Batgirl‘s opening arc, ending with this issue, was brief and uninspired. That’s not to say it was bad; it was inoffensive enough, if nothing else. In it, Stephanie proved herself worthy of becoming the next Batgirl in Barbara’s eyes, got a new costume, took one college course, and had it tie (thematically) directly into her case. We know it tied in to her case thematically because Miller, over the course of this issue, tells us so. More than once.
Garbett continues to turn in respectable work. His style is a little too broad for some of the book’s more dramatic moments and the Scarecrow sequences were relatively bland, but he maintains a level of quality that the book needs.
Batgirl is a reasonably acceptable standard superhero book. It has its share of narrative flaws, but when it comes right down to it, it isn’t trying to do anything terribly complex. It’s straightforward plotting is hampered by inconsistent characterization; it’s action sequences by a lack of compelling build-up or follow-through. Fans of Stephanie Brown may enjoy the hero’s rise to prominence and the journey to restore and bolster her confidence, but most readers can find the same content in a hundred other places.
Grade: C-
– Cal Cleary