Reviews

Batgirl, Volume 1: Batgirl of Burnside by Brenden Fletcher, Irene Koh, Babs Tarr, Cameron Stewart

sashreads's review against another edition

3.0

Enjoyable but was a little confused, I want to get more into Batgirl.

elthechameleon's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

The fashion and aesthetic of this comic is very wonderful, but there are two major faults with this book:

1. The portrayal of the bisexual character as promiscuous

(by mentioning she hooked up with the guy Babs liked)

was really upsetting and felt very antithetical to the idea of reimagining Batgirl. 

2. I’m very ambivalent about the final villain.

Reading this book in 2023 with the AI boom is very strange. This book is weirdly prescient, and I’m not sure how I feel about the portrayal of AI in this book as anthropomorphic and part of Batgirl’s brain uploaded into a program. The fact that AI is used as a good, helpful partner in the end concerns me somewhat about what the book is trying to force or insinuate. It felt similar to the movie, Heart of Stone, that came out on Netflix that felt so deeply, pro-AI, that it misdirected the true dangers (misinformation, polarized, individual silos of news and media,  devaluing of creative labor and copying it without pay…). Aren’t marvel comics always political though? I forget this. Perhaps I should have known better. I also don’t quite understand how Babs stopped being disabled? Or perhaps she just needed a longer recovery?

Oh - and forgot. I hated the Copaganda. 

litlover13's review against another edition

4.0

very hipster and cool! Relatable to today's teen girl

carolynaugustyn's review against another edition

5.0

I'm really digging the current lady-centered comics in DC and Marvel so I was pumped to pick this up. I thought that this was a really fun way to present Batgirl- living in the hip part of Gotham with friends, working on her thesis, dating. The average 20-something life. So I liked how relatable the story was (aside from the whole crime-fighting Batgirl stuff) and I really liked the characters in this. This is more of a fun take on superheroes so if someone is looking for a traditional story, probably won't enjoy this one. I like my comics to be more fun than anything else so this was perfect for me.

alyssa_s10's review

adventurous inspiring

4.5

justiceofkalr's review against another edition

2.0

No. Just no.

3eggy5me's review

3.5

Good art. It was volume one, but it was not the start of the story - wish that was clearer, through the volume number or through an editorial note. Still alright to get into though.

sarahannkateri's review against another edition

3.0

A fun, modern Batgirl, who takes on Tinder, revenge porn, and moving into a gentrified hipster neighborhood. She's surrounded by racially and sexually diverse characters, and there's not *too* much objectification. There was a lot of talk about one of the issues having a problematic portrayal of what could be construed as a trans character, and it's a bit disappointing that that part wasn't rewritten for the trade issue to clarify what the authors actually meant, as they issued an apology saying that they hadn't done a good job of getting the intended meaning across. The issues all have bright, clean art that should appeal to many graphic novel readers, especially girls.

magnetgrrl's review against another edition

1.0

I don't think Barbara Gordon would EVER get wasted, plaster herself all over some stranger, bring him home to hook up then forget about him or that happening, and be hungover enough to puke. This characterization is trying to make her younger, to relate to newer more social-media-savvy audiences but... first off, uh, is that what constitutes being young these days? I feel like there should be more to it than just binge drinking and bad decisions.... Also, it completely loses who she is as a person. Beyond that, the storyline barely made sense. Scratch that - I'm still not clear on what actually happened. I was excited about this but, would not recommend.

kindlelover1932's review against another edition

3.0

had good small details and changes that i appreciated