Welcome to the Batgirl: Stephanie Brown reread, Week 26! (Schedule starts here:
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...=1#post4916669) Today, we're on Batgirl #24, "Unsinkable", written by Bryan Q. Miller, pencilled by Pere Perez, inked by Pere Perez, colored by Guy Major, cover by Dustin Nguyen.
Notes: We’re going to start at the end - “It’s only the end if you want it to be. Here we go.”
This issue wrecks me. No matter how many times I read it, Steph standing up to her dad, acknowledging their similarities, her own flaws and mistakes, but still a hero, then fighting one of the most terrifying drugs in the world and winning, earning the respect of her mom, the kids of Gotham she’s saved, Robin, and the original Batgirl (in this continuity) - it wrecks me.
Despite the compression of entire arcs into single issues, and the rushed feeling of the last issue, this conclusion works. Miller was wise to not try to split his story evenly - it seems clear to me that he put the major plot things into the previous overstuffed issue, and used this issue to really show how far Steph has come, and where she could go in our hearts next. So many rich callbacks, from the weaponized hallucinogen (Black Mercy) calling back to Thrill in the first issues, to catchphrases like “Here we go” and “I’m a real pain in the ass like that”, to the characters Steph has met along the way. It’s all there.
Steph’s vision while under the Black Mercy are by now well known to be future adventures BQM wanted to tell (
https://stephaniebrown.fandom.com/wiki/Batgirl_Vol_3_24), and they are so tantalizing - to me, the time-travel adventure with Steph, Babs, and Cass stands out as what I really want to see most, but I’d love all of them, even the ones we could never see, like Steph in the future with a son, Nightwing (or Knightwing) agent of Checkmate with Nell Batgirl. It’s all gold.
A little trivia - the original single issue included a lot more than is included in the trades and the digital single issue - it’s a heartfelt thanks to all the creators involved, and us, Steph’s fans. We said goodbye for three long, long years. But we stayed around. Because if our girl never gives up, how can we do any less?
Cover: This image has become kind of a touchstone for me - I know it’s far from the first, but it’s the one that I first recognized as being a “final cover” - the hero combined with a huge cast of supporting characters. It’s beautiful, but bittersweet.
Discussion Questions: Which of the future visions do YOU want to see most? What is your favorite of Steph’s catchphrases? And which of the main artists (Lee Garbett, Dustin Nguyen, Pere Perez) is your favorite for Steph?
Bonus Comic: None - BUT if you thought this was the end of the Batgirl: Stephanie Brown reread, you are incorrect! We have another four full issues to go! Tune in next week for Batgirl: Future’s End!