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124 reviews for:
Batgirl, Vol. 2: Knightfall Descends
Vicente Cifuentes, Ardian Syaf, Gail Simone, Ed Benes, Alitha Martinez
3.93 AVERAGE
124 reviews for:
Batgirl, Vol. 2: Knightfall Descends
Vicente Cifuentes, Ardian Syaf, Gail Simone, Ed Benes, Alitha Martinez
3.93 AVERAGE
This is another that makes me feel a little conflicted in assigning a rating, much like the first volume. The story was ok to decent, with some moments I didn't like. There were some themes and characters that I'm tired of returning to. The ending was kind of unsatisfying, and I didn't like the cliffhanger. But, the art was good, the characterization and internal commentary from Barbara are very enjoyable, and this again left me eager to read more because I want to spend more time with the character. Simone does a wonderful job with her. So four stars because I loved it, but realize the story is nothing special. I really liked how Batwoman's appearance was accompanied by a shift to her typically ornate style of art on action sequences; they brought her atmosphere along with her.
This volume's a bit of a mixed bag if I'm being *completely* honest, but I think there's way more good than bad. I noticed a pretty significant shift in the art this volume (it's not bad, there's just some VERY weird posing that looked very *ahem*...gratuitous compared to last volume), but I still love how Simone writes Barbara Gordon. Barbara's ability to show empathy, even to those who minutes prior tried to hurt her, is surprisingly endearing and really sets her character apart from the rest of the Batfamily. The new origin for Batgirl is miles better than the original and the direction Simone took the story revolving around one of Joker's henchmen was surprisingly touching. I was not expecting that from a story related to Killing Joke. The one-shot story revolving around the Court of Owls was really cool too and referenced a real life event from WW2 that I didn't know existed. Knightfall's dialogue was pretty hammy at times, but she's probably the best of the villains so far. Most of the flaws from volume 1 are still here, but the highlights are still here too and that's good enough for me.
This however was starting to suffer quite badly from 'you-need-to-have-read-a-dozen-other-titles-to-know-what's-going-on-itis', so as a result the KNightfall and Talon stories were just... pretty meaningless to me.
I still quite enjoyed spending time with Barbara Gordon, just, yeah. Wtf was up with the story.
I still quite enjoyed spending time with Barbara Gordon, just, yeah. Wtf was up with the story.
I absolutely loved the first volume in the New 52 Batgirl and was not disappointed in this second volume. Barbara is more in fighting form this time, although still struggling with the after effects of her disability.
This starts off with a nice little origin story flashback with a very brief Batman appearance, and I liked the revamp of the first time Barbara donned a batsuit. The Night of Owls issue feels a bit random in this collection, but I liked the character interactions and ideas behind it so no real complaints there. Knightfall, the main focus of this volume, was an interesting villain and the arc kept me hooked and wanting more.
This starts off with a nice little origin story flashback with a very brief Batman appearance, and I liked the revamp of the first time Barbara donned a batsuit. The Night of Owls issue feels a bit random in this collection, but I liked the character interactions and ideas behind it so no real complaints there. Knightfall, the main focus of this volume, was an interesting villain and the arc kept me hooked and wanting more.
I liked this better than the first book, and will definitely keep reading now. It’s gritty and goofy, cute and cruel. What more could you ask for?
I just can't get into Batgirl solo adventures. She doesn't have a strong purpose to be Batgirl and Barbra was much more interesting as Oracle.
I've always been a fan of Barbara Gordon and am having a good time with this series so far. While I miss the Oracle days it is fun to see Batgirl back in action. The story is fun and the book looks great.
I interviewed one of the artists on the book, Alitha Martinez, for the All the Books Show. Find it here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-267-alitha-martinez-on-batgirl-black-panther-and-more
I interviewed one of the artists on the book, Alitha Martinez, for the All the Books Show. Find it here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-267-alitha-martinez-on-batgirl-black-panther-and-more
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gail Simone really found her stride with this volume. Batgirl walks the line between serious and fun, and the bad guys are both scary real and lasting. And James, oh scary James. Good stuff.
I'm still unclear as to how Barbara Gordon goes from being the very-serious wheelchair bound Oracle back to the quip-slinging Batgirl. These days, Barbara is positively bouncy. In this volume Simone tackles that a little better. Barbara has issues, and tells us in her inner dialogue when the memories are getting to her. We see the fateful scene of Joker-with-gun-in-hand many times. I like that. Though a reboot, this is still continuing a story steeped in Canon. Simone keeps with that expertly. And that the new foe is named "Knightfall"? Really nice.
The storylines are a little convoluted though; I don't think this is Simone's fault. I wanted to see a little more of Talon and a little less of Grotesque, but readers can't be choosers.
I'm still unclear as to how Barbara Gordon goes from being the very-serious wheelchair bound Oracle back to the quip-slinging Batgirl. These days, Barbara is positively bouncy. In this volume Simone tackles that a little better. Barbara has issues, and tells us in her inner dialogue when the memories are getting to her. We see the fateful scene of Joker-with-gun-in-hand many times. I like that. Though a reboot, this is still continuing a story steeped in Canon. Simone keeps with that expertly. And that the new foe is named "Knightfall"? Really nice.
The storylines are a little convoluted though; I don't think this is Simone's fault. I wanted to see a little more of Talon and a little less of Grotesque, but readers can't be choosers.