Birds of Prey #9 Reviewed

My review includes spoilers - if you don't want to know what happens in this issue of Brids of Prey then stop reading now!

Birds of Prey #9

'The Death of Oracle' continues with the third instalment of this four-part story-arc. 'The Soul and the Sacrifice' opens with something of a surprise: Dinah 'Black Canary' Lance's late mother - Dinah Drake Lance - greeting her daughter from the headquarters of the JSA. When her mother asks why everything she loves dies and, as only a mother can, why she won't wear her hair differently, Dinah understandably becomes emotional.

Moments later she finds herself in the company of her father - her late father - who questions whether his "kitten" is eating properly. As father fades before her eyes mother reappears, reminding Dinah that her father had died a painful death and that she was nowhere to be found.

At this point tears are cascading down Dinah's cheeks.

Through appearances of Red Arrow Roy Harper and Green Arrow Oliver Queen, culminating in a vision of her 'daughter' Sin who, matter of fact, tells Dinah how very lonely she is we see that Dinah can take no more pain and we witness her curled up in a ball - her memories and thoughts finally having got the better of her.

Out of Dinah's mind and back into reality Batman - "The" Batman, Bruce Wayne - crouches over her while speaking with Oracle - Barbara Gordon - over the comms unit. Understanding the seriousness of the situation Barbara reminds Bruce that her friend is presently wanted for murder so taking her to somewhere as public as a hospital might not be such a good idea. Instructing him to bring her back to base - Kord Tower - Babs explains that any physical injuries Dinah may be suffering from are likely to be the least of their problems.

Enquiring about the rest of her team - Dawn Grainger, Dove; Helena Bertinelli, Huntress and Zinda Blake, Lady Blackhawk - Babs learns that they have all been captured by Calculator. Not exactly as planned ... but, by the same token, not a million miles away from it we suspect.

As Batman gathers-up Black Canary into his arms and takes flight back to Kord Tower the story cuts to a school bus hastily travelling through the otherwise deserted city streets. On board the bus Dawn, Helena and Zinda appear unharmed but have their hands bound. Looking on, one of their 'hosts' reminds the women that with an automatic weapon trained on them any aggressive moves would not be recommended.

Responding to Helena's jibes he reveals his name to be Current, one time partner "in the special effects business" of Bolt. As Zinda joins in with the understandably bad-natured conversation Current, aware that all three women will be carrying tracking devices, instructs one of his charges to search the women - "make it ... thorough" he says.

Taking this as her cue to lash out Zinda 'knees' the guard, only to be struck herself by the now-charged Charge. With blood dripping from the corner of her mouth Zinda warns her attacker of the consequences of striking her again. Her words seem to connect as Charge turns his back, walks away and instructs another of his crew that they are nearly at their destination - and if there's any more trouble from "the blonde" to let him know and he'll deal with her.

Back at Kord Tower Barbara has a surprise visitor: Hank Hall, Hawk - Avatar of War. His appearance is a surprise because, as Babs points out, he'd been untraceable for fully fifteen minutes earlier, and that *shouldn't* be possible. Hiding the fact that he'd paid a private visit to The Penguin's club Hawk asks for Dove's whereabouts.

"That's complicated" he's told.

As Barbara discovers she's now lost track of her three friends Batman arrives with Black Canary in his arms. Summoning Savant, his medical skills may be required, Barbara once again reminds herself that physically Dinah's fine, it's the effects of her very brief encounter with Mortis that's causing the problem.

Becoming ever more agitated with events Hawk starts hitting out at those around him - initially verbally to Barbara before turning and striking out at Bruce. Evading his initial blows Bruce doesn't appear to want to fight and before things can get too out of hand Barbara brings Hawk to the ground with a well placed strike of her baton before declaring that they will rescue Dove - along with Huntress and Lady Blackhawk - and then they'll talk about his attitude.

But first, she needs to be somewhere else.

As Barbara makes her exit the story returns to the turmoil inside Dinah's mind as Mortis, Goddess of the Forgotten Dead, once again plays wicked games with her memories. Taunted that her friends have abandoned her - again - Dinah appears at breaking point, rivers of tears streaming from her eyes. Despite appearances though Dinah is far from down and out as, summoning all of her mental strength, she rises to Mortis's challenges and declares that she won't be beaten.

Elsewhere in Gotham, Calculator, Mammoth, Current and their team of HIVE agents look on bemused as Mortis herself appears to be suffering from some sort of seizure. Realising that such involuntary actions likely mean that her "prey" must have found a way to set herself free he immediately returns his attention to his prisoners - Dawn, Helena and Zinda.

Explaining that he's only really interested in Oracle he turns his weapon on Zinda - she's no use to him. Before he can pull the trigger Dawn breaks free of her shackles and with a mighty 'Dove' cry disarms Calculator, evades an attack from Current and knocks Mammoth from his feet.

Turning her attention back to Calculator Dove momentarily discovers that he once again appears to hold the upper hand - Zinda Blake is again at his mercy. In a instance though the stakes are raised as an armoured helicopter rises into the air, sends a verbal warning before opening fire. As Calculator and his team take cover - and decide that the aircraft is being pilotted by Oracle - the Birds likewise make their way towards temporary safety.

Realising that this could be an opportunity, possibly his only opportunity, to rid himself of Oracle, Calculator instructs Current to take down the helicopter - by using, interestingly, just half of his usual power: presumably he doesn't want the aircraft and its pilot totally destroyed.

Moments later, with the Birds once again in the hands of their pursuers and the aircraft in flames, Calculator announces, with a broad, satisfied smile, that finally his pain "is completely gone".


I really enjoyed this book - and after nine issues of this series I'm very happy to be able to say that. After Birds of Prey burst back onto our pull-lists I've felt I've struggled at times to avoid using words like 'decent', 'solid', 'serviceable' (I hear that word used quite often to describe comics and I'm not really sure what it means!) - words that to me mean 'okay', 'good' even but certainly someway short of excellent.

This was an excellent issue.

I immediately warmed to Inaki Miranda's interior artwork - I thought it was among some of the best we've seen so far in the series. Likewise Gail Simone's writing was fantastic - and again I've not always felt able to say that about Birds of Prey this past year.

The cover art from Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau is stunning - in fact I think my biggest worry with Artgerm's covers is that my expectations are so high that inevitably I'm going to be disappointed: and yet issue after issue he delivers the goods!

When I saw a digital preview of the cover I wasn't, to be honest, particularly taken with it. Only now that I can hold the issue in my hands have I been able to truly appreciate it for all its beauty. Despite having much of her face covered the sense of shock and anguish that Huntress feels is clearly evident. Holding onto her friend Dinah, Black Canary, for strength it's Huntress, rather than anyone or anything else featured that's the focus of this cover for me. If I have just one criticism, it's that facially Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk look just a little too similar.

