Tim Hanley shows us that Batgirl is Never A Sidekick

One thing I noticed around the holidays was bookish folk choosing their “ one to finish” during the festive season (or in some cases ten!) and while I don’t usually follow trends, this time out took me along that page turning path.

My Christmas Eve read was the latest comic book history by Tim Hanley, Never A Sidekick , which chronicles the journey of Batgirl as a heroine in her own right.

She originally began as Bette Kane, niece of Batwoman Kate Kane, back in the 1960s. The two female characters were introduced as a way to offset accusations of an “unwholesome “ relationship between Batman and Robin from the censorship crowd.

While Bette was a breath of fresh air, although briefly seen in the comics,it was the live action Batman TV series that really brought Batgirl to pop culture audiences

As played by the lively Yvonne Craig ,by day she was Barbara Gordon, daughter of Gotham’s police commissioner and local librarian; at night she became the Dynamic Duo’s secretive ally with her own theme song!

While her stint on the show was not as long as many of the fans would’ve liked, Craig did reprise the character for a public service announcement that promoted the Equity in Pay Act for women:

While Barbara Gordon managed to maintain her own identity within the comics, even becoming a political activist at one point, another live action appearance came in 1997’s Batman & Robin, a departure from the previous films in more ways than one.

Here,  as played by Alicia Silverstone,she was Barbara Wilson, the niece of butler Alfred Pennyworth with her big fight scene being against villainess Poison Ivy(Uma Thurman). 

While this wasn’t a well received film, it did give Batgirl a nice revival and if you think about it, the campy nature of this movie does reflect that earlier TV series that launched the character into the pop culture spotlight:

Speaking of the small screen, a newer incarnation of the Barbara Gordon version of the character was depicted in the sadly short lived CW series, Birds of Prey, in 2002.

Upon being assaulted by the Joker in the infamous comic book story The Killing Joke(which even its creators regret ), Barbara was paralyzed but far from out of the crime fighting game.

Developing stealthy computer skills, she became The Oracle, a guide and mentor to various superhero teams including the original Birds of Prey. This phoenix like turn to her character inspired many in the disabled community , who were pleased to be getting some proper representation.

Oracle/Batgirl was portrayed by Dina Meyers on the show and was a solid lead on the series, only putting on the Batgirl suit once to confront a former foe(with the aid of a cybernetic spinal implant for mobility). The series had potential but much like the all too recent dismissal of the lost Batgirl movie, didn’t get the chance it deserved to shine:

Much like his prior books about superhero themed ladies such as Wonder Woman, Lois Lane and Catwoman, Hanley gives us a thoughtful and engaging look into Batgirl  in her various versions, including other women who donned the cowl like Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown.

He also talks about the ill fated Batgirl movie, the comic book revival of the character and her animated appearances on  the likes of Batman:The Animated Series and Harley Quinn.

 His sincere enthusiasm combined with excellent research and compelling writing makes him a go-to for comic book lore and I can’t recommend him highly enough!

I was very happy to have Never A Sidekick as my holiday weekend read but it’s a wonderful book to enjoy all year long. Hopefully, we will get the Batgirl film that does her justice someday but in the meanwhile, Tim Hanley gives her the applause that she truly deserves: