A review by hinn_raven
Batgirls Vol. 1: One Way or Another by Becky Cloonan

2.0

I try not to hold the fact that I had such high hopes for this book against it. But... man. Is it disappointing. I've enjoyed Cloonan and Conrad's previous work, particularly Gotham Academy. But this... there were rumors on the internet that Steph and Cass were being written as being around 14, back when this book first debuted, and even though I believe they were pushed back against, it certainly feels as if Cass and Steph are being written as silly, incompetent teenagers who need to be babysat by their competent babysitter Babs. The erasure and handling of Babs's disability continues to hang over all Bat Books, but this one... I had hopes! But nope. Steph and Cass have to be incompetent so we can be reminded, at all times, that Babs is the best. Perhaps it's not fair on the book, that I want the characters to be, well, good at their jobs, and treated like adults. But when Damian, an actual child, is treated with more gravitas than Steph and Cass, who are supposed to be adults, I can't help but find it irritating.

The art is fun though. It's a great style, and the colorists do an amazing job, and it absolutely matches what Cloonan is going for, tonally. It does what it's trying to do! I just... don't enjoy what that is.