One-Shot Book Club: Batgirl (2009) #14

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Welcome to @OneShotBookClub , a weekly (?) book club where we read and discuss a single issue with little to no context needed!

This week we’ll be reading Batgirl (2009) #14. You can find it here.

The discussion will continue all week so that everyone has time to read it, but we’ll leave it open for longer just in case someone wants to stop by a few weeks from now.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Stephanie Brown is probably the least famous and popular Batgirl, but from what you’ve seen with this issue, should that change? Should Stephanie get a chance to don the suit again?
  2. What did you think of the friendship between Supergirl and Batgirl? How does it compare to the more traditional Superman/Batman relationship?
  3. What movie would you like to come to life the least?
  4. Give this story a rating on a scale of 1 to 10 (and add anything else you might want to say about this story.)

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  1. I would love for Stephanie to get more of a spotlight. Cass and Barbara are obviously great (and then there’s Bette Kane, too), but Steph brings something different to the mantle and the Bat-family as a whole.
  2. I like how Steph and Kara are actually able to find a kinship to each other in a way Bruce and Clark just don’t have, or don’t really admit to. It’s refreshing in a way.
  3. I don’t even wanna think about what a bunch of Pennywises would be like.
  4. I’ve always really liked this issue. It’s kinda goofy and doesn’t take itself too seriously, but you need that in a comic sometimes. 9/10.
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This is a question that’s tricky to answer without just going into another complaint about the New 52 and how it should have been an Ultimate Marvel-esque line instead of a reboot for the entire universe. As much as I enjoyed Gail Simone’s 2011 run with Babs, I hate that it had to be either that book or this one, when I’d prefer to have both.

As it stands now, though, I think it’s probably best to keep Stephanie as Spoiler in current continuity. Her promotion to Batgirl was as much a mea culpa for her inexplicable fate in another story as it was a natural development for the character. Furthermore, many of her traits here were incorporated into “Batgirl of Burnside” Babs, so Steph Batgirl would be redundant today.

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I loved this series and this version of Stephanie was a lot of fun. Or Barbara as Oracle was ingenious and really, really worked…I was bummed out when she became Batgirl again.

That being said, I think it’s too late to put the genie back in the bottle. Just seems like it would be a bit lame and a retreating of old ground to do it all again.

I think a lot of the difference is in the age, with Batgirl and Supergirl taking life a little less seriously, so a lot more humor can be put in there for us.

Man, I don’t known. Aliens? Predator?

Wait, I got it!..Sleepless in Seattle

I’ll go 7. The protagonists were fun and I really liked their interactions, however there was no real threat here. And, although this is my favorite iteration of Batgirl,I would still rather watch Buffy.

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  1. I totally agree with this. There seems to be a real chance at an actual friendship in the story rather than just an alliance which is what Clark and Bruce’s friendship usually seems to amount to. And their banter is done really well and adds to the feeling of their kinship.
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I really liked Stephanie as Batgirl In this issue. I think there is always a way to get her back as Batgirl if not in a main story than in elseworld story. I think a lot of DC fans want Barbara to be that person who is Batgirl.

TheY definitely have a more trusting relationship than Batman and Superman. They both seem to like hanging out with each other as best friends do but also are there for the world saving parts as well.

I would say anything related to Child’s Play/Chucky.

I would give this issue a 8. I really liked Batgirl and Supergirl team up and them dealing with vampires although I wish we could of seen more of their time hanging out together.

Looking forward to seeing what one-shot will be next.