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" Likeable": Since Batgirl became a sensation in the neighbourhood of Burnside, she decided to take control of how her persona was presented by keeping up a social media presence, and since then, has been all over the internet. The idea doesn't appeal so much

Quote1 Is this how we measure a person now? How many "likes" they have on social media? 10,000 retweets gives them license to do as they please? Quote2
Liam Powell

Batgirl (Volume 4) #38 is an issue of the series Batgirl (Volume 4) with a cover date of March, 2015. It was published on January 14, 2015.

Synopsis for Likeable

Since Batgirl became a sensation in the neighbourhood of Burnside, she decided to take control of how her persona was presented by keeping up a social media presence, and since then, has been all over the internet. The idea doesn't appeal so much to her friend Dinah, who takes her aside to warn that her internet celebrity is changing her - and putting her in danger. Not to mention that it risks drawing the ire of the Batman. Babs responds that she was already in the spotlight, and this is how she's rolling with it, and finally she is having some fun, after everything she's been through. Dinah accuses her of behaving childishly, and angrily Barbara suggests she pack up and get out of her life. Fed up, Dinah agrees.

Later, Barbara has her second date with Liam Powell from the GCPD, but she is clearly distracted by her argument with Dinah. She's worried that their friendship is over. She apologizes for venting to him, and Liam admits, jokingly, that he's used to Hooq setting him up with angsty girls. In truth, he had been happy that the app led him back to her after they'd met briefly before. He jokes that the app was so persistent in trying to get him to ask her out that he thought her mom might be trying to set them up. He realizes, though, that she had told him her mother had left her, and apologizes for making the joke in poor taste. She forgives him, and they nearly kiss, when they are distracted by the flashing of cameras.

The paparazzi are hounding a young man named Jordan Barberi, whose late father was once a bank robber who never got caught, and it's an open secret that Jordan is living off of those ill-gotten funds. Now, Jordan is a train wreck celebrity on a reality show called Gotham Heights. Disgusted, Liam suggests that they leave, because he can't stand to watch the young man's interaction with the hounding photographers. On the subway, he explains that Jordan inujred someone while drag racing, and got off without much more than a slap on the wrist. He comments that people like Barberi don't think the law applies to them, and remarks that Batgirl makes the situation worse by breaking the law as a vigilante. Defensively, Barbara wonders what Liam would think if Batgirl could get someone like Barberi off the streets for good. Liam responds coldly that that is his job. Despite his rant, Babs admits that she admires his passion for justice, and gives him a goodnight kiss in front of her door.

She returns to her apartment to find her roommate Frankie up late working again. The Hooq servers are rotten with a virus that they can't seem to get rid of. She needs to see it fixed before they move out of beta, and there are rumours that they're going to be bought out by a big player - and they can't afford to be buggy in that case. Changing the subject, she wonders what's happened between Babs and Dinah, noting that Dinah left with all of her stuff earlier, probably to stay with her bandmates. Barbara realizes with surprise that Dinah is singing with a band.

While working at Burnside College the next morning, Babs falls asleep at her desk, and Nadimah lets her sleep, knowing about the date. She is given a rude awakening by Jeremy DeGroot, who warns her that her professor, George Krupke has come back from up north, and wants to meet with her about her thesis - which she lost when her hard drive was wiped.

Later, Barbara and Nadimah go out for drinks to groan about the pressure of the meeting. Nadimah warns that Babs will have to confront professor Krupke eventually. Babs is unconvinced that she'll be able to resolve the situation, since the millions of lins of code she lost would take a year to rewrite from memory. Not wanting to think about it, she asks Nadimah for her take on Jordan Barberi. Nadimah responds that she dislikes him, nearly as much as she dislikes the way people support his celebrity despite knowing what an awful, narcissistic monster he is. She thinks he's dangerous.

That night, Batgirl pays a visit to Nadimah's brother Qadir to ask him to let her borrow one of his lab's bikes so she can take down Jordan Barberi. Qadir expresses concern, warning that he doesn't necessarily want to get involved in this. Batgirl responds that people expect it of her - they expect it of both of them. Sighing, Qadir agrees to help.

Expecting Barberi to be looking to do some drag racing that night, following his social media accounts, she heads to a bar he was last seen at, where she is surprised to find that the live band is Dinah's; Ashes on Sunday. She doesn't get long to watch and listen before Barberi spots her and calls her over, challenging her to the drag race. Seeing that he's drunk, Barbara warns that he won't be driving anywhere tonight. He teases that if she can catch him, she can cuff him, and speeds off in his car, requiring her to give chase on her bike. As she chases him, he nearly runs over a pedestrian - and then Batgirl nearly runs her down on the bike too. Before long, the police are on their tails, and Batgirl is equally culpable in the street race.

Hurrying up alongside his car, Barbara realizes that they are speeding toward a man and his dog on the street, and uses an explosive to make Barberi's car swerve aside, just in time to miss the innocents. After righting his vehicle, he pulls up alongside Batgirl again, and through his broken window, she throws a goo-bomb that causes him to crash into the side of a diner. As she looks in on him to gloat, she hears the voice of Liam Powell - her ostensible boyfriend - attempting to place her under arrest. She tries to argue her own case, but he won't hear it. Surreptitiously, she grabs a smoke bomb and hurls it at him to escape.

The next day, over coffee, Barbara tries to listen as Liam vents his anger over Batgirl's escape - and the destruction of favourite coffee stop Cuppa Joes, which will now have to move out of Burnside, because of the expense of rebuilding. Again, he apologizes for ranting, suggesting that he shouldn't be doing so when she's so hung up on problems like her brother. He asks to excuse himself a moment, as Barbara realizes suddenly that she hadn't told him about James, Jr. - nor had she told him about her mother, as he'd claimed. She thrusts the thought aside, taking the break to look through social media response to her actions from the night before. Reaction to the destruction of Cuppa Joes is unanimously negative, and Batgirl is blamed.

Suddenly, Liam's phone, which he left on the table, begins ringing - and the call is from Barbara; except it's not. Confused, Barbara picks up his phone and hears someone claiming to be her promising to tell Liam all of her secrets.

Appearing in Likeable

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Jordan Barberi (First appearance)

Other Characters:

Locations:

Concepts:

  • Hooq

Items:


Vehicles:

Notes



See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

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