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Batgirl: The Bronze Age #1
Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1
Batgirl’s Bronze Age tales are collected in their entirety, beginning here in THE BRONZE AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 1!
Batgirl started her vigilante career when mild-mannered librarian Barbara Gordon, daughter of famed police commissioner Jim Gordon, attended a costume party gone awry. It wasn’t long before the teenage genius crime-fighter became a regular feature of Batman’s world and an icon to generations of young readers.
Beginning with the million-dollar debut of Barbara Gordon in 1967, THE BRONZE AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 1 collects Batgirl features from DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN and BATMAN FAMILY through the mid-1970s and features writers and artists Frank Robbins, Elliot S. Maggin, Don Heck, Mike Grell, Carmine Infantino, Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, Bob Rozakis and more. Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #359, #363, #369, #371, #384, #385, #388, #389, #392, #393, #396, #397, #400, #401, #404-424; BATMAN #197; and BATMAN FAMILY #1, #3-7, #9-11. The story of one the greatest comics characters of all time begins here!
Batgirl started her vigilante career when mild-mannered librarian Barbara Gordon, daughter of famed police commissioner Jim Gordon, attended a costume party gone awry. It wasn’t long before the teenage genius crime-fighter became a regular feature of Batman’s world and an icon to generations of young readers.
Beginning with the million-dollar debut of Barbara Gordon in 1967, THE BRONZE AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 1 collects Batgirl features from DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN and BATMAN FAMILY through the mid-1970s and features writers and artists Frank Robbins, Elliot S. Maggin, Don Heck, Mike Grell, Carmine Infantino, Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, Bob Rozakis and more. Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #359, #363, #369, #371, #384, #385, #388, #389, #392, #393, #396, #397, #400, #401, #404-424; BATMAN #197; and BATMAN FAMILY #1, #3-7, #9-11. The story of one the greatest comics characters of all time begins here!
504 pages, Hardcover
Published December 26, 2017
6 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Gardner Francis Fox
1,192 books90 followersGardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he wrote more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC Comics.
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 13, 2020
Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus Volume 1 collects Batgirl stories from DETECTIVE COMICS #359, #363, #369, #371, #384, #385, #388, #389, #392, #393, #396, #397, #400, #401, #404-424; BATMAN #197; and BATMAN FAMILY #1, #3-7, #9-11.
These days, I'm more interested in the rest of the Batman Family than Batman himself. I had some rewards points from my credit card to burn and saw this available for around $50, quite a bit lower than its normal $100 price tag. I'm not sure it was a worthwhile purchase, free or not.
I'll get the good parts out of the way first. This feature had top notch art in every issue: Don Heck, Mike Grell, Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, Bob Brown, Joe Luis Garcia Lopez, Gil Kane, Curt Swan, and others had penciling duties. Dick Giordano and Murphy Anderson headlined the inking team. Needless to say, Batgirl had some great artists at the helm and the end result looked great.
The stories range from good to almost terrible. Some of them are worthy of Batman and others read like a group of guys were sitting in a smoke filled office saying things like "Broads like fashion. Let's do a story around that." This was a solid two-star read until Barbara Gordon became a Congresswoman. Things kicked into high gear as Babs and Robin had adventures around Washington. Who would have thought political stories would save the day?
Up until the last third of the book, I was planning on passing on Volume 2. Now, I'll probably end up reading it but it's not a high priority. The Huntress stories I read earlier were so much better than most of these.
One last thing that I found interesting: Batgirl is 25 while Robin is in his late teens. Isn't Dick older in the current continuity?
While the art is spectacular, the stories in Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus leave something to be desired. Three out of five batarangs.
These days, I'm more interested in the rest of the Batman Family than Batman himself. I had some rewards points from my credit card to burn and saw this available for around $50, quite a bit lower than its normal $100 price tag. I'm not sure it was a worthwhile purchase, free or not.
I'll get the good parts out of the way first. This feature had top notch art in every issue: Don Heck, Mike Grell, Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, Bob Brown, Joe Luis Garcia Lopez, Gil Kane, Curt Swan, and others had penciling duties. Dick Giordano and Murphy Anderson headlined the inking team. Needless to say, Batgirl had some great artists at the helm and the end result looked great.
