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iesikaI lied. Apparently. In my last post, I said the crazy crossovers would never be. Except they made ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
starherd laugh, and I said I'd write her a ficlet, now I'm 10 pages into a HP/Batverse crossover I never thought I'd write.
Which has made me think about comic books. All of mine, by the way, came out of storage just before Gustav, and I've been flipping through some of them. I wrote a Barbara Gordon cameo in, last night (this morning added Blue Beetle, and now we're out of control) and couldn't fall asleep until I went back and read the Hunt For Oracle storyline in Birds of Prey and Nightwing. Because I was thinking about how she's the coolest woman in comics, ever. Most of you probably know that Barbara Gordon = Batgirl. I don't think there's any other big comics fans on my flist, though, so I doubt anyone knows much else. Maybe that she's been paralyzed. Maybe that she's Oracle.
Then she answered the door, one night, to find the Joker standing in her doorway with a pistol. She dove for cover, but he shot her in the back, paralyzing her from the waist down, stripped her naked, and photographed her from every angle while she lay bleeding on the floor. (He used the pictures in an attempt to drive Jim Gordon insane). She went through a period of intense depression, and did her best to drive off Dick Grayson (with whom she was starting a relationship and who has, of course, loved her since he was just a teenager in pixie boots).
And then she clawed her way out of it. Built up her upper body strength and learned how to use Eskrima from a wheelchair. Started using her considerable skills at information retrieval to help the JLA, and also Batman. And Nightwing (Dick). She called herself Oracle, and no one knew who she was for about two years of comics (though I think Dick suspected). Most of the Super world still doesn't know who she is, though she did eventually reveal her identity to Black Canary (after five years of close partnership), and really, that was the hottest panel I've ever seen in a comic book and damn my current lack of scanner.
In the Hunt for Oracle storyline that I mentioned above, the villain Blockbuster, who was immensely intellegent (and just immense), and who was Nightwing's main adversary in Bludhaven, before the city was destroyed, made the necessary connections and worked out that if he took out Oracle, he'd cripple heroes worldwide (and he had his own agenda, too - something he wanted found). He brought together assassins and tech experts and interregators for a massive manhunt, going so far as to capture both Nightwing and Black Canary, who were known to be Oracle's operatives. They hunt her to her "summer home" as she calls it, a submarine in dry dock she retreated to when they closed in on her lair. With all of her operatives too far away to help her, she defended herself by flooding the dock to cripple her opponents, strapping her legs together, and swimming to safety (after having been shot in the leg, though of course she couldn't feel that).
The moment that sums up her character the best, I think, though, is near the end of the Officer Down storyline, when she has to answer the door for the men who have come to inform her that her father was shot in the line of duty, and pretend that she didn't already know. I have never cried like that for a comic book, before or since. Never mind that I was crying anyway, because I love Jim Gordon like few other characters, but Oh. My. God. Poor Barbara.
Anyway, that's my take on Barbara Gordon and her status as the awesomest woman in comics. She's in a league of her own.
starherd laugh, and I said I'd write her a ficlet, now I'm 10 pages into a HP/Batverse crossover I never thought I'd write. Which has made me think about comic books. All of mine, by the way, came out of storage just before Gustav, and I've been flipping through some of them. I wrote a Barbara Gordon cameo in, last night (this morning added Blue Beetle, and now we're out of control) and couldn't fall asleep until I went back and read the Hunt For Oracle storyline in Birds of Prey and Nightwing. Because I was thinking about how she's the coolest woman in comics, ever. Most of you probably know that Barbara Gordon = Batgirl. I don't think there's any other big comics fans on my flist, though, so I doubt anyone knows much else. Maybe that she's been paralyzed. Maybe that she's Oracle.
Barbara Gordon was actually Commissioner Jim Gordon's niece, the daughter of his brother, though he adopted her after her parents were killed and she calls him Dad. She became Batgirl (briefly, according to retcon canon) for a costume party. She foiled an attempted kidnapping of Bruce Wayne (without his help) and managed to save the day a few times without getting herself hurt. She had a reasonable degree of experience in the martial arts (and I forget just now what school) and could take care of herself in a fight. She met Batman and Robin(I), had Batman try to run her off, and held her ground. He threatened to tell her dad who she was, so she unmasked herself to her father and retired. Went off to school (I think at Hudson), and got a Ph.D in library science. Did some research on the side, for Batman, when he needed something dug out of records, but mostly stayed civilian. In the old (pre-retcon) canon, she became a US Representative.
Then she answered the door, one night, to find the Joker standing in her doorway with a pistol. She dove for cover, but he shot her in the back, paralyzing her from the waist down, stripped her naked, and photographed her from every angle while she lay bleeding on the floor. (He used the pictures in an attempt to drive Jim Gordon insane). She went through a period of intense depression, and did her best to drive off Dick Grayson (with whom she was starting a relationship and who has, of course, loved her since he was just a teenager in pixie boots).
