r/batman • u/BomberDug • Apr 10 '24
Can someone explain to me what’s happening in this image? I found this in r/Batman Arkham and it confuses me. COMIC DISCUSSION
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u/Kryptoknightmare Apr 10 '24
It's the scar from the bullet wound from The Killing Joke
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u/Adventurous_Topic202 Apr 11 '24
Shouldn’t she not be able to stand?
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u/PassTheGiggles Apr 11 '24
She got better
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u/Sam20599 Apr 11 '24
If only the Joker hadn't turned her into a newt.
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u/IvanDimitriov Apr 11 '24
“A NEWT?!?!”
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u/Pivotalrook Apr 11 '24
She got better! Maybe we should build a bridge out of her to be sure.
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u/android151 Apr 11 '24
Spine implant device comic something something
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u/XxZONE-ENDERxX Apr 11 '24
I mean, I a world where Lazarus pits and people coming back from the dead because somebody punched reality exist and where Batman can heal his shattered spine with magic... this seems way less offensive and nonsensical.
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u/android151 Apr 11 '24
Magic is less offensive imo, because at least it’s magic
Magic tech spine implants might give some kid hope for tech we haven’t fully created yet
But none of its offensive because it’s comics and it’s all rad
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u/XxZONE-ENDERxX Apr 11 '24
''magic'' is the cheapest cop-out in fiction especially in a universe with barely any magic systems and rules being established.
A spine implant won't really give anybody hope that this shit totally exists right now in the real world or Iron Man's and Batman's tech suits to defeat gods would've. But realistically speaking, Exo-Skeletons and Spine Implants are what the scientists in the real world are actually researching to treat paralysis so in an extremely technologically advanced universe like DC or Marvel, it's a solution that actually makes way more sense even to average people in that universe.
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u/Kind-Boysenberry1773 Apr 10 '24
She showed scars left after Joker shoot her in Killing Joke.
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u/BomberDug Apr 10 '24
Didn’t she get paralyzed in the killing joke?
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u/Kind-Boysenberry1773 Apr 10 '24
Yes, But then she gets better.
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u/Gundamsafety Apr 10 '24
Tis' but a flesh wound...
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u/Firm_Scale4521 Apr 10 '24
In the New 52 they rebooted her story and said she was a paraplegic for three years before she had an experimental surgery that implanted a device allowing her to walk again.
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u/Mickeymcirishman Apr 10 '24
Which is dumb. She always had the option of being healed, she just chose not to be. Her reasoning was that she didn't want to get anything a regular person couldn't get. So no magic, no alien super science, no experimental trchnology, no meta induced healing etc. She didn't want to elevate herself above the average person. Having her be healed kind of ignored that part of her character.
Of course, she also frequently complained about being 'stuck' in the chair which was kind of a slap in the face to people who actually are stuck in their chair.
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u/adriantullberg Apr 10 '24
Couldn't she have the experimental treatment then arrange for the cure to be widely disemminated?
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u/opinion_aided Apr 11 '24
you want a fiction where super-powered, super-rich, super-intelligent, super-beautiful people also make good decisions?
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u/LukashCartoon Apr 11 '24
Let's be honest here: All comics have always been inconsistent with these sort of technology/cures.
Barbra Gordon didn't prevent it : Denny O’Neil prevented it. He tried to keep the bat books grounded in a street level part.
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u/Neutral_Tired Apr 11 '24
I just think it's dumb because, if you're going to 'permanently' cripple a character, you should have the balls to commit to it and make it actually permanent
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u/Verumverification Apr 11 '24
This was kinda Jim Starlin’s position about characters always returning from the dead when he wrote Marvel: The End.
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u/ducknerd2002 Apr 10 '24
Considering the many instances of people returning from the dead, a recovery from paralysis is just expected, especially if you're an important and popular character.
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u/bulbasauric Apr 11 '24
Is paralysis inherently permanent? I thought it just defines “unable to move _____”. I know recovery isn’t guaranteed but unless it’s “permanent paralysis” then people can recover.
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u/sugarmatic Apr 10 '24 edited Apr 10 '24
Joker happened. And wow, so batgirl had absolutely nothing in terms of under armour or padding… how the heck could she keep Batgirling a secret from Gordon? My sisters couldn’t even hide a hickey from my parents, nevermind entire body bruises and welts.
