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-

Review: Batgirl Volume 2 - Family Business

Tasked with solving Gotham City's vigilante problem, Jim Gordon (as the new Batman) begrudgingly sets his sights on apprehending Batgirl. This proves to be a major inconvenience for Burnside's fearless defender as he begins hindering Batgirl's pursuit of the recently escaped Livewire. Then, Batgirl must deal with a series of mysterious tiger attacks on some of the city's most prominent tech firms.

Batgirl Volume 2: Family Business collects Batgirl #41-45, DC Sneak Peek: Batgirl #1, and Batgirl Annual #3, written by Cameron Stewart and Brendan Fletcher with art by Babs Tarr.

Family Business is an energetic continuation of the revamped Batgirl series set in Gotham City's trendy Burnside neighbourhood. This collection brings it with colourful villains and guest stars galore. It begins with Batgirl's conflict with her father in his new mantle as Batman and focuses on their subsequent team-up to bring down Livewire. These issues are frenzied and colourful, with plenty of action and gorgeous art done by Babs Tarr. Liveware's inclusion feels like a throwback to The New Batman Adventures episode "Girl's Night Out." She's a character who visually and thematically works as a villain for Batgirl and would be a welcome addition to Batgirl's relatively modest rogue's gallery. The latter half of the book focuses on Batgirl's investigation of a series of tiger attacks led by a Catwoman/Cheetah knock-off named the Velvet Tiger. Despite its somewhat uninspired villain, these issues feature Batgirl doing some fantastic detective work and highlight how effective she is as a hero.

The action in Family Business is undeniably engaging. We get to see Batgirl team up with the likes of Spoiler and Batwoman, while also flexing her own investigative muscles. What is even more remarkable though is the character work that Stewart and Fletcher lay down over the course of the issues collected in this trade. Amidst the insanity of Barbara's career as Batgirl, we see her take on the role of maid of honour when her best friend Alysia becomes engaged. Through this subplot, the writers explore how difficult it is to be a good friend and perform normal tasks when you live a double life. It's a nice little glimpse into how Barbara is as a friend and her loyalty throughout is endearing. There's also a subplot involving Frankie Charles' evolution from a supporting civilian character into a hero in her own right. There are several really cool hints at her becoming Oracle as she involves herself actively in Batgirl's investigations and begins using her impressive technological skills to help. Batgirl's reluctance to accept Frankie's help, largely out of concern, add depth to this ongoing development. Finally, Stewart and Fletcher indulge in a little matchmaking as they give Batgirl a new boyfriend in the form of Luke Fox (AKA Batwing). He's a really great match for her and the two have palpable chemistry. Even still, there's the added complication of Dick Grayson, who just can't seem to keep himself out of Babs' life for too long. I appreciate the exchange Stewart and Fletcher write for the pair when they're forced to confront the fact that Babs is now dating someone new. It's a standout scene that is reminiscent of one Gail Simone wrote during her tenure on the book as it solidifies Babs' need for independence and freedom from the drama that follows her relationship with Dick. It also gives the writers the opportunity to orient readers towards her new beau and accept that change is sometimes necessary.

Family Business is enjoyable from beginning to end. The dialogue is snappy and the character development is consistent throughout. The art is almost always on point, with Babs Tarr and Bengal being the major aesthetic innovators in this collection. Their art is dynamic, distinct, and has a youthful flare that visually distinguishes this book from most other traditional superhero titles. Stewart, Fletcher, and Tarr's Batgirl is light-hearted and is far more concerned with the interpersonal relationships of its cast than on superhero antics. For some, this may be a drawback. Aside from Livewire, this series hasn't had any memorable villains under their tenure and the action is always quite brief. From my perspective, it's a welcome change and it's just a whole lot of fun. It brings a kinetic energy and youthfulness back to the character, while also giving readers a really fantastic supporting cast we can become attached to.

RATING: A-

Review: Batgirl Volume 1 - The Batgirl of Burnside

Having moved to the trendy Burnside, Barbara Gordon must start anew after a fire destroys her Batgirl equipment. With a new roommate, new costume and a new enemy, the scarlet-haired vigilante finds fame in her new surroundings and embraces her role as the beloved heroine of Burnside. However, when the citizens begin to turn against her after a motorcycle chase gone wrong, it becomes clear that fame might not be all it was cracked up to be. Welcome to Burnside Batgirl, we hope you survive the experience.

