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A review by nancyotoole
Batgirl, Vol. 2: Knightfall Descends by Vicente Cifuentes, Ardian Syaf, Gail Simone, Ed Benes, Alitha Martinez
3.0
Knightfall Descends is the second volume in the New 52's Batgirl, written by Gail Simone. There's a lot this volume does very well. Barbara Gordon remains a sympathetic lead, and I enjoyed the more personal aspects of this story. Barbara's mother has returned suddenly after abandoning her as a child. How can our heroine cope?
The overall superhero aspects of the storyline, where Barbara faces down a formidable foe with three near unbeatable henchmen, is also enjoyable. One thing that did frustrate me a little about this volume is how the crossover events are handled. This issue contains Batgirl, Issue 0, which takes place before Batgirl decides to become a superhero, as well as an issue that ties in to the Court of the Owls storyline. These issues are plopped in with little explanation, which is probably confusing to people who are just reading Batgirl. Fortunately, issue 0 is a good read, but the Court of the Owls issue leaves things very unresolved.
The art remains solid throughout. My favorite moment would have to be the first appearance of Batwoman. At the time Knightfall Descends was released, Batwoman was being illustrated by JH Williams III, who was known for illustrating these artful/elaborate two page spreads in the comic. I was quite happy to see a homage to this style when Kate first bursts on the scene.
Knightfall Descends is a step down from The Darkest Reflection, but the series remains worth your attention. I look forward to reading more of Barbara's adventures.
The overall superhero aspects of the storyline, where Barbara faces down a formidable foe with three near unbeatable henchmen, is also enjoyable. One thing that did frustrate me a little about this volume is how the crossover events are handled. This issue contains Batgirl, Issue 0, which takes place before Batgirl decides to become a superhero, as well as an issue that ties in to the Court of the Owls storyline. These issues are plopped in with little explanation, which is probably confusing to people who are just reading Batgirl. Fortunately, issue 0 is a good read, but the Court of the Owls issue leaves things very unresolved.
The art remains solid throughout. My favorite moment would have to be the first appearance of Batwoman. At the time Knightfall Descends was released, Batwoman was being illustrated by JH Williams III, who was known for illustrating these artful/elaborate two page spreads in the comic. I was quite happy to see a homage to this style when Kate first bursts on the scene.
Knightfall Descends is a step down from The Darkest Reflection, but the series remains worth your attention. I look forward to reading more of Barbara's adventures.