New 52
Week of 9/7/11
Batgirl #1
Here it is, the one we've all been waiting for. Barbara Gordon is no longer Oracle: sad-face! But she's being written by Gail Simone: happy-face! What is going to happen?
We start off with a new villain calling himself "The Mirror" who's walking around with a list of names. He finds an old man gardening who he claims survived a shipwreck when 27 of his fellow sailors died, asking him angrily why he survived. He drowns the old man by forcing his garden hose into his mouth, and when he crosses his name off the list, we see that Barbara Gordon is also on it.
Meanwhile, Barbara Gordon is reminding herself that she is not Barbara Gordon: tonight, she is Batgirl! Right now, she's tracking some home-invaders with information she got from reading her father's police files when he wasn't around (I would prefer it if she tracked them down with super-hacking, as Babs's computer skills are one of the few parts of her character not mentioned in this issue, but I digress). The home invaders are decently creepy, talking to the terrified couple about the wonderful feeling the murders give them and showing them a scrapbook of their latest kills. They say that if the couple cooperates, then maybe they won't wake the kids. One guy glances out the window, complains that it's going to rain and he forgot his jacket and he's going to catch a cold. As he wonders why these things always happen to him, we see Batgirl through the window behind him silhouetted by a lightning strike. Way to make an entrance, Babs. She takes out three of them pretty easily, but the ringleader has decided his victims are now hostages. Trying to get his focus off them, Barbara laughs at him, hits his free hand with a batarang, and calls him a punk who she's surprised hasn't wet himself. This succeeds at making the guy jump her instead of kill the couple, but an out-of-practice Barbara was not prepared and he nearly knocks them both out the window. Batgirl manages to grab the balconey railing with one hand and the perp with the other as the grateful couple than her and call the cops.
Back home, Barbara has a nightmare about being shot by the Joker, which still traumatizes her even though she's proud she didn't let it beat her. The narration box lets us know that she was paralyzed for three years before the unspecified "miracle" occurred that let her walk again, which means that she's been Oracle for about half the time that superheroes have even existed. This is a pretty good choice. In the kitchen, Barbara's dad, whose red hair is colored a bit better in this issue, asks her again to stay home but she's settled on moving into her new apartment today. We meet the new roommate. Babs keeps her batcycle in her van.
Over at the hospital, the Mirror comes for the ringleader of the home invasion crew, since he should have fallen and he's on the list. The Mirror apparently does not only kill survivors, as to get to his victim he kills a security guard and one of the cops guarding the prisoner, wounding his partner. Batgirl has been alerted by text and arrives to take him down, but freezes when the Mirror points his gun at the exact place the Joker shot her. Before she can recover, he pushes his victim out the window and escapes. The surviving cop calls her a murderer for just letting the Mirror kill that guy and points her gun at her. Babs seems to be under arrest.
Thoughts:
I really like that this is the only issue I read this week that referenced pre-Flashpoint history, and that it was done very well. I have no doubt that we will eventually learn just how Barbara Gordon regained the ability to walk. Babs seems a lot more light-hearted here, but I don't know if it's because she's supposed to be younger or because walking and being Batgirl again has made her happier and more hopeful. Either way, I miss my hard-nosed, bad-ass Babs, but I think I'm going to like reading this series regardless. I think the Mirror is a credible new villain and I look forward to Batgirl taking him down. This issue has more emotional weight than the others I've read this week and I like it's art better too. I am very happy to be putting this on my list of monthly buys.
Batgirl #1
Here it is, the one we've all been waiting for. Barbara Gordon is no longer Oracle: sad-face! But she's being written by Gail Simone: happy-face! What is going to happen?
We start off with a new villain calling himself "The Mirror" who's walking around with a list of names. He finds an old man gardening who he claims survived a shipwreck when 27 of his fellow sailors died, asking him angrily why he survived. He drowns the old man by forcing his garden hose into his mouth, and when he crosses his name off the list, we see that Barbara Gordon is also on it.
Meanwhile, Barbara Gordon is reminding herself that she is not Barbara Gordon: tonight, she is Batgirl! Right now, she's tracking some home-invaders with information she got from reading her father's police files when he wasn't around (I would prefer it if she tracked them down with super-hacking, as Babs's computer skills are one of the few parts of her character not mentioned in this issue, but I digress). The home invaders are decently creepy, talking to the terrified couple about the wonderful feeling the murders give them and showing them a scrapbook of their latest kills. They say that if the couple cooperates, then maybe they won't wake the kids. One guy glances out the window, complains that it's going to rain and he forgot his jacket and he's going to catch a cold. As he wonders why these things always happen to him, we see Batgirl through the window behind him silhouetted by a lightning strike. Way to make an entrance, Babs. She takes out three of them pretty easily, but the ringleader has decided his victims are now hostages. Trying to get his focus off them, Barbara laughs at him, hits his free hand with a batarang, and calls him a punk who she's surprised hasn't wet himself. This succeeds at making the guy jump her instead of kill the couple, but an out-of-practice Barbara was not prepared and he nearly knocks them both out the window. Batgirl manages to grab the balconey railing with one hand and the perp with the other as the grateful couple than her and call the cops.
Back home, Barbara has a nightmare about being shot by the Joker, which still traumatizes her even though she's proud she didn't let it beat her. The narration box lets us know that she was paralyzed for three years before the unspecified "miracle" occurred that let her walk again, which means that she's been Oracle for about half the time that superheroes have even existed. This is a pretty good choice. In the kitchen, Barbara's dad, whose red hair is colored a bit better in this issue, asks her again to stay home but she's settled on moving into her new apartment today. We meet the new roommate. Babs keeps her batcycle in her van.
Over at the hospital, the Mirror comes for the ringleader of the home invasion crew, since he should have fallen and he's on the list. The Mirror apparently does not only kill survivors, as to get to his victim he kills a security guard and one of the cops guarding the prisoner, wounding his partner. Batgirl has been alerted by text and arrives to take him down, but freezes when the Mirror points his gun at the exact place the Joker shot her. Before she can recover, he pushes his victim out the window and escapes. The surviving cop calls her a murderer for just letting the Mirror kill that guy and points her gun at her. Babs seems to be under arrest.
Thoughts:
I really like that this is the only issue I read this week that referenced pre-Flashpoint history, and that it was done very well. I have no doubt that we will eventually learn just how Barbara Gordon regained the ability to walk. Babs seems a lot more light-hearted here, but I don't know if it's because she's supposed to be younger or because walking and being Batgirl again has made her happier and more hopeful. Either way, I miss my hard-nosed, bad-ass Babs, but I think I'm going to like reading this series regardless. I think the Mirror is a credible new villain and I look forward to Batgirl taking him down. This issue has more emotional weight than the others I've read this week and I like it's art better too. I am very happy to be putting this on my list of monthly buys.