Review: Batgirl (The New 52) #28

DC Comics/$2.99

            Gail Simone’s run on Batgirl has been phenomenal, taking the character of Barbara Gordon to places we haven’t seen before and digging deep into the psychology of the woman underneath the cowl. On the surface, the title is a straight-forward action-adventure superhero book, but look past the capes and batarangs and you’ll find stories of self-discovery, healing, relationships, and many other factors of the human experience. While not as dark as Scott Snyder’s Batman, Simone’s Batgirl balances equal parts superhero action, humor, and humanity with ease. When I first started reading the title back in the first year of the New 52, I wasn’t sure that I’d stick with it. I had never been a big fan of Batgirl, but Gail Simone’s writing has made me fall in love with the character and it’s now one of the first books I read from my extensive pull list every month.

        Simone has introduced a few new villains to Batgirl’s rogues gallery, and Batgirl #28 features one of the strangest and most interesting yet- the self-styled vampire slayer Silver. Under the delusion that the Bat-family of vigilantes are actually night-stalking vampires, Silver takes to the streets of Gotham to hunt them all down and end their reign of “terror”. Meanwhile, Strix, a mute former Talon and now regular member of the Birds of Prey, is attempting to locate a kidnapped child. The missing youngster’s condition hits a little too close to home for Strix, so she tracks down Barbara and enlists her help. All too soon, though, the investigation leads to a confrontation with Silver, who is convinced that Batgirl is an unholy creature of the night and is intent on ridding Gotham of its vampire scourge. The Gotham police department intervenes, and the issue concludes with a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting more!

       With an expertly-crafted script from Gail Simone, masterful pencils by the excellent Fernando Pasarin, mood-setting inks by Jonathan Glapion, colors by Blond, and lettering supplied by Dezi Sienty, this issue puts an unexpected twist on the perception of the Bat-family of characters. The beautiful cover painting was done by Alex Garner, who has made every cover he’s done for this series into frame-worthy pieces of art. DC should be offering posters or prints of his Batgirl covers- they’d make a killing in sales!

       I should also note here that DC Comics has recently cancelled Gail Simone’s other series for them, The Movement, which is a shame because that title has been a real pleasure to read, as well. I’m sad to see that title cut from their release list. If you enjoy Simone’s writing on Batgirl, you may also enjoy her current runs on Tomb Raider for Dark Horse Comics and Red Sonja from Dynamite Entertainment.