Written by Bryan Q Miller
Illustrated by Dustin NguyenThe “Order of the Scythe” has drawn first blood, framing Batgirl for a crime she didn’t commit. Can she outrun Gotham City’s Finest long enough to prove her innocence? The birth of Batgirl’s gallery of rogues begins here as “The Lesson” continues!
I honestly believe that with DC, two of their best titles are not Superman and Batman, but rather Supergirl and Batgirl. This is due to the strength of writers Sterling Gates and Bryan Q Miller respectively, and with Miller taking Stephanie into a brand new storyline and a brand new semester, check out my thoughts behind the cut for the latest issue.
Batgirl is one of those books that pretty much proves why telling stories about younger characters who have to continuously balance school with their social lives are so great to read. While reading stories about adult superheroes is enjoyable as well, adults have it much easier than teens and young adults do. It’s this factor that truly makes Batgirl one of the most enjoyable Bat-titles in the collection, and certainly the most consistently underrated.
This issue brings a short and open ended close to a two issue arc. This is probably one of the more streamlined stories the book has had while Miller attempts to solidify Steph as a character away from every other Bat-related storyline now that she has Bruce’s approval to operate off on her own. It also begins to establish her own rogues gallery, with a brand new villain that I can’t wait to see more of. The book works well because since the very beginning, Miller has essentially followed the Spider-Man formula of younger heroes: while Steph may not be the best fighter yet, she uses her humor and sass to disarm her opponents, of which the book features plenty. The interactions between Steph and Oracle, for example, are filled with notable jokes. In fact, with the book’s tone alone, it puts itself outside of the litany of stereotypical Bat-books and stories by being a rather light hearted and incredibly delightful comic as well as actually being more funny than books dubbed “comedy titles.”
Without a doubt, Miller is having a fantastic run on the book. The book has been universally good, but with this current storyline being different in approach than the previous longer arcs of Batgirl Rising and The Flood, it allows Miller to play with her universe a bit more. This issue is rather Batgirl heavy, but there is a good snippet of the school life that we’ll hopefully be seeing plenty more of this in later issues as time passes. Miller is definitely establishing Stephanie as a more recognizable voice in the DCU with her new role as the lighthearted Batgirl as opposed to the more brooding Spoiler, and the change is paying off well. Batgirl is already a much easier character to like than Batman, and the very notable lack of brooding gives the book a very welcoming vibe and tone.
While I enjoyed Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott’s work on the book, Dustin Nguyen is clearly one of the best things to happen to the book. Nguyen brings a recognizable style and a large amount of energy to the tile, with fantastic sequences of action as Steph bounds along rooftops and smashes through glass ceilings. Nguyen also gives the book a definitive youthful look which matches the book in spirit and captures the exact kind of vibe the book should have. The book has always admittedly looked great, but with Nguyen on the title he not only brings the sleek style that he’s known for but also that just right feel that brings the book to life.
Batgirl is a consistently underrated title. The comic is basically a great all ages title set in a place where, historically, it’s anything but. However, since Nguyen joined the title, the book has been headed in a brand new direction with new villains, separate storylines, and a brand new set of of energy. If there was ever a time to jump on the title, it’d be now, and two issues in to the new direction the book is already setting itself ahead of other Bat-titles that have been running for much longer.
Final Verdict: 9.1 – Buy
