What I Bought Today – Batgirl #18, Bruce Wayne The Road Home: Batgirl (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Well, it’s…erm, Thursday, so that means it’s time to check out…

So yeah, because I stayed in yesterday with a headache (and because it was flooding on the East side), I ended up missing Batman #18 and Batman and Robin #18, meaning I missed the two comics that are giving everyone ‘the feels’, as the kids like to call ’em these days. Good news is, while I was there, I found a little something I’d been looking for for a while, so we got ourselves a double helping of Batgirl today! So let’s start with Batgirl #18.

First off, I just want to say that the next few books with the Requiem logo on them better damned sure have more to do with Damian‘s passing than the last couple I’ve read. Now admittedly, there is one really good scene where Batman tells Commissioner Gordon what happened, but other than that and a few tears shed by Barbara (who I’m not even completely sure had much in the way of interaction with Damian), not much lending to the Requiem bit.

Other than that, this issue is the end of Ray Fawkes’ run with Batgirl, and…yeah, kinda glad it’s over with. Admittedly, Ray Fawkes does show some talent here, and Batgirl herself is written okay, but some of the choices he makes with this and the previous issue are kinda iffy. In particular, he honestly makes Jim Gordon Jr. an even bigger freak than I personally feel is necessary. Good news is, next month we get Gail Simone back! YAY!

DAMMIT, I miss Stephanie Brown! T_T

Okay, here’s the thing: I have all of Bryan Q. Miller‘s run on Batgirl that are within the actual numbered issues, but there was one comic that I was missing. Well today, I finally got the one I was looking for, Bruce Wayne The Road Home: Batgirl. For those that don’t know, Bruce Wayne The Road Home is the tale of Bruce deciding to test the various Bat Family members while he’s in the process of recruiting for Batman Incorporated. As usual, Mr. Miller reminds me of why Stephanie Brown is my favourite Batgirl: She’s witty, charming, spunky, and just plain fun. And really, what can I say about a Batgirl that does THIS to Batman (in this exact comic, actually)?

I rest my case. lol

Anyway, I should be getting Batman #18 and Batman and Robin #18 in a couple of weeks. Until then, c’mon back next week as I check in on Nightwing and the Justice League of America. Ja né!

And the New Official Full-Time Writer for Batgirl is…(Plus Thoughts On The Apocalypse, lol)

So, some interesting news came out today. It has been announced on Twitter the new full-time writer for Batgirl, following Gail Simone‘s departure. I’m not sure what this means for Ray Fawkes, though. He MIGHT still be doing those 2-3 issues, maybe not. We’ll have to see. In the meantime, the new official writer for Batgirl, taking over the book full time is…

…Gail Simone?!?! :O

Yep, Gail’s got her job back, much to my relief and the relief of several fans of her hers and the book. However, at the same time, I think more than a few people are ridiculously confused regarding this matter. My own guess on the matter is that someone higher up in DC than the person who made the call to can Gail either didn’t approve it in the first place or decided it would be more advantageous to DC Comics (more money, in other words) to have her stay on board and keep her happy.

So yep, more awesome goodness like THIS! XD

And call me negative if you please, but frankly, I refuse to believe that Gail was given Batgirl back because the fans called DC out on a dumb call. Why? Well, because fans have been calling DC out on dumb calls for YEARS now, and it has RARELY stopped them before. So yeah, to anyone celebrating that DC listened to the fans and that this is a sign that they will consider our input more seriously from now on, I hate to burst your bubble but I would’ve sooner believed in the so-called apocalypse that people were saying was supposed to happen today.

Speaking of which, in case anyone’s wondering, I did extensive research regarding why the end never happened, and after finally getting access to satellite footage, I managed to find shots of some sort of blur that seemed to be moving at a speed that should not be humanly possible all across the planet. I will now show you one such an image.

…Your guess is as good as mine, folks. I don’t pretend to know everything, I’m just a mild-mannered blogger. But anyway, that’s my thoughts on the Gail Simone matter for now, and as always I’ll keep people that read my blog posted if I learn anything more. Ja né!

Gail Simone’s Replacement is…Someone I Do Not Know? (UNCONFIRMED FOR THE MOMENT)

Happy Storm Day to everybody in the Saint John Region! XD Okay, for realsies, I was checking Twitter for info on the Gail Simone situation, and I discovered that apparently solicits have been listing the next writer of Batgirl to be a fellow by the name of Ray Fawkes…And when I heard that, I pretty much had a “Who the fuck is Serg” moment, because I can honestly say that I’ve never heard of Ray Fawkes up to this point. I even tweeted Linkara on the matter, and his response was…

And I quote…

“He’s the writer of… *Checks his site* …a lot of stuff I’ve never heard of before.” And so I turned to the all-knowing powers of Google for answers, and I eventually learned that, starting with Justice League Dark #15, he’ll be co-writing that story along with Jeff Lemire. He’s also the author of One Soul and Mnemovore, the aforementioned “stuff I’ve never heard of”. So yeah, clearly he’s an up-and-coming type.

Anyway, for the moment I can’t 100% confirm that this is true, but if it is, all I can say is “Thank God it wasn’t ANYONE that myself or Gotham Spoilers were afraid it was”. Because I was terrified it’d wind up being Dan Didio, who honestly, while I disagree with a lot of his decisions DC, at least he hasn’t killed it, but I can’t think of a single book he’s written that I liked AT ALL. Meanwhile, Gotham Spoilers, or FHIZ as he’s known on Twitter and is always fun to call him that, thought it was Tom DeFalco. And yeah, I get why that would frighten him. DeFalco writes a really good Nightwing, most of the time, but just basing off her cameo in Nightwing #13, he CLEARLY doesn’t get Batgirl at all.

But yeah, once I get confirmation one way or the other regarding Fawkes, I’ll let’cha guys know. Ja né!