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Batgirl, Vol. 1: Batgirl of Burnside by Brenden Fletcher, Irene Koh, Babs Tarr, Cameron Stewart
rhganci's review against another edition
1.0
What in the world did I just read?
If there's one reason--a compelling, final reason as to why Rebirth is a necessary step for DC Comics--it's work like this. Work that really, truly has forgotten its roots in an attempt to draw in new readers. This isn't a continuation of Gail Simone's master class in character-based, inclusive storytelling; this is a reboot of the character, with a hackneyed explanation as to why Barbara Gordon is now a social media-obsessed, college partying and boy-crazy reinvention of herself. None of it works dramatically or compellingly. This version of the character is really, really lame. It's the opposite of Gail Simone's Batgirl. Which was the best. This is the worst.
The art is also really weird. Apparently Brendan Fletcher does the character designs and the layouts, while Tarr adds her hipster style in the finishes. And there's a lot of that in this collection. The new suit is kind of cool, with lots of purples and yellows, but the overally style just doesn't really do much as a visual tale. There's no real depth, or nuance--it reads like a pulp cartoon at best, and at worst, like a Tumblr webcomic. There was very little, if anything, to draw me in visually, which wasn't helped at all by the bizarre story.
As it turns out, social media applications don't make great plot devices unless Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher are somehow involved. The Batgirl of Burnside gets just about everything wrong, despite its labored and earnest attempts to seem inclusive. Unless you're dedicated to the character's history, I'd give it the hard pass.
If there's one reason--a compelling, final reason as to why Rebirth is a necessary step for DC Comics--it's work like this. Work that really, truly has forgotten its roots in an attempt to draw in new readers. This isn't a continuation of Gail Simone's master class in character-based, inclusive storytelling; this is a reboot of the character, with a hackneyed explanation as to why Barbara Gordon is now a social media-obsessed, college partying and boy-crazy reinvention of herself. None of it works dramatically or compellingly. This version of the character is really, really lame. It's the opposite of Gail Simone's Batgirl. Which was the best. This is the worst.
The art is also really weird. Apparently Brendan Fletcher does the character designs and the layouts, while Tarr adds her hipster style in the finishes. And there's a lot of that in this collection. The new suit is kind of cool, with lots of purples and yellows, but the overally style just doesn't really do much as a visual tale. There's no real depth, or nuance--it reads like a pulp cartoon at best, and at worst, like a Tumblr webcomic. There was very little, if anything, to draw me in visually, which wasn't helped at all by the bizarre story.
As it turns out, social media applications don't make great plot devices unless Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher are somehow involved. The Batgirl of Burnside gets just about everything wrong, despite its labored and earnest attempts to seem inclusive. Unless you're dedicated to the character's history, I'd give it the hard pass.
book_banshee's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, I think this was my first superhero graphic novel/comic?!?! But yeah, my new roommate has been encouraging me to pick up this book for the last month now and I finally did! I had only previously read a handful of graphic novels, so my roommate said this reboot was a great place to dive into the graphic novel/superhero comic world.
And she was right; this book was so fun and captivating! The plot twist at the end was SUPER twisty, ahhhhhhh. The cast of characters was also beautifully diverse in terms of race, sexuality, and (dis)abilities. I will say though that this volume was a bit confusing at times and required a lot of suspense of disbelief on the science-y aspect, which is why I'm knocking off a star on the rating.
Overall, I can't wait to read more about Batgirl; I've already requested the next volume at the library! Fingers crossed it comes in soon!
And she was right; this book was so fun and captivating! The plot twist at the end was SUPER twisty, ahhhhhhh. The cast of characters was also beautifully diverse in terms of race, sexuality, and (dis)abilities. I will say though that this volume was a bit confusing at times and required a lot of suspense of disbelief on the science-y aspect, which is why I'm knocking off a star on the rating.
Overall, I can't wait to read more about Batgirl; I've already requested the next volume at the library! Fingers crossed it comes in soon!
blurrybug's review against another edition
4.0
I love this 4,5!
I want to get my hands on the next volume right away it got diversity and it got sass I don't need much more
I want to get my hands on the next volume right away it got diversity and it got sass I don't need much more
stiricide's review against another edition
5.0
YESSSSSSSSSsssssss.
ETA: ROFL forever at the people whose reviews are are basically "OMG, a 21 year old in 2016 got DRUNK and KISSED A GUY and then PUKED this is totally unrealistic and ruins the character, I quit you, Batgirl."
ETA: ROFL forever at the people whose reviews are are basically "OMG, a 21 year old in 2016 got DRUNK and KISSED A GUY and then PUKED this is totally unrealistic and ruins the character, I quit you, Batgirl."
mygeekblasphemy's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this. Actually, kind of surprised to see so many deeply negative reviews. It's not making my Favorite Comic of the Year or anything, but I thought it was spunky, fun, a good balance of light-hearted entertainment with some surprising emotional heft by the end of the book. Really a 3.5 stars for me. I don't have to rush out and read the next issue right now, but I'm interested in reading more.