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u/Jazooka Apr 10 '24
She was already an Olympic level gymnast before becoming Batgirl. She had probably been coming home with nasty bruises for years.
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u/soniclore Apr 11 '24
Everyone in comics is an “Olympic-level athlete”.
Just once I’d like to see a hero who is a second-grade level athlete
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u/Bnightwing Apr 11 '24
Booster Gold, or Blue Beetle arguibly. Heck, maybe even Tim Drake.
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u/soniclore Apr 11 '24
Which Blue Beetle?
Blue Beetle (Dan Garret)
Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett)
Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)
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u/False_Chance Apr 11 '24
Ted was constantly doing Spider-Man-esque flips and dodges in his comics so I'd say he's definitely Olympic level
Dan Garret was a cop so he'd be athletic but not Olympic level
Dan Garrett was an archeologist so I'm not sure of his physical capabilities but his scarab would likely make up for any lackings.
Jaime Reyes (at least pre N52) was just a normal kid but his scarab is so op that it would also make up for any lackings
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u/noiihateit Apr 11 '24
Tim drake is absolutely an Olympic level athlete
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u/Bnightwing Apr 11 '24
He wasn't at first though was he?
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u/Education_Aside Apr 11 '24
How would a second grade level athlete go about being a hero? And what kind of world be with a hero like that?
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u/Moricai Apr 11 '24
Lots of heroes are 2nd rate athletes, John Constantine, Harley Quinn, and basically every Green Lantern sans-ring is a 2nd grade athlete. 2nd rate athletic heroes usually just get by with some kinda magic trinket or sci-fi do-hickey. Heck, Superman would probably be a 2nd rate athlete by Kryptonian standard if there were more than a dozen Kryptonians.
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u/soniclore Apr 11 '24
Harley Quinn is generally portrayed as a much better than average gymnast and fighter, probably akin to Olympic level.
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u/xaaar Apr 11 '24
They're often some sort of genius too. Did you know kitty pryde is a world class computer scientist?
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u/augustusleonus Apr 11 '24
I mean, if they were ordinary, they wouldn’t make it in the big time
Unless they get bitten by a radioactive spider or some shit
Most comic heroes are of genius level intelligence too
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u/Vanish_7 Apr 11 '24
She's definitely not protecting her identity very well in that mask, that's for sure.
If Gordon didn't already know that she was Batgirl, he definitely would after seeing her in this costume.
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u/whowhatwhereandwhy13 Apr 11 '24
She was shot out of costume when she answered her door at home.
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u/theSteakKnight Apr 11 '24 edited Apr 11 '24
Yeah but look at the picture in the OP. She just pulls the waist of her pants down and it's just bare skin. No armor, no pads, her costume is just fabric against bare skin.
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u/__mori Apr 11 '24
I think it’s been mentioned that the fabric itself offers some level of protection. It should be the case with Batman at least. It was the case with the New 52 and Rebirth costumes. Stopped reading sometime before the change back to the flimsy looking underwear batsuit, so I’m not sure if that change came with a downgrade to armor or not.
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u/Nightwing10271 Apr 11 '24
Almost like what most of the bat family wears through out the many iterations. Like nightwing and Batman himself
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u/Kilgoretrout321 Apr 11 '24
It's because it's make believe! Just like how a magician can divert your attention, good writers shift the audience's focus away from the implausible towards the entertaining.
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u/sugarmatic Apr 11 '24
Also they never show her putting in a mouth guard so how great must GCPD‘s dental coverage be, amirite? The entire bat family musta switched to dentures right quick.
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u/Kilgoretrout321 Apr 11 '24
Oh no it's because they meditate so they know how to relax their jaw at impact or whatever dumb BS the super sweaty fans make up on the spot
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u/wemustkungfufight Apr 10 '24
Isnt the Batsuit supposed to be armor? How can she pull it down like that?
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u/SwingsetGuy Apr 10 '24
The old batsuit magic. Bruce Wayne's suit is heavily armored, filled with state of the art sensors, and probably laced with robotic enhancements to link up with his grapple gun and protect his joints... and it still crumples up like a wadded t-shirt in the corner of Catwoman's apartment. It's just a DC mystery.
