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A review by dr_matthew_lloyd
Batgirl Vol. 4: Wanted (the New 52) by Gail Simone
3.0
The central conceit of this volume of Batgirl is undermined by an obvious comic book cliché. It is, really, a volume that fails principally because it is part of the eternally on-going narrative, a narrative which seems to have generally no idea how to create tension which can actually pay off, particularly when one is reading collected volumes rather than monthly instalments. There are hints of storytelling which could actually be interesting: more focus on Barbara's relationships with her roommate and her father, which are the best bits of this volume, and the tension created by her secret identity and the fact that she does not feel that she can tell either of them. Those who have read the volume will actually know that the climax of this story - the best thing in the volume which, were it better set up, would have been worth five stars - is when Barbara decides to reveal herself to her father, but he refuses to know; indeed, the suggestion is that he does know (perhaps also about Bruce Wayne/Batman), but chooses to ignore what his instincts tell him in this case. Indeed, after the revelations in the previous volume ([b:Batgirl, Vol. 3: Death of the Family|17671934|Batgirl, Vol. 3 Death of the Family|Gail Simone|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375991987s/17671934.jpg|24670921]), one certainly wishes for more development of Barbara's relationship with Alysia and Alysia's character independently. But one does not get one's wish.
There are two main story-arcs in this volume. The first introduces a new villain, the Ventriloquist, whose clichéd act has failed to catch on and leads the metahuman to do the usual violent things bad guys do in the DC Universe. It's uninspiring, and serves only to delay the more interesting arc: the search by Commissioner Gordon for Batgirl, whom he believes to have killed his son. This story arc is good, but it is undermined by the obvious, which becomes more obvious the more Barbara insists it can't have happened:that James Gordon Jr is alive and well; that Barbara did not kill her brother; that the whole thing is essentially a big misunderstanding . The tension between Barbara and her father is quite good, although it remains underdeveloped; the story arc, which cycles violence around violence around violence, is one of those stories which looks increasingly difficult to believe when one comes from a country in which guns are less available than in the US (and the police certainly don't carry them unless on special occasions) and largely makes one wonder if Gail Simone really thinks human beings are that stupid and violent.
Barbara's Year Zero story, on the other hand, is more interesting still. Again, we begin with the usual violence as a result of disaster (one wonders how the human race survived so long if this is its behaviour), but most of the story is about how Barbara and James survive - and help others survive - in a crisis which is largely the result of circumstance rather than human intention. It's nice to read an almost-superhero story about helping people out when they need it rather than just contriving situations in which people end up being violent.
There are two main story-arcs in this volume. The first introduces a new villain, the Ventriloquist, whose clichéd act has failed to catch on and leads the metahuman to do the usual violent things bad guys do in the DC Universe. It's uninspiring, and serves only to delay the more interesting arc: the search by Commissioner Gordon for Batgirl, whom he believes to have killed his son. This story arc is good, but it is undermined by the obvious, which becomes more obvious the more Barbara insists it can't have happened:
Barbara's Year Zero story, on the other hand, is more interesting still. Again, we begin with the usual violence as a result of disaster (one wonders how the human race survived so long if this is its behaviour), but most of the story is about how Barbara and James survive - and help others survive - in a crisis which is largely the result of circumstance rather than human intention. It's nice to read an almost-superhero story about helping people out when they need it rather than just contriving situations in which people end up being violent.