Open Letter to Dan Didio

Dear Mr. Didio,

I write this as an open letter posted online in hopes that somehow it might actually make it to your eyes. The internet is great that way.

It is clear to me that you strongly dislike heroines. Is it strong women you detest? Women that are realistic yet heroic? Maybe just females in general? I make no assumptions as to why this is, but it clearly is. With the exception of Diana Prince and Barbara Gordon you seem to really hate your own female characters.

In 2007 when asked about why Stephanie Brown did not have a memorial in the Batcave you replied it was because she was never really a Robin. Not only is this contradictory to what Bruce said on panel, but it is extremely disrespectful to Stephanie as a character. Stephanie most certainly was a Robin. She trained with Bruce, she patrolled and fought by his side, and in the end she was fearless enough to risk her life to prove her worth to him. Of course, your comment shouldn’t surprise me considering that she was killed off as a plot device in a very gruesome and sexualized manner.

It was only when Stephanie fans revolted that you were forced to bring back Stephanie. Because, guess what? Stephanie is a great character that is loved by many. She is real, relatable, and fun. Yeah, she’s not a computer genius or an Amazon princess…that’s why we love her!

Most recently you commented about all the past Robins getting their own book, this was referencing Dick, Tim, and Jason. Once again Steph was overlooked as having been a Robin…right, you don’t consider her one.

While I do not know for sure you are the one behind Stephanie losing her Batgirl mantle, it is known the reboot was your brain child and that you’ve wanted Barbara back as Batgirl for quite some time. I think it is a safe conclusion that you’re the reason for Steph being disrespected…again.

Stephanie was becoming a popular Batgirl with a great creative team. They had a consistently solid and successful book. Why break up a winning combo? Oh, right…Barbara.

Barbara fans don’t want her back as Batgirl. She has transcended that role. She was important as Oracle. She was an inspiration to many. Most importantly she grew. Whereas Batgirl was a character growth for Stephanie. It’s the role she deserved to be in and it worked. You’ve managed to upset both Barbara and Steph fans. Great job.

But it’s not just the Batgirls you disrespect. Oh no, it’s Supergirl too. It’s quite clear you only tolerate Kara because of 20 years of fan backlash. It’s also clear that you detest Linda Danvers. Now, I personally am not a fan of Linda. Kara is the true Supergirl as far as I am concerned, however Linda has fans and she is a part of Supergirl history and deserves to be respected as such. You were asked about her status once and not only did you laugh at the person that asked the question, but you glossed over the question. The question was asked as “I’m just going to keep asking until you answer, where is Linda Danvers?” Your reply was “We appreciate your persistence and you just keep asking that question.”

So were you trying to be funny? Because you weren’t. It was a legitimate question and deserved an answer…but of course you can’t be bothered to address the whereabouts of a former heroine…not even one that once held the mantle of SUPERGIRL!

Your reaction to this question was completely uncalled for disrespectful, not only to Linda Danvers and her fans, but to female heroines and fans in general. This is par for the course for you though.

And it’s not just our heroines. You were also once asked about Lian Harper (Roy Harper’s daughter) and you replied with ‘who?’. You obviously know who Lian is…her death was a major deal in Arsenal’s storyline. There is no way you didn’t know. But again, you brushed off a question about a female character. I’m seeing a pattern here.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I could go on for pages about how you have disrespected female characters. Yes, it is noted by the fans of these characters and specifically the female fans.

I know I speak for the fans of Stephanie Brown when I say we’re sick of it. When Stephanie was made Batgirl we felt she was finally getting the respect she deserved. Unfortunately this was clearly not the case. I’m sure the fans of other female characters (Linda, Lian, Barbara, etc) would agree they are sick of the disrespect.

I don’t expect you to suddenly change your ways, just know we do notice and it does impact DC as a whole. I, for one, will be dropping my subscription of Batgirl once Stephanie is yanked out of the role. I know many others that will be as well. If you continue to alienate the fans of your female characters and females in general DC comics will eventually pay the price. Think about it.

Sincerely,
Priscilla Hagle