Comic Info
Comic Name: Batgirl (Volume 3)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Cameron Stewart/Brenden Fletcher
Artist: Babs Tarr/Bengal
# of Issues: 6
Release Date: 2016
Batgirl (3) #42
Reprints Batgirl (3) #41-45 and Annual #3 (July 2015-December 2015). There’s a new Batman in town and he’s been ordered to stop Batman’s vigilante allies which includes Batgirl. Unfortunately for Batgirl, the new Batman is her father James Gordon and facing off against him might mean finally revealing her identity to him. Plus, Barbara’s friend Alysia is getting married (with Barbara as the maid of honor), but her fiancée Jo could have a deadly secret that the Velvet Tiger is willing to exploit.
Written by Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher, Batgirl Volume 2: Family Business is a DC Comics superhero collection. Following Batgirl Volume 1: Batgirl of Burnside, the title continues the New 52 series and features art by Babs Tarr and Bengal.
Batgirl was one of the high points of the New 52. The series did get Barbara walking again (which can be debated as a good thing or a bad thing), but it also primarily worked to make Barbara Gordon her own version of Batman on a higher level than she’s been for years. Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher’s relaunch put a new spin on Batgirl and seeks to remind readers that she’s a young adult dealing with young adult problems and day-to-day events.
Batgirl (3) #45
This collection feels a bit truncated in that it has ties to a few other series. There is the James Gordon as Batman which ran in the Scott Snyder New 52 title so if you weren’t up to date on that, Gordon’s appearance and role might seem a little off. Barbara also has a run-in with Olive and Maps from Gotham Academy, the allegedly dead super-spy (and former boyfriend) Dick Grayson, and an elevated role from Luke Fox of Batwing. If you aren’t up to date on these characters, the story might be confusing.
I do like the art in the comic. It is one of those situations where the art and the comic come together. The style of Babs Tarr’s Barbara Gordon almost has a Batman: The Animated Series look…and you can never go wrong with that. In this retro style, it kind of fits the hipster image that the comic is trying to portray. The hipster-esque Barb could irritate some fans (in ways I don’t see it in line with her character) or it could bring in new fans.
Batgirl 2: Family Business continues an interesting approach to a character that has been around a long time. It shows that characters can be modified and tweaked and still be pretty close to their original concept and idea. I think Barbara is a bit over-tweaked and the comic would work slightly better with her character taking one step back, but for the most part the charm of the comic is its uniqueness. Batgirl 2: Family Business was followed by Batgirl 3: Mindfields.
Related Links:
Batgirl 1: The Darkest Reflection
Batgirl 2: Knightfall Descends
