Batgirl 41 and Why The Variant is Not Offensive

If you’re not a comic book reader, this entire blog entry will probably mean absolutely nothing to you. But read anyway because I feel like there is a bigger issue here than just a bit of art. Recently DC Comics decided to pull a variant cover for its upcoming Batgirl #41 at the request of the artist. I can understand why the artist felt a little skittish about this work of art going out into the world. It basically shows Batgirl being held at gunpoint by The Joker, who smears a red smile across her clearly terrified face. The image is meant to pay homage to The Killing Joke, one of the greatest Batman stories ever printed.

My decision to write a blog about this particular issue is that it seems to have sparked a debate about sexism in comics. Now while I will agree that there is sexism in comics (in DC comics a lot specifically) I don’t feel like this cover is an indication of such. The cover is trying to capture a terrifying moment in Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl’s life. The moment she was paralyzed (and possibly molested) in the pages of The Killing Joke. This is further emphasized by the Joker wearing the same tourist outfit he wore in that comic. So it is understandable that any image referencing this comic would be a bit disturbing. This is the most horrible moment in Barbara Gordon’s life. She would be terrified by any interaction she’d have with the man who violated her in such a manner, The Joker.

Now to be fair, the ultimate decision to pull the issue came from the artist. As a creator myself I am always for control of media by those who produce it. IF the artist has a change of heart about his own artwork then he should be allowed to state his opinion. My main issue with this are the people who are trying to turn this cover into something it is not, and that is an exploitation of women. Or worse, making light of rape. Neither of those issues seem to be the case. This is solely an issue of a super villain being depicted as terrorizing a hero. This is what villains do.

The Joker has been presented in horrific fashion in many issues before. He has murdered and tortured Batman AND his allies. Why is this one depiction of him terrorizing Batgirl special? Batgirl is as much of a hero as Robin or Nightwing or Batman himself, yet only because this one issue depicts her being terrorized is their any sort of uproar. Why? Is it because she is a woman? Well then isn’t that more sexist than treating her like all the other heroes in which she shares a world with? Shouldn’t people who are advocates for equality want to see a female hero depicted just as her male counterparts? Batgirl is terrified, but so would anyone be if they were being held at gunpoint by the Joker.

 

I’m not saying I want to see an increase in female heroes being terrorized by villains, not at all. I am merely asking people to look at comic books as a whole. Women have made huge strides in comic books recently. Ms. Marvel, Storm, Silk, Spider-Gwen, these are some of the most popular comics on sale at the moment and they are all titles featuring female heroes. A Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers, not the Kree Mar-Vel) and a Wonder Woman film are both in production to be released in the next few years. Women are making big steps in the comic book world. But if writers and artists feel like they need to tiptoe with how they portray women in their comics, that advancement will come to a halt.

One of the major signs of equality are men no longer feeling like they need to treat women with kid gloves. For female heroes to be seen as just as strong as male heroes, they need to be also shown as just as vulnerable. And one sign of strength among super heroes is for them to go through tragedy and come out the other side. Barbara Gordon may have gone through horrors at the hands of the Joker, but she has still managed to be a hero. The variant cover of Batgirl #41 does not exploit that fact, it celebrates it.