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The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 2:19 am
by Bamfette
I will say this right off, because I know it is a thing with people. This issue does NOT ignore the elephant in the room, Barbara's time in a wheelchair is clearly referred to and does have an effect on her newly able-bodied life. Also referred to is The Killing Joke, which again, has a real effect on her to this day.

Right, that's out of the way. I really, really liked this issue. Gail got into Babs head and we quickly got a feel for what she's all about, where she's at in life, and to a lesser extent, where she wants to go in the future. (I'm pretty sure that will be covered in more detail in subsequent issues) The dialogue all round was really good, and each character had a strong voice. This has always been one of Gail's strong suits, so I'm not surprised there.

The art is good, I'd maybe have preferred another inker with cleaner, bolder lines, but overall I like it a lot.

The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 2:24 am
by Crawler
This was my second favorite book of the day, and easily my top non-Scott Snyder book this month.

Barbara's / Batgirl's voice is clearly defined and excellently presented through a combination of dialogue and captions. You get a real sense of her as a character and of her history, both as a costumed hero and as a woman in a wheelchair. I really appreciated that the "not in a wheelchair anymore" issue was addressed directly, though not yet explained or resolved. There's plenty of time to get into it, and the history we do get here comes organically and naturally within the story. There's no infodump, no "I have to answer this, so here it is."

But what I loved most was that all of that was intertwined, all clearly a part of Barbara as a character. This story could only be about Barbara Gordon and no one else. I call that a win.

The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 2:32 am
by Bamfette
Yes! there is absolutely no other character that COULD be in this story. Sure there have been characters that have come back from a greivous injury or even death before... but to spend 3 years in a wheelchair and the perspective that brings is something unique to Barbara. It's an interesting story for that reason.

The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 5:13 am
by Darkholme
Hands down my favorite of the books I read today (but I didn't pick up Swamp Thing...yet). I don't know anyone on this planet I would rather have writing this book over Gail. The inner monologue was pitch perfect. You could feel the emotions pouring off the page. Just plain awesome.

The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:49 am
by NachtcGleiskette
I really liked this. And I was on the fence about reading it, Gail Simone hasn't thrilled me in the last few things I've read. But it was fun and exciting and I am really intrigued by this Mirror character. And I loved the turmoil and the memories of her shooting which, in this case, temporarily paralyzed her. Good book!

The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:39 am
by Crawler
Yeah, Nacht. I really enjoyed that the "big worry" that a lot of people had, which was that The Killing Joke never took place, or that returning Babs to the cowl would somehow diminish what she'd gone through, diminish the impact of being paralyzed, or demean the character, was dealt with right away. And not just dealt with, but that that event is still the defining moment of her life, even though she's no longer in the chair.

As Darkholme said, it was pitch perfect.

The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 6:20 pm
by Dedicatedfollower467
I am really enjoying Batgirl, it's probably my favorite of second-favorite of the New 52 titles I've picked up. Barbara is great, and the way they're dealing with her wheelchair/paralysis issue is really good. And I LOVE the villain - I wouldn't mind seeing him added to a regular Rogues gallery for ANY of the Batfamily. They all have issues with survivor's guilt to some degree, and I think that this guy could be a really great new villain.

The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:30 am
by Ult_Sm86
Yeah, Batgirl, Catwoman, and ACTION COMICS seem to be the only 3 solid titles DCnU's put out so far.

And I like the new villain too. A lot. It's definitely a great new fresh start...


But I still really miss Steph. I hope they explain what happened with her being Batgirl. Did that not occur now?

The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:23 pm
by Dedicatedfollower467
Personally, I'm more worried about Cass. I loved Cassandra... but when asking "What happened to Cassandra Cain?" you can also ask, "What happened to Stephanie Brown?"

I hope they do re-introduce those characters; maybe as Blackbat and Spoiler?

The New 52: Batgirl

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 3:07 am
by Ult_Sm86
Supposedly Cassandra is making her own apperance later in some other series, I haven't heard whether this is confirmed or what title it will be.