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347 reviews for:
Batgirl, Volume 1: Batgirl of Burnside
Brenden Fletcher, Irene Koh, Babs Tarr, Cameron Stewart
3.72 AVERAGE
347 reviews for:
Batgirl, Volume 1: Batgirl of Burnside
Brenden Fletcher, Irene Koh, Babs Tarr, Cameron Stewart
3.72 AVERAGE
Ugggghhhh.
This is exactly what I've come to expect from DC. It would seem [b:Gotham Academy, Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy|23395763|Gotham Academy, Vol. 1 Welcome to Gotham Academy|Becky Cloonan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1430659110s/23395763.jpg|42952749] was some sort of bizarre fluke, after all.
So why do superheroes have to be rebooted? Because wouldn't it make more sense to just mirror the real world and bring in new heroes? Not the next in line for this or that great hero name, but actual new heroes whom no one had ever heard of before they showed up in these pages? That's just kind of how time works. I get that Batman and Superman and others want to hand their mantle to the next generation but each generation would also spawn its own heroes, right? You don't have to sign up to be Nightwing or Robin or Batgirl or Supergirl or Superdog or Batchinchilla or what have you. There would be a whole new set of heroes growing up every decade, wouldn't there be?
Pretty much, why did Babs have to become a smart-phone addicted, self-focused, ridiculous millennial grad student who is full of assholishness? What was wrong with Barbara Gordon being who she has been and still should probably be and making the irritating little twit in this book someone else entirely? Like maybe Party Girl? Or DramaDiva? Or The Millennial Monster?
Also, if DC is bringing things up to date for the social media lovin' world, why is Black Canary still Dinah Lance? Why not match up with the show and have her be Laurel? Why aren't the comics and the shows and the movies syncing? Oh. Right. Because DC is covered with MORON.
In addition to the main character being everything old women like me hate in the younger generations, the story is bad. When I say bad, I mean it's poorly-written, the pacing is terrible, it's silly, and it makes no sense. It seems that I'm late to the game so I was a little confused, at first, what with starting this show following Babs' move into a swanky condo in Burnside. Where's Burnside? Who are these girls with Barbara? What's going on? Here's the thing: Even though this collects Batgirl Vol. IV, #35-40, the compendium is called Batgirl VOLUME ONE meaning it's the first volume of these collected Batgirl stories, yes?. So it should start at a relative beginning, yes??
Apparently not.
It starts with a move. Babs has left Alysia and is bunking with Frankie, now. Frankie runs down the front stoop to meet her new roomie and give hugs and such, indicating they're good friends. Ok. Fine. I'll catch up, I'm sure. It will be explained in a flashback before the end of the chapter. Only, it's not. And later, all the girls go clubbing and someone who looks like Frankie is using crutches because her legs have been bad lately. Does Frankie have a twin who uses crutches? What's happening? You have to wait until the last part of the book to find out. I guess people who read Batgirl Vol. IV, #1-33 probably understood all that was happening but for those of us who misunderstood Batgirl, Volume 1 to be the first in this series, it was confusing.
Also confusing:
Here is Babs walking around her college campus.
A bubblegum/manga motorcycle duo come racing through, tearing up the joint (because: Reasons) and Babs has to change into her Batgirl uniform in a shed nearby. This is her uniform:
Where was she keeping all those clothes? They weren't in the shed. So she was carrying them all along?
Sure. The jacket and pants and gloves and even maybe the mask, they could all be some fancy, lightweight, space age material that folds into tiny packets like those big rain ponchos you can carry in your back pocket. But the boots? Where were the boots? Those soles are not made of flimsy, foldable stuff and it certainly doesn't look like it's all being toted around in the messenger bag, soooo...
Yes. Those are the types of things I notice. It's like we're watching 60's TV again. Suspend all disbelief (and intelligence), ye who enter here!
NO! I will suspend disbelief but not when it comes to purses and bags. If you can't draw those correctly, just quit the illustration business.
Lack of consistency just seems like another term for laziness to me.
For example, this spoiler.
Here is faux Batgirl, who encourages people to drink and drive and is really into causing havoc and wrecking real Batgirl's reputation.
Please note her womanly body.
Then her mask is removed, a la Scooby-Doo, and she's a guy.
The next day, his Batgirl body is a man body. He forgot how to dress like a lady Batgirl, it would seem. Is this a big deal? Yes. It seems to be making fun of men who dress like women, which isn't necessary for this story so why do that?
And that bothered me for lots of reasons, not just the lack of consistency.
The worst, though?
I love the art in this thing. It's adorable. There's a problem here and there but for the most part, it's delightful to look at! I was all impressed with this Babs Tarr person, excited that maybe there's a fun, new female talent on the scene...only...
Gabe was flipping through the back of the book and suddenly went nuts, like Godzilla crazy. He was shouting about how that's not OK and back in the day, this would have been so frowned upon.
I asked him what in the Sam Hill he was talking about and he said that Babs Tarr wasn't the artist. Cameron Stewart was. He did the layouts and then Babs traced over them, adding her cuteness to each picture.
