If there was one word to describe Batgirl #1, it was probably this: average. It had reasonably competent action sequences, but suffered in the character-driven drama. Even if you hadn’t read enough past Bat-books to see how horrendously out-of-character Barbara Gordon was, say, or Cassandra Cain especially, the fact of the matter is that the characters weren’t terribly interesting. Except for Stephanie, of course, which is vital to why the book was readable at all.
Batgirl #2 continues along the same trend. It is, in fact, almost the exact same issue. Stephanie is having trouble balancing her normal life with her new career as Batgirl – and, in a much better twist on the same old idea, having just as much trouble adjusting to the new dangers and responsibilities of being Batgirl over being the Spoiler – Babs is trying to convince her to quit, Stephanie’s mom is oblivious, crime is happening. There isn’t a whole lot going on, but at least what’s going on has the potential to be interesting.
Garbett is faring slightly better. His illustration throughout is clean and crisp, with solid, fluid fight scenes. There’s on scene in the middle that’s a little tough to follow, though I don’t know if that’s Miller, Garbett, or an indicator of a communications issue between the two. Still, Garbett’s workmanlike skill is currently holding the book up.
Still, there are flashes of a genuinely enjoyable comic in here. The action is well-handled, and there are interesting characters here… assuming that Miller ever gets a handle on them. Batgirl #2 continues to be purely average, but given some of the recent Batgirl publications we’ve seen, that may be the best we can expect for now. I’m willing to give Miller an arc to grow into the character. Right now, it could go either way.
Grade: C
- Cal Cleary
I thought this issue was marginally better than issue one. But like you, I thought issue one was decidedly average. And marginally better ain’t gonna cut it.
I agree with you that Garbett’s art better than the writing. If Miller can rise above the cliches, this book could be worthwhile.
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