The stories range from good to almost terrible. Some of them are worthy of Batman and others read like a group of guys were sitting in a smoke filled office saying things like "Broads like fashion. Let's do a story around that." This was a solid two-star read until Barbara Gordon became a Congresswoman. Things kicked into high gear as Babs and Robin had adventures around Washington. Who would have thought political stories would save the day?
Up until the last third of the book, I was planning on passing on Volume 2. Now, I'll probably end up reading it but it's not a high priority. The Huntress stories I read earlier were so much better than most of these.
One last thing that I found interesting: Batgirl is 25 while Robin is in his late teens. Isn't Dick older in the current continuity?
While the art is spectacular, the stories in Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus leave something to be desired. Three out of five batarangs.
July 19, 2022
I have always loved the silver age Batgirl. I was not a fan of what was done to the character in the Killing Joke storyline and where she was taken after that. This is a very nice collection of the stories i remember loving to read as a younger comic fan. Recommended
Want to read
December 26, 2017As much as I loved this material, it's a bit of a misnomer to call this an Omnibus. It's a slim 500 pages. Not sure how it compares to the black and white Showcase Presents Vol. One. Was sort of expecting it to contain material from both Showcase Presents. So, delighted to have the pages in color. Just wish there were more of them. Still it's labeled a Vol One so maybe we'll actually get a Vol. Two as well. But it's the Vol. Three material that I crave the most.
August 27, 2020
This book contains a lot of the same material as the Black and White Showcase Presents Batgirl volume from the mid-2000s. The big differences that Batgirl's Guest Starring appearance in Brave and the Bold, Justice League of America, World's Finest, and Superman Family have been ditched in favor of more of her adventures in Batman Family.
The book begins with a very enthusiastic introduction by Gail Simone and her passion bleeds off the page and just builds the excitement.
The book can be divided into three sections:
Batgirl (early appearances in Batman/Detective Comics): We get five stories we show co-stars with Batman and Robin. These are mostly pretty good. They show her as skillful and capable. The big exception to this is "Batgirl's Costume Cut-Ups" which is a humor story whose "joke" is that Batgirl is a female obsessed with her appearance and that gets in the way of fight crime. I don't generally go off on 50 year old stories for being 50 years old, but this one was dumb when it came out. But again, that's my only complaint.
Batgirl solo feature: Batgirl had her own solo feature in Detective Comics. Her stories were close to a full length comic, only told in two parts over multiple issues. These are really good basic crime and detective stories. Some are pitched towards more "female" problems like a killer who targets women dating service or women being killed after buying wigs, but they're never patronizing. They're well-told. These stories do benefit from being in color and the good paper used because some of the colors used really are something to be hold. The artwork is consistently superb and the plot lines are well-thought out and she does really well in these grounded stories.
Batgirl in Batman Family: At the end of the Batgirl solo stories, Barbara Gordon was elected Congress and apparently retired, but with the Batman Family, she was brought for periodic appearances. This book reprints the classic, "The Invader from Hell" where she and Robin team up to battle a Satanically powered Benedict Arnold. The Batman Family stories features a good number of team-ups with Robin (as the new Dynamite Duo) but also some solo stories and there's a team up with the original Batwoman and it's nice of her to be acknowledged. These go into some more superheroics and are a bit sillier at times than her solo series. Still, these are fun to read, particularly those I'd never seen before.
Overall, these are just lovely and I can't wait to read the next Omnibus.
The book begins with a very enthusiastic introduction by Gail Simone and her passion bleeds off the page and just builds the excitement.
The book can be divided into three sections:
Batgirl (early appearances in Batman/Detective Comics): We get five stories we show co-stars with Batman and Robin. These are mostly pretty good. They show her as skillful and capable. The big exception to this is "Batgirl's Costume Cut-Ups" which is a humor story whose "joke" is that Batgirl is a female obsessed with her appearance and that gets in the way of fight crime. I don't generally go off on 50 year old stories for being 50 years old, but this one was dumb when it came out. But again, that's my only complaint.
Batgirl solo feature: Batgirl had her own solo feature in Detective Comics. Her stories were close to a full length comic, only told in two parts over multiple issues. These are really good basic crime and detective stories. Some are pitched towards more "female" problems like a killer who targets women dating service or women being killed after buying wigs, but they're never patronizing. They're well-told. These stories do benefit from being in color and the good paper used because some of the colors used really are something to be hold. The artwork is consistently superb and the plot lines are well-thought out and she does really well in these grounded stories.