And then she clawed her way out of it. Built up her upper body strength and learned how to use Eskrima from a wheelchair. Started using her considerable skills at information retrieval to help the JLA, and also Batman. And Nightwing (Dick). She called herself Oracle, and no one knew who she was for about two years of comics (though I think Dick suspected). Most of the Super world still doesn't know who she is, though she did eventually reveal her identity to Black Canary (after five years of close partnership), and really, that was the hottest panel I've ever seen in a comic book and damn my current lack of scanner.
In the Hunt for Oracle storyline that I mentioned above, the villain Blockbuster, who was immensely intellegent (and just immense), and who was Nightwing's main adversary in Bludhaven, before the city was destroyed, made the necessary connections and worked out that if he took out Oracle, he'd cripple heroes worldwide (and he had his own agenda, too - something he wanted found). He brought together assassins and tech experts and interregators for a massive manhunt, going so far as to capture both Nightwing and Black Canary, who were known to be Oracle's operatives. They hunt her to her "summer home" as she calls it, a submarine in dry dock she retreated to when they closed in on her lair. With all of her operatives too far away to help her, she defended herself by flooding the dock to cripple her opponents, strapping her legs together, and swimming to safety (after having been shot in the leg, though of course she couldn't feel that).
The moment that sums up her character the best, I think, though, is near the end of the Officer Down storyline, when she has to answer the door for the men who have come to inform her that her father was shot in the line of duty, and pretend that she didn't already know. I have never cried like that for a comic book, before or since. Never mind that I was crying anyway, because I love Jim Gordon like few other characters, but Oh. My. God. Poor Barbara.
Anyway, that's my take on Barbara Gordon and her status as the awesomest woman in comics. She's in a league of her own.
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no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 11:48 pm (UTC)I've read the older ones when Barbara was Batgirl and working as a librarian. Hadn't realised she was Jim Gordon's niece as always seen her referred to as his daughter.
Also read Nightwing and a few Birds of Prey when the titles overlapped which they were quite a bit - couple of years ago? I so need to get some graphic novels to fill in my damn gaps. Did Dick and Barbara ever get together because there were vibes there but wasn't he interested in someone else at one point? I need to dig out my Nightwing comics, I think I did start reading Officer Down, not sure if I ever managed to find the rest to finish it. The comics I was collecting were Nightwing and Robin but had to stop when I ran out of money *sulks* Hard to even find sources for them here without tripping into the city which costs as well.
One thing I want to do when I come stateside is buy graphic novels and fill in my reading gaps. $15 for something we pay about $60 for!!!!!!! *eyes Amazon. I should add to my wishlist and waste time on there or something
no subject
Date: 2008-10-11 04:15 am (UTC)I'm vastly out of date, myself, and this new interest starherd has unintentionally sparked has had me reading trade paperbacks on the couch at my local bookstore (as I am too broke to ever catch up).
no subject
Date: 2008-10-11 12:35 am (UTC)and who wouldn't love Dick Grayson?
no subject
Date: 2008-10-11 04:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-11 05:38 pm (UTC)I guess that came from living with you ^^
But I'd definitely be interested to read the crossover. ^^ You piqued my interest with HP/Batverse. I've written a plot bunny for a Batman/Ironman collab myself and I wanted to know if maybe you could email me everything I might need to know about Batman, Ironman (and Tony) , Joker and Two-Face? I'm just needing that for picking and choosing the parts I want to use naturally. ^^ But I'd be much obliged if you could. ^^
no subject
Date: 2008-10-11 06:09 pm (UTC)Two-Face is back to being Harvey Dent and no longer overtly crazy, if you can believe it. Unless he's already regressed and I'm just not caught up that far. Dr. Thomas Elliot, Bruce's best friend from childhood and now the villain "Hush," completely restored his face, which restored his mind.
That is, unless you're like me and you think Clayface is involved. He was active in the same storyline, and known to be working with Hush (when they ransacked Jason Todd's grave to make Bruce believe the dead Robin was out for revenge, and damn was that a fucked up story...Not to mention they still haven't found Jason's body. Batman: Hush was good.)
no subject
Date: 2008-10-11 06:19 pm (UTC)Batman: Year One
The Long Halloween
Batman: Dark Victory (If you can find it - this one I can't find!)
The Killing Joke
Batman: Death in the Family
Batman: Hush (1&2)
Batman: Hush Returns
As a bonus, you will get to see just about all the major villains, as well as Poison Ivy seducing Catwoman (which I know you'll like), and Superman vs. Batman, which is always fun.