Scan barcode
A review by rhganci
Batgirl, Volume 1: Batgirl of Burnside by Cameron Stewart
1.0
What in the world did I just read?
If there's one reason--a compelling, final reason as to why Rebirth is a necessary step for DC Comics--it's work like this. Work that really, truly has forgotten its roots in an attempt to draw in new readers. This isn't a continuation of Gail Simone's master class in character-based, inclusive storytelling; this is a reboot of the character, with a hackneyed explanation as to why Barbara Gordon is now a social media-obsessed, college partying and boy-crazy reinvention of herself. None of it works dramatically or compellingly. This version of the character is really, really lame. It's the opposite of Gail Simone's Batgirl. Which was the best. This is the worst.
The art is also really weird. Apparently Brendan Fletcher does the character designs and the layouts, while Tarr adds her hipster style in the finishes. And there's a lot of that in this collection. The new suit is kind of cool, with lots of purples and yellows, but the overally style just doesn't really do much as a visual tale. There's no real depth, or nuance--it reads like a pulp cartoon at best, and at worst, like a Tumblr webcomic. There was very little, if anything, to draw me in visually, which wasn't helped at all by the bizarre story.
As it turns out, social media applications don't make great plot devices unless Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher are somehow involved. The Batgirl of Burnside gets just about everything wrong, despite its labored and earnest attempts to seem inclusive. Unless you're dedicated to the character's history, I'd give it the hard pass.
If there's one reason--a compelling, final reason as to why Rebirth is a necessary step for DC Comics--it's work like this. Work that really, truly has forgotten its roots in an attempt to draw in new readers. This isn't a continuation of Gail Simone's master class in character-based, inclusive storytelling; this is a reboot of the character, with a hackneyed explanation as to why Barbara Gordon is now a social media-obsessed, college partying and boy-crazy reinvention of herself. None of it works dramatically or compellingly. This version of the character is really, really lame. It's the opposite of Gail Simone's Batgirl. Which was the best. This is the worst.
The art is also really weird. Apparently Brendan Fletcher does the character designs and the layouts, while Tarr adds her hipster style in the finishes. And there's a lot of that in this collection. The new suit is kind of cool, with lots of purples and yellows, but the overally style just doesn't really do much as a visual tale. There's no real depth, or nuance--it reads like a pulp cartoon at best, and at worst, like a Tumblr webcomic. There was very little, if anything, to draw me in visually, which wasn't helped at all by the bizarre story.
As it turns out, social media applications don't make great plot devices unless Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher are somehow involved. The Batgirl of Burnside gets just about everything wrong, despite its labored and earnest attempts to seem inclusive. Unless you're dedicated to the character's history, I'd give it the hard pass.