First Look: DC's Redesigned Batgirl in Action...Promoting Her Book

The incoming Batgirl "showrunner" Cameron Stewart has posted a page of artwork to an unofficial Tumblr for the book, showing the redesigned character in action for the first time...

...telling fans how they can buy the book.

It's a logical step in what's becoming a more and more common practice of creators (especially those whose books are either independently-published or existing on the cancellation "bubble") using clever, unconventional and memorable "order forms" to give fans another way to engage with their titles. Books like Edison Rex and Amelia Cole have done the same when their digital-first books go to print editions at IDW.

Stewart is not actually the artist on the book -- he's co-writing it with Brendan Fletcher, while newcomer Babs Tarr draws it -- but of course hes' an Eisner and Shuster Award-winning artist in his own right, best known for his collaborations with Grant Morrison.

What it does do is show off some of the lighter tone that outgoing writer Gail Simone promised the new book would have -- something that has worked well for Batgirl in the past, even if it was a different Batgirl. Back when Stephanie Brown had the title and Bryan Q. Miller was writing the comic, heart and humor wasn't difficult to come by. The title was beloved by its small audience but low sales and the fact that they wanted to re-establish the classic Barbara Gordon Batgirl meant that Miller and his take on the title were gone after the New 52 relaunch.

Batgirl #35 is in stores this October. Batgirl #1 was one of the best-selling titles of the New 52 when it launched; will this attention-grabbing rebranding be able to duplicate that success?