Originally posted at Newsarama.com, September 2009
Batgirl #2
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Lee Garbett, Trevor Scott, Sandra Hope
Colors by Guy Major
Letters by John J. Hill
Cover by Phil Noto
Review by Amanda McDonald
Let me preface this review with the fact that I am a librarian by day. Like most smart librarians, I've always wished I could be Barbara Gordon's Batgirl by night. Never having been able to get into the Cassandra Cain run of Batgirl, I thought I'd give this newest run a try. So far, so good. The last issue ended with Barbara surprising Stephanie Brown with a confrontation over waffles. The paneling and dialog structure are clear from the start-- while they converse, we are let in on Bab's inner thoughts in green text boxes, and Stephanie's in purple text boxes. It's a heavy feature in the book and the simple paneling keeps it from looking too cluttered or overwhelming.
The issue consistently flashes between scenes with Barbara, and scenes with Stephanie. As Babs communicates with the local morgue worker about a body testing positive for the drug "Thrill" (a hallucinogen that drives adrenaline to dangerously high levels), Stephanie attends the college Harvest Festival and encounters a classmate-- inebriated by Thrill spiked punch. As the girl collapses, everyone around scatters away in fear and guilt. Opening her school bag and pulling out the Batgirl suit, Stephanie soon hears Barbara's voice guiding her.
Needing more computing power, Barbara has contacted Alfred (in space chauffeuring the Outsiders) to gain access to the Batcave-- and more importantly, the Bat-computer. When Stephanie joins her, they have a confrontation, resulting in both realizing that Barbara has been trying to break Stephanie's will to take over the Batgirl mantle. The book ends by cutting to an unknown location to see a Thrill dealer being welcomed back by his boss. . . . Scarecrow.
Noto's cover shows a Batgirl pulling on yellow boots and wearing a yellow lined cape. However-- all through the issue, Stephanie continues to use the Cassandra Cain suit. Perhaps a tip of the hat to Barbara's former life as Batgirl and the passing of the torch? Nice touch, if that's the case.
The women characters' relationship transitions through the book from stand-offish, to hesitantly partnering, to a well crafted mentor/apprentice relationship. The strength of Miller's story is found in the development of the dynamic between Barbara as Oracle and Stephanie as Batgirl. The three artists' work blends seamlessly, with Major's colors tying everything together. Especially striking was the backdrop of a completely darkened Bat-cave, aside from the green glow of Oracle at work and silhouette of Batgirl watching.
Barbara will always be THE Batgirl in my heart. Cassandra couldn't cut it for me, and the first issue of this run left me only mildly intrigued by Stephanie. However, the ending editorial commentary put a fire under me to truly give this book a chance. There's a nice (if a bit fan-servicey) breakdown of why Steph was chosen over any of the rumored choices, along with a sneak peak at the next Batgirl look-- bit more purple, new belt, and. . . . leg pouches? If nothing else, I'll tune in to see what purpose those serve. Also for anyone still mourning the loss of Cassandra Cain, we learn she will be back on the pages of a DC book sometime in 2010.
If you're looking for crazy, non-stop pages of fast paced action, this isn't the issue for you. But if you're looking for a strong story about how Batgirl and Oracle will fit into this next phase of the Bat-universe, you don't want to miss this book.
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