Barbara Gordon is moving to a new hipster neighborhood called Burnside and her life is taking an all new direction in the pages of her book ‘Batgirl.’ Despite having just launched three years ago as part of DC’s ‘New 52’ initiative, the book is switching gears thanks to a new creative team, co-writers Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher with Stewart providing breakdowns and finished artist Babs Tarr and colorist Maris Wicks. Stewart also tweaked the design of her costume, taking it away from the armored look the character has sported since DC’s relaunch, to something that more closely resembles a motorcycle uniform (complete with a zipper in front) with more leathery looking gloves and Doc Marten-style combat boots. She also takes selfies.
Barbara gets a new expanded supporting cast with a new roommate Frankie and at least two friends Liz and a guy named Troy that she gets drunk, hooks up with and forgets. In the past, Barbara has been depicted as a grownup, starting out as a librarian and eventually running for office, but clearly they’re putting the “girl” back in Batgirl. Unfortunately, the move takes her away from former roomie Alysia, one of the few transgender characters in comics, but at this point, it looks like she’ll remain part of the cast. Unlike Batman, who has arguably the greatest Rogues Gallery in comics, Batgirl really has never had a particularly memorable list of foes. Now we meet her arch enemy… hangovers.
In this preview, which comes to us via the A.V. Club, I got swept right back to my twenties. I was so reminded of where I lived and the life I led. Plus having just moved from a big city to a small southern town, I actually miss hipsters and eclectic neighborhoods.
Check out the preview below:
Barbara has a photographic memory and the homage to that is amazingly handled. I absolutely love the Mike Allred-style indie artwork. It’s a big switch, but I think this could really work. I’ve significantly scaled back my comic reading, but I’m going to check this out.
Does the idea of a hipster Batgirl appeal to you? Or is it too pandering to twentysomething youth culture?