Gathered around an overturned, crumpled wheelchair we really get a feel for the individual strengths - and weaknesses - of the Birds.

In terms of the story I thought the strongest, stand out scenes were the dream - or more appropriately nightmare - sequences. Opening with Dinah coming face to face with her mother, her father, loved ones, and closing with her battle of mental strength with Mortis, I thought the story was perfectly framed. I found the opening pages really quite touching as Dinah came face to face with those ghosts from her past and I really did feel her pain as she found herself at the sharp end of some pretty blunt comments.

Credit equally to Inaki Miranda for adding to Dinah's vulnerabilities by portraying her, it occurred to me as a younger, less physically-confident woman than I'm used to seeing.

The 'war of minds' towards the very end of the book was similarly powerful I felt, as we witnessed Dinah teeter on the brink of a complete mental breakdown and, just as it looked like she was 'down and out', draw upon her inner strengths and fight back against her opponent.

As well as being the focus of the cover, for me Huntress's portrayal was a stand out feature of the book - particularly through her beautifully written inner monologue. As those around her were in danger of losing their heads Huntress - who I've often felt was very much a 'punch-now-ask-questions-later' character - was able to remain calm, mindful of the broader picture.

The scenes set a Kord Tower and featuring Oracle, Hawk and Batman were at the same time enjoyable to read and yet disappointing to look at. I enjoyed reading as Hank took out his frustration on those around him, and the respective responses from Oracle and Batman and yet at times the art on these few pages left me a little disappointed. I felt there were some inconsistencies in Barbara Gordon's appearance and at times Hank Hall's body shape didn't quite look right to me.

Those comments aside I reiterate that I thought the art was among some of the best we've seen so far - the beautiful 'pin-up' splash page that opened the issue, the look of absolute horror in Dinah's eyes throughout the opening pages, the depth and warmth that I sensed in pretty much every panel and some eye-catching, thought-provoking, imaginative page layouts.

I believe Inaki Miranda is solicited as the artist of the next issue of Birds of Prey and I'm looking forward to enjoying his work on this title and elsewhere.

In closing, this was a top-quality issue I thought - a pleasure to read from cover to cover - and I'm anxious to see how the story-arc concludes next month.

Birds of Prey #9
Written by Gail Simone, art by Inaki Miranda, colours by Nei Ruffino, letters by Dave Sharpe, cover by Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau
Published by DC Comics, April 2011

Birds of Prey #8 Reviewed

As always, my review includes spoilers - if you don't want to know what happens in this issue of Birds of Prey then stop reading now!

"The Death of Oracle" continues with the second part of this four-part story-arc entitled "The Gauntlets and the Guillotine". Having smashed their way into the nightclub where the Birds of Prey were enjoying a girls night out, Mortis - the self-proclaimed "Goddess of the Forgotten Dead" - accompanied by Mammoth and the "newbie" villain known as Current confronts the Birds demanding, for the final time they are told, to know which of them is Oracle.

Zinda Blake - Lady Blackhawk - steps forward to tackle Mortis and is immediately warned off by her opponent with the suggestion that with just a single touch of her hand others have been driven to suicide - and she could easily be next.

Not one to take kindly to being threatened Helena Bertinelli - Huntress - steps across her friends and into Mortis's line of sight ... "Try it" dares Helena as Mortis turns her attentions to Dinah - Black Canary.

Elsewhere, events in the club are being monitored by Calculator who's delighted that the information he paid Savant for looks like being accurate - and he reminds himself that he must, in turn, kill his one-time informant.

Across the city at Barbara Gordon's new high-tech, highly-secret base of operations in Kord Tower, Babs and Bruce Wayne - Oracle and Batman of course - are likewise following events. Babs reveals that while she's aware of Mammoth both Mortis and Current are new to her ... and as such causing her to be more than a little concerned.

Appreciating the scale of the situation Bruce offers a solution - he can intervene - which Babs immediately dismisses: the Birds of Prey are her team, her responsibility. Besides, Barbara reasons, her team, including as it does Black Canary and Huntress, can handle the situation can't they.

Can't they?

Returning to the nightclub and Mortis offers Dinah one last opportunity to cooperate before Dove - Dawn Grainger - steps in and, to my surprise, identifies herself as the ellusive Oracle. As events at the club unfold we cut across town where the aforementioned Calculator is now writhing in pain on the floor of his office - on the verge of a breakdown it seems: with no secret powers or costume to rely upon Calculator has always relied upon and prided himself on his intelligence, his brain - and now, thanks to Oracle he believes, his mind is failing him.

At Penguins Iceberg Lounge, which remains closed for repairs, we discover Oswald Cobblepot 'auditioning' new waiting staff and very quickly losing his patience with his new employees. As he takes his frustration out on one young woman he becomes aware that they have been joined by Hawk - the Avatar of War Hank Hall, who we learn has somehow managed to switch off his comms link connecting him to Oracle - demanding an audience with Penguin.

Apparently having something of a change of heart from their earlier conversation Barbara Gordon appears willing to enlist Batman's help but she has a feeling that her friend isn't going to like her idea - for the first time Batman will have to take a dive. This isn't the time, Babs reveals, to explain to Bruce what she has done to The Calculator ... she was vulnerable, Calculator knew her identity, so she took their fight into his mind and altered his memories.

As Calculator uses recognition software for details of Dove's background - the results of which I assume have been tampered with by Barbara to give false information - we return to the nightclub where, with the public apparently clear of the club, Babs finally gives the word for the Birds to engage their opponents - much to Dinah's relief and pleasure. With a single blow she knocks Mortis off her feet warning the others to be careful of her touch. With Mortis down, but certainly not out, the Birds turn their attention to both Current and Mammoth ... and their army of 'foot soldiers'.

Amidst all this violence Helena realises that the premises aren't, after all, free of members of the public as she discovers two women crouching under a table desperately trying to avoid getting caught up in the madness.

As Black Canary, now delighted to have been joined by Batman, does her best to keep the onslaught at bay Helena, with the help of Lady Blackhawk, usher the women towards safety.

With Mortis grounded, and Batman now part of his opposition, Current reveals to Calculator that he wants out - but Calculator is having none of it as he threatens his 'employee' that if he doesn't do as he's instructed he may just have to ask Mammoth to pay a visit to his girlfriend.

Reaching the outer ruined walls of the club Helena and Lady Blackhawk are relieved that they've managed to get the civilians to safety ... only to find themselves held captive at gunpoint.

Distracted by the events unfolding before her Black Canary fails to notice Mortis approaching from behind - as she removes her glove just one touch of her hand sends Dinah into a trance-like state: Barbara's words of warning to the group coming just too late.

