Welcome to the Batgirl: Stephanie Brown reread, Week 17! (Schedule starts here: https://community.cbr.com/showthread...=1#post4916669) Today, we're on Batgirl #16, "The Lesson: Grass Before the Scythe, two of two", written by Bryan Q. Miller, pencilled by Dustin Nguyen, inked by Derek Fridolfs, colored by Guy Major, cover by Dustin Nguyen.



Notes: Nguyen adds so many great touches to this story - from the cuteness of Steph sticking her tongue out at the pursuing police, to the terrifying scene of her falling through the building. Steph’s determination really shows in her willingness to fight through the pain of her shoulder - it’s not quite the absolutely hardboiled fight scenes of Frank Miller, but it’s nice seeing Batgirl has what it takes, and isn’t just a quick fight with gadgets - she pushes through the pain, too. Babs’s pep talk to Steph shows what a good mentor she’s turned into, though her other protege, Wendy, is struggling a lot more.

Cover: Using the classic “Fugitive” and a spotlight pose that’s really reminiscent of Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive, I really like this particular cover. It’s also used for the original The Lesson (vol 3) trade cover. The specific use of red to outline the buildings and background seems like even more of a reference to the original Dave Johnson cover to the Batman 10-cent Adventure.



Discussion Questions: What do you think about the Order of the Scythe as Steph’s major villains for the second half of her run? How does Blink’s design look? How is the pacing for this arc’s resolution - too quick, or appropriate to get the year started?

Bonus Comic: none this week