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"Batgirl Rising: Core Requirements, Part Two"
He started it!
Batgirl #6
January 13, 2010
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Cover by Phil Noto
Pencilled by Lee Garbett
Inked by Trevor Scott
Colored by Guy Major
Lettering by John J. Hill
Edited by Harvey Richards, Michael Siglain
Previous Issue Batgirl #5
Next Issue Batgirl #7

Steph: "Here's the deal- me? I'm a 'punch first, ask questions later' kinda gal. Him?"

--Points to Damian--

"He's a stabber."

In “Core Requirements” part 2, Stephanie Brown finds herself teamed up with Damian Wayne! The new Batgirl and the new Robin must enter an area of Gotham City known to Gothamites as Devil’s Square, but to the residents, it’s called “Thunderdome”! Their mission: to save innocent civilians from being used in a real-life game of life and death!

Summary of Stephness: The issue opens with Stephanie remembering certain things while an EMT hovers over her, asking her name and saying she's been grazed by a bullet. Stephanie remembers Cassandra leaving her, telling her not to follow for her own good. She also remembers Tim screaming at her to hang up the costume. Finally she remembers Black Mask laughing and shooting her which causes her to snap awake thinking, "OHNOI'VEBEENSHOT!"

Stephanie gives her name as Fay Wray to the EMT as Oracle taught her, thinking that she can't wind up in her mother's ER. Oracle is at first concerned for Stephanie, and then proud that Steph remembered her code name. Oracle crashes the ambulance so that Stephanie can leave, and Steph thinks, "Okay, concussion...let's you and me go make some noise."

Steph eavesdrops on Batman, James Gordon, and Nick Gage discussing Francisco Gracia's kidnapping. She inserts her own madlibs into the precedings ("I'm glad we're best friends, Batman!" "Me too, chum!") as she reads their lips, only to get caught by Damian.

Damian attacks, and Stephanie wonders if it's child abuse to hit him back, and both Oracle and Steph are amused by Damian talking like a pirate. Damian even makes a crack about Steph's lack of wealth, but before things can get ugly, Batman intervenes and orders them both off the case.

Stephanie finds it pretty humiliating as they both sit on a gargoyle, but Damian is still bragging about his League of Assassins training. Saying that she had played grasshopper to Bruce's "Master Po" (Damian: "I have no idea who these people are") and that Bruce had trusted her enough to let her operated on her own. "How much did he trust YOU, Robin?"

She immediately feels guilty for kicking a ten year old when he was down and apologizes, but Damian admits it was a good shot. Stephanie declares that they couldn't sit around waiting to screw up- "believe me, it wastes a shocking amount of time" and they could fix this. Damian jumps the gun and vaults off, saying he won't let Stephanie take point, but then has to admit he has no idea where they're going, and Stephanie tells her "grasshopper" to listen and learn.

She takes Damian to interrogate Jordanna Spence. She's aggravated when Damian turns on the light, worried about her secret being compromised, but Jordanna doesn't look her in the eye. She tells Damian they're going to play "bad cop, worse cop" and Damian eagerly says, "I get to be worse cop" and Steph replies, "Atta boy."

Steph tells Jordanna she's a punch first ask question later gal and that Robin is a stabber, so she better get talking. Jordanna tearfully tells them that Francisco's dad deals with dirty money and has a gambling debt- but they didn't kidnap Francisco for ransom, but another reason.

Meanwhile, Babs reminds Dick that they didn't always see eye to eye on things as Batgirl and Robin either, and Dick says that given the current players, the comparison turned his stomach. Babs then teases him about how he'd completely failed to make good on his threat to shut them down.

Dick goes into Devil's Square only to be attacked by Riot and Roxy Rocket. The issue cuts to a beaten Francisco, who is told by his father he's free to go. Francisco tells his father he's done with him and storms off. The guilty father phones Roulette, begging to be let off the hook now that they've lured Batman in. Roulette obliges. Francisco's kidnapping was really a ploy his father had set up with Roulette to pay his debts. The object of the ploy was to use Francisco as bait to lure Batman in so that villains could take him out while Roulette booked bets on the outcome.

Over at Jordanna's place, the Internet has lit up with this news. Oracle orders the frantic Steph and Damian to bring Batman home- and he needs a rescue soon as he crawls bloody and beaten from his crashed Batmobile.

Other Formats/Collected In:
Digital Comic Book
Batgirl: Batgirl Rising TPB

  • Batgirl -6 (01)
  • Batgirl -6 (02)
  • Batgirl -6 (03)
  • Batgirl -6 (04)
  • Batgirl -6 (05)
  • Batgirl - 6 (06)
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