Red Robin and Yellow Batgirl...
New comics in the Batman line. Interesting case of 'compare and contrast'.
The first, I read because I am interested in Stephanie Brown. She was, briefly, Robin, before Batman fired her for disobeying his orders and saving his life. She was bright, she was smart, she was tough, she was entertaining - and Batman was in the wrong, but he got Tim Drake back as Robin. Then Steph became Spoiler, and she was tortured to death. That made me grumpy. Now she's back as Batgirl.
This made me happy.
Then I read the first three issues of the new Batgirl by Bryan G. Millar, and I am not so happy. Three issues, with precious little of substance, let alone plot. Stephanie wants to be Batgirl; Barbara Gordon, who was formerly Batgirl, now the wheelchair-hero Oracle, thinks she shouldn't be. Basically, Stephanie spends three issues trying to prove herself to Babs, who fears she can't handle the danger. (What, being tortured to death wasn't dangerous enough?) Steph eventually succeeds in impressiong Oracle, and is given the original Batgirl cowl.
Big freakin' deal.
I'm seeing great action and suspense in Detective Comics with Batwoman (who is also female), great action and intrigue with Red Robin (who is also young) - but three whole issues of a comic just to prove Stephanie's right to exist? To justify herself as such to Barbara Gordon? Why, for goodness sakes? This isn't an action comic, it's teen angst navel-gazing and I'm not happy to see it, especially with a snappy heroine I used to - wanted to - like. I am, in fact, mildly disgusted. They've turned Steph, who already was terrific, into a girl-teen hero wannabe. Patsy and Hedy revisited. Ugh.
Then I read Red Robin, because I was curious as to who Red Robin was, all the more so when I heard he was Tim Drake - formerly Robin. But Batman is dead1 and his friends are all playing musical identities. Nightwing is Batman, Robin is Red Robin, and I was intrigued.
Well I might be. Chris Yost's story of bloody assassins and covert action as Tim infiltrates Ra's Al Ghul's organization is terrific - not deep, but fast-paced and intriguing. Assassins fight assassins and Tim's in the middle of it. I particularly loved the way issue #5 ended, where Tim Drake says:For a long time now, everything's gotten worse. I've gotten worse. But no more. No more compromise.
The League of Assassins is the deadliest organization on the planet. Ra's Al Ghul is one of the most powerful and dangerous men in the world.
And I'm going to take them down.
The council, the League, all of them. I'm going to take them down from the inside out.
I love this.
~ ~ ~
1 Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's dead in comic book terms, which simply means we'll get some good angsty stories before he turns up again.