I said, "Well...doesn't that make her the inker, then? I don't know why she's being given credit as the artist, but..."
Gabe had some apoplexy and roared around, stomping, "NO! She's not the inker! She's a TRACER! She's tracing someone else's work and then that's what gets inked! She's not doing the work but she's getting the credit!"
He had righteous indignation. I thought he was going to tear the book to pieces with his teeth.
But...look:
Cameron Stewart does actually do all the work. The layout, the perspective, the...everything. She just comes and pencils over his art to make it cuter.
And then she gets the credit.
That does seem wrong.
I feel like I'm being tricked into believing there's an awesome new female talent drawring these drawrings and maybe that will make me buy this book but she's not actually drawring the drawrings. She's just enhancing them and we're not being informed. I don't even know why they fessed up to this at all. I imagine more people than just Gabe are infuriated by this and will now not support Babs the Batgirl or Babs the artist.
All in all, I'm not impressed. I won't be following this series.
I guess it's nice to be back in the Disappointed With DC boat since I've become so comfortable here.
This is exactly what I've come to expect from DC. It would seem [b:Gotham Academy, Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy|23395763|Gotham Academy, Vol. 1 Welcome to Gotham Academy|Becky Cloonan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1430659110s/23395763.jpg|42952749] was some sort of bizarre fluke, after all.
So why do superheroes have to be rebooted? Because wouldn't it make more sense to just mirror the real world and bring in new heroes? Not the next in line for this or that great hero name, but actual new heroes whom no one had ever heard of before they showed up in these pages? That's just kind of how time works. I get that Batman and Superman and others want to hand their mantle to the next generation but each generation would also spawn its own heroes, right? You don't have to sign up to be Nightwing or Robin or Batgirl or Supergirl or Superdog or Batchinchilla or what have you. There would be a whole new set of heroes growing up every decade, wouldn't there be?
Pretty much, why did Babs have to become a smart-phone addicted, self-focused, ridiculous millennial grad student who is full of assholishness? What was wrong with Barbara Gordon being who she has been and still should probably be and making the irritating little twit in this book someone else entirely? Like maybe Party Girl? Or DramaDiva? Or The Millennial Monster?
Also, if DC is bringing things up to date for the social media lovin' world, why is Black Canary still Dinah Lance? Why not match up with the show and have her be Laurel? Why aren't the comics and the shows and the movies syncing? Oh. Right. Because DC is covered with MORON.
In addition to the main character being everything old women like me hate in the younger generations, the story is bad. When I say bad, I mean it's poorly-written, the pacing is terrible, it's silly, and it makes no sense. It seems that I'm late to the game so I was a little confused, at first, what with starting this show following Babs' move into a swanky condo in Burnside. Where's Burnside? Who are these girls with Barbara? What's going on? Here's the thing: Even though this collects Batgirl Vol. IV, #35-40, the compendium is called Batgirl VOLUME ONE meaning it's the first volume of these collected Batgirl stories, yes?. So it should start at a relative beginning, yes??
Apparently not.
It starts with a move. Babs has left Alysia and is bunking with Frankie, now. Frankie runs down the front stoop to meet her new roomie and give hugs and such, indicating they're good friends. Ok. Fine. I'll catch up, I'm sure. It will be explained in a flashback before the end of the chapter. Only, it's not. And later, all the girls go clubbing and someone who looks like Frankie is using crutches because her legs have been bad lately. Does Frankie have a twin who uses crutches? What's happening? You have to wait until the last part of the book to find out. I guess people who read Batgirl Vol. IV, #1-33 probably understood all that was happening but for those of us who misunderstood Batgirl, Volume 1 to be the first in this series, it was confusing.
Also confusing:
Here is Babs walking around her college campus.
A bubblegum/manga motorcycle duo come racing through, tearing up the joint (because: Reasons) and Babs has to change into her Batgirl uniform in a shed nearby. This is her uniform:
Where was she keeping all those clothes? They weren't in the shed. So she was carrying them all along?
Sure. The jacket and pants and gloves and even maybe the mask, they could all be some fancy, lightweight, space age material that folds into tiny packets like those big rain ponchos you can carry in your back pocket. But the boots? Where were the boots? Those soles are not made of flimsy, foldable stuff and it certainly doesn't look like it's all being toted around in the messenger bag, soooo...
Yes. Those are the types of things I notice. It's like we're watching 60's TV again. Suspend all disbelief (and intelligence), ye who enter here!
NO! I will suspend disbelief but not when it comes to purses and bags. If you can't draw those correctly, just quit the illustration business.
Lack of consistency just seems like another term for laziness to me.
For example, this spoiler.
Spoiler
Here is faux Batgirl, who encourages people to drink and drive and is really into causing havoc and wrecking real Batgirl's reputation.
Please note her womanly body.
Then her mask is removed, a la Scooby-Doo, and she's a guy.
The next day, his Batgirl body is a man body. He forgot how to dress like a lady Batgirl, it would seem. Is this a big deal? Yes. It seems to be making fun of men who dress like women, which isn't necessary for this story so why do that?
