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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
This is deeply charming, and the art is gorgeous! I LOVE Babs. I thought the villains fell a little flat, which is the only reason I'm knocking off a star.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was OK. This volume contains the nine issues that tell Barbara Gordon's Batgirl origin story. The premise was good, but if felt a little too Grrr Grrl Power! to me. I also found it a little difficult to tell what Barbara's age actually was. One minute she is working as a researcher, and the next she in her bedroom which resembled a young teenager's. Her interaction with Batman and Robin seemed a little weird, too. Batman imo was a bit of a jerk. I'm not sure why he had to be all underhanded and secretive about testing Batgirl, even while he was hoping she would quit. I just feel like he could have been more positive. (I know, its Batman. Sigh.)
There were other issues I found too. I guess it felt a little all over the place. But still, I love Batgirl, so her origin story is sort of required reading.
There were other issues I found too. I guess it felt a little all over the place. But still, I love Batgirl, so her origin story is sort of required reading.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I think I just fell in love with Barbara Gordon. So good!
The plot of Batgirl: Year One is entertaining and empowering. A young Barbara Gordon, inspired by her police commissioner father and feeling the need to do something more, decides to become a vigilante superhero a la Batman, after failing to break into the boys club of law enforcement. The characterization of young Barbara is complex and realistic, and story of how Babs becomes Batgirl is exciting and earnest.
The art is super slick, too - some of the cleanest lines and inking I've seen in comics lately. It's kind of reminiscent of Steve Rude with the heavy brushed lines. But more than just the surface style, the acrobatics Barbara Gordon performs look weighty and real for someone of her age and skill level - more realistic than some other superhero antics anyway.
There's some mild one-sided flirtation between Barbara and the then young Dick Grayson/Robin, which I know annoys some Dick fans, but it reads to me as an element of the story that is trying to show Barbara's frustration with being so completely in a boys' world. The one guy who's nice to her wants to get in her pants, and is also mostly flirting with her as part of his good cop/bad cop plot with Batman to manipulate her further. I also think it's meant to highlight Dick's familiar younger, more playful character - before the Nightwing days and even before he grew up and became more jaded. It sets the tone sort of for the era of the Batverse when the story is set.
There's a heartbreaking moment of foreshadowing near the end that kills me every time I read this. The whole series is pretty heavy with the foreshadowing actually; sometimes it's a nice touch and sometimes a bit much. But it's great to read a new story with the original Batgirl.
(This is a trade paperback that collects the nine issue miniseries.)
The art is super slick, too - some of the cleanest lines and inking I've seen in comics lately. It's kind of reminiscent of Steve Rude with the heavy brushed lines. But more than just the surface style, the acrobatics Barbara Gordon performs look weighty and real for someone of her age and skill level - more realistic than some other superhero antics anyway.
There's some mild one-sided flirtation between Barbara and the then young Dick Grayson/Robin, which I know annoys some Dick fans, but it reads to me as an element of the story that is trying to show Barbara's frustration with being so completely in a boys' world. The one guy who's nice to her wants to get in her pants, and is also mostly flirting with her as part of his good cop/bad cop plot with Batman to manipulate her further. I also think it's meant to highlight Dick's familiar younger, more playful character - before the Nightwing days and even before he grew up and became more jaded. It sets the tone sort of for the era of the Batverse when the story is set.
There's a heartbreaking moment of foreshadowing near the end that kills me every time I read this. The whole series is pretty heavy with the foreshadowing actually; sometimes it's a nice touch and sometimes a bit much. But it's great to read a new story with the original Batgirl.
(This is a trade paperback that collects the nine issue miniseries.)
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Boring, mysigoginistic, but criminally boring.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
I enjoyed this one! I'm a sucker for an origin story.