I enjoy seeing the classic Babs uniform, but I prefer Cassandra.

@Ravager4: I know, I suppose I could have worded that differently. I don't blame Simone at all for the absence of Cass and Steph, and I (usually) really enjoy her writing. Honestly the only reason I ever had a problem with resetting Barbara as Batgirl is because it feels like a step backward. So much progress and development was made over the years, and then just thrown out the window. I'm enjoying Batgirl regardless though.

Cain/Barbs

brown not in their league

@Ravager4 said:

Batgirl was the best selling book with a female lead this past month and is usually consistently number two in that category behind Wonder Woman. The same, as far as I know, could never be said about the past Batgirl series.

This is true, but not only has Batgirl placed #2 in the 'female lead character' category; the Batgirl series, in particular issue #0, placed #29 in overall (not just DC) comics sales in September 2012, which is one ahead of Wonder Woman, which placed #30.

For more info: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/september-2012-comic-book-sales-charts.html

@goldenbat@theteapot : Hoho, I really CAN'T wait till issue #15...though #13 and #14 are promising to be quite thrilling.

Oh, and her annual, of course.

Gosh, I've never been so happy for being a Babs' fan...I've never seen her taking part in so many things :P

About the sales: Haha, these are great news!

@justjoking: Damn straight.

Can't wait for the annual - bring it on Catwoman!

@justjoking: The annual's going to be amazing - not only is Catwoman coming to play, the Talon that fought Batgirl in Night of the Owls is coming back for revenge... EXCITING!!! So far, Batgirl has featured Nightwing, Batwoman, Catwoman (in the annual), The Joker and Batman himself, so it's only a matter of time before Wonder Woman comes to join the party... Batgirl VS Wonder Woman - who would win? Wonder Woman is the first thing that came to mind, but don't underestimate Barbara, she has some tricks up her sleeve...

yes she is awesome and the best batgirl

@sethysquare: This is true.

Also, issue #13 was amazing. Phenomenal. Out of this world. Less than a week until the annual - Catwoman's coming to play!

Cassandra Cain is probably the best Batgirl in the DC Universe.

Stephanie Brown seemed a lot more human to me, I liked her more.

@justjoking: Batgirl was already sold out.

Is barbara the best batgirl?? hell no!! its none other than cassandra cain, the best there is in what she do.

She may not be the best Batgirl, but she's the classic iteration of her. I'm sure we'll see Cassie again though, Barbara's days of walking won't last forever.

Yep

I'd have to say Barbara, she made the role of batgirl and is just so underrated these days. I wasn't a fan of her and like a lot of people didn't like her that much until her appearance on batman the animated series changed that. I feel that she doesn't get enough respect and had to be turned into a paraplegic to get some which I find is pretty unfair.

Babs is my Batgirl do to my BTAS nostalgia and my inexperience with other Batgirls

@goldenbat said:

To all those people who love Cassandra Cain or Stephanie Brown, you're on the wrong forum. This is for fans of Barbara Gordon. Yes, Barbara was Oracle, but now she's Batgirl.

Again.

Get over it.

DC made her Batgirl, and if DC thinks removing Oracle from continuity and making Barbara Batgirl again, then I'm all for it.

Did I like Oracle? Yes.

Do I like Barbara as Batgirl? Yes

Can I change DC's decision? No

Can I make Barbara Oracle again? No

So why bother trying to change the unchangeable?

Anyway, Barbara's a pretty cool Batgirl. Just saying.

No i believe this topic asked whether or not Babs was the best which implies that the op wants the opinions of other people.

@Skewer said:

I'd have to say Barbara, she made the role of batgirl and is just so underrated these days. I wasn't a fan of her and like a lot of people didn't like her that much until her appearance on batman the animated series changed that. I feel that she doesn't get enough respect and had to be turned into a paraplegic to get some which I find is pretty unfair.

It wasn't so much her being in a wheelchair that made people like Babs as Oracle. It was that she matured as a character and took on her own identity where she (arugably) did more good than she did when actually had mobility.

stephanie brown because she has something different from other batgirls

I like her a lot but she's better as Oracle.Cass is just too badass.

@justjoking said:

@goldenbat said:

Barbara is the best Batgirl. She's the only Batgirl who fights in high-heels. What a trouper.

Cass, you were pretty good.

Steph, well...

Babs, you go girl!

I think Cassandra Cain was the best Batgir

Stephanie was interesting cause she was fun and joyfull

while Barbara as batgirl pre-52 was the smart one and had strong will

new-52 Barb is a traumatized victim and nothing else

Barbara Gordon is the best Batgirl. Second is Stephanie Brown. and last Cassandra Cain who never really was a good fit in the role. Barbara may not be the best fighter of this group but she is a great hero and intelligence and determination always amaze me. I love the fact that she can rise from the personal tragedy of her life and be Batgirl again. She may have been a victim once and she may still feel like she needs to prove herself but she is still a hero to me.

