A review by murphyc1
Batgirl, Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection by Gail Simone

4.0

I've been reading through some of the New 52 Bat books lately (as I have been collecting them for the past couple of years; whenever I see a bargain-priced hard copy of interest, I scoop it up for later consumption)--a risky proposition, to be sure--and Gail Simone's Batgirl is undeniably some of the best material of the lot. These first six issues pack a lot of story (as well as a lot of necessary retconning) into two arcs, the initial four ishes serving as a reintroduction and a sort of soft reboot for Barbara Gordon's Batgirl, who has spent the previous couple of decades (or 3 years, thanks to that necessary retconning I mentioned) as a paraplegic, and finds a shaky, rusty Batgirl facing a mysterious and dangerous new villain out for her blood. The second short arc comprises the fifth and sixth issues, and gives us a more confident Batgirl dealing with yet another rookie supervillain, this time carrying out an intricate mind-control scheme which involves none other than Bruce Wayne!

The Darkest Reflection was a lot of fun, fast-paced, and interesting, three general characteristics of a "good" comic. My only criticism of this comic is its art. Ardian Syaf's artwork isn't terrible, but such good writing deserves equally proficient illustration, and there Batgirl, vol. 1 falters. Specifically, I think that the colors are too dark and many of the anatomical figures are disproportional.

However, despite my henpecking over artwork that is still far better than any I might accomplish myself, this book is well worth your time!