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lozzysbooks's review
4.0
I loved this so much. I found this much better than the first volume. The story was sensational and I can’t wait to see what happened next.
minsies's review
3.0
So here is a thing: if Barbara Gordon is so smart, then why doesn't she figure out the very obvious thing about Alaska-the-Siamese-cat?
Because she spends an awful lot of her inner monologue time thinking about how smart she is.
Anyway, I picked this up because I was curious what Gail Simone's Batgirl (especially post-recovery) was like (not that I've read any pre-recovery anyway), especially as it's sadly novel to have your female superheroes written by, y'know, females. I liked it - I'll try to pick up some more to read - but I didn't expect it to be quite so dark.
I guess that goes with anything in the Bat universe? I don't know; I figured the New 52 reboot would be a little lighter. That's a resounding no here, especially w/r/t Cherise Carnes, whose story is pretty vicious and gross.
Also: Batwoman? There's a Batwoman? My comics-fu is pretty weak.
Because she spends an awful lot of her inner monologue time thinking about how smart she is.
Anyway, I picked this up because I was curious what Gail Simone's Batgirl (especially post-recovery) was like (not that I've read any pre-recovery anyway), especially as it's sadly novel to have your female superheroes written by, y'know, females. I liked it - I'll try to pick up some more to read - but I didn't expect it to be quite so dark.
I guess that goes with anything in the Bat universe? I don't know; I figured the New 52 reboot would be a little lighter. That's a resounding no here, especially w/r/t Cherise Carnes, whose story is pretty vicious and gross.
Also: Batwoman? There's a Batwoman? My comics-fu is pretty weak.
nancyotoole's review
3.0
Knightfall Descends is the second volume in the New 52's Batgirl, written by Gail Simone. There's a lot this volume does very well. Barbara Gordon remains a sympathetic lead, and I enjoyed the more personal aspects of this story. Barbara's mother has returned suddenly after abandoning her as a child. How can our heroine cope?
The overall superhero aspects of the storyline, where Barbara faces down a formidable foe with three near unbeatable henchmen, is also enjoyable. One thing that did frustrate me a little about this volume is how the crossover events are handled. This issue contains Batgirl, Issue 0, which takes place before Batgirl decides to become a superhero, as well as an issue that ties in to the Court of the Owls storyline. These issues are plopped in with little explanation, which is probably confusing to people who are just reading Batgirl. Fortunately, issue 0 is a good read, but the Court of the Owls issue leaves things very unresolved.
The art remains solid throughout. My favorite moment would have to be the first appearance of Batwoman. At the time Knightfall Descends was released, Batwoman was being illustrated by JH Williams III, who was known for illustrating these artful/elaborate two page spreads in the comic. I was quite happy to see a homage to this style when Kate first bursts on the scene.
Knightfall Descends is a step down from The Darkest Reflection, but the series remains worth your attention. I look forward to reading more of Barbara's adventures.
The overall superhero aspects of the storyline, where Barbara faces down a formidable foe with three near unbeatable henchmen, is also enjoyable. One thing that did frustrate me a little about this volume is how the crossover events are handled. This issue contains Batgirl, Issue 0, which takes place before Batgirl decides to become a superhero, as well as an issue that ties in to the Court of the Owls storyline. These issues are plopped in with little explanation, which is probably confusing to people who are just reading Batgirl. Fortunately, issue 0 is a good read, but the Court of the Owls issue leaves things very unresolved.
The art remains solid throughout. My favorite moment would have to be the first appearance of Batwoman. At the time Knightfall Descends was released, Batwoman was being illustrated by JH Williams III, who was known for illustrating these artful/elaborate two page spreads in the comic. I was quite happy to see a homage to this style when Kate first bursts on the scene.
Knightfall Descends is a step down from The Darkest Reflection, but the series remains worth your attention. I look forward to reading more of Barbara's adventures.
buildhergender's review
5.0
Another great Batgirl comic.
I loved the take she had on the "I'm the GD batman" that Morrison did a while back.
There are some parts of the story that you know they haven't let out yet, like why she stopped being batgirl in the first place, the comic says she had stopped before getting shot.
The roommate, spoiler, is trans, and I felt that the protryal of her was great..
I think there is a slight continuity problem as they show her at the beginning being college age and the police department just learning about Batman, but in the previous comic she was much younger and hanging out with Dick, who wasn't adopted till after the Batman came out, unless this was a new 52 retcon.
I loved the take she had on the "I'm the GD batman" that Morrison did a while back.
There are some parts of the story that you know they haven't let out yet, like why she stopped being batgirl in the first place, the comic says she had stopped before getting shot.
The roommate, spoiler, is trans, and I felt that the protryal of her was great..
I think there is a slight continuity problem as they show her at the beginning being college age and the police department just learning about Batman, but in the previous comic she was much younger and hanging out with Dick, who wasn't adopted till after the Batman came out, unless this was a new 52 retcon.
captwinghead's review against another edition
4.0
I zoned out a bit while reading this but I still really enjoyed it. The plot line was more interesting than the last volume. I'm always a sucker for plot lines where vigilantes come face to face with executioners. Matt Murdock meeting Frank Castle was fascinating in Daredevil. Babs meeting Knightfall was fascinating here.
Babs fights criminals but there was a very well defined line between stopping them and torturing/murdering them. I never felt unsure of her morality which is more than I can say for some of the other vigilantes I've read about.
This book dragged a bit when it featured James Gordon Jr. I know it's going to become a bigger plot but it wasn't interesting enough to make the cut aways from the action worth it.
I enjoyed Batwoman and Detective McKenna teaming up with Batgirl to save the day.
I'll definitely pick up the next volume.
Babs fights criminals but there was a very well defined line between stopping them and torturing/murdering them. I never felt unsure of her morality which is more than I can say for some of the other vigilantes I've read about.
This book dragged a bit when it featured James Gordon Jr. I know it's going to become a bigger plot but it wasn't interesting enough to make the cut aways from the action worth it.
I enjoyed Batwoman and Detective McKenna teaming up with Batgirl to save the day.
I'll definitely pick up the next volume.
ooomaddy's review
4.0
i’m going into the new 52 blindly so there are some aspects of lore i dont fully understand, but this was still really good. Knightfall’s back story is....horrendous to say the least.
echthroi's review
4.0
It was a little choppy, jumping from the Court of Owls stuff to the Knightfall stuff, but overall it was a really good collection.
olivia_piepmeier's review
4.0
I enjoyed the story of volume 1 more, however this one picked up quite a bit near the end with a lot of questions needing to be answered.
rogue_lurker's review
3.0
Read these as the seperate issues 7-13 and origin issue 0.
I'm enjoying this series better as it progresses. I liked the first six, but BG loses a bit of her angsty self-doubt and kicks more butt.
I'm enjoying this series better as it progresses. I liked the first six, but BG loses a bit of her angsty self-doubt and kicks more butt.