"I promise loyalty. I promise secrecy. And I promise courage."
— Barbara Gordon
Batgirl: Year One was a 2003 limited series retelling the origin of Barbara Gordon, the most popular Batgirl. Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon wrote the story and Marcos Martin handled art duties.
Barbara Gordon is not satisfied with being a librarian working behind a desk when she could go outside and help clean the streets of Gotham. However, her options seem limited: James Gordon will never allow her to become a cop, she cannot join the F.B.I. as a field agent, and the Justice Society of America tries to discourage her when she knocks on their door.
One day, the Gordons are invited to attend a charity costume party known as the "Million Dollar Ball". Eager to shock her father, Barbara decides to go to the party unaccompanied and wearing a female version of the local vigilante's costume. Before she can show James Gordon her costume, though, Killer Moth crashes the party, forcing Barbara to fight him and his goons off to protect her father.
Barbara's actions earn her a new moniker and mean the birth of a new hero. Barbara is thrilled, but her hardships are only beginning. She has become a new target for every customed loony in Gotham, Killer Moth has sworn revenge, Batman hates people encroaching on his territory... and she still needs further training as well as proper equipment.
Tropes found in this mini-series:
- Adaptation Expansion: The original Detective Comics #359: "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" one-shot story is turned into a mini-series.
- Alas, Poor Yorick: Parodied in the second issue's cover when Batgirl holds Killer Moth's shattered helmet.
- Appropriated Appellation: Batgirl got her name during her first encounter with Killer Moth. When the villain ranted over killing "Batman, Robin and Batgirl", she reluctantly knew that she will always be "Batgirl" and not "Batwoman".Killer Moth: This just gets better and better! I get to kill Batman, Robin and Batgirl, all in the same night!
Barbara: (thinking) And so it became official. Now I am "Batgirl"... forevermore. - Ascended Fangirl: Originally she made the costume to piss her dad off at a policeman's costume party and ended up saving the day. In this version, she's a fangirl of Black Canary, instead of Batman and Robin.
- Badass in Distress: James Gorgon is kidnapped by Killer Moth's henchmen. Batgirl and Black Canary are captured while chasing after his captors.
- Ballroom Blitz: Killer Moth and his henchmen raid the Gotham City Police Department's Million Dollar Masquerade Ball and hold everyone at gunpoint. However, Batgirl manages to disarm his minions and chases Moth out of the building.
- Being Good Sucks: Wildcat goes on about the hardships associated with a hero career to dissuade Barbara from becoming a costumed vigilante:Wildcat: This life ain't for you, Green-Eyes. Everybody hates ya, you got no life of yer own, and ya could end up arthritic and crippled.
- Blood Knight: Babs is an action junkie— plain and simple. She turns desk jobs down because she loves fighting. As fighting Killer Moth, she ponders that "Batman would have ended the fight three minutes ago. But he wouldn't be having fun."
- Catch a Falling Star: Barbara is roof-swinging for the first time when her rope gets cut. Fortunately, Robin swings into her freefall's way and catches Barbara.
- Cape Snag: Inverted when Black Canary yanks Batgirl out of the way of Killer Moth's flamethrower by her cape.
- Ceiling Cling: As foiling a robbery in a convenience store, Batgirl evades an armed goon by quickly rushing into an aisle, climbing up the shelves and clinging to the ceiling.
- Charity Ball: Barbara's hero career begins when she goes to a charity party known as the "Million Dollar Ball", wearing a female version of Batman's costume.
- Coincidental Broadcast: As idly changing channels, Dick Grayson hears of a newscaster reporting a hostage crisis in the Bristol Country Club.
- Combat Pragmatist: Barbara fights dirty, even during dojo training. During a Jujitsu class, she makes her trainer believe she is too afraid to fight him in order to attack him when he turns away from her.
- Combat Stilettos: She wore them on her first mission, but she switched to flats after the heels broke.
- Deadly Training Area: After being taken to the Batcave for the first time, Batgirl is ushered in Batman's special training room. The place looks a huge movie set full of traps and attacking robots, simulating a city street.
- Dodge the Bullet: When Barbara steps into Batman's training room for the first time and a robot attempts to gun her down, she quickly backs flips out of the way.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: James makes clear he will not allow her daughter to become a cop.Barbara: You don't have to be Cassandra to see that Dad's on the short track to Police Commissioner. He could make it easier for me. Instead, he makes it impossible.
