Warning! Spoilers ahead for Joker #7
In the latest issue of DC Comics' Joker, Barbara Gordon's Batgirl has confirmed some of the most reliable weapons in the DC Universe. While the series has been largely focused on Jim Gordon and his hunt for the Clown Prince of Crime in the aftermath of the Joker War, he's been receiving support from his daughter Barbara, using the full resources of the Batcomputer to help him in his search. However, this has put Batgirl in the sights of the Court of Owls, Jim Gordon's secret employers who hired him to go after the Joker. Still, while Barbara and her fellow Batgirls were attacked by one of the Court's Talons, they were able to turn the tide with the one weapon the assassin couldn't sabotage.
In previous issues of Joker from writer James Tynion IV and artist Guillem March, Jim Gordon is no longer Gotham's police commissioner and is nearing his reluctant retirement. However, before that happens, he's given the chance to finally take down his elusive "bogeyman," the Joker himself. Hired by a mysterious woman named Cressida, Jim Gordon has been paid a sizable amount of money and given ample resources to kill the Joker. However, while Gordon is determined to track Joker down, he doesn't yet know if pulling the trigger is what he'll ultimately decide to do. Gordon's new mission has also resulted in Jim revealing that he's known Batgirl's true identity for quite some time, resulting in more honesty than the pair have ever had before as father and daughter.
Now, Joker #7 confirms that Cressida is working for the Court of Owls, and that they've sent one of their Talon assassins to go after Barbara who had been using her technical skills to surveil the mysterious woman and learn her true intentions. However, even though the Talon had sabotaged her costume and gear before revealing himself, Barbara still has her batarangs and notes their reliability seeing as how they can't really be ruined or tampered with.
Thanks to her batarangs, Barbara and her fellow Batgirls Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain were able to get the upper hand against the Talon, forcing him to retreat. This issue continues James Tynion IV's love for the batarang by pointing out the weapon's inherent reliability. In previous issues of Batman from Tynion, during the Joker War, Batman himself confirmed that his batarangs are more than just shurikens by another name. Bruce Wayne crafted them to be more precise, providing greater accuracy while bearing a unique versatility.
All in all, batarangs have certainly earned their place as the Bat-Family's primary weapon of choice. Not only are they a part of nearly every Gotham vigilante's arsenal, but they've also been customized for a variety of uses over the years as well. Batgirl confirms in this new issue of Joker that nothing quite beats the classic batarang due to its reliability and resistance to sabotage in the DC Universe.