Alternate versions of Barbara Gordon

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This is a list of the Alternate versions of Barbara Gordon appearing in stories published by DC Comics in which the comic book character has been placed in non-canon storylines taking place both in and outside of mainstream continuity.

Various alterations of the Barbara Gordon character have appeared in storylines published in mainstream continuity titles. These variants often appear in stories which involve time travel, such as the crossover limited series Zero Hour: Crisis in Time, a follow-up story preceded by the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths which altered mainstream continuity.

Notable imprints of DC Comics such as Elseworlds and All Star DC Comics have also featured alternate versions of the character. The Elseworld's imprint has featured Barbra Gordon in starring roles such as the popular noir-style storyline Thrillkiller: Batgirl & Robin and the one-shot comic Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl. After DC Comics launched its All Star imprint in 2005, an alternate Barbara Gordon was adapted into Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder. In addition, another version of the Barbara Gordon character was set to star in the upcoming All Star Batgirl comic book series.

Contents

[edit] Mainstream continuity

  • Zero Hour: Crisis in Time: In the company wide crossover limited series Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (1994),[1] an alternate Barbara Gordon, unaffected by the events of Batman: The Killing Joke fights alongside the mainstream DC Universe Superheroes as Batgirl. During this time she forms a certain bond with Green Arrow, the older hero seeing a lot of himself in her willingness to challenge such powerful foes as Parallax without any powers. During the struggle against Parallax, she sacrifices herself to save Damage, with her timeline being erased as the universe is re-created by the new Big Bang. However, as the heroes return to their own time, Green Arrow promises that, even if she never existed, she will never be forgotten.
  • Batman #666: In "Numbers of the Beast" (by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert), Barbara Gordon is the Police Commissioner in a dystopian future Gotham. She wears her hair short, making her appearance closer to Ellen Yindel, the commissioner in The Dark Knight Returns. Gordon dogs Damian Wayne, who has taken up the Batman mantle after the death of his father. When asked why she pursues Batman so ruthlessly, she replies, "That monster was responsible for the death of... of a good friend. He can't be trusted."[2]

[edit] 52 Multiverse

Main article: List_of_DC_Multiverse_worlds#The_52

In March 2006, DC Comics launched a year-long weekly maxi-series entitled 52. In the series' final issue, 52 #52,[3] it was revealed that an entirley new "Multiverse" system was now in existence, composed of 52 alternate Earths, featuring variations of well-known DC Comics characters both in tribute to the old Multiverse system and a number of published Elseworlds stories and televised DC Comics adaptations.

  • Earth-12: This universe mirrors the animated television series Batman Beyond, wherein Barbara Gordon is police commissioner of Gotham City.
  • Earth-33: A world of magicians- this version of Barbara Gordon is a true Oracle, able to see the future.
  • Earth-37: This universe closely follows the Elseworlds limited series Thrillkiller.

[edit] Imprints

[edit] Elseworlds

Main article: Elseworlds

Elseworlds is an imprint of DC Comics which takes place outside of mainstream continuity. Its purpose is to take the company's iconic characters and place them in alternate timelines, places and events making heroes "as familiar as yesterday seem as fresh as tomorrow." Barbara Gordon, as both Batgirl and Oracle, has made several appearances in Elseworlds comics since 1997.[4]

Cover to Thrillkiller: Batgirl & Robin by Howard Chaykin and Daniel Brereton.
Cover to Thrillkiller: Batgirl & Robin by Howard Chaykin and Daniel Brereton.
  • Batman: Thrillkiller: In the Elseworlds miniseries Thrillkiller: Batgirl & Robin, Barbara Gordon is a rebellious young woman in the early 1960s. Alienated from her father, Commissioner Gordon, due to the unsolved murder of her mother, she becomes a thrill-seeking vigilante with her boyfriend, a circus acrobat named Richard Greystark, who goes by the alias Dick Grayson. Gordon is a wealthy heiress, receiving a large inheritance from the death of her mother and purchases Wayne Manor — the Waynes having been ruined by the Great Depression. Bruce Wayne is a full-time detective in the Gotham police. [5] This version of Barbara has romantic feelings for Bruce Wayne. According to Hilary Goldstein of IGN, Thrillkiller: Batgirl & Robin "is an original and refreshing look at Batman mythology. It's a slow burn, a deep and engrossing read that's chocked with dark psychological mischief."[6] A sequel, Batgirl + Batman: Thrillkiller '62, teams Batgirl with Bruce Wayne as Batman.[7] Goldstein and IGN also lists Batman: Thrillkiller as one of the 25 greatest Batman graphic novels of all time.[8]
  • Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl: In the one-shot comic Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl, Barbara Gordon is a wealthy novelist and a take-no-prisoners Batgirl in a world where Batman and Superman did not exist. She is darker than in mainstream continuity due to the death of Jim Gordon, who was killed when he saved the Wayne family from a street thug. Bruce Wayne becomes not only her foster brother, but also serves as her "Alfred".[9]
  • Superman & Batman: Generations: Barbara Gordon is James Gordon's granddaughter in Superman & Batman: Generations. Towards the end of the series she serves as President.[10]
  • Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham: The H. P. Lovecraftian Elseworld Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham features a version of Oracle. Completely paralyzed following an undisclosed accident, Barbara Gordon's artificial voicebox also gives her the power to speak to the dead.[11]
  • JLA: Created Equal: In JLA: Created Equal, Barbara Gordon becomes the Green Lantern after she is given Kyle Rayner's power ring. The ring was found by an amoral comedienne named Maria Contranetti, who used the ring for her own purposes until it was taken away by the Justice League.[12]
  • JLA: The Nail: In JLA: The Nail, Batgirl and Robin were brutally murdered by the Joker, who used Kryptonian gauntlets provided by the deranged Jimmy Olsen to tear them apart while forcing Batman to watch, driving Batman to the brink of madness and resulting in him beating the Joker to death.

