DC Comics
Reviewed by Albert Avilla
Writer: Gail Simone
Pencils/Inks: Ed Benes
A Blade of Memory (Spoilers!)
The story kicks off with our heroine down and out for the count. She's been stabbed by the vile Nightfall. Batgirl brings herself back from the brink to stop Nightfall.
During a break in the action, we get Nightfall's origin. We learn that she is the daughter of a corrupt businessman. After her family is brutally murdered by her boyfriend, Trevor, Charise Carnes takes the blame and allows herself to be sent to Arkham to learn her craft from the inmates. What degree program is that? After that fine education, she goes on the noble path of fixing Gotham City by torturing and murdering criminals.
Once Batgirl lets Nightfall know that she's leaving with the criminal that Nightfall has been torturing and Trevor, the fight renews. Just as Batgirl reaches her limit, she gets help from the thug she is trying to save and is able to defeat Nightfall. Then, Batwoman comes in to save Batgirl. Barbra's mother is being threatened by thugs in clown masks. A group of super-villains are being gathered to kill Batgirl.
DC has a creative team on Batgirl that has the ability to make the book A-list. The potential for greatness is awesome. Upcoming stories seem to be interesting. Nightfall is a good archenemy for Batgirl, as their different philosophies clash with each other. Nightfall has challenged Batgirl by threatening to control the cyberworld, making Batgirl want to rise to the challenge. Batgirl is better when she is part of the action, but it would benefit her to develop her skills as a computer hacker. With covert and overt enemies to face, Batgirl has a challenging future to face.
I give props to Benes; he hasn't drawn a story where the art didn't accentuate the story. This is an all-around, good-looking book. He was even able to keep Batwoman in her own unique look.
I rate Batgirl # 13 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter Ranking
