In some ways, Stephanie Brown was more prepared to take on the cowl than the women who wore it before her. Barbara had some fight training and was very smart before becoming a vigilante. Still, it would take years of fighting crime and working with others before her skills rose to the legendary status they are today. Cassandra Cain was trained from birth to be an assassin and even had a kill under her belt before arriving in Gotham. But she had a long way to go regarding learning how to be a normal person and forming connections with others. Stephanie Brown became a vigilante, known as Spoiler, in an attempt to turn her dad away from crime. She would use this moniker while going on to fight crime in general and teaming up with other Bat Family members. She would enjoy a very brief run as a Robin before Batman fired her (a VERY stupid decision, but I digress). This would lead to Stephanie taking on more than she can chew and trying to take down all of organized crime by herself…only for it to catastrophically backfire, leading to others believing she was dead for quite a while. The point was that Stephanie knew the risks that came with taking on the mantle. She knew how fulfilling it would be but also how dangerous it could be. And yet, she leaped and plunged right back into it, willing to prove how much she had changed. Let’s leap with her, shall we?
Following the “death” of Bruce Wayne, Cassandra Cain felt as though she got all she could from being Batgirl. She handed the costume and mantle over to Stephanie, who was willing to take on the mantle right away. Despite promising she wouldn’t go out as Spoiler, it was clear from the early issues of this run that Stephanie couldn’t turn her back on people who might need someone like her. While some people were against it considering she almost died not too long ago, Stephanie was persistent on being the new Batgirl. Barbara Gordon came around and agreed that this was something that Stephanie needed to do. They even end up having their little ceremony, promising that they will support each other and help the other, establishing their new relationship as something akin to the bond between Batman & Robin.
I do want to make a note on the bond between Babs and Steph. When Cassandra Cain starred in her solo Batgirl book, Babs was more like a parental figure to Cass. In addition to providing support in the field, she tried to help Cass to learn how to read, write, and use words to communicate. She was also a guide for her regarding how to maintain social relationships with various people. Babs was very involved in Cass’s life, which made sense for her. But that wasn’t what Steph needed. They do grow closer as friends, but Babs knew she could generally trust Stephanie in the field. And while Steph always has the option to talk to Babs about any personal things going on, Babs never needs to push herself fully into Steph’s life. They respect each other as equals. It was also important that Steph had the room to make the Batgirl mantle her own.
In addition to being the newest Batgirl, Steph is in college and living at home with her mom while hiding her new vigilante career from her. Stephanie takes on some crimes that relate to some of the people she interacts with at college, she has to deal with the entitled brat named Damian Wayne AKA the son of the Bat Prick, and she takes on a mix of old and new villains. Needless to say, there is plenty of humor to be found in the pages of this Batgirl book. However, this series isn’t a straight-up comedy. It knows how to utilize it in smart ways without getting in the way of more dramatic scenes and character growth. The biggest compliment I could probably give this book is that it recognizes how Stephanie has grown since her early days and supports her new emotional maturity.
Let me try and elaborate by comparing her to a famous Marvel hero. I’ll admit that I’m not a regular Spider-Man reader so some of my observations and comments here might not be entirely on the mark. Having said that, I’ve come across many examples from the pages of Spider-Man where I see the web-slinger act and think like he’s in high school despite being an adult. The most infamous example of this can be found in the story One More Day, where Peter is willing to sell his marriage to Mary-Jane to save his VERY elderly aunt from death. There are of course plenty of behind-the-scenes reasons why this happened that make it frustrating. But the story just shows his total lack of critical thinking and how emotionally stunted he is. Even putting this aside, there are other occasions where supporting characters point out to Peter how little he thinks things through and how selfish he is.
I bring all this up because I want to emphasize that Stephanie Brown is an example of how you can take a comedic character but still have them taken seriously as a person. She is shown sharpening her detective skills, relying on others when she knows she can’t handle something on her own, observing her opponents, and putting together strategies on the fly. While still leaving herself enough time to quip and use her bubbly personality to throw them off and get the advantage. This is also reflected in her personal life as she dedicates herself to trying to have a life outside of crime fighting. Sure, sometimes she might accidentally sleep in class and get called out by the teacher on it. But she’s putting in the effort, having study sessions with other classmates, keeping her grades up, and learning how to unwind healthily. Stephanie Brown in this series is a great example of how you don’t have to keep a comedic character stuck in a certain mindset or behavior. That you can have them grow up while sticking true to what fans loved about them from the beginning.
During her first arc in this series, Stephanie thinks back to a class lecture as she is taking on Scarecrow and under the influence of his Fear Toxin. She thinks of how people criticize her decision to become Batgirl, wondering who she thinks she is. The class lecture in question is about figuring out why people choose to stick in situations where it seems that fleeing is the better option. The answer that Stephanie comes to is that you stay because you choose to become who you want to be instead of fleeing and forgetting who you are. You stay and face who you are and the choices you made, finding a second chance to become a better version of who you are. Because THAT is who Batgirl is. It’s an opportunity to discover yourself and to become the best version of who you are. And hopefully, inspire others to do the same as you go out and take on the worst that Gotham has to offer. Stephanie Brown has gone through a lot in her young life, struggled through a lot of hardship, and came out stronger on the other side. When her mom did eventually find out the truth, she did come around to recognizing her daughter’s growth and accepting her choice.
It’s a happy ending! See, even the brat Damian is smiling at her!
Admittedly, I still get a cold shiver whenever I see that pipsqueak experience any kind of joy. Or at least this original version of the character. Maybe I’m associating him too much with the kid from the Omen movies.
This book was unfortunately cut short due to Flashpoint and the New 52. Stephanie Brown would eventually make it up toward the end of that era, taking a more active role once Rebirth began and she was a main character in the pages of Detective Comics. She would even take up the Batgirl mantle alongside Cass and Barbara in the pages of Batgirls. Hopefully one day we can get another solo Steph book, but I encourage all of you to pick up this volume and enjoy yourselves in the meantime.