With her friend and team-mate under threat and vulnerable Dove backs down and allows herself to be taken. As Mortis, Mammoth, Current and their men seize Dove and make their exit the "Goddess of the Forgotten Dead" reveals that once in a trance none of her victims ever come out of it ...

What can the future hold for the Birds of Prey, and particularly Black Canary?


This was another galloping Birds of Prey adventure from writer Gail Simone - pretty much every scene, except perhaps for those set at Kord Tower between Barbara and Bruce, had a sense of chaos and confusion about them as the story jumped around Gotham city at a rapid pace, but without ever feeling particularly rushed, rarely stopping anywhere for more than what seemed like a few minutes.

What at first appeared to me to be a fairly shallow story grew, with a second and third read, into something much more complex. Having finished reading the issue I find myself asking many questions that I'm now genuinely keen to answer.

The overarching question is, of course, just what is Barbara's plan? Through Savant she's set this confrontation up - I'm surprised she's chosen such a public venue - but to what end? Why is Dove passing herself off as Oracle? Of all the team members who amongst us would have chosen Dove for such a crucial and dangerous 'mission'? Batman's involvement may - just may! - have been initially unplanned but what part does he now play in Barbara's scheme and why ask him to take such a very public fall?

On a minor, fairly trivial point, I've appreciated the 'name tags' that have appreared throughout this series: identifying the character - Oracle aka Barbara Gordon for instance - and including a thumbnail description of them - Formerly Batgirl, now the world's premier infojock and data specialist supreme. I smiled, therefore, when Batman was introduced simply as "Batman aka Bruce Wayne". Less is most definitely more.

For sure there were one or two elements to the story that, for me initially at least, felt somewhat unnecessary and drawn out - the scenes where the two ladies were discovered in the club and had to be escorted to safety come to mind as did the couple of pages where we witnessed Penguin auditioning his staff in the finer points of waiting tables.

That said, I appreciate that such scenes can give the reader a chance to catch one's breath in what was, as I say, an extremely 'hectic' issue. The Penguin scenes also produced one of my favourite panels of artwork in the entire issue from Guillem March - the moment he almost exploded with rage when he felt that his waitress wasn't listening to him was absolutely fantastic: unrecognisable and yet unmistakeably Penguin.

Speaking of the interior art I was surprised to turn the front cover and discover another 'new' artist on this title after last months début from Ardian Syaf. Thankfully, for me anyway, I'm a huge of admirer of Guillem March's style and I enjoyed his work throughout this book - I always feel there a great deal of depth to his art as his figures almost stand-out from the page and this issue was no different. Likewise, I've always appreciated that the artist manages to include so much detail in his panels - on first read through the detail can be almost be incidental sometimes only fully appreciated with a second or third read.

The overall quality of the Birds of Prey series has, in my opinion, suffered as a result of so many changes to the books principle artist although the impact has thankfully been lessened by the quality of the artists involved. That said, I look forward to a time when one artist is able to commit to the series for an extended period of time.

Turning to the books cover, and in many ways I can echo my previous comments regarding the cover of Batgirl #17: the illustration, on this occasion from Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau, is simply fantastic: I love the composition of the montage of Birds of Prey team members - although it's somewhat undermined by Barbara's framing which gives me the impression somewhat that Mr Lau didn't quite know how to include her - but I just can't fully appreciate these very stylized special covers what we're seeing across the Bat-family books this month.

In closing, I thought the final page of this issue - both the sentiment it conveyed and the quality of the illustration - was fantastic and almost worth the cover price alone. All in all, another solid read that's left me puzzling about the story and leaves me wanting more. Highly recommended.

Birds of Prey #8
Written by Gail Simone, art by Guillem March, colours by Nei Ruffino, letters by Travis Lanham, cover art by Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau
Published by DC Comics, March 2011

Batgirl #17 Reviewed

As always, my review includes spoilers - if you don't want to know what happens in this issue of Batgirl then stop reading now!

Batgirl #17

Opening in their sumptuous quarters high up in Wayne Tower this latest instalment in Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl series opens with Alfred Pennyworth entering Damian Wayne's bedroom carrying a hearty breakfast for his young master, drawing back the curtains ... only to discover young Damian hanging upside down from a rope secured to the ceiling.

Although initially startled Pennyworth quickly regains his composure and enquires whether the boy might be wise to spend his evening sleeping rather than exercising - a suggestion immediately batted away with the retort that if his father Bruce Wayne manages with just a couple of hours sleep then so can his son.

Not convinced Pennyworth points out that without adequate rest and nutrition Damian will inevitably find that his growth is "stunted" - and again his words of concern are instantly dismissed by the youngster who, as we know, is more than a little touchy about his age, size and perceived lack of experience.

Moments later, alone in his room, Damian takes a bite from his breakfast, activates his personal audio-recorder and dictates Red Casebook entry number 345 - there is, we learn, hope for Alfred yet in the young boys eyes.

Elsewhere, a sound-asleep Stephanie Brown - Batgirl of course - is in the middle of either a dream or a nightmare before being woken by her mother with breakfast-in-bed. As she realises that she's once again overslept Steph jumps from her bed in a panic, grabs her breakfast and begins to dress for the day ahead: one day into her first real Batman Inc assignment from Bruce we learn and she's already running late.

As her concerned mother wonders out-loud whether her daughter has taken on a little too much Steph looks on startled as she wonders whether her secret identity has been 'outed' ... only for her mother to question whether she's not studying just a little too hard at the moment.

(Minor) crisis averted!

Later that morning, across Gotham City, Damian Wayne - Robin - stands on top of an apartment building apparently spying on a school crossing guard as he, the guard, escorts a group of young children across the road. Turning once again to his voice-recorder Damian observes what he sees as the sadness, the futility, of the children as they spend their young lives travelling to and fro school.

Moments later Damian breaks off from recording his observations as he sees a young girl fall to the ground and notices that the crossing guard appears very concerned that the girl may be falling behind some sort of schedule.

In an instant the STOP sign clatters to the floor as the guard is 'extracted' from the street, and hauled up the side of the apartment building by a rope tied around his ankles, where he comes face to face with Robin: Batman "isn't available" retorts Damian when the crossing guard thanks his good fortune that he's not faced with Batman.

Challenged to explain precisely why he's so concerned with getting the children to school on time the guard maintains that he's simply doing his job but Damian's having none of it and accuses his prisoner of behaving very suspiciously ... as right on cue we hear a sarcastic voice from out of panel. Batgirl - or 'girl blunder' as Damian snaps back.

Demanding to know why Stephanie has interrupted his investigation Damian is more than a little put-out to learn that Steph has her own mission - a mission from "Batman himself. Batman-Batman" she explains - that involves the crossing guard. Steph goes on to say that there have been a series of kidnappings involving school children and she's been tasked with finding out more and it appears that the man currently hanging by his ankles off the side of the apartment building may be a lookout for the kidnap gang.

