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A review by angieinthemorning
Batgirl, Vol. 4: Wanted by Gail Simone, Marguerite Bennett, Jonathan Glapion, Fernando Pasarín, Derlis Santacruz, Carlos Rodríguez, Daniel Sampere
2.0
The more I read this book the more difficult I find it to remember why I even liked Simone's Barbara in Birds of Prey. It's not a fair comparison at all, I know; for one, this Barbara is clearly in a different stage of her life than the Birds of Prey's version was, and two, Simone's creativity is quite obviously stunted by the endless editorial mandates plaguing DC offices these days. But there's a very ham-fisted quality to her writing in this particular book --almost authorial intent, really-- that doesn't settle well with me.
Barbara Gordon is a rich character that doesn't need any writer to force readers to love her, and yet this is exactly what I feel Simone is doing. The on-going is essentially one long, awkward, and slightly embarrassing plea to readers to love Barbara as much as DC and the writer think everyone should love her. Which would be just fine, except they have given us no reasons to do so. Barbara is but a shadow of who she can be, and her supporting characters are barely characters at all. To say nothing of the plot, which the less said of it, the better. It didn't benefit any of the characters involved, and if anything, it brought out the worst in them. At best, it was mediocre writing, and at worst, downright offensive to longtime fans of the Gordons.
The only saving grace this book continues to have is its art, which is not great, but it's certainly consistent. It fits the mood of the book Simone probably thinks she's writing, but, most regrettably, is not.
Barbara Gordon is a rich character that doesn't need any writer to force readers to love her, and yet this is exactly what I feel Simone is doing. The on-going is essentially one long, awkward, and slightly embarrassing plea to readers to love Barbara as much as DC and the writer think everyone should love her. Which would be just fine, except they have given us no reasons to do so. Barbara is but a shadow of who she can be, and her supporting characters are barely characters at all. To say nothing of the plot, which the less said of it, the better. It didn't benefit any of the characters involved, and if anything, it brought out the worst in them. At best, it was mediocre writing, and at worst, downright offensive to longtime fans of the Gordons.
The only saving grace this book continues to have is its art, which is not great, but it's certainly consistent. It fits the mood of the book Simone probably thinks she's writing, but, most regrettably, is not.