I can see how hipster Barbara Gordon might annoy some people, but honestly, I was pretty into it. (But hey, I'm North Bay Californian with the same hipster glasses everyone in their 20's has around here, so. Maybe I'm biased.) I'm a little more baffled at people's response that it's YA but with inappropriate adult themes, cause . . . yeah, drinking and partying and having sex are the sort of a things that a lot of teenagers do? And the teenagers who don't do any of them are still aware that it happens? Anyway, nothing about this struck me as shocking or terrible.
Liked Barbara as a character, liked a lot of the side characters. Happy to see a female superhero with female friends. More of this, please!
I can see how hipster Barbara Gordon might annoy some people, but honestly, I was pretty into it. (But hey, I'm North Bay Californian with the same hipster glasses everyone in their 20's has around here, so. Maybe I'm biased.) I'm a little more baffled at people's response that it's YA but with inappropriate adult themes, cause . . . yeah, drinking and partying and having sex are the sort of a things that a lot of teenagers do? And the teenagers who don't do any of them are still aware that it happens? Anyway, nothing about this struck me as shocking or terrible.
Liked Barbara as a character, liked a lot of the side characters. Happy to see a female superhero with female friends. More of this, please!
maweets's review against another edition
3.0
Fantastic artwork. Babs Tarr's style is incredibly cute and well done. On art alone I would've given this 4.5 stars for sure. The story however, left me kind of hanging. It felt pretty surface level and sort of twee, like it was pandering to a stereotypical millennial or something with the selfies and the social media. There were certainly parts about this that I did like though so I'm going to keep an eye on this series.
hidinginstacks's review against another edition
4.0
I gave this comic four stars because I'm a massive fan of Babs Tarr and her art. It's everything I strive to be as an artist. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling the story as much as I hoped. To be fair, I'm not a big Batgirl fan, but received this as a gift because I love the Batfam and friend said that this was worth a read.
Mehhhhhhhh. I was confused! I was stuck between...wondering whether this was supposed to be a book for teens or for adults. I'm in my 20s, so the drinking and dating stuff seemed geared toward people my age. But it also seemed kind of juvenile at the same time. I'm not sure why. The lackluster villains? The cheesy dialogue?
Anyway--it's cute and though I wouldn't recommend that a young child read it (it's not THAT bad but you know how people are), it may feel a bit childish to those who are used to reading more mature comics with scarier bad guys.
Mehhhhhhhh. I was confused! I was stuck between...wondering whether this was supposed to be a book for teens or for adults. I'm in my 20s, so the drinking and dating stuff seemed geared toward people my age. But it also seemed kind of juvenile at the same time. I'm not sure why. The lackluster villains? The cheesy dialogue?
Anyway--it's cute and though I wouldn't recommend that a young child read it (it's not THAT bad but you know how people are), it may feel a bit childish to those who are used to reading more mature comics with scarier bad guys.
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
If comics weren't such quick reads I would have DNFed. I found the writers' version of Barbara Gordon unappealing. It felt like they took Barbara's skill set and backstory and pasted it on a generic Gen Z party girl archetype. Worse, for much of the first half of this trade, she's an ass, especially towards Dinah/Black Canary, but it doesn't feel like she learned or grew from it so much as Dinah spontaneously forgave her. Speaking of Dinah, there's some tension between them that isn't explained. Apparently this is issues 35-40 of Batgirl, but then why call it "volume 1" if there's 34 preceding issues that probably provided some useful context to readers? This is the sort of thing that makes me feel like comic book companies don't want their stories to be accessible to people who only feel like buying the trade paperbacks.
The book is also plagued by a mostly forgettable cast of villains. The only one that sticks around for more than one issue worth of comic isan angry AI version of Barbara herself.
The book is also plagued by a mostly forgettable cast of villains. The only one that sticks around for more than one issue worth of comic is
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
mezzythedragon's review against another edition
4.0
Wasn't a big fan of the artwork, but I liked the story.
medusax0's review against another edition
3.0
I have been eagerly anticipating this release since the moment that DC announced that Batgirl was going to be rebooted. So definitely a huge thanks to the publisher for giving me this in exchange for an honest review!
I love that DC is looking to go in a lighter more fun direction for some of their stories, I’m excited for this new direction especially after reading Grayson which was an absolute hit in my eyes. In Grayson Tim Seely was able to combine a much lighter and fun storyline while still staying true to Dick’s character while also making it entertaining and interesting. I expect the same thing for all of DC’s reboots that are going in this direction, it’s what I expected from Batgirl. With Batgirl I got the light and fun side but in every other aspect it fell a bit flat for me.
It’s not as impressive as it should’ve been and this title should’ve been pretty freaking impressive. On one hand I’m satisfied and on the other I’m disappointed. I’m somewhat satisfied because this trade did exactly what DC said it would, was it a much lighter storyline? Yep. Was it fun? Yeah. Was it a completely different side of Barbara that we’ve never seen before who also had a new hipster suit? Oh yes, very much so. You see? Everything DC said it would be!
it was a lighter more fun side of Batgirl that we’ve never seen before and it was so interesting to watch
Barbara as she navigated through college, dating, partying, and friendships all while being the friendly neighborhood vigilante. This is what we were told we were going to see so with that being said, I’m satisfied it’s what I wanted to see and what I freaking got!
But… I’m still disappointed.
Babs has always been my favorite, I mean what’s not to love? I mean she’s strong, feisty, sassy, smart as hell, and she never stopped fighting for justice even when she was confined to a wheelchair, she’s freaking awesome! But the Batgirl I saw in this trade… she wasn’t horrible but she was definitely very different from the Batgirl I’ve come to love.
I mean I’m no fool, I knew going into this trade that this Batgirl would be different, obviously but Babs in this was utterly disappointing. She instead of being the vigilante that continued to fight for justice became obsessed with the fame that comes with it. She got sloppy, she pushes people away, and became freaking annoying and such a pain to deal with. She wasn’t sassy or confident, she became quite demanding which made me want to punch her.
The overall storyline and writing was pretty good but it left so much to be desired. I definitely wasn’t expecting that twist at the end so that was pretty great. I liked that we got really up close and personal with the way that Barbara’s mind works, the moments when got inside her mind were definitely some of my favorite moments. I actually really enjoyed the side characters in this book. Frankie was so adorable and smart, I want her to be friend. Dinah Lance, oh how I love thee! She was great in this, she was definitely a needed asset to the storyline and I’m super freaking excited that she got her own title because this!
Even though I was let down a bit I can ultimately overlook all of Babs’ annoying character flaws in this trade and definitely say that I will be continuing on with this run. I’m looking at the bigger picture and I’m excited to see where this story goes, especially considering all the new interesting developments in Gotham. This trade had its stumbles and downfalls but it’s only the first five issues and I have faith that this series will get better.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publishers for giving me a digital copy to review.
I love that DC is looking to go in a lighter more fun direction for some of their stories, I’m excited for this new direction especially after reading Grayson which was an absolute hit in my eyes. In Grayson Tim Seely was able to combine a much lighter and fun storyline while still staying true to Dick’s character while also making it entertaining and interesting. I expect the same thing for all of DC’s reboots that are going in this direction, it’s what I expected from Batgirl. With Batgirl I got the light and fun side but in every other aspect it fell a bit flat for me.
It’s not as impressive as it should’ve been and this title should’ve been pretty freaking impressive. On one hand I’m satisfied and on the other I’m disappointed. I’m somewhat satisfied because this trade did exactly what DC said it would, was it a much lighter storyline? Yep. Was it fun? Yeah. Was it a completely different side of Barbara that we’ve never seen before who also had a new hipster suit? Oh yes, very much so. You see? Everything DC said it would be!
it was a lighter more fun side of Batgirl that we’ve never seen before and it was so interesting to watch
Barbara as she navigated through college, dating, partying, and friendships all while being the friendly neighborhood vigilante. This is what we were told we were going to see so with that being said, I’m satisfied it’s what I wanted to see and what I freaking got!
But… I’m still disappointed.
Babs has always been my favorite, I mean what’s not to love? I mean she’s strong, feisty, sassy, smart as hell, and she never stopped fighting for justice even when she was confined to a wheelchair, she’s freaking awesome! But the Batgirl I saw in this trade… she wasn’t horrible but she was definitely very different from the Batgirl I’ve come to love.
I mean I’m no fool, I knew going into this trade that this Batgirl would be different, obviously but Babs in this was utterly disappointing. She instead of being the vigilante that continued to fight for justice became obsessed with the fame that comes with it. She got sloppy, she pushes people away, and became freaking annoying and such a pain to deal with. She wasn’t sassy or confident, she became quite demanding which made me want to punch her.
The overall storyline and writing was pretty good but it left so much to be desired. I definitely wasn’t expecting that twist at the end so that was pretty great. I liked that we got really up close and personal with the way that Barbara’s mind works, the moments when got inside her mind were definitely some of my favorite moments. I actually really enjoyed the side characters in this book. Frankie was so adorable and smart, I want her to be friend. Dinah Lance, oh how I love thee! She was great in this, she was definitely a needed asset to the storyline and I’m super freaking excited that she got her own title because this!
Even though I was let down a bit I can ultimately overlook all of Babs’ annoying character flaws in this trade and definitely say that I will be continuing on with this run. I’m looking at the bigger picture and I’m excited to see where this story goes, especially considering all the new interesting developments in Gotham. This trade had its stumbles and downfalls but it’s only the first five issues and I have faith that this series will get better.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publishers for giving me a digital copy to review.