Later that morning and Batgirl and Robin have, reluctantly I'm sure, teamed-up. Once again taking up their observation point the pair are following the movements of a school bus as Damian questions why the children would have left school so soon after they had arrived - clearly, Steph explains, he's not familiar with the concept of a "field trip" ... the best part, she explains, of going to school is when you get the chance to leave the classroom and learn something about the outside, real, world: a concept that Damian, perhaps surprisingly, seems to appreciate and understand.

Noticing that the children were filing off the bus and into a museum - Gotham Children's Museum - Steph realises that they need to follow them into the building but that in their Batgirl and Robin identities they'd stand out: not to worry though, she has a plan and it will certainly involve Damian!

Cargo shorts, trainers, a loud baseball cap and even louder t-shirt later a humiliated Damian finds himself
in amongst the children who are having fun in the museum. Stephanie - still dressed as Batgirl - on the other hand has broken into the buildings security office and starts scanning the closed-circuit monitors for anything out of the ordinary.

Waiting for instructions Damian discovers that he's made a friend - a young girl called Nell who we first met, I believe, with her mother aboard the runaway train at the start of The Flood story-arc - who urges him to go with her to play. Doesn't she realise that he doesn't 'play'?

Back in the security office Stephanie spots some unusual activity on one of the upper floors of the museum and draws Damians attention - moments later he uncovers a bound and gagged man dressed in just his underwear who he realises is the children's bus driver ... the gang, it seems, aren't just after one child - they're after them all.

Boarded with children and under the control of the kidnappers the bus hurtles along the expressway. As one of the gang closes-in and threatens Damian's "girlfriend" Nell - she doesn't have a lot of luck with public transport does she? - he gets the fright of his life as a blade pierces the roof of the bus and misses him by inches. On the outside of the bus we see Damian and Steph doing what, in many ways, they do best together - bickering with one another.

As bullets from the inside of the bus pierce the roof, narrowly missing them, Batgirl crashes through the glass windscreen, takes out the driver and disarms the gang members as Robin seizes control of the steering wheel and guides the vehicle - and its passengers - to safety.

Minutes later, as we learn that the city authorities have discovered and released the other kidnapped children, Steph and Damian pause to catch their breath while discussing their 'team work'. Not wanting to praise her young friend too much Steph explains to Damian that he's still got one or two things to learn that might be of help out in the field.

What, challenges Damian, could she possibly have to teach him ...




The theme of "The Lesson" continues in this latest issue of Batgirl and I really enjoyed and appreciated that, this time, it was largely Stephanie Brown doing the teaching.

I've written previously about just how much I enjoy the Stephanie Brown/Damian Wayne dynamic - it's fun, funny, cute, touching and always very, very enjoyable. In fact, the duo are so good together one of the great challenges that series writer Bryan Q. Miller must surely face is not overusing them and therefore spoiling the impact of their volatile relationship: thankfully after 17 top-notch issues I don't think there's the slightest risk of that happening - this book is in very good hands.

Prior to picking up the first issue of this current run of Batgirl I'd only a cursory history with Stephanie Brown in her roles as Spoiler and as Robin and as such have so enjoyed learning about and getting to know the latest Batgirl as she, in turn, as learnt about and gotten to know herself. Therefore, for me, Mr Miller is currently writing the definitive Stephanie Brown - her voice, her actions, her emotions ... they all feel so right.

This issue is no exception and, indeed, enforces those feelings. From the moment Steph interrupted Damian on the fire-escape I knew we were in for a good ride but, that said, I don't think I expected the storyline to play out quite as it did. I loved how, by the end of the book, it was Stephanie that was helping Damian understand what it meant to be carefree, to have fun ... to be a child.

Occasionally only when things are farthest away from us can we possibly really see them clearly and I absolutely loved the moment in the museum when Steph, following Damian through the security cameras, realised for the first time that Damian, this 10-year old boy, didn't know how to be a 10-year old boy: to play, to go on a school field trip, to have fun for the sake of having fun. Culminating in the final couple of pages I think this on the face of it small acknowledgement has been one of the highlights of the series so far for me.

As I've already intimated, some of the dialogue in this issue was an absolute treat - "Think, Batgirl -- what would Oracle do", "Batman-Batman ... Not to devalue the other Batman-Batman", "I'm thinking of stabbing you" - the list is endless and I defy anyone not to read this book with a smile on their face. As well as the charming and humorous we're also treated to some very touching dialogue, nonemoreso that when Damian, grasping for a pseudonym to give to Nell, says his name is "Bruce".

While I understand that all of the Bat-books this month have adopted similar formats for their covers I'm not a big fan of this sparse design. Dustin Nguyen's Batgirl illustration is absolutely beautiful - again the sense of fun and enjoyment on Stephanie's face is abundantly clear, the rich, warm colours combine to give her real depth and yet with the stark white background and the empty yellow Bat symbol this cover just didn't satisfy me: the more I've found myself looking at it the more I've felt aware of the empty space.

I was somewhat surprised to see Pere Perez on art duties for this issue - I'd quite forgotten that back in October of last year he'd been solicited to work on this issue - and again, I'm on record saying just how much I enjoy his and colourist Guy Major's work. To my eye Perez draws a younger, slightly less graceful (my way of saying 'clumsy'!) Batgirl than others while, curiously, his Stephanie Brown appears more self-confident, maybe even a little wiser, than we've so far seen throughout this series and I'm enjoying seeing these different sides of her personality. Mr Perez draws a great - albeit brief - chase/fight sequence towards the close of the issue - there was a tremendous sense of movement, speed and chaos in each panel which was captured through some detailed illustration and imaginative page layouts which were complemented by Guy Major's magnificent colouring.

In summary this was a fantastic told-in-one story with character development that I think we'll remember for some time to come. A wonderful collaborative production.

Little boys are, we are reminded, made from "Frogs, Snails & Puppy-Dog Tails" and many of us could easily be charged with ignoring that Damian Wayne is still a little boy. Not Batgirl. Not Stephanie Brown.

Batgirl #17
Written by Bryan Q. Miller, art by Pere Perez, colours by Guy Major, letters by Travis Lanham, cover by Dustin Nguyen
Published by DC Comics, March 2011

Birds of Prey #7 Reviewed

Happy New Year one and all! While I didn't get as much reading done as I'd hoped over my Christmas and New Year break I did find time to read, and review, the latest issue of Birds of Prey - delivery of which had been delayed by a week or so because of the wintery weather we'd been experiencing here in Britain.

One of the things I enjoy about undertaking these in-depth reviews of Birds of Prey, and likewise for Batgirl, is that it gives me the opportunity, you might even say it forces me, to really think about so many different aspects of the book that I wouldn't perhaps otherwise consider. With this issue of Birds of Prey I found that the more I thought about it the more I found to appreciate.


