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A review by carroq
Batgirl, Volume 2: Knightfall Descends by Gail Simone
4.0
Batgirl, Volume 2 collects issues #7-13 and #0. In some ways I liked Volume 2 more and less than Volume 1. Batgirl has some more confidence here and really hits her stride. On the other hand, this arc was all over the place. It didn't feel quite as cohesive as the previous arc.
Barbara Gordon is Batgirl and the daughter of the police commissioner, James Gordon. She is back fighting crime after being shot and crippled years ago. There is some exploration of the shooting in this arc, but it doesn't feel like a rehash from before. This is something that haunts her, so it makes sense that it shows up in the story from time to time. We start out seeing when Barbara originally chose to take on the mantle of Batgirl. A pretty good depiction. I think this shows a lot of Barbara/Batgirl's personality.
Next, a masked figure calling himself Grotesque is robbing the rich of Gotham city and Batgirl is on his trail. What she finds will open up an old wound. The format on this one is a little weird. It starts in the middle of their fight, jumps back to what instigated it, and then jumps ahead again. I enjoyed where the creators took this part of the story. Barbara is faced with a tough choice and her decision makes sense after everything unfolds.
From there, she encounters the Court of Owls. They are targeting prominent figures in Gotham, and use threats against Commissioner Gordon's family to keep him from contacting Batman. This chapter ties into the Night of Owls event, and those that aren't familiar with it could feel a little lost. The goals of the Court of Owls aren't explained. They come and go pretty quickly, making this feel less integrated into the whole.
The third group that Batgirl runs up against led by a woman calling herself Knightfall. They are attempting to eradicate crime in Gotham by ruthlessly targeting criminals. After they try to recruit Batgirl, she teams up with a detective who has been tracking her and Batwoman to bring them down. These chapters were great and foreshadow a bit. I am interested to see if that foreshadowing comes into play in future volumes.
There is a side story involving Barbara's brother, James Jr., throughout the volume. It is building to a confrontation between them. This portion of the story is not my favorite, but it is setting the groundwork that I hope to see explored in more depth.
Barbara Gordon is Batgirl and the daughter of the police commissioner, James Gordon. She is back fighting crime after being shot and crippled years ago. There is some exploration of the shooting in this arc, but it doesn't feel like a rehash from before. This is something that haunts her, so it makes sense that it shows up in the story from time to time. We start out seeing when Barbara originally chose to take on the mantle of Batgirl. A pretty good depiction. I think this shows a lot of Barbara/Batgirl's personality.
Next, a masked figure calling himself Grotesque is robbing the rich of Gotham city and Batgirl is on his trail. What she finds will open up an old wound. The format on this one is a little weird. It starts in the middle of their fight, jumps back to what instigated it, and then jumps ahead again. I enjoyed where the creators took this part of the story. Barbara is faced with a tough choice and her decision makes sense after everything unfolds.
From there, she encounters the Court of Owls. They are targeting prominent figures in Gotham, and use threats against Commissioner Gordon's family to keep him from contacting Batman. This chapter ties into the Night of Owls event, and those that aren't familiar with it could feel a little lost. The goals of the Court of Owls aren't explained. They come and go pretty quickly, making this feel less integrated into the whole.
The third group that Batgirl runs up against led by a woman calling herself Knightfall. They are attempting to eradicate crime in Gotham by ruthlessly targeting criminals. After they try to recruit Batgirl, she teams up with a detective who has been tracking her and Batwoman to bring them down. These chapters were great and foreshadow a bit. I am interested to see if that foreshadowing comes into play in future volumes.
There is a side story involving Barbara's brother, James Jr., throughout the volume. It is building to a confrontation between them. This portion of the story is not my favorite, but it is setting the groundwork that I hope to see explored in more depth.