Customer Reviews

Showcase Presents: Batgirl, Vol. 1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

in 1967, Batman was on TV and the Batman family had a new dynamic. Not longer was it a duo, it became a trio with the creative idea Batgirl. You must remember in the 1950's, There was Batwoman, Bathound and Batmite (an imp who loved Batman and created problems for him). Batgirl gave the Batman family a thought provoling ally.A woman who a brain who did not cater to Batman like a 1950's household would.

These black & white reprints from 1967-1975 showcased Batgirl as part of the Batman team, by herself and as well as with others like Superman. She proved she was a crime fighter in her own right, not just a clone of the original like the 1960's Supergirl was.

(SPOILER ALERT) These tales were long before the graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke when Barbara Gordon was shot by the Joker and lost the use of her legs.

These tales are not like today comics with multiple part, crossover story lines which take months and years to resolve. You can read these stories one to one and see how good the story telling for the 60's-70s are.

Some will say it takes away from the comic , due to the lack of color. I say it adds to the art.

So take your Batmobile and go batty with this collection..and lets hear it for the girl!

Black and white reproductions of stories originally published in DC comic book titles between 1967 and 1975 featuring Barbara Gordon as the Batgirl fills this reprint anthology, with "Over 500 pages of Comics!" "Babs," the daughter of the Police Commissioner, when she's introduced in 1967 as the new Batgirl, is the director of the Gotham City Library, a librarian with a doctorate and a photographic memory. On the way to the a costume party she discovers the joy crime fighting, and soon develops a talent as a quick change artist as an aid to her moonlighting career as a vigilante Towards the end of this anthology in 1972 she's elected to Congress.

Good reading on the rainy afternoon.
Lots of fun stories with plenty of action.
My favorite story is the first one. Batgirl vs Killer Moth.
Those two would have more battles in the pages of BATMAN FAMILY and in Batman #311. Hopefully there will be a volume #2 to reprint those fine tales.
I also found the cover to be a delight.
Gave me a big chuckle and a wry smile.

people;
when you look at these classic stories---it's a shame they did what they
did to the character. compared to batman himself---and robin she's a
great addition to the batman legend!! classic costume that, to this day---
still has'nt been improved on!!! these were fun-stories!! great art by carmine
infantino---and others. it's a must for anyone's library!!!!
[NUFF-SAID!!!]

This book brought back memories with stories from the early years of Batgirl. These stories took place way before she was shot and crippled by the Joker. Batgirl was introduced in the comics prior to her inclusion on the TV show. While the lack of color can be a little disconcerting, this volume is a great way to read the DC archives at a great price.

For anyone interested in the earliest Batgirl adventures, this collection is a must. At more than 400 pages, the Batgirl Showcase delivers Barbara Gordon from her first appearance in late 1966 and shows her journey as she grows from newbie superhero to a seasoned veteran of DC's superhero scene. Granted, the Batgirl stories that followed the ones in this collection are more compelling and show the heroine as more of a force to be reckoned with, but this is still an excellent entertainment value, especially at Amazon's discount price. Reading the comics in black and white may not be every readers cup of tea, but the black-and-white printing helps make this collection extremely affordable. Recommended for fans of Batgirl, Batman and superheroines.

(PS: Ignore the stupid cover DC chose for this volume. It's rather sexist and condescending, and the character never actually applies lipstick during a story while Batman and Robin get beat up. I guess someone at DC thought the cover would be funny, but it isn't at all.)

I ended up enjoying this chronological presentation of Batgirl stories spanning the years 1967-1975 way more than I expected to! I thought reading the early appearances would be fun and interesting but didn't know much of what to expect after that. This ended up being among my favorite SHOWCASE PRESENTS volumes! Consistently good and fun stories throughout brought to you by a great roster of writers and artists including Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, Curt Swan, Neal Adams and many more! I was very impressed by some of the later stories in the book by Frank Robbins and Don Heck, not a team I was very familiar with. Batgirl carries her stories on her own much better than many of her DC Superhero contemporaries. There are guest appearances by the likes of Superman, Batman, Supergirl, etc. but mostly it's just Babs Gordon as the Dominoed DareDoll (love that nickname) doing her thing! Breaking news: these Showcase reprints are in black and white, if that bothers you, stay away...but it will be your loss! All Showcase volumes are great values but this one is the best yet: 548 pages! About 50 pages longer than most others!

My little girl wanted to play Batgirl, and so I went online to look for some reading material to go along with the game. Like most superhero books, the modern Batgirl books are too dark and too adult for small children, but I thought the original 1960s adventures might be fun. I found this volume online, but was disappointed to find that it was cheaply reproduced in black-and-white, and that a full-color version (either a softcover graphic novel or a full-on DC Archives edition) was not available. Oh, well.

If you only care about the written scripts, I suppose these "Showcase" books provide some bang for your buck, but if you really want to experience reading a *comic book*, with bright colors, kinetic action and all the sensual, visual fun that comes with it, then these are a big disappointment. Guess I'll wait until DC gives Batgirl her proper due -- I only hope my kid is still into her by then. :-(