Birds of Prey #7

'The Cape and the Cadaver' - first of the four part 'Death of Oracle' story-arc - opens at the window of a fairly anonymous looking Gotham City high-rise. At the window stands a man - The Calculator - surveying the city before him, wondering aloud just why Gotham's villains choose to make the city their home, the scene of their crimes.

Interrupted by one of his associates, Calculator is introduced to a visitor: Brian Durlin aka Savant. Comfortable that Savant isn't carrying a weapon Calculator welcomes his visitor with open arms. Refusing the hospitality that's offered to him Savant reminds his host that he's there for one reason and one reason only – cash, in exchange for Oracle's precise location ...

Elsewhen we witness Barbara Gordon - Oracle - on patrol in the alleyways surrounding the Gotham City docks: one of the city's worst neighbourhoods we're reminded. Rounding a corner Babs comes face to face with one of the gangs of 'tweakers and bangers and pimps' that call this neighbourhood their home.

As the gang advance and confront her, Babs muses over the irony that since the local drug lord was 'convinced' to leave the docks violent crime has risen - and she's about to experience that violence first hand.

Using a dustbin lid as a missile Barbara hits out first then follows up with blow after blow from her billy sticks. In no time at all three of the gang are grounded and unconscious. Moments later a forth man - the apparent leader of the gang - charges at Barbara with a knife but he is also swiftly dealt with: to her embarrassment landing head first in her lap.

Spurred on by a young female the last gang-member standing draws his gun and places his finger on the trigger. As her assailant approaches Barbara realises that, thankfully, she's not alone as Batman - Bruce Wayne Batman - swoops down into the alley and effortlessly overcomes the gunman. Turning immediately Bruce disarms the young girl, tells her to get along to Dr Lesley Thompkins clinic where help is at hand ... and threatens her never to come back to the docks unless she's 'clean'.

Having been relieved of her earlier embarrassment Barbara braces herself for a ticking-off from Bruce - patrolling around the entrance to her safehouse is one thing, but doing it alone is another. Much to her surprise Bruce ignores her admission that she's probably been a little irresponsible as he surprisingly suggests ... a hug.

Across the city the other members of the Birds of Prey are out celebrating the birthday of Dove - Dawn Grainger - at a nightclub. The focus of their attention are The Conga Cowboys - erotic dancers - and it's fair to say that the occasion is just a little much for Dawn. Alongside her team-mates Helena, Zinda and Dinah - respectively Huntress, Lady Blackhawk and Black Canary - are having a fine time until Dinah wonders aloud where Hank Hall - Hawk - is on this evening of celebration.

Realising that Dinah's comments are more than just idle chatter Dawn defends her friend - as the scene cuts to outside the club where we see Hank stop, toss aside a beautifully-wrapped gift addressed to Dawn, turn-around and walk away.

Elsewhere, in a roof-top garden, Calculator and his associate have met with a mysteriously veiled young woman who introduces herself as 'Mortis, Goddess of the Forgotten Dead'. Challenged by Calculator to prove that her so called gift is real Mortis gently takes the hand of his associate - and in an instant the man breaks into tears, an uncontrollable sweat and charges through a glass window falling, we assume, to his death.

Returning to Barbara and her safehouse Bruce has been handed a list - 13 names excluding her own - of those people that have been entrusted with the location of and access to the safehouse. Barbara goes on to explain that her base can be accessed from four different entrances throughout the city linked to a largely pre-existing network of tunnels. Furthermore, her base - inside Kord Tower - has been constructed by numerous contractors meaning that no one person knows everything.

Arriving at the elevator entrance Bruce is met by a familiar adversary - Aleksandr Creote - who Babs introduces as her personal assistant. Entering the observation platform Barbara and Bruce look out across the city - their city. Bruce reveals that things in their world are going to change and that he's looking for support from all of his 'family' ... and particularly from Oracle.

Without looking up and catching Bruce's eye Barbara explains that it's probably better if he doesn't refer to her as that - Oracle - '... because tonight Oracle dies. Once and for all'.

At that moment the two friends are joined by Savant who Barbara introduces as her 'IT guy' before asking how things went, whether 'they' believed him. Explaining more to Bruce, Babs asks that he trust her, if no-one else, as she's of the belief that too many people know about Oracle - and that puts every one of those people in danger.

Back across the city the Birds of Prey are continuing to enjoy their 'girls night out' until ... a huge explosion admits some unwelcome guests to the club. Dinah orders her friend Helena to get away: an order that Helena refuses to follow of course. As Zinda gets back on her feet - having been knocked to the ground by the earlier explosion - Helena does her best to revive Dove who, it appears, is sleeping off her evening of excesses!

Believing that the Birds are no physical match for the aforementioned unwelcome guests, who include 'Mammoth' Baran Flinders in their ranks, Dinah realises that the only weapon available to them - her Canary Cry - is just too dangerous to use in the crowded club.

With Dove now awake and aware Zinda urges her to target 'the big one' – Mammoth of course. This she does but with little or no success as he returns her assault and knocks Dove off her feet and across the room.

Seemingly at a loss as to how they can overcome their aggressors the Birds fear the worse as the violence pauses ... and Mortis enters the club demanding to know which of the women is Oracle.

To be continued ...


First things first, I thought on the whole this issue was quite a satisfying read - a nicely-told, well-paced story accompanied by some very nice cover and interior artwork.

For me the Birds of Prey series has suffered, beyond the first couple of issues, as a result of some jarring inconsistencies in the interior art - I'm referring to changes within an issue rather than issue-to-issue. Therefore, I appreciated reading a whole issue illustrated by one penciller - Ardian Syaf - and one inker - Vicente Cifuentes. As a result the story felt a lot more 'fluid' than in recent months and, therefore, a more enjoyable read.

Not being particularly familiar with Mr Syaf's work I must say I was quite taken with the level of detail he was able to include in pretty much every panel - from the complex facial expressions on 'secondary' characters to location backgrounds including a highly effective use of shadows.

Equal credit should also be extended, I believe, to regular series colourist Nei Ruffino, who's work perfectly captured the tone of this issue - naturally dark yet clear and crisp, some most striking use of colour - blue, auburn, green - set against often sombre backgrounds represented by alleyway brickwork and the sometimes cold, clear, Gotham sky.

In terms of writing, as I previously intimated, I felt this was a solid enjoyable story that proved to be a good set-up for this new story-arc. After recent troubles - well documented through the series so far - I can totally see that Barbara would be looking for a less high-profile Oracle, for a while at least, although just how far writer Gail Simone can take this theme only time will tell of course.

While I'm sure that 'the death of Oracle' doesn't - couldn't - mean the death of Barbara Gordon, by the same token with Oracle one of the cornerstones of this particularly large chunk of the DCU, can Oracle truly die 'once and for all'?