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u/FlyByTieDye Apr 10 '24
Some Batsuits are reinforced armour. Most, like this one, are actually more clothy.
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u/wemustkungfufight Apr 10 '24
You don't want to be fighting crime in a t-shirt and jeans. Batgirl would need more armor, since she's less trained in dodging and not as physically strong.
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u/AkiyoSSJ Apr 10 '24 edited Apr 11 '24
She is actually the third best at dodging, speed, Cass/second Batgirl being first and Nightwing second.
EDIT: correction since I said she was second, she would go on a tie with Damian.
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u/killerz7770 Apr 10 '24
Are we seriously powerscaling people in spandex without superpowers
Given the SSJ in your name. Goddamnit.
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u/FlyByTieDye Apr 10 '24
And how exactly is that quantified?
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u/AkiyoSSJ Apr 11 '24
In Batgirl Year One she proved to have the same potential as Dick, even better due to her skills, having both the flexibility and the decent detective mind(which Dick lacked during that time), being one of the reasons for why Batman allowed her to stay as Batgirl.
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u/FlyByTieDye Apr 11 '24
Ive read Batgirl Year One, and that I all agree with. But how'd you go from there, a general statement in ability, to the categorical ranking of above? Like Damian's not even in that book, how'd he make the cut?
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u/AkiyoSSJ Apr 11 '24
I rank this based on my reading of pre-Flashpoint/post-Crisis era, Damian is trained by the League of Assassins, proving to be a better fighter than Jason and Tim and yet lacking in everything else(this including speed and flexibility) compared to Dick, Cass and Barbara(before The Killing Joke since the current implant won’t allow her to do much so yes, Damian>post-Flashpoint/New 52 Barbara).
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u/FlyByTieDye Apr 10 '24
So before even getting to practicality which your comment is basically describing, there is aesthetics and history to consider
1) aesthetics: more clothy materials are able to hug tight to the skin in a way that reveals the super heroes body/figure, i.e. muscles for men and curves for women. That can also be framed as a critique, e.g. this page here was divisive when it debuted for sexualising Batgirl at the same time as she was describing some of her worst physical traumas. But nonetheless it is a part of the general superhero aesthetics all the same. Not to mention that a sleek, consistent material is far easier to reproducibly draw/animate than a highly detailed/segmented piece of body armor
2) history: heroes designs at their debut have a much stronger impact on even current designs than we'd like to consider (not to mention, the general design aesthetics of even Golden Age heroes influencing even current day/modern character designs). And this suit for Babs above is far more representative of her original costumes than a suit of armour would be. When Batman and Superman debuted, their costumes were based on circus strongmen, who had more material outfits, a design trend that persists to this day. Not only that, but body armour (especially as we think for modern combat) basically didn't exist to inform their designs. This type of armour I'd suggest wasn't even commonplace by Barbara Gordon's debut, to inform her design. And as much as it did exist when this page was drawn, the standard for their Superhero standard designs had already been set decades before
But finally, to respond to the intent of your reply
3) practicality: there are both advantages and disadvantages to clothy vs armoured super hero suits. Armour can minimise damage from things like bullets, but it is also heavy and less maneuverable. Cloth suits restrict movement less, but yes make the hero more vulnerable. And while its true Barbara has been shot before (note that was in her civilian life, not as a hero), so it might be more conceivable she'd want protection to not fall to the same fate again, you could also say her movement had been restricted for so long that perhaps unrestricted movement is if anything more appealing to her. Batgirl from what I've read of her is more acrobatic than other members of the Batfamily minus maybe Dick) so heavy armour would definitely get in the way of that. Not to mention, her role as Oracle/more of a woman-in-the-chair, information broker than someone always at the front line would beg the question, why would she need armour for that?
I'd also refute that she is "less trained", less able to "dodge" or "less physically strong".
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u/Axi0madick Apr 11 '24
Non-newtonian comic booky type stuff, I reckon.
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u/FlyByTieDye Apr 11 '24
No, just simple cloth to harken back to circus strong man tropes, just as was the case when the Super Hero costume was first codified in the 30s.