@charlieboy said:

she is a great hero and intelligence and determination always amaze me. I love the fact that she can rise from the personal tragedy of her life and be Batgirl again.

I really like this image of Babs. The idea of her rising phoenix-like after falling and combining aspects of her Batgirl and Oracle personas presents such a powerful image of development and evolution. And I think that that would've been the perfect way to approach her character after putting her back into action.

But as someone who's read nearly all of Simone's run on Batgirl, I honestly have not seen much intelligence, determination, or rising from personal tragedy. I truly wish Gail had focused more on these qualities since the beginning of her run rather than making Babs seem like a novice who is constantly bringing up her past demons rather than moving past them. Gail's run hasn't been bad. Just unmemorable and lacking any worthwhile development. Feels more like a step backwards than true growth on Babs' part. And one would think taking Babs out of the chair and back into action would bring about nothing but growth.

@SupBatz: Actually I think Babs is where she should be. . Sometimes recovery can be just as rough as the root problem. She's angry and not 100 percent sure that she is going to stay recovered. You don't always just get over that kind of trauma. I was in a wheelchair for a few months myself so I get it. Mine was an illness that caused it and not being shot but I get it. Sometimes your head still isn't in the right place.

And the reason Babs is acting like a novice is because she had just started being Batgirl again. She was rusty. Plus with the New 52 version she wasn't Batgirl very long before she got crippled. So she is definitely learning the ropes again. I have read the whole series and I have really enjoyed.it. It is my fave DC book at the moment.

Most people after that kind of injury would never attempt to be a hero again but Babs is willing. That scene where she saved that couple during christmas really showed me that she is there to help people. Maybe she is trying to prove something to herself and maybe becoming Batgirl again is more of an outlet for her but I think she is on her way.

Stephanie's was my favorite at least in the comics over the last 20 years or so.

Animated Barbara Gordon is all we have ever seen

@charlieboy said:

@SupBatz: Actually I think Babs is where she should be. . Sometimes recovery can be just as rough as the root problem. She's angry and not 100 percent sure that she is going to stay recovered. You don't always just get over that kind of trauma. I was in a wheelchair for a few months myself so I get it. Mine was an illness that caused it and not being shot but I get it. Sometimes your head still isn't in the right place.

And the reason Babs is acting like a novice is because she had just started being Batgirl again. She was rusty. Plus with the New 52 version she wasn't Batgirl very long before she got crippled. So she is definitely learning the ropes again. I have read the whole series and I have really enjoyed.it. It is my fave DC book at the moment.

Most people after that kind of injury would never attempt to be a hero again but Babs is willing. That scene where she saved that couple during christmas really showed me that she is there to help people. Maybe she is trying to prove something to herself and maybe becoming Batgirl again is more of an outlet for her but I think she is on her way.

excuses, excuses, excuses.

victimgirl is victimgirl and nothing else

@arnoldoaad: That is your opinion and I don't agree with it as we have discussed before.

@justjoking said:

And my interpretation of Cass is that, were she not under the influence of Batman, who forbids killing, she would not hesitate to kill, due to her past experiences.

This is incorrect.

Cass swore off killing long before she met Batman. Heck, she swore off killing the second after she killed that first guy.

Cassandra's ability is to read body language. This doesn't just allow her to predict your movements; it also lets her know what you are feeling or even thinking to an extent. When Cass killed that guy, she was still reading his body language. She "saw" his death from his perspective. Of all the Bat-Family, Cass would be near the top of the list of those who would NEVER kill.

@TheCowman: I agree with you Cassandra would never kill of her own free will. Her first series showed that she was completely disgusted by what she had done.

@charlieboy: Don't get me wrong, I agree with a lot of what you are saying. It's really just in the execution that I feel the flaws lie. Sure, everything Gail has done in the Batgirl series can be justified. Babs did go through quite a trauma so one could pretty much justify her seeming rusty for the entire rest of her career if one wished to do so.

But the problem for me, as a reader, is the change in Babs being so drastic. Her going from confident, brilliant, and a great leader (pre-reboot) to appearing like a complete novice against every villain she encounters. On top of that, she seems a lot less intelligent. I get that Gail is going for a younger interpretation of Barbara but it's really disheartening, for me, to see just how de-matured she has been. Back before the New 52, if someone had told me that Babs was getting out of the chair, I'd have been incredibly excited. I'd have run tons of story ideas through my head - all of which showed Babs transition as a developmental and evolutionary process. I just don't feel that we've gotten that from New 52 Batgirl. So it's not that Gail's series is bad in itself. My problems with it lie soley in the fact that I grew up loving Babs as she once was and feel that the entire character has been uprooted and completely changed.