And that bothered me for lots of reasons, not just the lack of consistency.
The worst, though?
I love the art in this thing. It's adorable. There's a problem here and there but for the most part, it's delightful to look at! I was all impressed with this Babs Tarr person, excited that maybe there's a fun, new female talent on the scene...only...
Gabe was flipping through the back of the book and suddenly went nuts, like Godzilla crazy. He was shouting about how that's not OK and back in the day, this would have been so frowned upon.
I asked him what in the Sam Hill he was talking about and he said that Babs Tarr wasn't the artist. Cameron Stewart was. He did the layouts and then Babs traced over them, adding her cuteness to each picture.
I said, "Well...doesn't that make her the inker, then? I don't know why she's being given credit as the artist, but..."
Gabe had some apoplexy and roared around, stomping, "NO! She's not the inker! She's a TRACER! She's tracing someone else's work and then that's what gets inked! She's not doing the work but she's getting the credit!"
He had righteous indignation. I thought he was going to tear the book to pieces with his teeth.
But...look:
Cameron Stewart does actually do all the work. The layout, the perspective, the...everything. She just comes and pencils over his art to make it cuter.
And then she gets the credit.
That does seem wrong.
I feel like I'm being tricked into believing there's an awesome new female talent drawring these drawrings and maybe that will make me buy this book but she's not actually drawring the drawrings. She's just enhancing them and we're not being informed. I don't even know why they fessed up to this at all. I imagine more people than just Gabe are infuriated by this and will now not support Babs the Batgirl or Babs the artist.
All in all, I'm not impressed. I won't be following this series.
I guess it's nice to be back in the Disappointed With DC boat since I've become so comfortable here.
3 1/2 stars. I have no history with Batgirl so I have no expectations to be disappointed. Really enjoyed this.
My first Batgirl comic. I loved the art, and the diversity of the cast (though agree with some reviews that felt characters like Nadimah felt shoehorned and didn't get to do a whole lot besides smile and nod while Batgirl talked). I often felt like I might be missing some backstory or should've read another comic previous to this one to understand the relationship between Barbara and Dinah, or who Alysia is, but I guess that was inevitable with a superhero and universe as old as Batgirl and Gotham, even if they are revamped to be younger and trendier. I think I'll keep going with the series and hope some more exposition and character development in later issues will resolve some of my holdups with the first volume.
This was only my second foray into the DC world, and my first in the bat-family. And I loved it! I love the diverse cast of characters, and I love seeing both Batgirl's crime-fighting and Babs's personal life. I can't wait to see where she goes next!
I wish the story was as strong as the art and general vibe, but still, a fun take on the character.
We discussed this further over on the All the Books Show: https://youtu.be/cKFm4Yq1Dn4
We discussed this further over on the All the Books Show: https://youtu.be/cKFm4Yq1Dn4
While I am enjoying this new, lighter version of Barbara Gordon, I am concerned that her writers are never going to let her get past the events of The Killing Joke. Granted, The Killing Joke is always going to be an enormous landmark in Barbara's lifetime, but it should not be the be-all and end-all of Barbara's existence. I do like that The Batgirl of Burnside lets Barbara be something that I don't think she's had a chance to be yet: a young woman with lots of energy, awkwardness, and humor.
I also really hope that there is some way to reinvent or rehabilitate Dagger Type. DC really blew the chance to introduce a great character to Barbara's world (even though Dagger Type's cover art for Issue 37 is fantastic).
I also really hope that there is some way to reinvent or rehabilitate Dagger Type. DC really blew the chance to introduce a great character to Barbara's world (even though Dagger Type's cover art for Issue 37 is fantastic).
Finally- a reboot that doesn't feel like a gimmick. The modernization actually bolsters the story and vice versa, the costume is practical, the new friends introduced well and the inner circle gathered logically, and the Oracle origin is cooler than the original. This is the first time I've actually liked Batgirl.
I am really disappointed. I wanted to love this. I love Batgirl. The art is gorgeous and really fun.
Unfortunately the plot was a mess and just all over the place. This is volume one but it really feels like it assumes a lot of previous knowledge and just drops the reader in the middle of the story. There are too many villains and none of them are particularly interesting.
Overall- great to look at but really lacked substance.
Unfortunately the plot was a mess and just all over the place. This is volume one but it really feels like it assumes a lot of previous knowledge and just drops the reader in the middle of the story. There are too many villains and none of them are particularly interesting.
Overall- great to look at but really lacked substance.
Fun story. I especially like the art style and the incorporation of social media images between the frames. It very much feels like DC's answer to Ms. Marvel, and while not quite as good (but then, not much is) this book is enjoyable and recommended on its own merit.
Offering a lighthearted counterbalance to the grimdarkness that has been flooding the Batbooks since the start of the New 52, it's a shame to see Gail Simone leave the book which up until her departure was one of the longest runs on a New 52 title (including Snyder and Capullo) that kept its original creative team. However Cameron Stewart and co kept Batgirl Vol. 1 interesting, fresh and entertaining giving it a nice feel that captures a unique take on the character. Recommended for Gotham Academy fans.