Thursday, September 15, 2011

The New 52 Review: BATGIRL #1

BATGIRL #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Gail Simone
PENCILS: Ardian Syaf
INKS: Vicente Cifuentes
COLORS: Ulises Arreola
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COVER: Adam Hughes
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

There have been several incarnations of the character Batgirl, but the best known and most popular is Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon, first appeared in 1966, introduced in Detective Comics #359 (entitled “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl”), in a story written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Carmine Infantino.

Batgirl #1 (“Shattered”) returns Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, but after being paralyzed and in a wheelchair for a time, Barbara is struggling to adjust to being on her feet again. How tough? She discovers that physically she is just a touch slow when she faces the Brisby Killers. It is the villain Mirror, however, who will be her toughest challenge.

I have not read much by writer Gail Simone, but what I have read I’ve enjoyed. Her lively characters are easy to like, and her sparkling dialogue makes even the slow scenes perk up. The most surprising thing that Simone does here is how much she delves into Barbara Gordon’s struggle to be Batgirl-walking-again.

Also, the pencil art by Ardian Syaf is so pretty, with its details and textures brought out by intricate line work, which the inks by Vicente Cifuentes lovingly highlight. Syaf’s storytelling is solidly built on his drawing skills, and he and Simone make an excellent creative team. I’m going to keep reading, and you should to because I’m highly recommending Batgirl.

A-

August 31st
FLASHPOINT #5
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/flashpoint-5.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/justice-league-1.html

September 7th
ACTION COMICS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/action-comics-1.html
BATWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batwing-1.html
DETECTIVE COMICS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/detective-comics-1-2011.html
HAWK AND DOVE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/hawk-dove-1.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/justice-league-international-1.html
MEN OF WAR #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/men-of-war-1.html
STORMWATCH #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/stormwatch-1.html

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