Batgirl: The ‘Buffy’ of the DC Universe Gets a Web Series

Most people only know Batgirl as Alicia Silverstone in the Razzie award winning Batman & Robin, but a group of comic book fans have dedicated themselves to creating a series bringing some much deserved attention to the character, who is often considered one of the hidden gems of the DC Universe.

Batgirl: Spoiled revolves around  around the action that seeks out and is sought after by  Stephanie Brown, the latest character to take up the mantle of the Batperson-without-a-Y-chromosome with a unique origin story that has made her a cult figure in the comic community.

“She was her own woman as Spoiler, then she was the only main continuity female Robin, and then she was Batgirl,” said Sax Carr, a loyal comic fan that is the writer/producer of Batgirl: Spoiled. “You don’t get a pedigree better than that.”

Most people might be shocked to hear that there was a female Robin, but it’s those kind of details that prove the creators know their stuff. While Brown might not be the most recognizable comic character, her similarities to another pop culture icon will help introduce her to a new audience.

“We think of her like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer of the DCU,” Carr added. “She’s such a driven character, so headstrong and opinionated, but largely she’s caught up in a universe that’s given her everything but control of her own life.”

Trying to find where she fits into the world, Batgirl: Spoiled adds a new twist to the common theme as the heroine of the story has to fight villains, finish college and take a scolding from Batman. The premise may seem to some like Buffy in a cape, but the exploration of the female superheroes in Gotham City show a different side of the Batman universe most people never knew existed. The series features iconic characters like Catwoman, but will also introduce secondary characters like Batwoman and The Question

as Batgirl tracks down other female superheroes in order to help find her path.

The series itself has an interesting origin story that dates back to the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. After briefly meeting at the comic convention, Carr and actress Marisha Ray (Batgirl herself) decided to create a comic book based web series with a female lead. After narrowing down the ideas, they finally decided that Stephanie Brown deserved her own series.

In order to deliver an action packed series on a budget, the cast and crew began working with Paradox Pollack, a fight choreographer with an impressive list of credits including Thor, I Am Legend, and Star Trek. To properly prepare, the cast started training last November, with each character given a unique fighting style based on moves shown in the comics.

“Stephanie’s style is a combination of a few martial arts and a self developed street style designed to compensate for her being comparatively weak in comparison to most of her opponents in Gotham,” Carr added when breaking down Pollack’s work. “It favors spins to build momentum, as well as dirty fighting, judo, and strikes that depend on involvement of the whole body.”

The series is large in scope for fan generated content. Having already filmed half of the 12-episode first season, with each episode lasting ten minutes, the show will be seeking financing for the second half of the season through Kickstarter. Hoping to premiere the series at Comickaze in September, Carr is planning on releasing a new episode every month.

Batgirl: Spoiled is an ambitious series to make, considering the time and expense that has gone into a series that can never turn a profit due to copyright issues. If you’re interested in learning more about the world of Batman, or just want to see a kick ass female crimefighter, Batgirl: Spoiled is a great series to keep tabs on.