Reviews

Batgirl, Volume 1: Batgirl of Burnside by Brenden Fletcher, Irene Koh, Babs Tarr, Cameron Stewart

elthechameleon's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

The fashion and aesthetic of this comic is very wonderful, but there are two major faults with this book:

1. The portrayal of the bisexual character as promiscuous

(by mentioning she hooked up with the guy Babs liked)

was really upsetting and felt very antithetical to the idea of reimagining Batgirl. 

2. I’m very ambivalent about the final villain.

Reading this book in 2023 with the AI boom is very strange. This book is weirdly prescient, and I’m not sure how I feel about the portrayal of AI in this book as anthropomorphic and part of Batgirl’s brain uploaded into a program. The fact that AI is used as a good, helpful partner in the end concerns me somewhat about what the book is trying to force or insinuate. It felt similar to the movie, Heart of Stone, that came out on Netflix that felt so deeply, pro-AI, that it misdirected the true dangers (misinformation, polarized, individual silos of news and media,  devaluing of creative labor and copying it without pay…). Aren’t marvel comics always political though? I forget this. Perhaps I should have known better. I also don’t quite understand how Babs stopped being disabled? Or perhaps she just needed a longer recovery?

Oh - and forgot. I hated the Copaganda. 

alyssa_s10's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring

4.5

3eggy5me's review against another edition

3.5

Good art. It was volume one, but it was not the start of the story - wish that was clearer, through the volume number or through an editorial note. Still alright to get into though.

_luxpins's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

merlin_reads's review against another edition

3.0

 In my quest to read more graphic novels this was dropped on my lap. Batgirl rebooted. And it was fun. I really loved the look of the comic. The artwork was so vibrant and colorful and I just loved it. The story however, seemed a little meh. It's almost like the authors didn't know what age group they were trying to reach. They put Barbara in these adult situations (as she's in college), but the villains seemed very childish. I don't know, it just felt a little off. But I will most likely continue the series if given access to it. It was a fun one to read. 

caffeinatedbooknerd's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

3.0

fifteenthjessica's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

If comics weren't such quick reads I would have DNFed. I found the writers' version of Barbara Gordon unappealing. It felt like they took Barbara's skill set and backstory and pasted it on a generic Gen Z party girl archetype. Worse, for much of the first half of this trade, she's an ass, especially towards Dinah/Black Canary, but it doesn't feel like she learned or grew from it so much as Dinah spontaneously forgave her. Speaking of Dinah, there's some tension between them that isn't explained. Apparently this is issues 35-40 of Batgirl, but then why call it "volume 1" if there's 34 preceding issues that probably provided some useful context to readers? This is the sort of thing that makes me feel like comic book companies don't want their stories to be accessible to people who only feel like buying the trade paperbacks.

The book is also plagued by a mostly forgettable cast of villains. The only one that sticks around for more than one issue worth of comic is

an angry AI version of Barbara herself.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence and Violence

isapropanol's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

If you love slow-paced stories filled with characters that you end up wanting to strangle with a piece of dental floss, then this is definitely the book for you :)

casthecryptid's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Gun violence and Blood

haileyq's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0