Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 020

The Story
Nine years ago a bullied girl poisoned a bunch of her classmates at a birthday party and stole a ventriloquist's dummy. Back in the present Barbara visits her psychologist and tells her most of what happened the previous night. Though it is a little confusing as to what she actually tells her and what she keeps secret. She gets into a fight with the girl from the first two pages, who has grown up and now has some what seem to be some kind of telekinetic control over her dummy and other objects.

Barbara remembers the license plates of every car in the parking lot, and runs off to trace which car the Ventriloquist took. Back by the docks Jim Gordon declares that Batgirl will pay, showing a lot more concern for the sociopath of a son than he ever showed before.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 019

The Story
Barbara returns to her apartment, where she reveals everything that has happened to her, minus her secret identity, to Alysia. Alysia returns the favor by revealing that she is transgendered. Barbara then leaves to confront James.

At the Gotham Police Department, Gordon gets a call from James, telling him to meet down by the Aquarium. James meets with Batgirl and their mother, where he reveals that Batgirl is Barbara. Their mother shoots James, and in the ensuing fight Batgirl throws a batarang into James' face, who falls over a railing with a broken back.

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.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 018

The Story

After surviving the explosion, Batgirl hunts down Firebug and takes him out. After which she goes after her brother, who is targeting their mother.

The Review
I'm trying not to judge these books based on how well they tie into Requiem, but I do find it amusing how little reaction Barbara has to finding out Damian is dead. Granted, she barely actually interacted with him. But her dead eyed reaction is kind of unsettling.

As for the actual story of this issue. I can't say I was very invested. Knowing that Fawkes only has two issues before Simone comes back means I don't feel any real need to dig deep or get invested in this issue or last issue. So really it comes across as an interlude between the actual story. And while there are ongoing threads that carried over from Simone's run, and will continue back into Simone's run, the main threat of Firebug comes across as little more than filler.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 014-017

The Story
Barbara tries her very best to end the Joker, after he kidnaps her mother and mutilates her hand. Joker proposes to Batgirl, but reveals that he intends to saw off her arms and legs and keep her in a basement. James, Barbara's brother, tricks her into believing he's freed their mother, while in fact he has made a deal with the Joker and sold Barbara out to him.

After the events of Death of the Family, Barbara works to take down the thugs that worked for the Joker. She sends their profiles to the police, but has to intervene when the supervillain Firebug gets involved.

The Review
Out of all the tie ins (With the exception of Red Hood) Batgirl has the most personal stakes in the game.  While pretty much all the members of the Bat Family, with the exception of Batman himself, vow to themselves to kill Joker, with Batgirl it makes the most sense (again, with the exception of Red Hood). For characters such as Dick and Tim it feels out of place to have them suddenly vowing to kill the Joker. Granted I can understand how this traumatic event is meant to shake up Dick's life enough to take him in a new direction, but it still feels ultimately out of character.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 013

The Story

Batgirl manages to defeat Knightfall, despite being stabbed in the gut, and saves both Ricky and Trevor, the man who murdered Knightfall's family. We learn the true story behind the death of Knightfall's family, and why she went mad. After the case is resolved, Barbara is attacked by three Joker goons in her apartment.

The Review
While I find the end to the Knightfall arc satisfying, I have to say that part of me feels these big event stories are getting in the way of the stories individual books are trying to tell. This is less of an issue with Batgirl since out of all the bat family she has the deepest connection with the Joker. With her it's a matter of personal vendetta rather than a matter of duty.

It's a chance for us to examine the full effect Joker had on Barbara's life. Unfortunately I am not well enough versed in the DC universe to know how often this came up during Barbara's days as Oracle, but for a newcomer like myself this issue starts off a promising storyline.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 0

The Story

While Barbara and James are taking a tour of the GCPD for her school assignement, cultists attack, releasing Harry X, an inhumanely large human trafficer. During the assault he zeroes in on Barbara, trying to take her hostage. She dons the mock-up of Batman's costume from the task force room, and beats Harry X.

The rest of the story is a montage of her year as batgirl, and how she left it all behind for a normal life. All up until that fateful night, when the Joker came calling.

