Today's review is a DC comic series that I have started but have yet to finish. The Gail Simone run of Batgirl is one that I have been wanting to read for a while and last year I was able to read the first 3 volumes. I hope to read the rest of the volumes that are available soon and so far now I will just review these volumes.
Let's get into it!
Series Title: Batgirl (Batgirl Vol. IV)
Author: Gail Simone
Illustrator: Various Artists
Number of Books: 5
Series Summary: After being bound to a wheel chair for three years from the brutal attack by the Joker ("The Killing Joke"), Barbara Gordon is back on her feet and she is ready to take on the world as Batgirl. Taking on Gotham City along side the rest of the Bat family, Barbara faces villains of all sorts to keep her town safe but those aren't her only problems. As she tries to keep her other life hidden from her family especially her father, Jim Gordon the well regarded commissioner, Has Barbara bitten off more than she can chew? Is she ready to push passed her past demons to do her duty?
Title: Batgirl Volume 1: The Darkest ReflectionPublication Year: 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15798403-batgirl-vol-1
Review: I've never read anything about Batgirl before but after hearing a review of the new series (by Cameron Stewart) off a booktuber, I knew that I needed to check this superhero out. This series was published before the current one that is out and I figured I should probably read this one first before jumping into the new stuff. I will admit that I wasn't overly amazed by this first volume as it didn't have very much going for it. It is pretty much an introduction to the series which was quite informative and gave a fairly good idea of who Batgirl is. In saying this I was a little bit confused with a some of the plot at the beginning because it does make a lot of references to an old graphic novel "The Killing Joke" which took place three years before this volume. I ended up putting down this book to read The Killing Joke first before continuing in order for me to get a better understanding of the references. I did really like the art in this volume and found that it was really essential in assisting the story create the world and the characters that are presented in this series. I really started to enjoy the story towards the end of the book more than the beginning and so I had a strong feeling that the series would get better as I went along. Overall, this was a good start but wasn't the best thing I've read.
Star Rating: 3/5 Stars!
Publication Year: 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17671926-batgirl-vol-2
Review: After the disappointment of the first volume, it did take me a few months to finally pick up the second volume and I am so glad that I did. This was a great instalment to the series which included cross over issues into the Night of Owls and Knightfall story arcs. I really enjoyed this volume, way more than the last one and found that it was quite action packed and also incorporated a great amount of kick-ass female heroes. This was a great improvement to volume one as more of the story is starting to unfold and we start to see more of what Batgirl is capable of. I am enjoying seeing Batgirl's growth as both a hero and a woman throughout this series. It is also great to see her get her strength back after the events from The Killing Joke which seemed to traumatise her a lot, especially in the beginning. As there are a couple different story arcs in this volume, I did find my self wanting more information on particular plots that I wasn't aware on such as the Knightfall arc which seemed really interesting from the Batgirl perspective. I did however read the Night of Owls arc before reading this volume and was able to easily follow that storyline which I found to be quite amazing. The art again was amazing, despite having different illustrators in this volumes than the last one. They were still really detailed and full of amazing tones of colour. There are also quite a few shocks in this volume that made it an even more incredibly addictive read. Batgirl is only getting stronger with each volume and it is so amazing to see her grow as a super hero.
Star Rating: 4.5/5 Stars!
Title: Batgirl Volume 3: Death Of The FamilyPublication Year: 2013
Publisher: DC Comics
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18404436-batgirl-vol-3
Review: Being that I was absolutely amazed at the outcome of the second volume of Batgirl, I immediately picked up the next volume in the series in the very same day. This was another great instalment to the series and is probably even my favourite one thus far. This volume includes stories once again from Night of Owls arc but also includes Batgirl's story from the Death Of A Family arc. It was really great to get back into those arcs as I really loved reading them originally in the Batman series but it was interesting to see the same plot again but told from a different character's perspective. This series really is just getting better with each volume as it keeps up that intensity and action of the series from volume to volume. In this volume especially, you really start to connect and feel for the characters especially Barbara and her family as more important people begin to get introduced into the plot. Again the art was absolutely amazing and really worked well to create an eerie atmosphere for the Death Of A Family storyline. I found that particular arc in the volume the most interesting as it was so heart pounding to see Barbara come face to face with the villain she most feared, The Joker as he was the one who put her in a wheel chair all those years ago. This volume also ended on quite the cliffhanger and I'm surprised I didn't pick up the next volume straight away but I think this one was just too mind blowing that I needed to take a break. I am really looking forward to diving into the next volumes of this series as this is turning out to be a great series and I highly recommend it.
Star Rating: 4.5/5 Stars!
OVERALL (so far..): At first the series was quite slow and disappointing but after the basics has been presented, the series got more epic and way more interesting that I first thought. It is really great seeing the connections of the Batgirl plot to other comic series that run along side it. I really like this series so far and am definitely looking forward to continuing. This is only the first 3 volume of this series and there is still 2 more volumes left for Gail Simone's run before the Cameron Stewart run. I plan to review that new series separately and so keep an eye out for that when I finally get to it. I totally recommend this series to everyone.
Hope you are all having a wonderful day!
~Louise
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