Batgirl gets reinvented in this issue by the new creative team of Cameron Stewart, Brendan Fletcher & Babs Tarr. There’s been a fair bit of buzz surrounding this new team and I’ve found myself wanting to read the book, despite never having read a Batgirl issue before. I guess that was what DC was hoping for with this new team.
I’ve seen comment online from some long time Batgirl fans that the changes are too extensive, that the character has changed too much and isn’t the Barbara Gordon they became fans of. But I’ve also heard other people rave about how good this issue is and how much they love the new Batgirl.
And you know what also seems to accompany the split in opinions? Gender. The guys aren’t keen, the girls are. Obviously there are some exceptions to the rule, but a quick glance online is quite revealing.
The story sees Barbara move to the trendy Gotham district of Burnside, full of computer programing hipsters and fashionable coffee places. That’s one thing that strikes you about this issue, they really are trying hard to get across the hipster vibe from these characters and occasionally it does feel a little clichéd. Things like the DC equivalent of Tinder & Instagram are discussed, hashtags are inserted into speech bubbles and the villain of the issue is stealing peoples private photos and making them public; it’s all very… modern.
There’s also a lot going on in this issue as we’re introduced to the new characters, Black Canary makes an appearance and there’s a handy introduction to Barbara’s amazing memory in a cool double page spread. But in spite of that busyness there’s a fairly engaging story here as Barbara tracks down the culprit behind the stolen pictures and takes him on. It also left me with that feeling that I want to know what happens next, which is key in any ongoing series!
As for the art; I think Babs Tarr makes a great DC debut here. Her style is great and fits the new Batgirl feel really well. I’m also loving the new costume, which seems a lot more practical and a lot less “sexed up” than most female heroes out there, which adds to the more grounded feel to the character.
Overall this book is lighter and more fun than I’d expect from a bat-book, but then I guess that’s what the new creative team were aiming for here. It does feel like a book that I can’t connect with at times; I’m a 30-something guy and not a mid-twenties girl, which is what I think their demographic is intended to be. But I still enjoyed it.