Strength in Vulnerability: #Feminist Reply to @DCComics Batgirl41 Variant Ignites #CHANGETHECOVER

There’s a trending hashtag on the Internet now called #CHANGETHECOVER which began with this Tumblr post (at over 2,000 re-shares) regarding a Feminist’s criticism over variant edition comic for DC’s Batgirl #41 with artwork by Rafael Albuquerque. The cover reflects the story The Killing Joke, a graphic novel created in 1988 by Alan Moore (writing) and Brian Bolland (art). The controversial cover depicts the Joker with his arm around Batgirl’s shoulders with gun in hand and Batgirl terrified with tears in her eyes. In The Killing Joke the Joker shoots Barbara Gordon, which Joker comments rendered her disabled. Later in the graphic novel we see a nude Jim Gordon on a roller coaster and he is shown a series of photographs of Barbara Gordon in agony lying on a bloody floor nude. In later comics, the New 52 pretty much trashes the old universe for a new take. Some…