The Review
From the two issue zeroes I've read, I've noticed that montages feature extensively. And I like how this book takes the montage, but only applies it to the end. There's an actual story with a beginning, middle, and end in the first part of this comic. And as far as I'm concerned, it was a really good story.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 012

The Story

Batwoman attacks, and she and Batgirl fight until Batgirl surrenders. She then explains what is going on, and the three of them attack Knightfall's hideout. Batgirl fights the three goons until Batwoman and McKenna come in to back her up. When Batgirl goes to Knightfall's office, she finds Ricky, imprisoned and mutilated. While she is distracted, Knightfall stabs her from behind.

The Review
Overall I liked this issue. While I do think that the fight between Batgirl and Batwoman went on for a bit too long, and too much of it was Batgirl being humiliated in her own book, overall I still liked the story.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 011

The Story

Batgirl fights off Knightfall's goons, using her limited resources. When things start to go badly for her, Detective McKenna comes in and saves her. The detective explains Knightfall, Charise Carnes's story, how her family was butchered with her the only survivor. She was sent to Arkham even though evidence hinted at her being the perpetrator. McKenna reveals to Batgirl that someone in the Bat Family was a mole, ending the chapter with a shot of Batwoman.

The Review
As something of a connoisseur of fights, I have to say I liked how the first part of this issue was handled. Fights aren't really embellished much in american comics, but for what it was I really enjoyed it. Limiting Barbara's available weapons helped give the situation a sense of danger, and Barbara's narration of what each batarang does added a sense of progression to the fight.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 010

The Story

Batgirl fights several car thieves, and while one of them tries to escape he gets caught in a bear trap. Batgirl stays with him until the security detail for the party comes to take care of  him. When she gets home, Barbara gets a call from her roommate, asking to be bailed out of prison.

The two discuss Bruce's revitalization project, with Alysia providing a counterpoint to Barbara's opinion on Bruce's plan. Barbara comes to the decision that she's done fighting for rich peoples' things.

Later, Barbara goes back to the building the story started in, and finds the three person security detail, holding the car thief, now with a missing leg, hostage. The woman holding him declares their group to be the Disgraced, before dropping the thief. Barbara saves him, but is attacked by a winged member of Disgraced. The two fight, before Barbara is surrounded by the rest of the team.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl Issue 009

The Story
The issue opens with a story about Japanese girls making balloons to carry bombs over the Pacific to America. The story continues on to Hailey's circus, where a member of the Court of Owls is chosing a new Talon, a girl caught in the bombing.

Cut forward to the present and Batgirl faces off against the Talon the girl in the story would become. She barely manages to fight the Talon off. Gordon is approached by the Court of Owls and forbidden from acting against them, at risk of harm coming to Barbara.

While Batgirl faces the Talon and defeats her, Gordon finally makes his way up to the roof where he activates the batsignal, only to discover that is what the Court of Owls wanted him to do all along, having replaced the batsignal with their own signal.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 001-007

Well, this is kind of awkward. I posted my review of issue eight, thinking that I already reviewed the first seven issues. Guess I reviewed every series but this one. My bad. Let me fix that.

One of the major topics of conversation surrounding the New 52 was the reinstating of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Anyone only familiar with the animated series probably wouldn't even be aware that Barbara stopped being Batgirl (though I really doubt it, I'm practically a comics virgin and I still knew there've been several Batgirls, don't ask me for the exact number I can't be bothered to look it up). But those that have more than a passing knowledge of the comics know that for the past few years Barbara was one of comics' only paraplegic characters who remained active across several different books. As Oracle she provided technological backup for several members of the Bat Family and the Birds of Prey.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Batgirl 008

We finally get some answers in this issue, namely, why did Barbara's mom leave all those years ago? She basically reveals that Barbara's brother was a sociopath, and because she was afraid the mom left. A quick search on wikipedia revealed that there is some story there I'm obviously missing. Not having this backstory I'm left at odds with what I'm supposed to be feeling. Again, there's no clear distinction of what is stil canon and what isn't, and if this reboot was meant to bring new readers in, it might help to not reference things said readers are not familiar with. Either keep all the continuity, or eschew it all. Make a choice.