Dick Grayson crashes a wedding.
Fans of the classic Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon pairing have had precious little quench their thirst in the New 52. That’s slowly been changing, though, and this new issue focuses a great deal on these on again/off again lovers even as it chronicles the long-awaited wedding of Alysia and Jo. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do enough to take advantage of Dick’s presence, or even justify why he’s putting in an appearance in the first place.
Basically, this issue sees Dick taking some time off from Spyral business just in time to crash the wedding and distract Barbara from her wedding planning duties. Much of the drama that ensues feels forced. Why is Dick so insistent on being such a jerk and ruining Barbara’s day? Why is he exposing himself to the outside world just to lead his ex-girlfriend on a rooftop chase? The conflict, such as it is, doesn’t feel particularly well thought out. And by the time Barbara actually returns to the wedding, there’s not much room left to focus on the festivities or her growing romance with Luke.
This issue succeeds mainly on the strength of its visuals. Babs Tarr’s work is more energetic and dynamic than ever as Babs ditches her bridesmaid gown for her Batgirl costume and pursues the pesky Mr. Grayson from one building to the next. As much as I sometimes miss Cameron Stewart’s orderly layouts, there’s a lot to be said for Tarr’s storytelling as each page draws the reader’s eye from one panel to the next. The hugely expressive character designs and the lush, pink-heavy colors also work nicely with the upbeat tone of the story.
The story in this issue is fairly disappointing, but at least the writers cap off the Dick/Barbara encounter on the right note. And as much as this book has been great about getting readers invested in the supporting cast, there’s a simple joy in seeing the wedding unfold and all of Barbara’s friends united by such a happy occasion. It’s amazing to think that this used to be one of the darkest and most depressing books in the Batman family.
What should be the big selling point of this issue is actually the weakest element. As nice as it is to see Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon reunited, this issue doesn’t do much with the team-up or even justify Dick’s presence in the first place. It falls on the stylish art and the emotional wedding scene to make up for that disappointing team-up, which they mostly do.