- Good Cop/Bad Cop: In order to find out who the new female vigilante is, Batman resorts to the "good cop, bad cop tactic". He brings her into the Batcave, demands to know her identity, tries to unmask her, and when she rebukes him, he leaves her with Robin who is considerably friendlier.Alfred: And just what do you call this morality play unfolding beneath us?
Batman: It's a classic. Good cop. Bad cop.
Alfred: And I trust that Master Richard is the 'good cop'?
Batman: Why else do you think he wears the bright colors? - Gone Horribly Right: At the start, Batman stealthily supplies Batgirl with his tech, hoping his toys would keep her alive until she wised up and quit. Instead, they keep her alive long enough that Barbara becomes good at the job.
- Groin Attack: Barbara kicks
◊ one unlucky criminal's crotch. - Height Angst: It does not often come up, but Babs is bothered about her height, since she does not meet the minimum height requirements to become a cop or a F.B.I. field agent.
- How We Got Here: The story opens with Barbara Gordon wearing her Batgirl costume and facing Killer Moth in a ball before moving to Barbara remembering how she ended in that situation.
- Identity Impersonator: Barbara Gordon pulled this when her alter ego had to be introduced to her father: Robin wore her costume.
- Improvised Weapon: As attempting to stop a shop robbery, Batgirl bludgeons one thief with a shopping bag filled with food cans.
- In Medias Res:
- The first issue begins with Barbara facing Killer Moth and his goons. From that point onward, the story alternates between Barbara's memories and fight scenes for two issues.
- Issue #6 starts with Batgirl and Black Canary trying to botch James Gordon's kidnapping. The next scenes cut to Killer Moth and his partner plotting and carrying out James' kidnapping, and then the story cuts back to both heroines giving chase.
- Just in Time: Commissioner Gordon tries to get Killer Moth lay down his gun when the latter crashes the masquerade ball. Instead, Killer Moth shoots at him, but Batgirl shoves her father out of the way in the nick of time.
- Masquerade Ball: Barbara created the Batgirl outfit as a costume for a party— and to annoy her father. When the party was crashed by supercriminals, she responded to the crisis like a costumed crimefighter rather than a costumed partygoer, starting her journey to become a member of the Bat-Family.
- Mythology Gag: Babs attends "The Million Dollar Masquerade", named after her origin story.
- Never Be a Hero: Wildcat tries to dissuade Barbara, and Batman keeps telling her she can't be a hero. Barbara simply ignores the former and calls the latter out on believing he has the power to decide that.
- Not the Fall That Kills You…: Averted when Barbara Gordon's jumpline, made of normal rope, is cut by Batman before she can hurt herself with the sudden deceleration. Batgirl is later given some of the special 'batrope' to use with the explanation that it is elastic and extends/contracts in order to prevent the shock of an instant stop
- Percussive Therapy: After an argument with her father, Barbara angrily kicks a pile of books.
- Possessive Wrist Grab: Barbara breaks into JSA's HQ and leaves a letter asking Black Canary an appointment. When Wildcat shows up instead, Barbara tries to run off, but Wildcat grabs her arm and asks an explanation.
- Soft Glass: Killer Moth does not get cut when he smashes through a window as fleeing from Batgirl.
- Super Window Jump: In the second issue, Killer Moth jumps out of a window to escape from Batgirl.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: When Batman decides to introduce Gotham's newest vigilante to Commissioner Gordon, Robin disguises himself as Batgirl so James does not recognize his daughter.
- Tempting Fate: Angry at the fact that the number of Gotham's vigilantes is increasing, Killer Moth wonders "what can go wrong next". Right then someone knocks on his door, and it is two enforcers working for Mister Bressis, a gangster whom Moth's civilian identity owes $500,000. They have anticipated he cannot pay up, so they beat him up without preamble.
- Underestimating Badassery: Barbara is underestimated by everybody, including her own father. She considers it annoying, but also a weakness which she can -and eagerly does- exploit.Barbara Gordon: Dad thinks I'm too short. My Sensei thinks I'm too "girly". But just like the principles of Jujitsu— I use their expectations against them. That will be their weakness. Not mine. Let them all underestimate me.
- Waking Up Elsewhere: Batman and Robin stop Barbara's first roof-jumping. Then Batman uses a sleeping gas on her. When Barbara wakes up, she is lying on a slab on the Batcave.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Batgirl calls Batman out when he states nobody can operate in Gotham without his approval.Batgirl: Is that it? I fail the final because I can't tell you in fifty words or less why I want to do this? You may have all the tools of the trade— but you don't have a monopoly on wanting to help. I'll tell you why, you big scary goon... Because I can.
