Batgirl

Ame-Comi Girls #2 (featuring Batgirl)

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ame-comi-girls-2-coverI will admit the entire idea of Ame-Comi Girls is goofy as hell, and that’s part of the charm. One thing in short supply since DC Comics launched their New 52 is accepting and embracing the fact that comics are supposed to be fun. From the digital comics that were based on the anime-inspired figures from DC Collectibles, the Ame-Comi version of the DCU is female-centric, and in this issue features Batgirl and Robin facing off against Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and the villainous Duela Dent.

The writing isn’t great, although it’s better that many of the New 52 books from the past year, but one thing it delivers, oddly enough given its set-up, is easily recognizable characters. We get the basic archetypes for Batgirl, Poison Ivy, and (the original version) of Harley Quinn. Catwoman seems to be based off a more current interpretation, and I would have preferred by Robin to be blonde and named Stephanie Brown, but I’ll take what I can get.

The comic’s major weakness is its choice of resurrected best forgotten C-list character in Duela Dent. That said, there’s still plenty of fun to be had, and quite a bit of story jammed within the pages of the comic. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Birds of Prey #4

/ / Comics

birds-of-prey-new-52-4-coverIt takes more than half the issue but Batgirl finally joins the team. The addition of Batgil may mean good things for the future of the comic but it doesn’t do much to help out here as the story is still stuck in neutral with invisible ninja assassins and super-secret scientists planting bombs in peoples heads.

Birds of Prey is a comic I want to like but now for four months it’s given me little reason to do so. The addition of Batgirl isn’t the only change that needs to be made on this title. We still know next to nothing about Starling, Katana remains a one-note character, and I don’t see how Babs sticks around for a team that includes Poison Ivy as one of its members.

The good news is Batgirl works well here, especially with Black Canary. It’s good to see the Babs/Dinah team back together. Now if we can just figure out a way to get Zinda Blake and the Huntress to replace Poison Ivy and Katana we might, might have something. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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Nightwing #4

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nightwing-new-52-4-coverAnother of DC Comics New 52 titles goes off the rails. We know we’re in trouble from the very start when the comic is opened to find a that Trevor McCarthy has replaced Eddy Barrows as artist for this issue. Aside from not knowing what age to draw Dick Grayson (a common problem in Bat-books this month) McCarthy’s art is certainly slick, but he seems to be suffering from the same affliction of Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane in wanting to draw characters in awkward angles in big splash pages regardless of whether it helps tell the story (or makes sense).

The story is also confusing as Batgirl comes to town asking for Nightwing’s help (after telling him to stay away just one month ago). I don’t know if the writers’ were going for a Buffy/Angel homage here, but it’s impossible not to see the similarities with “Sanctuary” and “The Yoko Factor.”

The villain is an undeveloped stand-in for Clayface that comes off disappointing that the pair deal with without too much trouble. The more looming threat of a villain who knows Nightwing’s secrets is mentioned but instantly discarded.

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Batgirl #3

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batgirl-new52-3-coverI still miss Stephanie Brown, I’ll freely admit that. Of all the comics that went away in favor of DC’s New 52 Bryan Q. Miller‘s Batgirl was the most consistent and showed promise to get even better with time.

Stephanie was a Barbara Gordon Batgirl for a new generation. Strong, opinionated, quirky, intelligent, kick-ass, and always wearing her heart on her sleeve. Why would we need Babs back in the Batsuit when Steph was honoring her so well?

I also miss Oracle, and her partnership with Black Canary, Huntress, Zinda Blake, and the rest of the Birds of Prey. It’s in her years in the wheelchair, not before, that Barbara became a real fleshed out character that was one of the most inspiring in all of comics.

Barbara Gordon’s return as Batgirl has been underwhelming, even with Gail Simone at the helm. The latest issue sees Batgirl go toe-to-toe with Nightwing, and, if only for a moment, we see what this comic could be is Simone wasn’t so intent on isolating Babs from the rest of the Bat-Family.

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Batgirl #1

/ / Comics

batgirl-1-coverOf all the comics slated for the DC Reboot Barbara Gordon‘s return as Batgirl created the most heated debate. DC was cancelling Stephanie Brown‘s popular version of the character in favor of putting Barbara back in the Batsuit for the first time since 1988 when the character was paralyzed by the Joker in Alan Moore‘s Batman: The Killing Joke.

Forgetting for the second that this first issue is far inferior to Bryan Q. Miller’s stellar Batgirl run, and the debate whether or not Barbara Gordon is a more intriguing character as Oracle rather than Batgirl (the answer is Oracle, by the way), this first issue has a great many problems.

I love writer Gail Simone, I’d just rather see her penning Secret Six. The writing her feels rushed, Barbara Gordon’s paralysis is fixed by a “miracle” off-panel, and her time as Oracle isn’t even hinted at (did it even occur in this vesrion of the DCU?). The villain of the piece (who basically appears to be some guy who has seen Final Destination way, way too many times) is also troubling. And don’t even get me started on the costume that looks like someone spray-painted Witchblade.

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