Babs Tarr

Last updated
Babs Tarr
Babs Tarr by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Tarr at the 2022 WonderCon
BornBarbara Tarr
(1987-11-12) November 12, 1987 (age 35)
Nationality American
Pseudonym(s)Babs Tarr
Notable works
Batgirl Motor Crush

Barbara Tarr (also known as Babs Tarr) is an American freelance comic book artist who has worked for DC Comics and Image Comics. She is best known for her work on Batgirl and for her Japanese-style illustrations.

Contents

Early life

Babs Tarr grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. [1] She went to Bishop England High School, after which she studied Printmaking at Osaka University of Arts and Illustration at Maryland Institute College of Art, where she received her BFA in Illustration. [2]

Career

In 2014, Tarr's Japanese-influenced fan art caught the eye of DC Comics, and they hired her to draw a new Batgirl series. [3] She later became the first long-term female artist to work on a Bat-Comic. [4] Since then, she has been worked on titles published by DC's Young Animal imprint, Marvel Comics, and Image Comics. [5] Early issues of Batgirl were sketched out by Cameron Stewart, and then passed over to Tarr to color, add details to, and enhance. [6] Since then, Tarr has illustrated and drawn covers for other DC Comics series, such as Black Canary and Gotham Academy. [7] She has also worked for Hasbro, Disney, Boom! Comics, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, and Brand X. Her manga-inspired style has become more popular after Batgirl's popularity in the comic book industry, and it has found its way into other comics that Tarr has worked on.

Tarr's Sailor Moon Motorcycle Girls illustration inspired Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher to write two villains for Batgirl #36 based on Tarr's illustration. [8] [ better source needed ]

In 2016, Tarr stopped working on Batgirl and moved on to work on Image Comics' Motor Crush series where she worked as an artist and writer. [9]

In 2019, Tarr began co-hosting the weekly Internet show Pub Draw on the Critical Role Twitch and YouTube channels. Each week, Tarr would teach co-host Marisha Ray and occasionally a guest how to draw characters from Critical Role, on which Ray is a star. [10]

Bibliography

Artist

Variant Cover

Cover

Penciller

Writer

Related Research Articles

<i>Batman: The Killing Joke</i> 1988 graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland

Batman: The Killing Joke is a 1988 DC Comics one-shot graphic novel featuring the characters Batman and the Joker written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland. The Killing Joke provides an origin story for the supervillain the Joker, loosely adapted from the 1951 story "The Man Behind the Red Hood!", which was written by Batman co-creator Bill Finger. The Joker's origin is presented via flashback, while simultaneously depicting his attempt to drive Jim Gordon insane and Batman's desperate attempt to stop him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birds of Prey (team)</span> American comic series and superhero team

The Birds of Prey is a superhero team featured in several American comic book series, miniseries, and special editions published by DC Comics since 1996. The book's premise originated as a partnership between Black Canary and Barbara Gordon, who had adopted the codename Oracle at the time, but has expanded to include additional superheroines. The team name "Birds of Prey" was attributed to DC assistant editor Frank Pittarese in the text page of the first issue. The group is initially based in Gotham City and later operates in Metropolis and then relocates once more to "Platinum Flats", California, a new locale introduced in Birds of Prey in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Canary</span> Fictional character

The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, the character debuted in Flash Comics #86.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batgirl</span> Comic book superheroine

Batgirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. Although the character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in 1961 by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff as Bat-Girl, she was replaced by Barbara Gordon in 1967, who later came to be identified as the iconic Batgirl. The character debuted in Detective Comics #359 by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino, introduced as the niece/adoptive daughter of police commissioner James Gordon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Gordon</span> DC Comics character

Barbara Gordon is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox, and artist Carmine Infantino. Dozier, the producer of the 1960s Batman television series, requested Schwartz to call for a new female counterpart to the superhero Batman that could be introduced into publication and the third season of the show simultaneously. The character subsequently made her first comic-book appearance as Batgirl in Detective Comics #359, titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" in January 1967, by Fox and Infantino, allowing her to be introduced into the television series, portrayed by actress Yvonne Craig, in the season 3 premiere "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin", in September that same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassandra Cain</span> American comics superhero

Cassandra Cain is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, Cassandra Cain first appeared in Batman #567. The character is one of several who have assumed the role of Batgirl. Over the years, she has also assumed the names of Black Bat and Orphan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Shiva</span> Fictional character

Lady Shiva is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and first appeared in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #5. Over time, she has become more closely associated with Batman and related characters, both as an enemy and an ally. She is a Chinese/Japanese martial arts grandmaster and one of the most skilled combatants in the DC Universe. She is an assassin-for-hire who specializes in killing her targets with her bare hands, and is the mother of Cassandra Cain, aka Batgirl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Brown (character)</span> DC Comics character