Those, and other questions, are some of the reasons why we'll continue to follow along of course.

The central appearance in this issue of the Calculator was a surprise, a puzzle and, to be honest, a little of a disappointment. If I remember correctly it was just a few short months ago, in the pages of the Batgirl title, that we saw Calculator carried away by the authorities with his daughter Wendy's words that he 'won't be bothering anyone for a very long time' echoing around the room and yet here he is, apparently back on his feet with his 'empire' in place around him.

Maybe Calculator's recovery, his renaissance, is covered in another title that I'm either not currently reading or have fallen behind with and that'd explain my sense of puzzlement but my disappointment ...? I believe I understand his complicated history with Oracle but, having been a central character in Bat-family history over the past year or so I felt we'd moved on to other adversaries, for the moment at least.

Changing focus, the Hawk and Dove 'relationship' hasn't landed with me as yet: each contributes their own unique qualities - Dove with her really quite endearing naïveté and Hawk with his brusque and surly demeanour - and I'll be interested to see if their importance to the team grows as time passes.

The appearance - albeit fleeting - of Mortis, the 'Goddess of the forgotten dead' likewise intrigues me. I like the concept of the villain that, with a single, brief, touch of her hand can compel a grown man to leap to his death from a rooftop and I hope we see much more of her over forthcoming issues.

Finally, the cover from Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau. If you've read any of the other reviews of books that Mr Lau has contributed to you'll know that I'm a big fan of his work and this image - Bruce Wayne's Batman solemnly standing over Oracle's gravestone - is absolutely fabulous.

As simple and stark as it at first appeared the artist has expertly captured a tremendous sense of sorrow, regret, maybe even guilt. I'm not, however, entirely sure it was the right subject for this particular issue - aside from the fact that Oracle isn't, as yet, dead, I'd have liked this cover of Birds of Prey to feature ... one or more of the Birds of Prey team.

Accepting, and very much appreciating, that the Bat-family books feed off of one another this cover felt, to me, like it was being used to promote the title as part of 'Batman, Incorporated' rather than on its own merits. All of that said, I did very much enjoy Bruce's appearances within the pages of the book - from their initial encounter in the alleyway, through the somewhat awkward 'reintroductions' to Bruce's validation that now, perhaps more than ever, he'll be relying on Barbara and her team.

Birds of Prey #7, The Death of Oracle, Part 1: thought provoking, puzzling, pleasurable, most definitely gratifying ... well worth reading.

Birds of Prey #7
Written by Gail Simone, pencils by Ardian Syaf, inks by Vicente Cifuentes, colours by Nei Ruffino, letters by Travis Lanham, cover by Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau
Published by DC Comics, February 2011

Batgirl #16 Reviewed

"Fugitive!" screams the cover as our hero Batgirl - Stephanie Brown - finds herself accused of murder, on the run, quite literally, through Devil's Square and away from the pursuing GCPD.

With beads of perspiration on her brow Steph's caught in the police spotlight as she wonders just how she's found herself in this position - she 'knows for a fact' that the murder was committed by a mysterious group of students dressed like the Grim Reaper but the officers just aren't giving her the opportunity to explain this.

At the other end of her comms unit Steph's friend and mentor Oracle - Barbara Gordon - calmly and matter-of-factly advises that, first things first, they need to get her away from the police before they turn their attention to clearing her name.

Leaping from roof-top to roof-top, and once again narrowly avoiding capture, Steph thanks her good fortune that Bruce Wayne is currently away from the city: no doubt still feeling a little insecure about her position she's sure the situation wouldn't reflect favourably on her in Bruce's eyes.

Now isolated on top of one of the derelict buildings in Devil's Square Batgirl finds she has few options as a police helicopter equipped with spotlights looks on. Following events via the comms link Oracle advises that she's dispatched 'The Ricochet' but that it'll take a few minutes to reach the pick-up point.

Making her move Batgirl makes an unusual, and yet somehow typical for her, gesture in the direction of the helicopter as she disappears through a broken window ... and in turn tumbles down through the building shell, bouncing from beam to beam until she finally crashes onto the floor.

Picking herself up off the floor and dusting herself down Batgirl doesn't seem particularly surprised to find Detective Nick Gage - alone - on the scene. Revealing that while he knows Stephanie is innocent Gage does his best to explain why the police force are chasing her - the victim's father was a police officer and the force takes attacks on 'family' very seriously.

Handing her a batarang that he'd removed from the murder scene Gage notices that Steph whinces as she tests her shoulder - the look on her face is nothing however, compared to when he pops her dislocated shoulder back into place. Fearing that there are other officers close by Gage offers to divert them and gain Steph some time ... and what starts as a potentially embarrassing moment ends with a firm handshake.

Under cover of darkness Steph makes her escape thanks to The Ricochet.

Next day at Gotham University, and following Oracle's advice, it's 'business as usual' for Stephanie. On her way from class, and despite having her arm in a sling, Steph's doing her best to blend in as her friend Francisco catches up with her and wonders about her speedy exit from their study group a few days earlier. Wondering whether another of their friends Jordanna is still angry with her Francisco looks on in some embarrassment as Jordanna, with megaphone in hand, is taking part, possibly even leading, a demonstration against the 'murderer' Batgirl.

Confronting her friend to protest Batgirl's innocence Steph simply has to concede defeat as Jordanna reveals that her motivation is not justice but rather to use the shocking events that have taken place on campus to slide through some of her school work.

Later that day, and now back at Firewall, their base of operations, we find Steph and Babs discussing the events of the last few days - under a microscope Babs analyses blood from the recovered batarang believing it was added after Newton's death. As Steph puzzles just why anyone would want to frame her for murder Babs explains that she now believes it was by way of a distraction - and the trace of radiation that she's discovered on the batarang may well help them explain why.

Using Firewall's advanced technological resources Barbara is able to isolate the potential origins of the radiation - an abandoned warehouse across the city.

As Steph's determination and good humour turns to frustration and anger Barbara reminds her young friend that there's a bigger picture in front of them than simply proving her own innocence ... followed by further affirmation that she's not alone - "Team Batgirl all the way".

Returning to Gotham U we join Wendy Harris - Proxy - working by torchlight in one of the universities server rooms. Muttering away to herself - or more to the point her deceased brother Marvin - Oracle, once again via the comms link, interrupts for an update on her task. That task, we learn, is to piece together as much of the data as possible that was contained on the USB flash drive stolen from Newt at the time of his murder. Confirming that she's at the terminal that Newt first accessed when uploading the contents of the drive Wendy is further interrupted by a security guard who firmly asks her to finish up her work and leave so he can lock up behind her.

To Barbara's frustration and dismay Wendy makes reference to her disability and asks if she really needs to leave before asking how the guard knew she was there in the first place. A look of relief and excitement sweeps her face as she discovers that the rooms are monitored by closed-circuit cameras. Over to Oracle ...

