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Stephanie Brown is the ultimate unsinkable Bat-character.
That's the only conclusion I can draw after it was announced by Smallville Season 11 writer Bryan Q. Miller in a TV Guide interview that Batman will finally be making his first appearance in the Smallville universe, in issue #5, accompanied by a female sidekick revealed to be none other than Stephanie Brown as Nightwing.
Smallville Season 11 is a digital DC comic that is a continuation of the popular Smallville television series that ran for ten seasons on the WB/CW networks. Print editions appear after the shorter digital chapters, which are available for 99 cents at Comixology.
It says something about her place in the comic book world that the news of Batman's long-awaited appearance in the popular series was lost on comic sites amid all the cheering for Stephanie Brown's second return from the world of dead and limboed heroes.
The long journey from her creation in 1992 is an example of not only how badly some female characters are treated in the DC Universe but also how sometimes even editorial fiat isn't enough to destroy a popular character. Fan support, creator support, and the burgeoning digital market can open the way to a return.
Stephanie Brown was never expected to last this long or even appear before a greater audience. She was meant to be a one-shot character in Batman story.
She was created for Detective Comics #647 by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle. In the two-part story, she was the daughter of the supervillain Cluemaster who donned a purple costume and became The Spoiler to foil his crimes.
Dixon liked the character and reader response was positive. She then became a recurring guest-star in Robin, various Batman books, and the Batgirl series starring Cassandra Cain. (Cassandra's fate is a whole tale in itself and, so far, doesn't have a happy ending as yet.)
Steph moved from The Spoiler to a blonde-haired Robin but quickly became cannon fodder as she was tortured by the villain Black Mask and died at the end of the War Games crossover. To add insult to injury, DC even offered a Black Mask figurine complete with the tools used to torture Steph.
Fans, especially female readers, revolted at the graphic torture, that the blood-splattered body of a teenage girl was splashed all over a cover , and at her death. They demanded that Steph at least be given the courtesy of a Batcave memorial like the (then deceased) Jason Todd.
A website, girlwonder.org, was born, showcasing female characters in comics and original content and with the goal of a Batcave memorial.
But it wasn't until Stephanie's creator, Dixon, returned briefly to write the Robin series that she returned from the dead. She hadn't been truly killed, it was revealed. Her physician had faked her death to keep her from being hunted by Gotham's supervillains. Steph had spent the time since her "death" in Africa with her doctor, recovering and deciding what to do next. It was a retcon, a rewriting of events, but it was welcome and returned Steph to The Spoiler identity.
There she remained until it was decided to relaunch the Batgirl series. Several characters were considered, including Barbara Gordon and Cassandra Cain, but it was ultimately decided to have Steph became Batgirl. The series was well-received and featured Steph as an optimistic, fun-loving but imperfect heroine. And then came the new 52 relaunch of the DC line last September and she was nowhere to be found. Barbara Gordon, the Batgirl most casual comic readers remember, stars in the new 52 Batgirl series.
It seems certain that Stephanie had never been Batgirl or Robin and maybe didn't exist at all in the new universe.
It was disappointing, especially as I'd been recommending Steph's Batgirl series as the perfect jumping on point for girls interested in superheroes.
It was especially disappointing because all the male Robins were given their own starring roles in books–bonus points if you can name all four–but Stephanie had vanished,. Though she wasn't the only missing character in the new 52. Wally West (Flash) and Donna Troy (Wonder Girl) are also conspicuously absent.
But it seems Miller didn't want to forget Steph and he brought a version of her back for his new digital series.
It's not the first time Smallville continuity has broken with the status quo of the new 52. In Smallville Season 11, Lois and Clark are together, a solid couple who pool their talents to fight crime. It's the only DC comic right now where their romantic relationship still exists.
It may turn out to be the best thing for both women.
Comixolgy representative Chip Mosher said that while the site doesn't give out sales figures, the most recent issue of Smallville Season 11 is listed as #12 of their current best selling digital comics. Since the debut of their digital platform two and a half years ago, Comixology users have downloaded nearly 75 million comics and graphic novels. In early May, the total was 65 million downloads but the figure went up an additional ten million since then. The figures include free and paid downloads, Mosher said.
