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A review by annamickreads
Batgirls Vol. 1: One Way or Another by Becky Cloonan
3.0
3.5, with a .5 solely for most creative use of "All Star" lyrics in a Batman comic
The good stuff: I loved the art style and the colors used in this comic so much!! I felt like the blues and greens with vivid reds really evoked the moodiness of Gotham while also adding a fun, psychedelic twist to it, which is perfect especially relevant to the villains of the story. Gotham in shades of blue will always be a personal favorite.
The villains and their motives, in my opinion, were super creative and the overall message was thoughtfully done. I love to see all three of these characters on page together and that alone brought me a lot of joy. Admittedly, I am old enough to remember how New 52 completely erased Cass and Steph from DC canon, so when I learned they would be brought back - and team up with their mentor, no less!! - I was thrilled.
The stuff I was not as fond of: There are some points of contention for me regarding their characterization in this book that makes me less enthused.
- When we last left Steph in Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl run, she was around 19 and a sophomore in college, putting Babs at about 26-27. Now, Steph and Cass have been de-aged to around 14 and Babs around 22-23, and it's obvious in their dialogue. There are some costume choices and eventual moniker choices I'm also not thrilled of, but I am not the Editor of DC Comics, so I can't pull an Uno-reverse on any of that. Cass' characterization was great and I'm really thankful that Cass' selective muteness wasn't treated the way it was in say, No Man's Land, where she was more of a stereotype/caricature.
Steph's characterization felt off to me, especially when she described herself as a "gutter rat" in Gotham. Stephanie Brown has always been one of the most optimistic characters, even with the odds stacked against her, so to hear her so (cheerfully!) down on herself was out of place. Yes, she grew up in Gotham, her father is a supervillain, but her previous writing made me think she had such a strong appreciation for Gotham and its citizens that her choosing to attend university at Gotham U was a nod to her wanting to protect her home, as Bruce's crusade.
Barbara Gordon is my heart and soul and I think the essence of her character was really there, but like many people I am upset with the decision to reverse her paralysis for the sake of throwing her in the Batgirl costume again. Like other readers, I wished there were more acknowledgement of her disability, although I did appreciate her expressing her need to take breaks and her use of a cane in one scene.
I think another thing that's important to remember with this book is that it follows the Future State plot line and has nods to Batgirl of Burnside, both of which were, to my understanding, sort of alternate-universe type things (Chuck Dixon's Batgirl: Year One I will not forget you!!!)
The good stuff: I loved the art style and the colors used in this comic so much!! I felt like the blues and greens with vivid reds really evoked the moodiness of Gotham while also adding a fun, psychedelic twist to it, which is perfect especially relevant to the villains of the story. Gotham in shades of blue will always be a personal favorite.
The villains and their motives, in my opinion, were super creative and the overall message was thoughtfully done. I love to see all three of these characters on page together and that alone brought me a lot of joy. Admittedly, I am old enough to remember how New 52 completely erased Cass and Steph from DC canon, so when I learned they would be brought back - and team up with their mentor, no less!! - I was thrilled.
The stuff I was not as fond of: There are some points of contention for me regarding their characterization in this book that makes me less enthused.
- When we last left Steph in Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl run, she was around 19 and a sophomore in college, putting Babs at about 26-27. Now, Steph and Cass have been de-aged to around 14 and Babs around 22-23, and it's obvious in their dialogue. There are some costume choices and eventual moniker choices I'm also not thrilled of, but I am not the Editor of DC Comics, so I can't pull an Uno-reverse on any of that. Cass' characterization was great and I'm really thankful that Cass' selective muteness wasn't treated the way it was in say, No Man's Land, where she was more of a stereotype/caricature.
Steph's characterization felt off to me, especially when she described herself as a "gutter rat" in Gotham. Stephanie Brown has always been one of the most optimistic characters, even with the odds stacked against her, so to hear her so (cheerfully!) down on herself was out of place. Yes, she grew up in Gotham, her father is a supervillain, but her previous writing made me think she had such a strong appreciation for Gotham and its citizens that her choosing to attend university at Gotham U was a nod to her wanting to protect her home, as Bruce's crusade.
Barbara Gordon is my heart and soul and I think the essence of her character was really there, but like many people I am upset with the decision to reverse her paralysis for the sake of throwing her in the Batgirl costume again. Like other readers, I wished there were more acknowledgement of her disability, although I did appreciate her expressing her need to take breaks and her use of a cane in one scene.
I think another thing that's important to remember with this book is that it follows the Future State plot line and has nods to Batgirl of Burnside, both of which were, to my understanding, sort of alternate-universe type things (Chuck Dixon's Batgirl: Year One I will not forget you!!!)