issue mini-series (September 2008-February 2009).

One other young woman carried the mantle of Batgirl, albeit for a brief time, and only in an unofficial capacity.  Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, an orphaned teleporter, found herself living in Gotham City.  In homage to one of her heroines, Charlotte adopted a makeshift Batgirl costume and engaged in a brief crime-fighting career under that name (Birds of Prey #96, September 2006).  Since then, she has operated alongside two other former Batgirls (Gordon and Bertinelli) with the Birds of Prey crime-fighting organization (now using the moniker “Misfit”).

Now it seems a sixth Batgirl is set to appear, with the debut of Batgirl on August 19th.  The advance solicitations from DC have deliberately made this Batgirl’s dual identity ambiguous, coupled with the fact that each of the three covers features costumes reminiscent of a different former Batgirl.  Although the book launches this week, it seems that it may be a few months before readers learn if this is indeed  a new heroine, or one of the past Batgirls resuming the mantle of the Bat.