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| Op/Ed by Benn Robbins |
This was originally written on Tuesday March 17th 2015 after I watched the Internet explode for a bit. I wrote it and sat on it with exception of showing it to a few close friends. This is it in its entirety.
I am hesitant to say anything anywhere about the whole Batgirl variant cover kerfuffle. Because I have a lot of feelings revolving it.
But here I go.
I am a huge Batgirl fan.
Specifically Barbara Gordon, Batgirl.
I acknowledge the other who have donned the mantle of Batgirl however there will only ever be one true Batgirl.
I own every appearance of Batgirl from her “Million Dollar Debut” in Detective Comics #359 in January of 1967 to the latest issue #40 of the “Burnside” storylines in the New 52. I have countless original sketched adorning my walls of Batgirl art, my wife’s 1st anniversary present to me (traditionally the paper anniversary) was the “first appearance” Batgirl Lithograph from the now defunct Warner Bros store signed and numbered by co-creator Carmine Infantino.
I completely blame Yvonne Craig and her lace frilled motorcycle from the ’66 Batman tv show (and yes I have a signed photo of Batgirl riding said cycle from when I met her years ago at a small convention)
So when I begin and say that first off, it is a gorgeous cover, art wise, regardless of all the other shit surrounding it, that truly evokes the visceral emotion and terror of the original story it pays homage to. It is beautiful, horrible, thought provoking and hard not to be disturbed by it.
I get it. I know the reference.
I LOVE The Killing Joke it is one of my favorite Alan Moore stories.
It is also one of the toughest books to read. Not just because I am a ridiculously huge Batgirl fan.
It is not pretty. And it don’t supposed to be. It was a very calculated and specifically written book, much like all of Moore’s work, meant to evoke an emotional response by hyper magnifying the tropes and issues with the relationship between The Joker and Batman and the people caught in the middle by pushing them to their most extreme and, in the end, penultimate conclusion.
If I remember reading correctly, Alan Moore never meant it to be canon either. It was a DC “what if” story before they had, the now defunct, “Elseworlds” line of alternate reality stories.
Much like Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns was supposed to be.
Anyway… I digress.
If this cover DIDN’T upset you even just a little bit then you clearly didn’t read or understand the original The Killing Joke, or worse, you are so inured to the horrors of the world that that in of itself is concerning.
The problem I have and I am assuming most people had with the cover was that it does not fit in the light-hearted more fun teenage Batgirl stories that current creative team of Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr are doing right now. The current NEW readers, who may not be familiar with the original story, AND the readers ARE familiar with the original story are going to be squigged out by this cover.
No shit.
That is what they are supposed to be. It is a damn creepy cover. Gorgeous but creepy as hell. Again, if it didn’t give you even a slight twinge of that icky feeling when you first saw it then I don’t know. I get it, you are probably to edgy and extreme to be upset by it, “you aren’t a ‘pussy'”- Good for you, the Internet is yours for the conquering.
For the rest of us there is a lot of stuff going on in this cover. I am reluctant to use the term “trigger” as it seems like the word du jour right now and I dislike its misuse but. Yeah this cover is rife with triggers for people.
Nothing of what I am talking about here, however justifies threats of violence towards others. Ever.
It is insane that this now seems to go hand in hand with each other over differences of opinion on the World Wide Web.
WHAT?!
I feel like the internet has mentally digressed people to 6 year olds on a playground whose toy got stolen by another kid and they end up rolling on the ground tearing their Geranimals and scratching each other’s faces.
How is this a thing for “adults”?
I feel like as we are being held less and less accountable for our words and actions we are slipping into some sort of crazy lord of the flies scenario except The Conch is destroyed and we all have “Piggies” glasses.
Again I digress.
I am sad AND I understand why DC Comics pulled the variant cover.
No I don’t think it is censorship, self or any other, look up the definition, and I applaud Rafael Albuquerque for requesting it be pulled. I respect the current team for standing their ground as it is not fitting in with their direction for Babs at the moment and I think that the people calling out DC for “catering to” a specific group of readers and “caving” to censorship, etc. is basically the same mode set of, “well as long as I’m okay with it you can change but if I’m not then Fuck You!”
Sorry you didn’t get your way, you usually do. Oh well, not this time.
EDIT: Since I first originally wrote this an interview with artist Raphael Albuquerque has come out. (If you haven’t read it, I implore you do) where he explains why he requested the cover be pulled.
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