[edit] All Star DC Comics

Main article: All Star DC Comics

In 2005, DC Comics launched its All Star imprint- an ongoing series of comics designed to pair the company's most iconic characters with the most acclaimed writers and artists in the industry. All Star is not restricted to continuity and establishes a fresh perspective for the latest generation of readership. According to Dan DiDio, "These books are created to literally reach the widest audience possible, and not just the comic book audience, but anyone who has ever wanted to read or see anything about Superman or Batman."[13]

Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Cover to All Star Batman and Robin #6 drawn by Jim Lee.
Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Cover to All Star Batman and Robin #6 drawn by Jim Lee.
  • All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder: In All Star Batman and Robin #6, a fifteen-year-old version of Barbara Gordon becomes Batgirl. Reducing the character to her iconic roots, Frank Miller establishes Gordon as a thrill seeker. Her father, Captain James Gordon has growing concern over Batman's influence in Gotham. While he praises Batman for effectively undermining the corrupt operations of the city's police department, he shows discontent over the Dark Knight's urban legend inspiring the youth of the city to emulate him.[14]
  • All Star Batgirl: Batgirl was at the forefront of the list of characters chosen to receive an independent title, in addition to being given a supporting role in Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder. In an interview with Wizard magazine, comic book author Geoff Johns announced that he will team with J.G. Jones for the All Star Batgirl series. Johns stated: "We’re doing the first six issues, the first of which will hit in late 2007 well after J.G. and I are done with 52, so it's monthly. It's a mystery revolving around Barbara Gordon and Arkham Asylum, why she's become Batgirl and more importantly why she remains Batgirl. It's essentially our Batman: The Long Halloween or Superman For All Seasons for Batgirl."[15] This series will not follow the continuity of Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin, giving Barbara Gordon two independent featured roles in DC's All Star imprint. When asked why Batgirl would be the first character to be given an All Star title outside the DC Trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, Johns responded, "She's one of the most prominent female superheroes in the world. She's on lunchboxes, there's a Barbie of her, cartoons—even after she's been Oracle in the DC Universe for 15 years now, people, us included, love this character as Batgirl. That's why J.G. and I wanted to do this: to focus on the first and best Batgirl."[16]

[edit] Adaptations into other media

Main article: Media adaptations of Barbara Gordon
  • DCAU: An alternate version of Barbara Gordon makes a brief cameo appearance in the Justice League episode "The Savage Time" (2002).[17] The character in this continuity is also given a recurring role in the Batman Beyond series as the future Police Commissioner of Gotham City.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Jurgens, Dan (1994). Zero Hour: Crisis in Time. DC Comics. 
  2. ^ Morrison, Grant (2007). Batman #666. DC Comics. 
  3. ^ Johns, Geoff; Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid (2007). 52 #52. DC Comics. 
  4. ^ Chaykin, Howard (1997). Thrillkiller: Batgirl & Robin. DC Comics. 
  5. ^ Chaykin, Howard (1997). Thrillkiller: Batgirl & Robin. DC Comics. 
  6. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (2005-06-02). Batman: Thrillkiller Review. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
  7. ^ Chaykin, Howard (1998). Batgirl + Batman: Thrillkiller '62. DC Comics. 
  8. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (2005-06-13). The 25 Greatest Batman Graphic Novels. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  9. ^ Simmons, Tom; Tom Simmons, Barbara Kesel (1998). Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl. DC Comics. 
  10. ^ Byrne, John (2003). Superman/Batman Generations II #2. DC Comics. 
  11. ^ Mignola, Mike; Mike Mignola, Richard Pace (2000). Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham. DC Comics. 
  12. ^ Nicieza, Fabian (2000). JLA: Created Equal. DC Comics. 
  13. ^ Offenberger, Rik (2007). Dan DiDio: DC Comics' All Star. Silver Bullet Comics. Retrieved on 2007-09-11.
  14. ^ Miller, Frank (2007). All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #6. DC Comics. 
  15. ^ TORONTO 06: GEOFF JOHNS TALKS ALL STAR BATGIRL. Newsarama (2006). Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
  16. ^ Morse, Ben (2006). HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL STAR. Wizard. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
  17. ^ Berkowitz, Stan (2002-11-09). The Savage Time. Justice League. www.tv.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.

[edit] External links