Of course, I realize that everyone has a different interpretation. And I respect yours. I do see the merits in Gail's Batgirl and am glad to hear its your favorite current series. It's just not for me right now. Maybe some day, when Simone brings Babs up a bit closer to where she once was.

Edit: Truth be told, I also miss seeing Steph in the role of Batgirl. I really feel like she didn't get her fair share of time behind the cowl. But that's beside the point when talking about Babs.

Barbara Gordon is the only Batgirl I love.

Easily, Barbara is the best.

@SupBatz: I do understand what you are saying. When you compare this version of Barbara to who she was as Oracle it can be a shock to your system. I actually really liked her as Oracle and Birds of Prey was awesome. I just really like her as Batgirl too. I enjoyed the Stephanie Brown Batgirl series and if they hadn't done the reboot I would still want Steph to be Batgirl if Babs was still Oracle.

yes i think so be i really only got into comics hardcore with the start of the new 52 :)

Eh, I don't know if I'd say she was the best. And I think it also depends on how you define 'best'. Most interesting? Most entertaining? Best fighter? Best overall Batgirl? There are so many different ways that it can be construed.

This post is kind of perfect and pretty much exactly mirrors the way that I feel about it.

She's the best. She's the only one who almost stands on their own credibility. She doesnt really need Batman's "rep" to make her bad a** and "frightening". She is also totally unique from all the Robins, unlike Babs, and seemed capable of eventually being at the same tier as Bats himself, unlike the others who are perpetually treated like his children.

Well, all three have had stories that I've really enjoyed (Cass- No Man's Land, Stephanie Brown- Miller's run just before New 52, and Barbara Gordon- Batman: TAS and Gail Simone's current run), so I'm not sure that I can pick one favorite. I really like all three characters. I just wish DC would bring back Cass and Steph as Black Bat and Spoiler and give them their own title. I think that would be an incredibly entertaining comic, and by doing that, DC would make their fans happy by bring back two beloved characters.

Cassie Cain, rare to see a female that can kick so much ass and not being stereotypical (in a superhero sense)

Babs is the best oracle

Steph? shouldh've died with black mask before writers made her 'good' to read

the original is the best , with that sexy blue lycra 60s costume of hers

the original, Barbara Gordon with the release of the 60s Batman TV show with Yvonne Craig, I think her classic costume looks the best

I dont care for the Cassandra Cain Batgirl, to dark and newage, The Stephanie one is okay, resembles the classic Batgirl where you can see her pretty face below the mask

The original Silver/Bronze Age Barbara Gordon wasn't really a sidekick of Batman, she started crime fighting when she was in her twenties (she already had her PhD), and at least in the 70s and 80s most of her storys were either solo stories or Team ups with Robin (how was going solo at this time too) or Jason Bard.

of course, she is!!! she's the original, Barbara rocks, this is the only tittle that's I've been reading non-stop, ever since the reboot began!

I like baraba Gordon because watching her fight is so fun to watch and very satisfying.not a big fan of oracle anyways.

This couldn't be further from the truth...Cass is 100% against killing, she has a killing rule of her own, just like Batman, and in fact she holds back even more than he does when she fights, otherwise everyone that she has ever fought against would be dead.

She was born, raised and trained to become the perfect body-guard for Ra's all ghul...so being the perfect fighter, ninja, warrior, killer, etc, kinda comes in with the description...but even still as a child she killed for the first time and was so disgusted by what she had done that she runned away from her father without looking back.

Several years later as Batgirl, there was a instance when she thought that she had killed the Shadow Thief and she started crying imediatly.

And near the end of her Batgirl run, on Batgirl #70 - Destruction's Daughter, Conclusion: The Resurrection and the Life Cass went all out for the first time in her life, Nyssa tol her that her opponents were already dead (they were zombies) so Cass cut lose and destroyed them, while thinking to herself that killing was wrong, but it also felt good letting go once after so many years of holding back:

Oh, and Cass was and still is, the best Batgirl.

Also, Babs was only really important and truly special as Oracle, where she was Justice League material...as Batgirl she doesn't bring anything to the table, really...

Not only that, but Babs started as Batgirl, and then she developed and outgrew the Batgirl role, she stepped out of Batman's shadow and became Oracle, who was just as important if not more so for the DC Universe at the time than Batman himself...the new 52 gave us what we can call a regression of Barbara's character, she became Batgirl again, lost most of her smarts and other skills, and now at first she was a victim on her own book, and on her second run she's doing and saying silly stuff, taking selfies, etc, she also acts as incompetent rokie at times...you see, when Stephanie Brown was Batgirl, at least it was possible to see the attempt at comedy in some issues, but this its worse, its worse because they are clearly for real with Babs, and as a someone that likes the character, i don't know if i should laugh at some scenes or kill myself...the Batgirl mantle and Barbara's character have been brought to the mud, literally, and the worse thing about it is some people apparently not feeling bothered by it.

Cassie