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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
This was an excellent origin story that had the benefits of being developed after a new status quo. Dixon and Beatty know their Batfamily and the allusions and foreshadowing to Oracle and other things were excellent. This serves as a sequel of Robin Year One, which was fun. Want to fall in love with Barbara Gordon? Read this book!
Batgirl will always be one of my favotite DC charcter's because she is a girl who can kick ass and just happens to be a librarian when she isn't fighting crime.
One of the best written comics I've read in a while. Definitely deserves to be up there in the pantheon of Batman books.
I had very high expectations for Barbara. I was sadly let down. I really hated the voice they gave Barbara in her inner-monologue, half of it read too much like a "omg you can't believe what happened next (which is literally a paraphrased line of it)" speech, while the other half was so utterly unlikable because she kept for some reason belittling batman and robin to push herself up, while also putting herself down and calling herself weak and dumb repeatedly because that's what people think about her. And while it could have been a compelling character arc to see her start out like that then slowly gain more respect for them (or at least understanding), she kept being a brat despite the fact they kept saving her life multiple times.
Some of the storytelling itself made absolutely no narrative sense, such as the addition of the Black Cannary in the story for some reason, who disappeared just as soon as she appeared. Batman was also intermittently there, present for some scenes that made no sense but absent for others that would have needed him. In the same way he was present in the beginning, stalking Robin and Batgirl from a distance, in the same way he should have been present in the entirety of the book, as this was supposedly the story in which she proves herself to the batman and why she is worthy of being a vigilante associated with him. Robin and Alfred being there isn't an excuse in any way, since we all know that this man always needs to do things his way. His absence was confusing.
What saves this story is her interactions with Gordon, which are so sweet and interesting to read, and I wish we got more of that tension between the two of them that we've seen at the end of the story.
The Killer Moth was, in my opinion, a pretty boring villain (and the fact that he was introduced as silly and boring in robin: year one also didn't help his case very much), which also undermined everything that Batgirl did (because again, she kept undermining Batman and Robin while she struggled fighting someone that they had no problem dealing with).
Overall, my issue with this book is that it could have been such a funny, endearing and interesting story, but it sadly fell flat because of clumsy writing and bad introduction of plot points.
Some of the storytelling itself made absolutely no narrative sense, such as the addition of the Black Cannary in the story for some reason, who disappeared just as soon as she appeared. Batman was also intermittently there, present for some scenes that made no sense but absent for others that would have needed him. In the same way he was present in the beginning, stalking Robin and Batgirl from a distance, in the same way he should have been present in the entirety of the book, as this was supposedly the story in which she proves herself to the batman and why she is worthy of being a vigilante associated with him. Robin and Alfred being there isn't an excuse in any way, since we all know that this man always needs to do things his way. His absence was confusing.
What saves this story is her interactions with Gordon, which are so sweet and interesting to read, and I wish we got more of that tension between the two of them that we've seen at the end of the story.
The Killer Moth was, in my opinion, a pretty boring villain (and the fact that he was introduced as silly and boring in robin: year one also didn't help his case very much), which also undermined everything that Batgirl did (because again, she kept undermining Batman and Robin while she struggled fighting someone that they had no problem dealing with).
Overall, my issue with this book is that it could have been such a funny, endearing and interesting story, but it sadly fell flat because of clumsy writing and bad introduction of plot points.
I hate the 5 star rating system because I loved this book but I'm super stingy about perfect ratings. There are boring lulls with things like Killer Moth trying to be respected and the like, but otherwise it gives us the early career of one of the best characters in DC, Barbara Gordon. Her commitment, potential, and most of all personality. Quips about oracles, becoming crippled, and a fake Joker with a gun at the end were equal parts cringe-worthy and delightful. I definitely wouldn't mind an Elseworld story where Babs never became Oracle. As awesome as Oracle is, this is pretty sweet too.. And she rock that Batsuit...
Preferred this to Robin Year One- I think Dick and Barbara's interactions are great and the back and forth between the two provided some of the most entertaining aspects of the stories in this collection.
Solid reboot of Batgirl, nice use of some of the more ridiculous rogues gallery. Strong, vibrant artwork and bittersweet finale, knowing where Barbara Gordon ends up...
This was my first foray into reading comic books, and I enjoyed it. It was very beginner friendly, and I look forward to reading more about Barbra Gordon.
I've always adored Batgirl, even before becoming a librarian myself. I forget exactly how this got on my radar - maybe all the chatter about her impending reboot comic? It was the perfect combination of sass and action for a sleepy Tuesday morning.
An excellent origin story that manages to expand the mythos at the same time. I'd give it 5 stars, but the references to Barbara's future (especially [b:Batman: The Killing Joke|96358|Batman The Killing Joke|Alan Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327894809s/96358.jpg|551787]) were too heavy-handed.