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A review by rhganci
Batgirl, Volume 2: Knightfall Descends by Gail Simone
5.0
Be it editing or writing, the masterstroke of the Gail Simone's BATGIRL run--as least as far as the TPBs go--is the placement of the #0 issue between the major story arcs. What worked so well about V1 was that it maintained Barbara's steady climb back to crimefighting competency while allowing her to confront her survivor's guilt and the appertaining trauma of being shot and left to die the Joker (a pre-New 52 lore clarification that Simone makes beautifully). The #0 issue gives us the new background of her first appearance as Batgirl, and then sends us on our merry way into volume 2, another standout piece of writing and art from Gail Simone, Adrian Syaf, and my favorite comics artist Ed Benes.
Batgirl's crossover chapter with THE NIGHT OF THE OWLS followed suit like all the rest, but I particularly enjoyed getting Barbara's take on the events of the evening, as well as some key perspective from Commissioner Gordon himself. As its own narrative, however, V2 reads much like V1, as Barbara gets a pair of her own adversaries to confront: the creepy barefoot Grotesque and the sociopathic Knightfall. Both are great villains with the right kind of characterization for them to function as foils to Batgirl, but Knightfall particularly works as a nemesis: a young female looking to respond to the corruption in and depravity of Gotham City. With the promise of ongoing conflict rife throughout issues #11-13, Simone keeps it simple and keeps the stakes low for now. It's really just a rescue narrative, but she works within that simple structure to let Barbara continue to grow--no character anywhere in DC can be this well developed, though Aquaman is a close second--with the best narrative voice DC has going right now. With short quips or longer observations, reflections or promises, Barbara's "secret diary" narrative of her crimefighting adds the depth to the story's structure that makes it the best kind of story to read: we know what the objective is, and the problem prohibiting that objective, but the characters' words sort the problem out. The Knightfall arc is far from over, and though we're heading into THE DEATH OF THE FAMILY in short order, the promise of the book's final pages maintain's Batgirl's own narrative solidly and unflinchingly. We get a sense of her responsibility to Gotham City and to the things that are going on in her corner of it, and in that, Simone's writing provides an immersive story that really does stand above just about all of the other high-quality stories going in the New 52 right now.
The addition of Ed Benes to some pencil and cover duties makes this an even more enjoyable book. Most notably, his work in the last issue of the volume blends a huge range of styles and approaches, with a few really, really stylish pages becoming immediately memorable. One particular sequence takes place from the perspective of jailbars, but rather than draw them, Benes arranges the panels to reflect that perspective during a fistfight. His parallel structure in the book's final pages adds a great deal to the aforementioned promise of the next Knightfall story arc, as does the intensity with which he draws faces. As before, the colors show a unique look to Gotham City with purples and yellows shading much of the scenery in a way that makes this a book with its own visual style. All things are working for BATGIRL in this first year of the New 52, and there is no book I am more excited to read in the volumes 3 than Gail Simone's next contribution here.
Batgirl's crossover chapter with THE NIGHT OF THE OWLS followed suit like all the rest, but I particularly enjoyed getting Barbara's take on the events of the evening, as well as some key perspective from Commissioner Gordon himself. As its own narrative, however, V2 reads much like V1, as Barbara gets a pair of her own adversaries to confront: the creepy barefoot Grotesque and the sociopathic Knightfall. Both are great villains with the right kind of characterization for them to function as foils to Batgirl, but Knightfall particularly works as a nemesis: a young female looking to respond to the corruption in and depravity of Gotham City. With the promise of ongoing conflict rife throughout issues #11-13, Simone keeps it simple and keeps the stakes low for now. It's really just a rescue narrative, but she works within that simple structure to let Barbara continue to grow--no character anywhere in DC can be this well developed, though Aquaman is a close second--with the best narrative voice DC has going right now. With short quips or longer observations, reflections or promises, Barbara's "secret diary" narrative of her crimefighting adds the depth to the story's structure that makes it the best kind of story to read: we know what the objective is, and the problem prohibiting that objective, but the characters' words sort the problem out. The Knightfall arc is far from over, and though we're heading into THE DEATH OF THE FAMILY in short order, the promise of the book's final pages maintain's Batgirl's own narrative solidly and unflinchingly. We get a sense of her responsibility to Gotham City and to the things that are going on in her corner of it, and in that, Simone's writing provides an immersive story that really does stand above just about all of the other high-quality stories going in the New 52 right now.
The addition of Ed Benes to some pencil and cover duties makes this an even more enjoyable book. Most notably, his work in the last issue of the volume blends a huge range of styles and approaches, with a few really, really stylish pages becoming immediately memorable. One particular sequence takes place from the perspective of jailbars, but rather than draw them, Benes arranges the panels to reflect that perspective during a fistfight. His parallel structure in the book's final pages adds a great deal to the aforementioned promise of the next Knightfall story arc, as does the intensity with which he draws faces. As before, the colors show a unique look to Gotham City with purples and yellows shading much of the scenery in a way that makes this a book with its own visual style. All things are working for BATGIRL in this first year of the New 52, and there is no book I am more excited to read in the volumes 3 than Gail Simone's next contribution here.