In the meantime Batgirl has gained access to the previously believed-abandoned warehouse where she observes four of the group known as 'The Reapers' loading packing crates into a van. Wondering how they managed to overcome the guards - and why indeed an abandoned warehouse needs guards in the first place - Steph leaps into action knocking one of the crates to the ground in the process.

As she engages 'The Reapers' Steph notices that the lid of one of the crates is loose, takes a peak and is understandably surprised to find some hi-tech equipment inside. As the fight continues Steph takes out one Reaper after another until they are all either unconscious or disarmed. As she reaches down to remove the mask from one of her mysterious opponents Steph finds herself caught in a flood of torch light ... Detective Nick Gage and officers from Gotham PD.

As the officers rush in it's immediately obvious that Batgirl is no longer their target - privately Gage explains that Oracle had supplied his department with footage of a group of the Reapers chasing poor Newt across the campus. As the police take their prisoners away Gage realises that one of them appears to have disappeared, Oracle warns of an isotope spike ... and everyone except the Reapers are knocked from their feet.

Having recovering their position just a few moments later, Batgirl, Gage and his fellow officers realise that the prisoners have somehow escaped and taken some of the tech with them. This isn't over.

Returning to Firewall and Stephanie and Barbara realise that to have escaped so quickly the Reapers must have a 'speedster' as part of their group. Analysing some of the data that Wendy recovered Barbara explains that she's uncovered designs and information for just such a speed suit. Questioning just why the warehouse was filled with high-tech equipment and what the Reapers could want with it all Stephanie vows to find Newt's murderers and bring them to justice.

Elsewhere, in an unidentified location, the Reapers are 'debriefing'. As well as their plans are going they realise that they need to do better - and with Batgirl onto them that's not going to be easy - and that if their paths cross again they'll have to 'take care' of her ...


"Fugitive!" felt so right for this issue - as with the classic 'Fugitive' Doctor Richard Kimble himself Steph knew she was innocent, her closest friends and associates knew she was innocent and we, the readers, knew she was innocent. And just like Dr Kimble Steph's challenge doesn't stop with proving her own innocence - she needs to prove others guilt: this is a storyline that I can quite happily see running for some time yet.

From a character development point of view I thought Stephanie's early references, which at the time felt almost incidental, to Bruce thankfully being out of town and, she assumes, unaware of her predicament were really quite telling. Coupled with Steph's later 'heart-to-heart' with Barbara about her apparent need for validation quite beautifully reminded me of the journey that she's been on - and the jolt that she's received with Bruce's return. As readers we know that Bruce has been, on the whole, hugely impressed with what he's seen from Stephanie in the role - her role - of Batgirl but we possibly forget that she's not nearly so convinced of his total support.

Through just a few panels, I felt writer Bryan Q. Miller gave us the shortest of glimpses into the mindset of young Wendy Harris - resisting the urge to think of herself as merely the "other" member of the team I was reminded that she's been through an awful lot in her own short life in recent times and beneath the obvious tough veneer there's a gentler, softer side to her. Having initially been a little confused when she was pictured talking to her late brother Marvin, on second and even third reading I felt this gave us quite a touching, if somewhat brief, glimpse at a more vulnerable Wendy than we've seen so far in this wonderful series.

The relationship between Stephanie and Detective Nick Gage was, for me at least, another important feature of this issue. Switching effortlessly from the enjoyable verbal indiscretions - "I could kiss you right on your ... cheek!" - to a sense of real trust and belief in one another, maybe even more so from Gage himself, and back to the playful one-liners.

The mysterious group known as The Reapers have so far proved to be an effective and, at times, quite puzzling, foil for Stephanie. At first they appeared to me to be little more than a group of misguided students up to no good and I've a feeling there's more to then than perhaps I've so far given them credit for. We shall see!

Switching focus onto the art - I have to say that as much as I appreciated Dustin Nguyen's illustration throughout issue #15 I enjoyed the art in this issue so much more. No doubt as much down to my familiarity with Mr Nguyen's unique style the cast of characters in this issue felt familiar (there's that word again), approachable even - I took a sense of warmth from each and every page that I didn't always feel with the previous issue.

Without doubt one of Mr Nguyen's great strengths is his ability to capture movement. I've written before about the feeling of dance that he's already managed to impress on his rendition of Batgirl and this was further evident throughout this issue - I felt I could almost hear Stephanie's cape billowing out behind her as she ran from the police and, later, leapt to surprise The Reapers.

Once again I found my admiration for the cover grew the more I considered it: initially I felt the city skyline surrounding Batgirl was rather too dark and lacking in detail for my taste but after reading the issue I appreciated the sense of Stephanie being captured in the spotlight which in turn cast shadow on her surroundings. Once again the cover image is offered as something of a 'bonus scene' from the interior story. "Fugitive!" indeed.

I've said it many times before and I look forward to saying it many times again: Team Batgirl are fantastic!

Batgirl #16
Written by Bryan Q. Miller, pencils by Dustin Nguyen, inks by Derek Fridolfs, colours by Guy Major, letters by Travis Lanham, cover by Dustin Nguyen
Published by DC Comics, February 2011

Batgirl #14 Reviewed

As promised I have returned, refreshed and re-energized after a few days away following The Tour of Britain and with my bank balance in a sorry state thanks to a hugely enjoyable day buying comics and 'stuff', as well as meeting creators and fellow comics fans, at the superb Exeter Comic Expo.

I'll write about the Expo in a bit more detail later on this week (I'll spare you the cycling talk unless you're really interested?!) but to get us underway after my break here's my review of Batgirl #14 - while you read this I'll be working my way through a weeks worth of emails and Google reader updates ...

Batgirl #14

We're promised 'Terror in the 3rd Dimension' in Batgirl #14 and as the story opens we see Batgirl - Stephanie Brown - and Supergirl - Kara Zor-El - struggling to release themselves from their captive: as Stephanie explains, she was just hoping for a quiet, normal, evening; kicking back, relaxing with a friend - instead, these friends find themselves in a grip of a monochrome Dracula!

Much earlier, at the Brown household, we are witness to a much calmer scene as the young Stephanie is slumped over the table clearly less than engrossed by the game of Scrabble she is playing with her mother - we're told Babs is away on Birds duty 'again' and new friend Wendy is working back at Firewall.

At that moment the door bell rings and Steph leaps into the air - saved by the bell - apologises to her startled mother and races to the door where she's delighted, relieved probably, to discover her friend Kara, hovering in the air in Supergirl guise. The girls say their hellos as Mrs Brown joins Stephanie at the door - and in the nick of time Kara switches to her 'civvies'.

After some quick introductions the two young women set off for what they hope will be a 'normal' evening - of course there's no chance of that when Batgirl and Supergirl get together!

