No time for love, Miss Gordon!
Batgirl writers Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher continue to place as much emphasis on the series’ increasingly large supporting cast as they do Barbara Gordon herself. That approach once again pays off in issue #44. Despite some awkward story pacing and exposition, this issue delivers a winning blend of action, intrigue and romance.
Stewart and Fletcher have always seemed to draw a bit of inspiration from Batman ’66 and its campier take on Gotham City. That influence is especially apparent this month in their portrayal of Velvet Tiger as an ostentatious, preening villainess who places the captive Jo in a death trap worthy of the old show. Velvet Tiger lends a fun touch to the book, at least until she and other characters begin bombarding Barbara with exposition laying out her fiendish plan in great detail. Tiger’s clash with Batgirl ends on a weirdly inconclusive note, leaving the reader uncertain for the remainder of the issue whether the conflict is finished or merely forestalled.
But again, the interaction between Barbara and her supporting cast is enough to offset the issue’s storytelling flaws. It’s great to see this series evolving into more of an overt team book as characters like Alysia and Luke take more active roles in her crime-fighting exploits. That’s to say nothing of Frankie, who’s obsessive crusade to become a costumed vigilante takes another interesting turn this month. The writers maintain a delicate balance between generating drama with these supporting characters and using them as comic relief.
This issue sees Bengal fill in for regular artist Babs Tarr. Bengal previously impressed with the silent Batgirl: Endgame one-shot, and he has no trouble maintaining Tarr’s distinctive, energetic approach to Batgirl’s world, right down to the distinctive page layouts. His action scenes are fluid and his characters very expressive. Only in a few cases does the facial work not quite match the tone of the scene.
Though this issue of Batgirl is marred by some some overly expository dialogue and weird pacing, the fundamental appeal of the series is as strong as ever. Stewart and Fletcher continue to put the supporting cast to great use, building a storyline that offers compelling drama, lighthearted fun and charming romance in equal measure. Even the absence of Babs Tarr this month does nothing to diminish the book.