Stephanie Brown is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #647, and was created by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Simone</span> American comic book writer

Gail Simone is an American writer best known for her work in comics on DC's Birds of Prey, Batgirl, Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja, and for being the longest running female writer on Wonder Woman to date. Other notable works include Clean Room, Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility, The All-New Atom, and Deadpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Conner</span> American comics artist and commercial art illustrator

Amanda Conner is an American comics artist and commercial art illustrator. She began her career in the late 1980s for Archie Comics and Marvel Comics, before moving on to contribute work for Claypool Comics' Soulsearchers and Company and Harris Comics' Vampirella in the 1990s. Her 2000s work includes Mad magazine, and such DC Comics characters as Harley Quinn, Power Girl, and Atlee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Bard</span> Fictional character in the DC Universe

Jason Bard is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Detective Comics #392, which was published in 1969. He appeared in several back-up stories throughout the 1970s and 1980s in Detective Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becky Cloonan</span> American comic book creator

Becky Cloonan is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main Batman title for DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Stewart</span> Canadian comic book creator

Cameron Stewart is a Canadian comic book creator. He first came to prominence when he collaborated as an illustrator with writer Grant Morrison, and he went on to illustrate Catwoman and co-write Batgirl. He won Eisner and Shuster Awards for his self-published mystery web comic Sin Titulo, and received an Eisner nomination for The Other Side. In 2020, he was the subject of numerous sexual misconduct accusations.

<i>Batgirl: Year One</i> Mini-series published by DC Comics

Batgirl: Year One is a nine-part comic book mini-series published by DC Comics from February to October 2003, and then compiled into trade paperback form. Written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, with art by Marcos Martin and Alvaro Lopez, the mini-series shows how modern Barbara Gordon became the first Batgirl. It served as a sequel to Robin: Year One and the two mini-series were collected as a trade paperback in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)</span> Fictional character

The Huntress is an antiheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the third DC character to bear the name Huntress. Originally introduced as a new interpretation of Helena Wayne, no longer depicted as the future daughter of Batman and Catwoman as part of DC's post-Crisis on Infinite Earths relaunch, she was later established to be the modern-day equivalent, namesake and predecessor of Helena Wayne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Chiang</span> American comic book artist

Cliff Chiang is an American comic book artist. Formerly an assistant editor at DC Comics, he is now an illustrator, known for his work on Human Target, Beware the Creeper and Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre, Green Arrow/Black Canary, Wonder Woman and Paper Girls.

Originally created in 1967, the fictional comic book character Barbara Gordon has been adapted into various other forms of media. The character has appeared in both live action and animated television series and films, as well as in video games in her alter-egos as both Batgirl and Oracle.

Annie Wu is an American comic book creator who has worked with DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Vertigo (Comics). She has done work on Matt Fraction's Hawkeye and is a storyboard artist for Adult Swim's The Venture Bros.

DC Comics Bombshells refers to a line of figurines released by DC Collectibles depicting DC Comics superheroines in a retro 1940s look based on designs by Ant Lucia. The line has further expanded to encompass variant covers of DC Comics and licensed memorabilia such as art prints, T-shirts, mugs and their own ongoing comic book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joëlle Jones</span> American comic book artist and writer

Joëlle Jones is an American comic book artist and writer, best known for her work on Lady Killer, a series published in 2015–2017 by Dark Horse Comics, for her cover work on various Marvel Comics series, and for her work writing and illustrating DC Comics series including Batman and Catwoman.

References

  1. BABS to the BONE. Twitter. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  2. Tarr, Barbara. "Babs Tarr Info". BabsBabsbabs.
  3. Haire, Chris (April 22, 2015). "Mt. Pleasant's Babs Tarr joins the Bat Family and helps give Batgirl a much-needed Veronica Mars makeover". Charleston City Paper .
  4. Neumann, Caryn (2015). "The Fan and the Female Superhero in Comic Books". Journal of Fandom Studies. 3 (3): 291–302. doi:10.1386/jfs.3.3.291_1.
  5. Tarr, Barbara. "Babs Tarr Info". babsbabsbabs.
  6. Kanayama, Kelly (9 December 2014). "Zooming in on Badass Ladies: Interview with Babs Tarr". Women Write about Comics. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  7. "Babs Tarr". 14 July 2014.
  8. Ochoa, Randy Z. (2015). "Babs of Burnside -- An Interview with Batgirl Artist Babs Tarr". We the Nerdy.
  9. Pitts, Lan (31 March 2016). "Babs Tarr Says Goodbye to Batgirl and Hints at What's Next on IMAGE COMICS". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
  10. "Pub Draw". 2019.