Batgirl in Batman Family: At the end of the Batgirl solo stories, Barbara Gordon was elected Congress and apparently retired, but with the Batman Family, she was brought for periodic appearances. This book reprints the classic, "The Invader from Hell" where she and Robin team up to battle a Satanically powered Benedict Arnold. The Batman Family stories features a good number of team-ups with Robin (as the new Dynamite Duo) but also some solo stories and there's a team up with the original Batwoman and it's nice of her to be acknowledged. These go into some more superheroics and are a bit sillier at times than her solo series. Still, these are fun to read, particularly those I'd never seen before.
Overall, these are just lovely and I can't wait to read the next Omnibus.
September 13, 2023
I've been reading this one on and off for a while and finally finished. With 500 pages and 45 Batgirl stories, it's the sort of book that's good to savour rather than trying to read it in a couple of sittings. It starts with the Million Dollar Debut of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl in 1967 and goes through to 1977. The stories in the first two-thirds are from issues of Detective Comics, and mainly feature Babs in Gotham City where her father is Police Commissioner Gordon. The last third mainly feature stories from Batman Family comics, where Babs is now a congresswoman working in Washington and often teams up with Dick Grayson/Robin the Boy Wonder, who is now a Teen Titan and college student.
I really love this era of comics. A lot of the stories have that 'weird and wonderful' edge that we expect in superhero comics, but they also tackle some issues of the day like racism, the environment, the treatment of indigenous people and criminal rackets. I liked the whole book, but probably preferred the stories where Babs was in Gotham fighting crime. Some later reincarnations of Batgirl and Robin have them roughly the same age and in the occasional romantic situation, but Babs is more like the big sister in these ones.
Highly recommended for any fans of this era of DC comics. Barbara Gordon will always be my Batgirl.
I really love this era of comics. A lot of the stories have that 'weird and wonderful' edge that we expect in superhero comics, but they also tackle some issues of the day like racism, the environment, the treatment of indigenous people and criminal rackets. I liked the whole book, but probably preferred the stories where Babs was in Gotham fighting crime. Some later reincarnations of Batgirl and Robin have them roughly the same age and in the occasional romantic situation, but Babs is more like the big sister in these ones.
Highly recommended for any fans of this era of DC comics. Barbara Gordon will always be my Batgirl.
January 6, 2018
Not every Batgirl appearance is included, only her solo stories from the late 1960s and early 1970's (but some with guests, Robin & Batwoman). It says "Volume 1" on the spine, so I hope other volumes are coming out soon. Barbara Gordon really hit her stride after becoming Oracle and leading Birds of Prey.
I liked the scope of the stories and I loved the earliest art, by Carmine Infantino and Gil Kane. Their work on her facial expressions and body movement were particularly appreciated. Batgirl looks like the genius that she is. And she moves completely unlike Batman or Robin or any other male hero of that era.
The later stories from Detective Comics were by Frank Robbins and are surprisingly readable today. They had well defined plot and characterization. (I can't say the same for many of the other stories from that era, so it was a nice surprise.) But Don Heck's art has not aged well. He seemed to draw every woman with the same body type.
It has the look of a weird 1950's advertising circular. Don Heck's Batgirl looks just like Don Heck's Black Widow from his days on the Avengers. It's stiff and formulaic and a let down after Gil Kane's more dynamic work.
Later stories of Batgirl from the Batman Family Comics are also included. They complement the "Joker's Daughter" stories published in the Teen Titans Bronze Age Omnibus. There was some uncertainty about how to handle Batgirl's personal life when she began serving as a Representative in Congress and the authors tried to create a somewhat trite romance between her and Dick Grayson (Robin). One aspect that is comical is that the author and artists had clearly never been to Washington D.C. Or maybe they just hoped their readers hadn't been there. Robin swings on a bat-line from the top of the Washington Monument to a site near the Capitol. That is one long line!!
It was a fun read.
***Wisely, the editors focus only on the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl. An earlier version of Bat-Girl (a niece of Batwoman's named Betty Kane) had debuted in the early 1960's might never get a collection of her own. Two later versions, a young woman named Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, are also not included.
