Batgirl Annual #2 Review/Discussion

[Aliltron]

I hope this leads into a follow up story arc, it was just too good to have it be a one-shot. Definitely Gail's best work on Batgirl yet

[Brave Sir Robin]

I have dumped almost all my super hero books, but if there were more like Batgirl, I would read them all. This was a great story and vintage Simone. I want the super hero to have a corny belief in the goodness of humans, I want the super hero to show justice will win, I want the super hero to bring out the best in others and bring hope to others. I DON'T WANT Batman-esque despair, pain, death and a trail of bodies in the wake of the super hero's "good work." I want my corny ray of sunshine. Otherwise, the spandex suit is an S&M fetish.

Thank goodness Simone is out there doing the good work. Her Babs is so sweet. Even though she kicks butt and saves the day, I still want to hug her and tell her thanks and everything is going to be fine.

[Dylan Davison]

I hope this leads into a follow up story arc, it was just too good to have it be a one-shot. Definitely Gail's best work on Batgirl yet

Ya I am hoping this leads into a Poison Ivy ongoing lol.

[Aliltron]

Ya I am hoping this leads into a Poison Ivy ongoing lol.

A Poison ivy ongoing? Hmm... I could see that

[Dylan Davison]

A Poison ivy ongoing? Hmm... I could see that

Ya I could see it way more now then I ever could before, Gail has really made her shine!

[Robotman]

it was so great to see Starling again, if only for a few panels! she was one of the best new characters in the New 52, so of course DC decided to get rid of her.

[retical]

The annual was great. Poison Ivy seriously needs her own book. What are they waiting for?

[Aliltron]

Ya I could see it way more now then I ever could before, Gail has really made her shine!

Very true! She really did make Ivy interesting, man this annual was good!!

[Pinsir]

I'll pick this up because it is getting positive buzz.

[Shimarenda]

Was Ivy's childhood revealed before this issue? Maybe back in the Detective/Poison Ivy Villain's Month book?

[Dylan Davison]

Was Ivy's childhood revealed before this issue? Maybe back in the Detective/Poison Ivy Villain's Month book?

Ya they talked about it then in that issue.

[Brian from Canada]

Was Ivy's childhood revealed before this issue? Maybe back in the Detective/Poison Ivy Villain's Month book?

Not only did they talk about it, they make it very clear in the flashbacks that Ivy's mother is abused, and that Pamela's love for the garden comes from her mother (who finds respite in it and becomes their bonding moment).

What made this issue special to me is that is explained Pamela's betrayal of the Birds Of Prey far better than anything else so far: and, by suffering from mood swings that are tied to the seasons, it also explains how she can be caring for Clayface and Harley Quinn in some issues of New 52 DC and a cruel villain in others. It's an essential understanding of the character that, really, hasn't been seen before — and makes complete sense when you think about it.

Simone's return to Birds Of Prey would certainly be celebrated by fans, just as her return to Batgirl has been. But, that said, there have been obstacles to that: first and foremost, DC wanted the fan base to follow her to two new titles, The Movement and The Green Team, and both didn't survive; and second, Christie Marx is on Birds Of Prey right now, doing an adequate job and not a writer DC wants to say goodbye to quite yet. Personally, if I wanted Simone on Birds Of Prey, I'd look to finding something else that fits Marx's strengths that would interest her — like a relaunched Amethyst (not a split book) and Black Canary solo.

[Dylan Davison]

Not only did they talk about it, they make it very clear in the flashbacks that Ivy's mother is abused, and that Pamela's love for the garden comes from her mother (who finds respite in it and becomes their bonding moment).

What made this issue special to me is that is explained Pamela's betrayal of the Birds Of Prey far better than anything else so far: and, by suffering from mood swings that are tied to the seasons, it also explains how she can be caring for Clayface and Harley Quinn in some issues of New 52 DC and a cruel villain in others. It's an essential understanding of the character that, really, hasn't been seen before — and makes complete sense when you think about it.

That is one of the things I loved about this issue, it explained so much! It fit things back into what it should be, and it makes Ivy how she should be. She has not been this well written since the start of BoP. Maybe even better then that.

[Nygma]

Really enjoyed this, I thought Simone did a great job building the story and the relationship between Babs and Ivy. As someone who hasn't read Birds of Prey I also didn't feel out of the loop in reading this. I really hope this continues on in the Batgirl book at some point and isn't just a one off, because the Babs/Ivy relationship was really interesting, and Ivy being affected by the seasons is a stroke of brilliance I think, and could be a valuable trait for future Ivy stories. It's simple but it makes so much sense, and as previously mentioned in here allows for different Ivy moods to make sense within the broader scope

[Big Geek]

I thought this was a thoroughly enjoyable Annual. I am normally not a huge fan of Poison Ivy. I always thought she has been a little too overexposed, but I thought she was great in this issue. If I had an issue it was that Mr. Rain was just some random schlub that really was of no consequence.