Batgirl #4
Batgirl (Vol. 3) #4 marks the first time Stephanie Brown wears the Batgirl costume specifically designed for her by Barbara Gordon — a purple-accented suit purpose-built to replace Cassandra Cain's tattered gear — making it the true visual debut of the Stephanie Brown Batgirl identity the fandom remembers. The issue also functions as the formal launch of the Oracle–Batgirl mentor partnership that would define the series: Barbara monitors Stephanie's vitals, coaches her through her first real patrol, and begins to see her as something more than a reckless amateur. It additionally brings Livewire — a character originally created for Superman: The Animated Series and only imported into mainstream DC continuity in 2006 — into Gotham City storytelling for the first time in a mainline comic, echoing the animated "Girl's Night Out" episode where the same villain first crossed paths with a Batgirl. Together these elements make the issue a compact milestone for both Stephanie's character arc and the broader Batman-family status quo established under the 'Batman: Reborn' umbrella.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Bryan Q. Miller came to DC through a connection forged on the set of the CW's Smallville, where he worked his way up from unpaid intern to Executive Story Editor before writer Geoff Johns introduced him to DC's editorial staff. Miller landed the relaunched Batgirl series in 2009, featuring Stephanie Brown — who had previously served as Spoiler and briefly as Robin — as its lead. Issue #4 falls within 'Batgirl Rising,' the opening arc of the series, which was published as part of the line-wide 'Batman: Reborn' crossover reestablishing the Batman Family following Bruce Wayne's disappearance during Final Crisis and the events of Battle for the Cowl. The issue splits its art duties between series regular Lee Garbett (on the opening pages) and guest penciller Tim Levins, with Phil Noto providing the cover.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated January 2010; published November 11, 2009 (Batgirl, Vol. 3, #4).
- Story title is 'Batgirl Rising: Field Test,' the fourth chapter of the series' inaugural 'Batgirl Rising' arc.
- First issue in which Stephanie Brown wears the new Batgirl costume designed specifically for her by Barbara Gordon, replacing the modified version of Cassandra Cain's suit she had been borrowing.
- Written by Bryan Q. Miller; pencils by Lee Garbett and Tim Levins; cover by Phil Noto; colors by Guy Major.
- Villain is Livewire (Leslie Willis), an animated-series creation (Superman: The Animated Series, 1997) whose first mainstream DC comics appearance was Action Comics #835 (2006); her appearance here continues her early pre-Flashpoint mainline comics history.
- Barbara Gordon (as Oracle) is shown remotely monitoring Stephanie's vital signs and suit performance through a wireless uplink — the operational foundation of their mentor–protégé dynamic throughout the series.
- A secondary subplot follows Barbara visiting Wendy Harris at Leslie Thompkins' clinic, where Wendy has broken in to exercise and confronts her grief over her brother's death.
- The issue has been reprinted in the Batgirl: Batgirl Rising trade paperback, Batgirl: Stephanie Brown Vol. 1, and the Batgirl: A Celebration of 50 Years hardcover.
Cast · 31 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Batgirl #1 (2010), Batgirl: Batgirl Rising #[nn] (2010), Batgirl: A Celebration of 50 Years #[nn] (2017), Batgirl: Stephanie Brown #1 (2017)
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