Having headed to the University campus Kara's enthusiasm gets the better of her as she takes in the sights of sounds of college life. Kara suggests they head to a keg party, have a pillow fight and Steph realises that Kara's experience of college life is, at best, limited.

As the two continue their catch-up they're hit from behind and knocked off their feet by a young man who's in a desperate hurry - as documents litter the air the young man mutters that he's got to get to his lab before ...

As the man scurries away Kara spots the student theatre and discovers they are screening a 3D revival of 'Vampyres Bryde' and talks Steph into going in.

Across campus in the 'requisite super-collider lab' we witness the clumsy, desperate young man who knocked Steph and Kara from their feet arguing with a security guard - it seems that the project is being closed down due to a lack of funds but the man - Newton or Newt - is having none of it: he needs to project to continue to earn credit and if it's results that the authorities are after he'll deliver results he says. As he pulls on a lever the lab equipment - presumably the aforementioned super-collider - comes to life with a rumble, a cloud of smoke or steam before, much to the guard and Newts surprise, overwhelming the pair of them.

Back at the campus theatre a packed audience of students is lapping-up the film: some enjoying it more than others. As Steph and Kara tuck into their popcorn they are blinded (figuratively) by a flash of white light coming from the screen in front of them. Removing her 3D glasses Steph is startled to see a number of figures - Draculas - coming out of the screen and into the theatre. Not realising what was happening Kara continues to marvel at what she believes are the 3D effects of the film before listening to her friend, removing her glasses and agreeing with Steph that the situation calls for a 'team-up'.

With the audience either having fled the audience or being otherwise distracted Batgirl and Supergirl join forces to bring down the first of the Draculas.

Scanning the frozen figure Kara proclaims that the body is empty, literally, as the aforementioned Newt looks on with a mixture of wonder and puzzlement: his experiment - to create a three dimensional construct - appears to have worked as the lab overloaded the theatre, and the film in particular, bore the brunt.

Furthermore (and here's the science) as the film runs at 24 frames a second there would be 24 Draculas on the run! The only way to stop them, it seems, is to drive a control rod into the empty body ...

So, as Batgirl and Supergirl work their way around the city they are able to take care of Dracula after Dracula - until they are left with just one more to find: Dracula number 24, who they eventually track down to a roof top overlooking Gotham City. As the two young women consider their next move they are startled to find their prey has disappeared - only to reappear behind them moments later ... and we're back where the book started with the two friends lives in jeopardy.

Spotting a stake some yards behind them Batgirl and Supergirl manage to wrestle themselves free, grab the weapon and 'shoonk' - the final Dracula is gone.

Some time later, back at the Brown household, Steph and Kara are hanging out in Steph's room: pyjamas on, feathers falling to the ground - there's the pillow fight! As Kara picks up on trouble back home the two friends strike a deal: next time either of them starts to feel alone, they are to give the other a call.

With that Kara is gone and Steph heads down to the kitchen where her mother has prepared breakfast. Making her apologies for bailing on family game night Steph explains to her mother that she really did have the best of evenings.


Three words describe this issue of Batgirl for me: fun, fun, fun! Since I first heard writer Bryan Q. Miller talking about it on episode 10 of Batgirl to Oracle I'd been looking forward to reading the book and it certainly exceeded my expectations.

The story itself very much had the tone of one of those 1950s horror films: the core plot-point, in this case a machine that could create a multi-dimensional object from a one dimensional image, being deliberately over complicated - as demonstrated by Newt's explanation just over halfway through the book in what must be the largest speach bubble in this series to date! - and dare I say 'unbelievable' while maintaining a simple 'goodies versus baddies' theme. That's how, to me at least, the book read and, as I suggest, I thought Mr Miller did a fine job of finding the tone.

I found the 'friendship' theme between Steph and Kara in this issue particularly poignant - I suppose as I've followed her story over the past year I'd assumed Steph was acutely aware of the support that's around her, most notably from Barbara Gordon - and this was a timely reminder that she's still at heart a girl who's finding her way in the world, in her world.

The dialogue throughout this issue was a joy - light, fun, at times throw-away, at times remarkably sensitive without ever feeling unreal, unnecessary or making the individuals look or sound foolish. The early exchange between Steph and Kara, as they strolled the campus grounds was particularly enjoyable as Kara articulated her idea of what a 'normal' evening is for a university student - she really did come across to me as being endearingly naïve at that point. Likewise I enjoyed Kara's behaviour during the screening itself as she clearly hadn't grasped quite what was happening before her eyes - and the comments between herself and Steph when reality dawned!

As is so often the case with this title I appreciated the pacing of the story, from the slow, mundane opening scenes featuring Stephanie and her mother, through the sense of adventure and possibilities as the two friends shared a 'typical' evening out, through the chaos of the overloaded laboratory equipment and the chase for the 'duplicate Draculas' to the once again sedate, calm, genuinely touching scene as the story closed.

Turning my attention to the art throughout this book - what can I say that I haven't said a hundred times before? To say that I'll miss Lee Garbett's pencils on the Batgirl title would be an understatement of massive proportions. From the first issue of the relaunch I immediately connected with Mr Garbett's take on Stephanie, her Batgirl, Barbara ... the 'tone' of the Batgirl series comes as much from his fine, detailed, delicate pencils as much as Mr Miller's fluid writing, Trevor Scott's inks, the fantastic colouring of Guy Major, Travis Lanham's lettering and the eye catching covers of Stanley Lau and Phil Noto.

Lee Garbett's eye, and talent, for detail is evident throughout every panel - from the oft-acknowledged emotive facial expressions, tone-defining and fluid movement and the often beautiful locations. As has been stated numerous times before I consider that we've been truly blessed that Mr Garbett was tasked with defining the look and visual 'feel' of Stephanie Brown and of Batgirl ... as he now leaves the book with this issue I'd like to express my gratitude for a job incredibly well done, I look forward to following his work on his next book and I look forward to perhaps one day seeing him return to the title.

Throughout the series we've been treated to a number of exceptional covers and this issue is a fine example of this - if you were looking at the cover in a shop or on-line how could you not want to buy this book? It screams of something different, something unique with the two heroines front and centre surrounded by identical monochrome Dracula's, with an illuminated theatre (cinema) display supporting a pair of 3D glasses!

If, by some remote possibility you haven't already jumped on board with Batgirl then now would be a great time. This is a fantastic, stand-alone issue that gives a subtle insight into the mind-set of the central character and introduces a very welcome 'guest star' wrapped around what was a hugely enjoyable, engaging story.

Top marks to all involved.

Batgirl #14
Written by Bryan Q. Miller, pencils by Lee Garbett, inks by Trevor Scott, colours by Guy Major, letters by Travis Lanham, cover by Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau
Published by DC Comics, November 2010