Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl Annual 1

The Story

Catwoman is hired to rescue the Talon that was captured during the events shown in Batgirl during the Night of Owls. Batgirl tracks Catwoman and the escaped Talon down, which leads all three to the member of the Court that hired Catwoman in the first place. When he double crosses Catwoman, she sides with Batgirl, against him. They, and eventually the Talon, fight the other remaining Talons, and just barely manage to win.

In the end the police surround the place, and rather than letting the police capture the Talon, Catwoman gives herself up, earning at least some respect from Batgirl.

The Review
I've said it before, I really like Catwoman. So any chance to read her is good, unless the story turns out to be lousy. Which in this case it does not, fortunately. I won't call it essential reading, because while it does cover events leading from the Court of Owls, nothing in this book is essential beyond just being a standalone story. It's entertaining enough, but without any gravity to the events I can't see it as more than an entertaining bit of fluff.

I've said before, I like Catwoman, so seeing her and other Bat Family characters interact is always fun. I enjoyed reading Batgirl and Catwoman teaming up, albeit briefly.

The art was...eh, I could take it or leave it, and I'd rather leave it. There's something off about the coloring style that I'm not a huge fan of.

And then there's Ricky, can't say I'm too keen on that character. And this isn't just shipper's bias, it's legitimately weird to see such odd romantic teasing between Batgirl and some random kid.

This is a decent enough read for any fan of Catwoman and Batgirl (though it does reference one of the less savory Green Arrow comics, which personally I would rather leave as one of the forgotten curios of the DC Universe).

You could do worse, the writing is solid enough, the characters are okay. But I really don't consider this one of the big Batman, or even Batgirl or Catwoman comics. It doesn't come up in either regular series. So I would be wary about spending your money here.

The Grade

2/5