BatgirlJohanna is “stunned” to see the picture DC’s official website picked for Batgirl’s OFFICIAL picture…and frankly, so are we.

The bulbous insect head is still there, and now her mouth is revealed, but bloodied. Also visible are her breasts, as her costume has conveniently been ripped open to show cleavage. Why would you choose an image of your so-called hero looking like a battering victim to illustrate an encyclopedia-style entry? And when did Batgirl have the time to get the perfectly round implants? (I do think the bent tipped ear point is kind of cute in a totally inappropriate way. Reminds me of Bat-Mite.)


It’s not just the creepy mix of sex and violence, it’s the bad drawing. Is like, one boob coming out of her clavicle and the other out of her lower ribcage? What happened to her chin? Yech.

UPDATE: Hm, as of 2 this afternoon, the official DC Batgirl page seems to have been…taken down. Developing.

1 COMMENT

  1. I’ve almost given up on expecting better than this from mainline genre comics, really I have. At this point, I’m more likely to be surprised when a given drawing’s underlying anatomy doesn’t suck.

  2. That was the cover to Batgirl 25, I think –
    the issue with the big fight with Shiva.

    And if you think this picture was not flattering:

    Didn’t you get the news that DC first cancelled her series, then decided to turn this character (Cassandra Cain) into an evil villain giving melodramatic monologues during the One-year-later event, with rediculous reasons that contradicted continuity and shocked her fans?

    So this picture at least reminds Batgirl-fans of a time when DC had actually respect for Batgirl and them…

  3. Oh! Right bicep, got it. ‘Cause it kinda looked like her right boob was dangling off of her left boob or something.

  4. This kind of stuff is exactly what’s wrong with a lot of comics. And it’s also the reason why little kids (especially girls) don’t buy them anymore. Seems like the choice is often between this or a cover with Supergirl’s skirt blowing up to reveal her panties.

    I’ve got no problem with some T&A, but on a title and character called “BatGIRL”?

  5. I suspect that when this artist looks at girl’s anatomy, he skips all the fiddly distracting details like the face, body shape, bone structure, and general anatomy, and skips right to a dessert of artificial breasts and shaven vaginas.

    If you’d asked for a money shot of bat girl, he’d have given you a materpiece, I bet.

  6. I can’t get to the link listed for Batgirl’s official picture. A quick response from the DC webmasters, perhaps?

  7. Wow, this is disgusting. Batgirl is one of my favorite DC Comics characters and this is the picture they choose to represent her with? I’m sorry DC, but you couldn’t be more wrong and out there on this. Please change the image to reflect more respect for this heroine.

  8. I had to look twice before I realize that’s her right bicep, not her right breast.

    O_o I didn’t even notice until you pointed it out.

    I miss the cute innocent batgirl of the original Batman cartoon series who was always just a little awkward and getting in the way but still fiercely independent and determined to get things done . . . THAT’S a superhero I’d actually ever want to draw or write for!

  9. She has one breast with a buttcrack in it, and another making a break for it. It had gotten as far as her upper right arm before it was captured.

  10. “Seems like the choice is often between this or a cover with Supergirl’s skirt blowing up to reveal her panties.”

    If Supergirl isn’t smart enough to know that flying and skirts don’t mix, who am I to argue?

    Seriously though, I’ve never thought about it until right now, but if Supergirl is still wearing a skirt as part of her “costume” it’s time someone put a stop to that.

    The only problem I have with the Batgirl image is that it’s not very impressive. I can’t believe it’s an image from a cover, as someone pointed out. It looks like fan-art.

    I don’t see any “creepy mix of sex and violence” though. Looks like just a lot of violence to me.

  11. What’s frustrating is that DC or any of the big comic companies always emphasize on their rejection form letters to look up books on anatomy drawing. Why the hell did they approve this crap?!

  12. I’ve always said we need more respect for our female characters in comic land. I continue to stand by that. Yes, you can have sexy and appealing without going overboard with it.

  13. Let’s not overdo it here by crapping all over the artist based on this one picture. I’ve yet to see even one person mention his name. It’s Damion Scott by the way for anyone who really cares and is not just jumping on the bandwagon. And yeah, I would imagine that it is fan art. He drew the book for three years. I’d bet that he’s a fan.

    Also just a reminder that it’s not his fault that DC chose to use this pic to represent her on their site. If you’re all going to get enraged about something so silly and outdated, try and stick to the part that counts. Which is that DC ruined a perfectly good character (quite a while ago) and is poorly representing her now.

  14. Thanks to the magic that is the Wayback Machine, that Batgirl art has been on the DC site at least since 2002, I’ve discovered. They also at one point had entirely seperate Secret Files for each character, which did not feature this art. All their biographies, however, seem to have been scrapped, which suggests that they’re redoing their entire bio section and letting the 52 origins stand in for now.

  15. That image was taken from the cover to #25, where she battled Lady Shiva, which the title had been leading up to since #8. I’m guessing she appeared battle-ravaged on that cover to show the seriousness, or the importance, of the battle.

    That website was basically made as a little advertisement when #25 came out (hence why the cover for #25 was shown). It wasn’t an encylopedia-type thing.

  16. I like it all but it has to be drawn good. I agree with a lot of the comments about the good old fashion tradition clean cut super hero. Sadly that has gon out with high heeled sneakers. Kids are buying comics. They never stopped. They’re buying the ‘hotter’ cutie super heros. Hey, sex sells i may not agree with it, you may not agree with it but it’s true. ‘That’s what happened to our super heros. Batgirl today has to be Beautiful, and a Bi+ch. The boob vs. bicept picture could have been saved had the artist colored different or not had the bicept part of the costume torn. The chin? Who knows (LOL) Oh, and Supergirl? I laughed about that flying witha skirt comment. GOOD ONE! Ever notice when she took off, one leg was always bent? That was to pose the skirt as ‘closed’. How mant knew that? (smile). I gotta say over all, if you’re an underground ‘cult’ fantasy enjoyer, it’s OK. Keep it private or with a group. It you like the universal tradition, that’s great too. I admit… I LIKE BOTH.

  17. I personally think its a rather saucy piece of artwork on a fictional character whom we’ve all fancied some at point in our life. if not then why the huge up-roar over THIS pic?
    we all have our own idea of what batgirl should/shouldnt look like and what kind of person she should/shouldnt be. should she be a b*tch or shouldnt she? we make our own interpretations.
    this piece of artwork is the artists impression and in some ways, his fantasy.