Tag Archives: James Gordon Jr

Jul 12 2012

Batgirl 11

Today, Shelby and Peter are discussing Batgirl 11, originally released July 11th, 2012.

Shelby: I recently finished Frank Herbert’s Dune (highly recommended if you like old-school science fiction), and one of the prevailing ideas is that of plans within plans within plans. The idea is that your enemies, or your allies, are never what they seem: that every plan you see is part of another more intricate plan, and so on and so on. The only way to survive is to think the same way, to create plans upon plans until even your closest allies aren’t sure your motives. I’m beginning to feel the same vibe from Batgirl; enemies and allies are telescoping inward, and every motive revealed is another motive for another plan.

Continue reading →

Apr 17 2012

Batgirl 8

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Batgirl 8, originally released April 11th 2012.

Check out Shelby’s exclusive Gail Simone interview here!

Drew: “Closure” is a word we hear with increasing frequency in modern narratives. Characters reunite with long lost lovers or otherwise return to their pasts in order to move on to the future. This can be a compelling motivation, but it often reduces those characters down to some defining moment or relationship, keeping them rather one-dimensional. Real life problems are much more complicated, forcing us to settle for smaller comforts over the kind of profound sense of closure promised in movies. Batgirl 8 illustrates that point beautifully, providing a return to The Killing Joke that only addresses some of Barbara’s baggage. Continue reading →

Mar 15 2012

Batgirl 7

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Batgirl 7, originally released March 14th 2012.

Shelby: I am the only ladywriter here at Retcon Punch. I’m certainly not trying to minimize the “ladyness” of some of the other writers; I think Patrick and Drew may be bigger feminists than I am. Feminists or not, I think being the ladywriter gives me a certain empathetic view point when it comes to reading about our lady heroes. Or, it would if I thought I could at all relate to these metahuman women, running around with their tights and boob windows. Enter: Barbara Gordon. She has the same sort of inner monologue that I have; she doubts herself, she’s unsure, she’s conflicted. Of course, she’s got much bigger inner fears and issues than I do, but I can understand her. And that is why I love reading about her.

Continue reading →