This was a cute issue. Esme is adorable, and Catwoman and Isis were a nice treat. Made me wonder, if Batman and Catwoman do get hitched how Isis and Damian's pets will get a long.
This was a cute issue. Esme is adorable, and Catwoman and Isis were a nice treat. Made me wonder, if Batman and Catwoman do get hitched how Isis and Damian's pets will get a long.
Esme was adorable, but Catwoman was even more out of character than the Bensons wrote her - this is a joke villain Catwoman, nowhere close to the woman Valentine, King, or even Tieri was writing. Inaki Miranda was likely chosen because he worked on Catwoman in the n52, but his work here isn't nearly as good as it was in that series (though also not nearly as bad as it was in Birds of Prey in 2010).
I really didn't enjoy the "lesson of the week" preachiness at the end of the book - it's frustrating that a book featuring a kid as a point of view character feels like the audience wants to see moralizing little lessons. Not that comics shouldn't have a moral perspective, but it's so neat, pat, and easy here that it felt more than a bit "for the kiddies".
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
It was "for the kiddies" though. And i wouldn't say Catwoman was out of character, it was just a way more standard and cartoon like take. This book is not trying to be anything close to the what Valentine, King, or even Tieri books were or are. Its going for a younger audience, with looser and less serious tones and stories. Almost cartoon like.
Last edited by Godlike13; 07-26-2017 at 11:14 AM.
I liked it. It's a cute read, a little too kiddy approach for my tastes because I'm not a fan of kids taking over the narrative for as said above, lesson of the week approach rather than organic story telling, especially for kid who's only been in it like once, tiffany fox would have made more sense and would have been preferred because I miss her. The art was great but at the same time it looked like it was a more "darker" look and didn't match the story I guess. The story was good, but the paired with the art it seemed to be a mismatch and affected the tone for me. I would love to see the artist again though on Batgirl. I loved his work on the Catwoman run and it seems almost a crime to waste in on such issue where he could have be allowed more to do in the streets of gotham. The artist is definitely built more for than what was given and I hope he gets a chance to do a more grandeur story.
Also the fact we had two one shots in a row is a bit annoying.
Cute story, art was great, needed way more meat to warrant a one shot two months in a row. Don't mean too sound too negative, but I'm not a fan of one shots so close together especially when I do struggle with my problems toward the writer's tone and approach to Barbara and the less serious take on Barbara.
Last edited by RedQueen; 07-26-2017 at 01:24 PM.
This would have been cute if Larson's work wasn't so unremarkable. I like the focus on pets and it does have its charming moments but as usual, the execution doesn't reach anything beyond passable. Not to mention that Selina is portrayed almost as a caricature of her usual self.
Miranda's art was good at least.
Much too kidish and cheesy for my taste. When Velvet Tiger brought out her "kittens" I was done. Babs is Batgirl again and this is what we get?
You have a point.
I say this over and over again, but I wish DC would just launch a DC Super Hero Girls: Batgirl ongoing for this demographic that they're trying to serve here. That would be much more helpful - it would bring up the tone of the Super Hero Girls line, which is pretty forgettable, if really cute and insanely merchandisable, and it would free up a slot for the real Babs, the one who was Oracle and has the potential to be the best Bat-family female character if she's stop being Bat-girl-for-kiddies, in the main continuity.
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
I think this would feel more appropriate as a "Batgirls Adventures" book then DCSHG, but that may be because I really enjoy the story content and writing for that franchise and would rather this not be limited to or need to have to fit into that.
But that's just me...
You know I think all this can be summed up into a problem of expectations. Babs as Batgirl should be more serious in threats and tone. Its hard to take her seriously right now. Like Millernumber1 says that would be fine if it was a different line ( and imo better written) because I like DCSHG and it can work. This though is not really doing it for me. Mostly be because I feel like this shallowness isn't a one off. It's consistent with her portrayal.
Whatever they did - heck, try a Young Stuffed Animal line for safe humans or something. Something where this wouldn't feel condescending and shallow. I think Larson can do a solid job with that type of book - see Goldie Vance - but she's supposedly writing for teens here. I know I'm a 30 year old, but I never felt like Gail Simone was talking down to me, even in her terrible Batgirl run.
Why would a Batgirl DCSHG title limit anything? It would expand the world by giving Babs a place to grow. At least, the kind of title I'm thinking about would.
Yeah - it's not as shallow as during the Burnside run, where Babs literally whined about her friend being on her honeymoon - but it's not really as much better as I hoped when Larson first took over the title.
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
I would argue that Larson's run is even less serious then Stewart/Fletcher/Tarrs ' run was. Personally I honestly don't mind the looser tone and over all less seriousness, like i thought it was funny when Tiger called in her Kittens. I miss themed henchmen. I even think there should be a different range of tones with DC's books, offering a bit of diversity here and there. This was one of the weakness of the early new 52 Bat line books IMO. They were all very serious and dark. From Batman to Nightwing to Batgirl to Batwoman. They all kind of had that same dark and gritty tone. That being said, not everything for is for everybody, and if there really is a demand for a more serious Batgirl im not against going back to it. I do like Burnside as a setting though. So i wouldn't want to see that go, but instead maybe explore the more serious sides of Burnside.
Last edited by Godlike13; 07-26-2017 at 08:06 PM.
I only picked this issue up because of Catwoman, and I quite clearly wasn't the target demographic of the book. It seems to be written for young girls. There's nothing wrong with that, but yeah I really didn't enjoy it.
I'm in the minority because I enjoyed it. A sort of palate cleanser.
I'm sensing that Larson is trying to find a balance between Burnside and pre TJK Babs as well as a balance between being a Batman world character and her own character.