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Let’s pretend that you started reading DC Comics with the ‘New 52’ relaunch. Perhaps you’ve heard some of the hubbub about a character named Stephanie Brown. Perhaps you’ve wondered who this character was and why some fans bring her name up along with Wally West and Ted Kord when it comes to characters that were “shelved” for the company-wide reboot, despite having vocal fan bases. Fan bases so specific and passionate that they apparently tried to send Dan Didio one of Stephanie’s favorite foods in an effort to drum up support for the character’s return.
It’s no wonder why the comics internet registered a mini-earthquake upon Stephanie Brown’s recent return. With Scott Snyder and Dustin Nguyen’s “Batman” #28, we were given the first appearance of Brown in the ‘New 52’.
Even though we’re assuming that you’ve never read a Stephanie Brown comic before, I’m going to give nothing more than a brief glimpse at the characters’ history through the lens of what it could mean for the ‘New 52’ going forward and “Batman Eternal” itself. If you need a more detailed primer on Brown, you can just as easily hit Wikipedia or Comic Book Database. Hell, she’s a new enough character to where you should be able to easily find most, if not all, of her appearances in trade. She’s a great character and Bryan Q. Miller’s “Batgirl” featuring Brown shows a huge amount of affection for the character and is one of my favorite comic runs, well, ever – so definitely check that out.
Stephanie Brown as ‘Spoiler’
Brown began as ‘Spoiler’, the frustrated daughter of Cluemaster, in “Detective Comics” #647 by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle. In Snyder & Nguyen’s “Batman” #28, we’re introduced to her under the identity of ‘Spoiler’ again. This week’s “Batman Eternal” #3 finds Stephanie stumbling into one of her father’s villainous gatherings, where he identifies himself as Cluemaster. Thus far, her familiar state-of-affairs and role as literal “spoiler” to her fathers’ plans doesn’t seem to have been changed for the relaunch of the character.
As we saw in “Batman” #28, she’s “the only one who can stop what’s coming next.” If you link that up with what we saw in “Batman Eternal” #3, it stands to reason that her knowledge of what her father and his cohorts are up to is going to be key to tilting the war on Gotham back into Batman’s favor. Without having seen much of her personality yet, it looks like they’re staying very true to Stephanie Brown’s character as she was originally conceptualized. That’s wonderful – no problems yet.
It’s what they can do from here that could potentially make a big difference in not only the perception of the people to whom she really endeared herself to, but in the perception of the ‘New 52’ as a whole.
Bryan Q. Miller’s “Batgirl”
Stephanie Brown represents, quite nicely, a few things that DC Comics doesn’t really have great representation for in their line right now. The issue is that these things might not carry much weight if they’re expected to have been rebooted out of the continuity. Still, these factors are a few of the very reasons why the pre-‘Flashpoint’ era of DC Comics are seen with such rose-colored glasses by some, when compared to the current state of affairs.
The first one I’d like to touch on is the legacy aspect of the character, as she had taken on both the Robin mantle and the Batgirl mantle in the ’00s. This aspect will no doubt be the most difficult for DC Comics to reclaim, because explaining that she was Robin strains credulity even further than the official number of ‘New 52’ Robins already does. The same goes for her time as Batgirl. Please spare me the conundrum of Morrison’s ‘Leviathan Strikes’, while we’re at it.
Continued belowI’m not sure DC Comics is interested in reclaiming that aspect of Stephanie Brown – nor do I think they have to. Those stories still exist, but we do lose the opportunity for a reference here and there to Stephanie’s growth as a character. Particularly, the idea of “second chances” and redemption. Through some event-driven machinations, Brown’s time as Robin, and then as Spoiler again, was a time of flux for the character – no one was quite sure what to do with her. There was a teen pregnancy storyline, which I thought was actually quite good, but left the character in a tough situation from writing/editorial standpoint. Her move to Batgirl marked a deliberate shedding of a lot of this baggage, a simplification of the character’s status quo, and the idea that this “new start” for Stephanie Brown was a spiritual redemption for her as a person and hero. And because Bryan Q. Miller really writes superheroic youths quite well, Brown was all the more endearing for her ability to persevere. But having technically “lost” this from the continuity isn’t the end of the world, because you also lose that messy flux time, where the character felt like it had no direction.
Bryan Q. Miller’s “Batgirl” really was the height of the character, which brings me to the next aspect of her character that is potentially additive to the ‘New 52’: her status as the street-level “everyman/woman”. The “Peter Parker” of DC Comics. As Batgirl, Stephanie balanced school by day, crime fighting by night, and some semblance of a social and familial life in between. The combination of the fact that DC Comics really does not have a strong ‘Young Justice’ line at the present (something I’ll address later in this column), nor a street-level hero that presents themselves as very “normal” beyond their costumed identity, means that Stephanie Brown could easily fill that potential blind spot.
Being a “normal” person not entirely driven by visions of pearls rolling into bloody gutters also meant that she could cut a swath of levity and light through Batman’s cold justice. Hell, a time or two she even melted that icy heart of his. And oh the feels we did feel. Throughout “Batman Eternal”, look for Stephanie Brown to hopefully engender trust between her and Batman, and start to build a relationship that no longer technically exists. Up until now, we’ve been pummeled with some pretty heavy Bat-books (albeit most of them are pretty darn good). Stephanie Brown exists to provide warmth, heart, and levity. This particular quote is something that we here at Multiversity Comics have been saying that we need more of:
“Everything doesn’t have to be about fear. There’s room in our line of work for hope, too.” – Stephanie Brown, “Batgirl” #5, 2010.
Finally, and I think most importantly, Stephanie Brown can be a key link in the chain to getting a youth character movement back into these comic books. As I mentioned before, aside from “Superboy” and “Teen Titans” (currently in the process of relaunching), there really isn’t a ‘Young Justice’ line in the ‘New 52’ anymore. Back around the time Bryan Q. Miller’s “Batgirl” was being published, you could make a strong case that the youth-related books were some of the publishers strongest, most entertaining titles (Jeff Lemire’s “Superboy”, “Red Robin”, “Batgirl”, “Batman and Robin”).
One of the underrated aspects of “Batgirl” was the penchant for guest-starring roles from various DCU young guns. Brown had numerous run-ins with Damian where, just like with his father, she would try to soften his approach a bit and get him to have fun. Can you imagine two youth characters closing an issue off by jumping and goofing around on a trampoline in the ‘New 52’? If they recognize what made Stephanie Brown great, I can see it. She also crossed over with “Red Robin”, which made for some fun romantic-tension type stuff. Supergirl, Squire, and even Klarion the Witch Boy (of all characters) had fun stints alongside Brown’s Batgirl.
Going forward, there’s a real chance to expand the ‘New 52’ through its young characters by reintroducing the legacy aspects. If DC wants another Bat-Family book, “Spoiler” would be an opportunity for that. If DC’s relaunch can clean up “Teen Titans” again, maybe there’s a supporting role for Spoiler with their team too – even as an occasional guest star. The point is that the ‘New 52’ books have felt insular and unimportant when weighed against the major events of the line. Stephanie doesn’t have to be Batgirl again. However, there’s no reason why Spoiler can’t have an ongoing presence in “Batman” comics to come. It could be the difference between shutting out a vocal group of fans and recapturing some of the fun and tension that Stephanie Brown always seemed to embody.
