The Unsinkable Stephanie Brown

[redbrunja]

I just finished Steph's Batgirl run.

And I just have a lot of feelings.



The good:

HOW PERFECT WAS STEPH CALLING IN ALL HER LADY SUPER HERO FRIENDS? SO FUCKING GREAT.

HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I LOVE GIRLS OVERCOMING THEIR FATHER'S FAILURES/VILLAINY? I LOVE THAT SO DAMN MUCH.

While I'm not thrilled about Detective Gage's tragic dead fiancee past, I fucking loved their argument over Clancy's body and then Gage asking if Batgirl was going to use her guilt. Damn right she is. Just, A+ characterization all over the place.

I loved that they explicitly called Stephanie "unsinkable": so true.

Steph's mom knows! And is proud of her! All the feelings! All the feelings!

Also, I totally want to read the fic where Steph, Barbara, and Cass go back in time to world war two... and meet up with the screaming banshee and the howling commandos.

The Hmmm:

I feel like Damian showing up felt a little random? In a way Nell didn't? Like, I'm not complaining. I know Steph showed up in Damian's main series, does that make his presence on the rooftop feel more coherent?

The Bad:

Barbara is into Detective Gage? SINCE WHEN? Because from what I saw, she seemed pretty not into him.

Comments

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

It's right before Steph jumps into the rioting prison. She's like, 'call Babs!' and Detective Gage is like, 'but wait, I thought this was were were having our epic kiss before battle?' Okay, not really, but really.

It was a totally dumb thing for Steph to say, I don't quite know what the writers were thinking. (Because I don't think they were deliberately being 'Steph is insecure about her romances!' which imho is the only in-character way to read why she would say that right then.)

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Bryan Q. Miller talks about that and some other stuff related to the end of the series here (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=33797). It's not supposed to be insecurity, it's supposed to be maturity. I think I saw a better articulation of why he did it somewhere else but I have no idea where, I could only find this article.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

First of all, I adored reading that article.

I disagree with him about Steph urging Nick towards Babs being maturity, though. I think it's telling that originally Nick and Steph were going to kiss. I think NOT having them kiss was a good call... but I don't think what he choose to do instead was the right call either.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

My favorite part of that article is when he talks about all the things he was planning before he found out it was canceled. Sigh, such good ideas gone to waste.

That's totally fair.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I SO wish he'd had more time of that title.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

I know Steph showed up in Damian's main series
I don't remember seeing Steph in Batman & Robin, although I think she was in a crowd/fight scene in Batman around the same time. This fic (http://archiveofourown.org/works/274664) deals with Damian showing up and is super great.

Steph's Batgirl series is so great though and the last issue is amazing. I love it so much.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, that fic is PERFECT. It has such a deft touch. And Steph’s Batgirl run is really, really freaking solid. Strong characterization, lots of interesting characters (especially female characters)