 Batgirl Volume 1: The Batgirl of Burnside collects Batgirl #35-40, written by Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart with art by Babs Tarr.

It’s been no secret that I absolutely adored Gail Simone’s run on Batgirl during the New 52 initiative. She breathed new life into the character, tackled some heavy issues and created a colourful cast that I came to adore. When it was announced that she’d be leaving the title and a new creative team would be taking over, it became clear that the book would undergo a massive makeover that was intended to bring more of a lighthearted and accessible feel to the title. The art in particular emphasized a hipper and much more colourful aesthetic. It was an understandable and even admirable decision to make given the criticisms that had been heaped upon DC Comics for being too dark and gritty. Though much was gained in this process, there were also great losses. The supporting cast that Simone had so carefully cultivated was axed and the reader was now thrown into the often superficial world of college and social media. Indeed, the first few pages of issue 35 are tough to get through. The slang and dependence on forcing the title to be relevant to Millennials left me with an overall sense of a dumbing down of the series. Thankfully, that feeling would not stay with me.

There hadn’t been this big of a tonal shift on a female character at DC Comics since Ed Brubaker and the late Darwyn Cooke reinvented Catwoman for her 2001 relaunch. Much like with Brubaker and Cooke’s beloved turn on the feline fatale’s title, The Batgirl of Burnside proves that a strong creative team can transform and elevate a comic book into something truly special. There is an insane synergy between Fletcher, Stewart and Tarr here that is actually quite magical. From a strictly aesthetic standpoint, I absolutely love what they’ve been able to do with this book. They’ve made Batgirl into something that marries writing and art. The rough layouts Stewart provides and the gorgeous pencils that Tarr lays down are brilliant. For example, the use of the visual recreations of Barbara’s memories is an absolutely genius device for a character with eidetic memory. Tarr also does an impeccable job of distinguishing each character from one another. Her style is gorgeous and I’m in constant awe of each page. Her take on Black Canary in particular is especially stunning.

The other thing Batgirl has with Brubaker’s Catwoman is its distinctive ability to build a world for its lead character that gives her a purpose and an identity. Of course, unlike the poverty-stricken East End setting in Catwoman, Batgirl’s Burnside is a trendy borough of Gotham City populated by college students and party-minded twenty-somethings. Technology, education and social media all play crucial roles in the makeup of Burnside and its inhabitants, which does a fairly adequate job of mirroring our own world. Though I was gutted by the removal of Alysia from the supporting cast, I was overjoyed by the diverse group of characters that was brought in to fill that void. Frankie is Babs’ stylish roommate who works as a developer for a dating app called Hooq, Nadimah is a fellow student helping Babs with her thesis and Nadimah’s brother Qadir becomes Batgirl’s equipment provider. I fell for each one, particularly since they were all very distinctive and thoughtfully conceived characters that served a purpose to the overall narrative. That said, I do feel Black Canary was misused throughout. She seemed out of character, sulking and being antagonistic towards Babs for much of this collection. The Black Canary I know, at least the one written by Gail Simone, would never harbor a grudge as long as she does here.

The overall narrative structure of The Batgirl of Burnside is extremely solid. The story itself revolves around Barbara’s move to Burnside and the mysterious presence of someone’s knowledge of her exploits as Batgirl. Over the course of each individual issue, she faces off against some heavily stylized (but ultimately amateurish) bad guys who are all part of some larger plan by her unseen foe. Meanwhile, Babs struggles to recover an algorithm she lost that was necessary for her schoolwork and must mend her relationship with Black Canary after it becomes frayed. As such, there’s a sense of direction and purpose to the book. It’s well-done and the issues themselves are very engaging.

I greatly enjoyed The Batgirl of Burnside. Though it was a sharp turn away from the world Gail Simone had built for the character, it was still entertaining and makes great strides in proving that DC Comics isn’t all doom and gloom. Despite OOC moments from Black Canary and slight issues with dialogue here and there, the creative team on this book is simply sensational. The characters are loveable, the setting is distinctive, the tone of the book is consistent and the art is jaw-droppingly beautiful. For fans of Bryan Q. Miller’s Batgirl, this book will capture the excitement and youthful exuberance that Batgirl represented while Stephanie Brown was under the cape and cowl.

RATING: A-