Well, a ton, dear Source reader. Too much to capably sum up in one blog post. It’s also way too early to give too much away. But, we can showcase some of the lovely artwork gracing the covers of the Bat-titles hitting in February, featuring the talents of Frank Quitely, Dustin Nguyen, Phil Noto and many more. So, take another bite of your lunch and look ‘em over.

Next to the job interview, the next most-stressful thing when it comes to work is your first day. Am I right? Well, imagine if your gig didn’t involve sitting at a desk, but jumping around on the rooftops of Gotham’s seedier neighborhoods? Welcome to Stephanie Brown’s new role as Batgirl. And, as she’ll soon learn, it takes a lot more to wear the mantle of the Bat than she originally thought. From the regular team of writer Bryan Q. Miller and artist Lee Garbett comes a tale of learning the ropes and frat parties. I kid you not.

BATGIRL #4 hits today.

Stephanie Brown – you might recognize her from such “hits” as:

1. Becoming Spoiler to literally rebel against her father (Cluemaster).

2. Dating Tim (Wayne) when he was still Tim (Drake)… actually, when he was Alvin Draper.  But she only knew him as Robin at the time.  But later she found out Robin was really Tim (Drake) who was pretending to be Alvin Draper.

3. Becoming Robin when Tim (Drake) stepped away from the job.

4. On-purpose-accidentally starting a gigantic Gang War that resulted in her…

5. Dying (kind of).

6. While very much not dead, wearing a goat skull as a helmet in Africa.  It might have been a caribou skull.  Luckily it wasn’t a crocodile skull – that’s when I disconnect as a reader.  There’s no way Stephanie could have taken down a crocodile.  Maybe she got the caribou skull after a crocodile ate a caribou…

7. Working against Tim (Drake) to make him a better fighter, at the behest of Batman (Bruce).

Not a stunning resumé, to be sure… but she’s doing her best to change all of that.  ‘Cause that’s what Stephanie Brown does.  In the face of insurmountable odds and reason, she just keeps going… and going… and going…Stephanie’s found new meaning in her life by adopting the mantle of “Batgirl” from Cassandra Cain.  She’s found new purpose in her life by attending Gotham U.  She refuses to be defined by the mistakes she’s made in the past.  Stephanie Brown’s looking forward, not backward.

Hell, she even made Babs smile – which Babs hadn’t really done since the Birds dissolved.  She’s gotten Babs’ blessing, and more importantly, has the Barbara Gordon as a mentor and ally.

A year from now, her greatest hits should look a bit different, but it all starts with:
1.   “I’m BATGIRL!”

Everybody’s gotta start somewhere.  And Stephanie’s future starts now. 

And she gets a sweet ride in Issue #7!

Lots of fun stuff going on around the web, so let’s hop to it, shall we?

• The gang at MTV SPLASH PAGE have an interview with BATGIRL writer Bryan Q. Miller discussing the first few issues of the series, with preview pages from BATGIRL #4. Worth a read.

• IGN previews pages from GREEN LANTERN CORPS #42. Stay tuned for more on that issue and #43 later today right here on The Source.

• NEWSARAMA’s got their latest installment of 10 Questions Plus One Answer with our very own Dan DiDio, and Dan gives some interesting teases about what’s in store for some key characters in 2010.

• And, in case you missed it, culture and entertainment site POP MATTERS has a lengthy and engaging essay on writer Grant Morrison’s run on BATMAN AND ROBIN. Perfect lunch break reading material.

As crime in Gotham continues to escalate, the newest member of the Batman family vows to wear the mantle of the Bat and fight alongside the Dynamic Duo in their war on crime. Just one problem: She hasn’t mentioned that to Batman and Robin yet. Join writer Bryan Q. Miller and artist Lee Garbett as they continue the adventures of the new Batgirl, Stephanie Brown.

BATGIRL #3 hits on 10/14.

It’s the middle of the week, and you can almost taste the weekend, huh? So, what better way to expedite things than a lovely piece of Phil Noto artwork?

Here’s the cover to January’s BATGIRL #6, which from what I can tell, will feature a certain Dynamic Duo crossing paths with the new Batgirl. Doesn’t look like it’ll be a pleasant exchange either.

The cover to BATGIRL #5, by Mr. Phil Noto.

As the new Batgirl continues her nightly mission, the mystery of her secret identity intensifies. Now she has become the target of both Gotham City’s heroes (can you say “Oracle”?) and its villains. Now that you know who the new Batgirl is and you’ve seen her new costume, all the more reason to head down to your shop and follow Stephanie Brown’s ongoing adventures, no?

BATGIRL #2, from the team of writer Bryan Q. Miller and artist Lee Garbett, hits tomorrow.

Check. And, discuss.

Welcome to the first installment of “This Just Happened,” a feature we’ll throw out here on the blog semi-regularly. It’s pretty self-explanatory. We’ll spotlight a key scene or moment in a recent DCU book and with some level of spoiler warning, show some cool art from said book. So, let’s get started, shall we?

BATGIRL #1 is out, and if you haven’t picked up the issue yet, I’d suggest you head on over to your shop and experience the full issue for yourself, by the stellar team of Bryan Q. Miller and artist Lee Garbett. To say the speculation surrounding the identity of the new Batgirl has been crazy is an understatement, so it’s definitely worth the read. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

Back? Great. Wasn’t this page cool?

Read the rest of this entry »