Review: Batgirl Volume 3 - Mindfields

When Batgirl begins to forget pieces of her past, she discovers that a mysterious foe known as the Fugue is responsible for her memory loss. With the help of Black Canary and her friend Frankie, Batgirl must retrieve her stolen memories in order to prevent her enemy from destroying her life.

Then, after the terrorist organization Gladius returns to Gotham City with the intention of detonating a powerful bomb, Batgirl calls upon Bluebird, Spoiler, and Vixen to aid in her quest to dismantling Gladius’ operations for good.

Batgirl Volume 3: Mindfields collects Batgirl #46-52 and Batgirl: Endgame, written by Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart with art by Babs Tarr, Eleanor Carlini, and Bengal.

Mindfields serves as the brilliant conclusion to Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr’s stellar run on Batgirl after they revamped the title in 2014. Its purpose is twofold – to tie-up the various plot threads established by the creative team and to introduce a new direction for the character for the next creative team. All of the Burnside era rogues return in a splashy high stakes showdown with Batgirl and her allies during the Fugue arc (and then once again to fight Gladius). It’s a really engaging read, though it admittedly feels a bit like déjà vu as it employs much of the same story elements as Gail Simone’s final arc on Batgirl. What stands above this familiarity is strong character work that unfolds over these issues and debuts new roles for the cast. Namely, Frankie becomes the tech-savvy hero Operator and Barbara launches a Gotham-based clean energy company. These are really fresh directions for both characters to take and ones that seem like organic evolutions.

Something I love about this creative team’s take on Batgirl is that they never once forget that the titular heroine has an eidetic memory. Though their references of it tend to appear in a visual manner, here they take shape in the story itself. Essentially, the plot hinges upon the question of what happens when a person with a photographic memory begins to forget large swaths of their past? The answer is both poignant and unique to Barbara Gordon. For the average person, losing a bit of our memory is natural, but for Barbara this becomes a full-blown crisis and puts her through the wringer. It’s impressive that this form of character exploration is then used as a transitionary tool to usher in the next path she’ll be taking for DC Comics’ Rebirth initiative.

Batgirl Volume 3: Mindfields was a satisfying way to end the so-called Burnside era of Batgirl. Fletcher, Stewart, and Tarr introduced a lot of great characters that had a lot of depth and interest, so it’s naturally bittersweet to be seeing Barbara bid farewell to them. The creative team pulls out all the stops by giving readers plenty of colourful villains and team-up action in a cohesive character-focused storyline. Major props should be given for Vixen snagging a guest spot and for Frankie’s promotion to hero status. Though I would have loved for this run to continue on a little longer, I’m very impressed with all of the work that went into creating such a great series. Additionally, artists Babs Tarr and Bengal deserve a rousing rounding of applause for their contributions. Their artwork created a distinct aesthetic for this run that gave it that little extra something special.

RATING: A-