Heroclix: Batgirl is Awesome. Oracle is Awesomer

Okay maybe that’s me but today they unveiled not one but two Heroclix. The first is Batgirl. Let’s take a look:

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At a certain point in the game, something happens: 

When Batgirl hits one or more opposing characters, after actions resolve, place a Promotion Token on his character card. You may then roll a d6 that can’t be rerolled and add 1 for each Promotion Token on his character card; on a result of 8 or higher, replace this character with DC10th Oracle on the same click number.”

That’s right she gets PROMOTED to Oracle. 

(embiggen) 

What smart thinking about how to view Oracle. 

I love how the card says “this chair won’t stop me.”

What more can I add to this but:

hat tip to the Mary Sue

I wish I could cross stitch …

 … because I would make this. And frame it. And hang in my kids’ room. 

I lie.

I would put it in my room. I mean look at the letter “o”. 

And “W” .. And “P”.

Pattern available on Etsy. 

(Source: etsy.com)

Still looking for contributions for Galentine’s Finals

I’m putting together some posts on why Cassandra Cain/Stephanie Brown or Barbara Gordon/Dinah Lance should win Galentines and looking for contributions and thoughts about why one of the other should be name Bestest Friends in DC Comics! More here!

art by Joe Pekar and Krystal Beisick

A tribute to Oracle: Tony Bedard and Bryan Q. Miller

This past week we saw, after twenty two years, what is probably the last appearance of Oracle for the foreseeable future. As a send-off for this great character, I’ve been doing a series of tribute posts that include thoughts and memories by some of the creators who have written Oracle through the years.

Yesterday I included memories by Scott Peterson, who wrote her first standalone story, Devin Grayson, who wrote the character, Joan Hilty, who edited Birds of Prey, and Greg Rucka, who has written the character in a book and in comics. Today I bring you two of her most recent writers; Tony Bedard who wrote her Birds of Prey (at left is from a page I own of his Birds of Prey #119 with art by Nicola Scott) and Bryan Q. Miller, who wrote her in the most recent volume of Batgirl. Their thoughts follow.

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A tribute to Oracle: Greg Rucka

I’m doing a series of tribute posts to Oracle that include thoughts and memories by some of the creators who have written her through the years. The first one was by Scott Peterson about the first standalone Oracle story. I also had thoughts from Devin Grayson and Joan Hilty.

Although the character of Oracle appeared primarily in comics, she was also a presence in other mediums including the television —Birds of Prey; games — Arkham Asylum where her voice guided Batman and in books — the novelization of “No Man’s Land” where she is the narrator. That may just be my favorite thing that Oracle has appeared in. Greg Rucka wrote that novelization as and has written Oracle in comics including the appearance at right in the The Question series in Detective Comics. Below are his thoughts on her.

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A tribute to Oracle: Memories from Devin Grayson and Joan Hilty

I’m doing a series of tribute posts to Oracle that include thoughts and memories by some of the creators who have written her through the years. The first one was by Scott Peterson about the first standalone Oracle story.

In this post Devin Grayson, who wrote Oracle in both Gotham Knights and Nightwing (and as pictured here the story Desire from Batman 80-page Giant #1 from 1999), remembers a pivotal moment in the character’s depiction. And long time DC and Vertigo editor Joan Hilty, an editor on Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey run, talks about the relationship between Oracle and the other birds. Their thoughts follow.

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A tribute to Oracle: The story of the first Oracle standalone story

This week, in Batman Inc. #8, we saw what it is likely, after twenty two years, the final appearance of Barbara Gordon as Oracle in DC Comics for the foreseeable future.

In the New 52, Barbara Gordon will be a young woman just out of college who is once again Batgirl. She will, according to what DC has told us, still have been Oracle. She is, of course, still Barbara Gordon and she may still do some of the things that Oracle did. But she won’t be the same character she’s been. This post and the others in this series are not to debate Barbara Gordon’s becoming Batgirl again. These posts are to pay tribute to her persona of Oracle and give the character a send-off into the next phase of her existence.

Oracle has been written by many of DC’s writers over the past two decades. I asked a few of her creators and editors to share some thoughts about the character. The first piece is by former DC editor and writer Scott Peterson who wrote the very first standalone Oracle story 17 years ago in Showcase ‘94. (Scott recently wrote about how Cass Cain became Batgirl) The team he worked with would later help develop Birds of Prey, Oracle’s primary title over the last decade and a half. Scott tells the story of how he came to write that first Oracle story and, shares for the first time, some of the thumbnails for the story drawn by artist Brian Stelfreeze. Scott’s story begins below.

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Superheroes A-Z on a t-shirt

I’ve seen others like this but this one gets my vote for the letter O. Can you name them all? Available here