It would have been very confusing if they had tried to combine too many versions of the character in one book. I'm glad they resisted the urge.
I liked the scope of the stories and I loved the earliest art, by Carmine Infantino and Gil Kane. Their work on her facial expressions and body movement were particularly appreciated. Batgirl looks like the genius that she is. And she moves completely unlike Batman or Robin or any other male hero of that era.
The later stories from Detective Comics were by Frank Robbins and are surprisingly readable today. They had well defined plot and characterization. (I can't say the same for many of the other stories from that era, so it was a nice surprise.) But Don Heck's art has not aged well. He seemed to draw every woman with the same body type.
It has the look of a weird 1950's advertising circular. Don Heck's Batgirl looks just like Don Heck's Black Widow from his days on the Avengers. It's stiff and formulaic and a let down after Gil Kane's more dynamic work.
Later stories of Batgirl from the Batman Family Comics are also included. They complement the "Joker's Daughter" stories published in the Teen Titans Bronze Age Omnibus. There was some uncertainty about how to handle Batgirl's personal life when she began serving as a Representative in Congress and the authors tried to create a somewhat trite romance between her and Dick Grayson (Robin). One aspect that is comical is that the author and artists had clearly never been to Washington D.C. Or maybe they just hoped their readers hadn't been there. Robin swings on a bat-line from the top of the Washington Monument to a site near the Capitol. That is one long line!!
It was a fun read.
***Wisely, the editors focus only on the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl. An earlier version of Bat-Girl (a niece of Batwoman's named Betty Kane) had debuted in the early 1960's might never get a collection of her own. Two later versions, a young woman named Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, are also not included.
It would have been very confusing if they had tried to combine too many versions of the character in one book. I'm glad they resisted the urge.
September 7, 2023
oh my god i LOVE this i don’t know why but there’s this sort of sweet nostalgic sense when you read comics precrisis and this being the origin of batgirl and although I am an oracle truther it’s impossible for me to not love this
When you see how insanely smart she is and how cunning and amazing and athletic she is?? like she’s literally on her way to a costume party and she sees some guy getting robbed and immediately is like oh I need to beat the shit out of those people and then afterwards is like ohhh man i guess I have to be a vigilante now oopsie and her having to deal with the insane sexism from Robin and Batman and her proving herself
There’s literally a WHOLE issue where her “femininity” gets in the way but she finds a way to use that aspect of her to not hold her back to have her fight back better then Batman could like it’s literally so fucking insane
she literally realized batmans and robins identity just because even though circumstances were shown that it would be insane for her to figure it out and she kicks ass and is insanely smart and keeps up with Batman and Robin even though she isn’t exactly kept in the loop about everything but her photogenic memory and her acrobatic ability is just like insanely kick ass
AND her becoming a congresswoman and having to deal with her need of having to help others because she isn’t exactly sheltered like rich guy Bruce Wayne and his ward and her having to be at the core and helping as Barbara Gordon and confiding in her dad I literally love her so much i could go on forever how amazing this is
in conclusion Barbara Gordon is literally the best person ever oh my fucking god 🫶🏽🫶🏽
When you see how insanely smart she is and how cunning and amazing and athletic she is?? like she’s literally on her way to a costume party and she sees some guy getting robbed and immediately is like oh I need to beat the shit out of those people and then afterwards is like ohhh man i guess I have to be a vigilante now oopsie and her having to deal with the insane sexism from Robin and Batman and her proving herself
There’s literally a WHOLE issue where her “femininity” gets in the way but she finds a way to use that aspect of her to not hold her back to have her fight back better then Batman could like it’s literally so fucking insane
she literally realized batmans and robins identity just because even though circumstances were shown that it would be insane for her to figure it out and she kicks ass and is insanely smart and keeps up with Batman and Robin even though she isn’t exactly kept in the loop about everything but her photogenic memory and her acrobatic ability is just like insanely kick ass
AND her becoming a congresswoman and having to deal with her need of having to help others because she isn’t exactly sheltered like rich guy Bruce Wayne and his ward and her having to be at the core and helping as Barbara Gordon and confiding in her dad I literally love her so much i could go on forever how amazing this is
in conclusion Barbara Gordon is literally the best person ever oh my fucking god 🫶🏽🫶🏽
February 19, 2018
Solid tales from the Bronze age starring Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Quite surprising that she was depicted early on as a bit of a feminist, and how she had zero romantic interest in Batman.