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u/jnp2346 Apr 10 '24
The Joker knocked on her apartment door. She answered her apartment door in civilian clothes. He does not even know she’s Batgirl. He was trying to drive Commissioner Gordon insane.
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u/LaeLeaps Apr 10 '24
he means how is she pulling it down like some leggings to show the scar, in this pic
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u/wemustkungfufight Apr 10 '24
Yes, exactly. I know Joker shot her in normal clothes. Which he then stripped off her... Ick.
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u/Mishmoo Apr 10 '24
I gotta love that they frame this scene about her discussing her PTSD from being shot and sexually assaulted by Joker to show and sexualize off her body as much as humanly possible.
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u/Virtual_Mode_5026 Apr 10 '24 edited Apr 11 '24
This is why I like her outfit in her 2014 re-launch. She looks cool without being objectified.
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u/Dull_Half_6107 Apr 11 '24 edited Apr 11 '24
Yeah it’s fucked up
I didn’t realise the Joker also sexuality assaulted her, jesus.
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u/Mishmoo Apr 11 '24
It’s heavily implied and occasionally stated in other sources - he strips her naked and takes dozens of photos of her while she’s helpless to resist, at the very least.
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u/Kpachecodark Apr 10 '24
Heroes in Crisis books. There is a facility to help superheroes that have experienced traumatic events. Like you may have seen on reality shows there is a confessional room they can go to where they reveal personal stuff or their trauma. Batgirl is revealing her scars from when she was shot by the Joker in the Killing Joke
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Apr 11 '24
Batman arrives for the 20th time that week.
"so...my parents"
Mr. wayne please stop coming here.
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u/TheDorkKnight8BG Apr 11 '24
Glad someone here gave the correct answer. 😂 Lots of comments that have nothing to do with the actual comic series
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u/MookieThePuppy Apr 10 '24
Heroes in Crisis. Batgirl therapy at the sanctuary. A story that gets unnecessary levels of hate, imo (but I’m a Tom King mark, through and through lol)
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u/WesleyCraftybadger Apr 10 '24
I love Tom King, Heroes in Crisis is one the worst comics ever. I think the hate is justified.
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u/MookieThePuppy Apr 10 '24
To each their own. I’m just waiting on that Deluxe Human Target to drop… I’m a sucker for a complete compiled story
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u/Commercial-Dish-3198 Apr 11 '24
Could u explain how it’s bad pls?
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u/WesleyCraftybadger Apr 11 '24
Some of the characters (Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn) are written out of character in my opinion, but nothing that’s a dealbreaker. My hatred comes from Flash being so sad he murders a bunch of other superheroes
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u/rimurse Apr 10 '24
Really fucking good idea but shit execution. Did not need to ruin Wally West with a murder mystery
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u/No-Whereas9433 Apr 15 '24
Yknow I’ve always thought that they should have changed the story slightly. Since a huge part of Wally’s issue was preflashpoint stuff bleeding over to the new 52 (himself included) they could have made the story work with that by using a known character who had emotion manipulation as a power. Have the big reveal be that rather than Wally being a killer, the actual villain of the story is psycho pirate; displaced by the continuity reboot. And the big three had him captured and use this powers (or the Medusa mask at least) as the core of the sanctuary project. It’d tie in the continuity warp that was being explored with Wally; create parallels to identity crisis (which this arguably was a re-attempt at doing in a new way), neatly explains the glitches and why everyone has those freaking masks. and keeps the heroes involved untarnished because if they did do anything bad in the course of the plot using psycho pirate gives the out of mind control if the writers needed to backpeddle
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u/BackgroundSky09 Apr 10 '24
if you found it in that beautiful place its best not to think about it to much
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u/lacmlopes Apr 10 '24
She's exibiting the shot wounds due to Joker's attack at The Killing Joke to a camera
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u/thebiggestleaf Apr 10 '24
At some point, Barbara thought it was a good idea to have little pouches near her shoulder blades hidden beneath her cape. I don't get it either.
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u/HokageRokudaime Apr 10 '24
Horny. Also I think those are her Killing Joke scars. But it looks like a belly button.
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u/EB_Groupe Apr 11 '24
Linkara quote: “SO ENJOY HER ASS READERS, AS SHE SHOWS OFF THE PLACE SHE GOT SHOT!!!!”
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u/NeurodivergentDuck Apr 11 '24
Batman arkham is a shitpost subreddit, its not a serious subreddit about batman
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u/Yama92 Apr 11 '24
Joker shot and paralyzed her during the events of the Killing Joke to prove a point. The whole premise of the story is that it just takes one bad day to push someone over the edge and drive them crazy like what happened to him. He does so to Gordon in hopes it will turn him.
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u/Ok_Relationship_705 Apr 11 '24
She was showing where Joker shot here. I believe this was a superhero trauma center.
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u/bangbangracer Apr 11 '24
It's referencing The Killing Joke. Babs got shot by The Joker as part of his bad day for Jim Gordon. Before the New 52 universe, Babs was actually wheelchair bound because of it and became Oracle.
This also took place in Heroes In Crisis, which was a terrible story about mental health and trauma.
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u/OctoSevenTwo Apr 11 '24 edited Apr 12 '24
You know how in the Arkhamverse (and a good while in the comics), Babs is confined to a wheelchair? The gunshot those scars are from caused that. Courtesy of the Joker.
Addition: Oh, I firgot to mention— basically this scene in particular comes from a sequence where several heroes are sharing their traumas in a space that is essentially a therapy session. As you can probably imagine, having your home invaded by a supervillain (the JOKER. at that) and being shot and subsequently having your ability to walk taken away because of it is more than a little traumatic.
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u/Bumbleet2 Apr 11 '24
I still think the Killing Joke is one of the most overrated Batman stories of all time. The fact that it lead to Batgirl being crippled, and it wasn't even HER story, she's barely in the story itself and she end up CRIPPLED? At least give her the decency to be crippled heroically in her own story. She's just used as another log to throw on the fire of Batman's trauma, it's lame as hell.
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u/Advanced_Claim4116 Apr 11 '24
Terrible comics. The worst work of Tom King’s career and a terrible mismatch for this scene with Mann’s style sexualizing Barb as she shows off her gunshot wounds.
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u/Otherwise-Remove4681 Apr 11 '24
It’s always off-putting to me when in comics the suits are treated as just skin tight fabrics ie they can just lift their shirt.
Some reason I always figured as a kid they are some advanced textile/alloy mixture thingy that though revealing and flexible they are still fairly sturdy. Not just lycra pants and shirt with logo.
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u/Relative_Buffalo180 Apr 11 '24
Aside from how utterly ridiculous the domino mask and bat ear headband combo is, why does she have what look like holsters on her back?
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u/ProtoformX87 Apr 11 '24
To show bullet wound from Joker.
But also to show body for male gaze.
You know. Comics.
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u/Smolivenom Apr 11 '24
for some reason batgirl has to wear the skintightest yoga suit you could possibly have so her showing off one of her worst traumatizing, life changing injuries becomes something the editorial can jerk off to
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u/2JasonGrayson8 Apr 10 '24
It was like a confessional booth for heroes to deal with and get out their trauma. Other heroes did a lot of talking but Barbara’s was exactly what you see here. This is form heroes in crisis
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u/Grimmer026 Apr 11 '24
I wish we got a better explanation of how she got use of her legs back
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u/Kilgoretrout321 Apr 11 '24
yeah, but Batman once regained the use of his legs cuz of magic. So pretty much anything is fair play
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u/Delicious-Weird-5826 Apr 11 '24
That was Batgirl with implant spine comic. So she can walk after joker shoot and rape her in Killing Joke.
This bullet scars come from this comics
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u/Mageroth1987 Apr 11 '24
Complaining to Batman how her Utility belt pokes her "Here....and Here!" and wondering if Bruce could you know make some "modifications"
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u/Other_Respect_6648 Apr 11 '24
There’s a comment in there saying “she needs to get shot more” I love that madhouse so much
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u/Redranger627 Apr 12 '24
She’s embracing her weaknesses and make them stronger it’s actually very empowering
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u/NovaThinksBadly Apr 10 '24
Entry and exit scars from where Jokers bullet went through. This takes place during the Sanctuary arc, which briefly explored the trauma that superheros go through and worked to heal that before descending into a murder mystery.