McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Batgirl (DC Rebirth: The Art of the Crime)

So when this one was released I was a bit surprised "When did Batgirl get a suit change?!? I thought she got one already in DC Rebirth? (Purple and yellow biker suit). As it turns out, during an encounter with Grotesque, the microchip that circumvents her spinal injury --inflicted by Joker--  has begun short-circuiting. She is suitless at the time and she has to make an emergency stop at a hideout to retrieve an old prototype suit, which is actually inspired by her very first suit as Batgirl; the grey and yellow. The original had a blue cowl/mask, where this new version has a black mask that has the ears pointing through the hair. This change all takes place in the DC Rebirth comic The Art of the Crime where Batgirl is investigating a bunch of art thefts and murders all over Burnside. 

This is definitely not my favourite suit. Like with Batman, I prefer Batgirl, and subsequently everyone in the Bat-family to have some solid black clothes and masks. This looks pretty good but is a big departure from her original DC Rebirth appearance. It seems fans or maybe the artists didn't want to keep Batgirl as young and hip with her phone and Instagramming and switched to a more mature look. It's just not my favourite colour scheme, ok?!

DC Collectibles Batgirl & Oracle - Arkham Knight

Appearing in Arkham Knight as Oracle, Barbara Gordon is once again Batman's eyes and ears in Gotham. She mostly operates from the clocktower in a secret room behind the clock itself, feeding Batman information and occasionally getting abducted! It's the first time you get to see Oracle up close and as a fantastic added bonus, the game designers actually made a DLC where you get to play Batgirl pre-shoot in the spine!

I loved loved loved playing the DLC as Batgirl because she wasn't simply another Batman character with the same moves and tactics. She had a much more sophisticated set of options for hacking any and all tech in her area as well as combat moves. I like the design they did for the character and it's definitely based on her New 52 look. I like the Rebirth look with the purple and yellow, but the black and yellow will always be my favourite. I also like Oracle's design with her clothes having bright, interesting colours. One odd thing though is Oracle's wheelchair. Not only is the wheelchair not super high tech, but it's not even a basic electric wheelchair. It's literally the oldest looking design for a wheelchair I've seen. It looks as if she got it from a haunted asylum and brushed off the cobwebs. Surely your dad as chief police commissioner can afford better. 

DC Icons - Batgirl (The Batgirl of Burnside)

This blog has already reviewed Batgirl previously, so if for some crazy reason this is your first time reading about Batgirl, go to this previous review of the Batman Unlimited Batgirl

This particular Batgirl deluxe figure is from the Batgirl of Burnside storyline (Oct 2014), in which all her previous gear burns up in a fire, forcing her to make her own DIY costume and continuing her fight against crime...in style! This Batgirl is an update to relate more to the modern age. Aside from being tech savvy, she's also on social media, takes Ph.D. courses and dates. The writing team on this one succeeded in making this version of Batgirl more fun and relate-able but she is still haunted by her previous trauma. 

At first I wasn't sold on the purple and yellow look, but now I'm really digging it. They also kept up this look a bit in the DC Rebirth. This figure is great, and unlike Cyborg, her Deluxe title is well worth it. I mean she comes with a whole freakin' bike! And it's huge! And it comes with a stand with kicked up dirt effects! She's a slender figure, so you have to watch moving her joints, but this one is so well done. She even comes with a regular and windblown cape as well as a regular head and a windblown hair head. 

Mattel: Batgirl - Batman Unlimited

Batgirl has had a wild ride in comic books. She's had a significant impact on readers since The Killing Joke where she was paralyzed, and became the paraplegic computer tech assistant to Batman, Oracle. The Batgirl mantle has also been worn by a previously female Robin (Stephanie Brown), Betty Kane,  niece to Kathy Kane (Batwoman), and Cassandra Cain, a mute Asian from the League of Assassins. There are a couple of others too! The most iconic one, and the one this figure represents, is Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon.

I have to say I much prefer Batgirl as a fully mobile character who can hold her own. It seems to me that The Killing Joke really set her character back for years. In New 52, they kept the older storyline but allowed her recovery after a few years after having a neurotransmitter chip placed in her spine. Now, in the DC Rebirth, she is hearkened more back to her pre-flashpoint era style, meaning she is not paralyzed.

Let's be honest, toy collectors are like birds: we see shiny things and want to pick them up. The shinier the better, and this figure is all that and a bag of chips. She's got very high gloss black, very shiny yellow gold pieces, and nice face and hair paint. She is fairly light and her cape, while solid, doesn't get too much in the way. She has those dang Mattel figure crotches that look unnatural when spread, but that was their shtick and they stuck to it. She has some elbow and knee joints which don't fully flex 90 degrees...and yet they flex BACKWARDS as if she had broken her limbs at the elbows and knees...odd!