The stories which were backups in Detective and Batman are quite good. Mostly written by Frank Robbins with art by Don Heck, Batgirl is shown with a new boyfriend and an election to the US Congress as a third party candidate. Robbins sometimes shows us an emotionally weaker Batgirl, but I feel these are the best in the book. Heck is often derided as an artist, but I really like his work here.
The few stories from Batman Family are not as good, with stories illustrated by good artists like Jose Luis Garcia Lopez but then ruined by the infamous Vince Colletta on inks. Many of these have Batgirl teaming up with Robin, and one of them was reprinted recently in the Teen Titans Bronze Age Omni, as the Dynamite Duo faced the Joker's Daughter.
I hope we get a second volume, which would take us up to The Killing Joke. I don't know if anyone has mapped out what the contents would be, but it should be fun.
Now where is the Supergirl Bronze Age Omnibus?
The stories which were backups in Detective and Batman are quite good. Mostly written by Frank Robbins with art by Don Heck, Batgirl is shown with a new boyfriend and an election to the US Congress as a third party candidate. Robbins sometimes shows us an emotionally weaker Batgirl, but I feel these are the best in the book. Heck is often derided as an artist, but I really like his work here.
The few stories from Batman Family are not as good, with stories illustrated by good artists like Jose Luis Garcia Lopez but then ruined by the infamous Vince Colletta on inks. Many of these have Batgirl teaming up with Robin, and one of them was reprinted recently in the Teen Titans Bronze Age Omni, as the Dynamite Duo faced the Joker's Daughter.
I hope we get a second volume, which would take us up to The Killing Joke. I don't know if anyone has mapped out what the contents would be, but it should be fun.
Now where is the Supergirl Bronze Age Omnibus?
November 7, 2022
The best and strangest part of these early Batgirl stories is how much time and thought power goes into depicting Barbara Gordon's work, first as a librarian then later in the collection as a congresswoman. Bruce Wayne has been a CEO for more than eighty years of publications and I knew more about Gordon's work as a librarian in two issues. As a result you get a more well rounded character. Sure elements of these stories are dated and the influence of the campy tv show is right there on the page but these mostly backup stories are thoughtfully created and often more interesting than anything Batman was up to during the same time.
January 9, 2024
Wow, this was some Bronze age goodness. Batgirl goes to Congress! Dick Grayson is her intern! Commissioner Gordan is totally chill with his daughter being a vigilante!
November 3, 2022
I'm continuing my exploration of Batgirl's history (following along with the excellent Comic Book Couples Counseling series on Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson's romance) with a deep dive into the Bronze Age BG stories. I had never read much Bronze Age stuff before, and this omnibus knocked me out. The sensibilities are soooo different from modern comics, but it was really refreshing to get a bunch of absolutely bonkers stories, over-the-top action, tongue-in-cheek humor that's actually aged pretty well (for the most part). In one of the stories, the literal Benedict Arnold emerges from Hell to ravage the nation's capitol in an effort to restore his place among the founding fathers.
I wish we'd get a few more books like this on the shelves -- that don't take themselves too seriously but still tell compelling stories that can only exist as comics.
I wish we'd get a few more books like this on the shelves -- that don't take themselves too seriously but still tell compelling stories that can only exist as comics.
February 25, 2024
These stories are ok at best, but I see why Frank Miller forgot she existed when writing Year One, and they were so willing to shelve her for the Killing Joke.
November 18, 2025
Offers a fun and nostalgic collection of Barbara Gordon stories that showcase her growth as a character in the shifting comic landscape of the Bronze Age.
The volume highlights her transition from a lighthearted supporting role to more independent adventures, while also reflecting societal changes of the era.
It's a charming read that captures the evolution of Batgirl and is a nice time capsule of an era.
The volume highlights her transition from a lighthearted supporting role to more independent adventures, while also reflecting societal changes of the era.
It's a charming read that captures the evolution of Batgirl and is a nice time capsule of an era.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews