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carlyoc's review
4.0
As I ease my way into the world of comics, I think this is my favorite that I've read so far. It was cool to get a 3-decade glance at the highlights of the evolution of a character; it felt like both a history lesson and a fun read at the same time. These are the comics that lead to the blockbuster superhero industry we know today, the comics of my father's childhood. I think that in order to better appreciate the superhero stories of today, it is very helpful to read comics from the past. Plus, being a visual medium, you get to see all the fashion of the era when it was written. Seeing Barbara Gordon in those 1970's mini-dresses and tall boots, surrounded by others dressed as hippies or in groovy kaleidoscopic colors definitely made me giggle.
tricky's review
3.0
The problem with this collection of stories about Batgirl that it represents both the best and worse of the DC treatment of this character.
You start with what is perhaps the best known origin story of Batgirl as Barbara Gordon. This was created in the late 60s, is representative of its time but there is hope for Batgirl as character. I mean I did not mind that Barbara Gordon becomes a crime fighter because she likes the excitement and thrill of getting into a scrape with some baddies. From these humble beginnings you could see the possibility of a really interesting character arc in the making. However, that slowly unravels as you read through the decades. It was great that Barbara, runs for Congress but the motive was appalling. The further you travel through the decades the more Batgirl becomes tepid and almost ineffective as a crime fighter. The Batgirl and Robin adventures provided some redemption to this collection.
This collection teases you with how wonderful Batgirl could have been. Yet, the character is never fully developed in this collection and you see what could have been.
I understand that Batgirl was rebooted in the last couple of years and I have not read those. It will be interesting to see where Batgirl is now.
You start with what is perhaps the best known origin story of Batgirl as Barbara Gordon. This was created in the late 60s, is representative of its time but there is hope for Batgirl as character. I mean I did not mind that Barbara Gordon becomes a crime fighter because she likes the excitement and thrill of getting into a scrape with some baddies. From these humble beginnings you could see the possibility of a really interesting character arc in the making. However, that slowly unravels as you read through the decades. It was great that Barbara, runs for Congress but the motive was appalling. The further you travel through the decades the more Batgirl becomes tepid and almost ineffective as a crime fighter. The Batgirl and Robin adventures provided some redemption to this collection.
This collection teases you with how wonderful Batgirl could have been. Yet, the character is never fully developed in this collection and you see what could have been.
I understand that Batgirl was rebooted in the last couple of years and I have not read those. It will be interesting to see where Batgirl is now.
kbc's review
3.0
The adventures of Congresswoman Barbara Gordon were great but the '90s portrayal seemed like a step backward.
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