Writers: Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart
Artist/Inker/Colourist: Bengal
Publisher: DC Comics
A Batgirl one-shot featuring, albeit briefly, the Joker, you say? Â A cover that hasn’t got recalled, you say? The Joker against the “new” Batgirl? Â The answer to all the above is yes, it’s pointless crossover time!
Written by the regular duo of Cameron Stewart and Brendan Fletcher, we see Batgirl try to draw the line of crazy at the Burnside Bridge. I am and always will be a huge Batgirl fan. Â I have enjoyed nearly every version, bar Alicia Silverstone; and Yvonne Craig was the girlfriend of the 9 year-old version of me! All that said, this new book is not aimed at me. Â As such, it was with a heavy heart that I removed this book from my pull list.
Back to this issue; the pacing of the book is great as is the transition panels moving Batgirl from place to place. This is just as well, what with there being no words. This works because of the art from Bengal is stylised in a different way to how Batgirl normally looks, the highlights being the facial expressions which convey exactly what is going through a characters mind. Â Just to be clear, I don’t mind the not so new Batgirl outfit, it’s just by making her appearance look younger than previously, the impact is that the regular book has looked to cultivate a younger audience and for that I applaud everyone involved. The fact that this book has no words and a different artist has certainly caught my attention.
So let’s recap, no words, stylised art, no Joker, so what is the point of the book? It’s certainly not to advance the story and definitely not to introduce the Batgirl character, that ship has sailed. As for the Joker element, if you were expecting fireworks, given the history of the two characters, then you will be disappointed. Â Is it worth the extra strain on your wallet? I enjoyed it and the book is certainly a fun read, reminding me more of the Stephanie Brown Batgirl but I have to say, I probably wouldn’t have gone out of my way to buy this book.
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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