, ▁has ▁expressed ▁his ▁dis ple asure ▁with ▁how ▁the ▁story ▁turned ▁out ." ▁Jeff rey ▁A . ▁Brown , ▁author ▁of ▁D anger ous ▁Cur ves : ▁Action ▁Hero ines , ▁G ender , ▁F et ish ism , ▁and ▁Popular ▁Culture ▁( 2 0 1 1 ) ▁noted ▁The ▁K illing ▁Jo ke ▁as ▁an ▁example ▁of ▁the ▁" in her ent ▁mis og yn y ▁of ▁the ▁male - domin ated ▁com ic ▁book ▁industry " ▁in ▁light ▁of ▁the ▁" rel atively ▁une qual ▁violence ▁[ f em ale ▁characters ] ▁are ▁subject ed ▁to ." ▁While ▁male ▁characters ▁may ▁be ▁crit ically ▁injured ▁or ▁killed , ▁they ▁are ▁more ▁than ▁likely ▁to ▁be ▁returned ▁to ▁their ▁original ▁conception , ▁while ▁female ▁characters ▁are ▁more ▁likely ▁to ▁receive ▁permanent ▁damage . ▁Re id ▁states ▁that ▁although ▁spec ulation ▁behind ▁the ▁editor ial ▁decision ▁to ▁allow ▁the ▁par al ysis ▁of ▁the ▁character ▁to ▁become ▁permanent ▁included ▁the ▁idea ▁she ▁had ▁become ▁out dated , ▁" if ▁aud ien ces ▁had ▁grown ▁tired ▁of ▁Bat g irl , ▁it ▁was ▁not ▁because ▁she ▁was ▁a ▁bad ▁character ▁but ▁because ▁she ▁had ▁been ▁written ▁badly ." ▁ ▁Despite ▁views ▁that ▁present ▁the ▁character ' s ▁Bat g irl ▁persona ▁as ▁a ▁symbol ▁of ▁female ▁emp ower ment , ▁a ▁long - h eld ▁criticism ▁is ▁that ▁she ▁was ▁originally ▁conce ived ▁as ▁an ▁un in sp ired ▁variation ▁of ▁Bat man ▁" r ather ▁than ▁standing ▁alone ▁as ▁leader , ▁such