A review by rhganci
Batgirl Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection (the New 52) by Gail Simone
5.0
The surprise winner of the first volume run of New 52 is BATGIRL: THE DARKEST REFLECTION by Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf, which knocks comic book storytelling out of the park in every regard. As excited as I was to see Barbara Gordon return to the Bat-family as Batgirl, I did not expect it to be as good as it is, itself a perfect microcosm of the New 52 itself and a perfect relaunch for what might already be the best version of the character to date.
The premise of Simone's story is simple: she answers the question of how a newly-healed former paraplegic returns to high-flying, crime-fighting ways physically, mentally, and emotionally. Through all six issues of this collected volume, that answer simply states: slowly. The two chief villains against which Barbara fights are reflections of her in a key aspect or two, carrying an inner conflict through to the very last panel on the very last page that is unique to Simone's story here. Barbara narrates not as a female junior Batman, but rather as a during-therapy shooting victim, one whose parentage and involvement with crimefighters in Gotham City has motivated her to move a little faster than her body or mind is ready for. The disconnect between emotion and reason really makes this story sing, especially in the light of accidents or instances of victimization, which become non-intrusive universal themes that Simone handles deftly, expertly, and subtly, keeping enough focus on the detective stories that carry Barbara forward in her return to Gotham. These issues communicate all of the things that great hero tales should, and manage to deal not only with Barbara's reclamation of the Batgirl mantle, but also of Barbara herself, as she looks for a job, a companion, and a place to live.
Additionally, the art of Adrian Syaf made the action sequences come alive on a par with JUSTICE LEAGUE V., with a Barbara Gordon color aesthetic that redacts Gotham into a version that champions Batgirl over Batman. The sky is always shot through with a shade of purple, the buildings with a burnished gold, and nothing else gets the shade of red that Barbara's hair does, to the effect of it always popping off the page distinctly. The combat sequences make use of Barbara's character model, and her ballet-background and feminine litheness, with less heavy-hitting uppercuttery than the rest of the Batbooks (Simone actually uses that distinction as a plot device in the middle movements of the tale). All of these things work together to the effect of reconstructing and rebooting a Bat-family figure that, while I have enjoyed her in the past, I considered a B- or even C-list character. Gail Simone's new vision of the character takes hold of the potential a figure so deeply connected to both the chief characters and setting of the Batman mythos, and constructs with her and her context a story to rival any being told in the first six months of the New 52.
The premise of Simone's story is simple: she answers the question of how a newly-healed former paraplegic returns to high-flying, crime-fighting ways physically, mentally, and emotionally. Through all six issues of this collected volume, that answer simply states: slowly. The two chief villains against which Barbara fights are reflections of her in a key aspect or two, carrying an inner conflict through to the very last panel on the very last page that is unique to Simone's story here. Barbara narrates not as a female junior Batman, but rather as a during-therapy shooting victim, one whose parentage and involvement with crimefighters in Gotham City has motivated her to move a little faster than her body or mind is ready for. The disconnect between emotion and reason really makes this story sing, especially in the light of accidents or instances of victimization, which become non-intrusive universal themes that Simone handles deftly, expertly, and subtly, keeping enough focus on the detective stories that carry Barbara forward in her return to Gotham. These issues communicate all of the things that great hero tales should, and manage to deal not only with Barbara's reclamation of the Batgirl mantle, but also of Barbara herself, as she looks for a job, a companion, and a place to live.
Additionally, the art of Adrian Syaf made the action sequences come alive on a par with JUSTICE LEAGUE V., with a Barbara Gordon color aesthetic that redacts Gotham into a version that champions Batgirl over Batman. The sky is always shot through with a shade of purple, the buildings with a burnished gold, and nothing else gets the shade of red that Barbara's hair does, to the effect of it always popping off the page distinctly. The combat sequences make use of Barbara's character model, and her ballet-background and feminine litheness, with less heavy-hitting uppercuttery than the rest of the Batbooks (Simone actually uses that distinction as a plot device in the middle movements of the tale). All of these things work together to the effect of reconstructing and rebooting a Bat-family figure that, while I have enjoyed her in the past, I considered a B- or even C-list character. Gail Simone's new vision of the character takes hold of the potential a figure so deeply connected to both the chief characters and setting of the Batman mythos, and constructs with her and her context a story to rival any being told in the first six months of the New 52.