Batgirl #14

Batgirl #14

Batgirl has been a solid book, but it has struggled to breach the realm of the everyday to become something exceptional. With the last issue, Batgirl’s mother was kidnapped by the Clown Prince of Crime. Does Joker manage to bring a little light to Batgirl’s life, or does this clown fail to amuse?

In this issue, Barbara follows a taunting voice on the telephone who claims to know all her secrets including the location of her mother, but to follow the voices’ instructions, Barbara will have to fend off a wave of Joker thugs.

Now This Is What I’m Talking About

For a couple months now, I’ve been saying that Batgirl is missing something, but whatever it was missing in past issues was found in this one. Whereas I get the feeling that the back and forth between hero and villain is little more than a set of motions in most issues of Batgirl, the menace of Joker and the impact this has on Barbara is quite palpable in this issue. You know exactly how Joker makes Barbara feel, and the reckoning between these two has been a long time coming.

It almost feels as if the last fourteen issues have been leading readers to this point. After all, the emotional scars left by Joker’s attack all those years ago have been very evident in this series. That makes it even more satisfying that Barbara does not truly choke in this issue as she did in some earlier entries of the series to the disappointment of many fans. Though Barbara is definitely compromised emotionally in this issue, , she goes into a delightful fit of action which is made all the more beautiful for her lack of a costume just a few seconds after she has a target for her wrath. Hopefully, Barbara will be equally effective when she takes on Joker in the next issue.

The Voice on the Phone

I love how Simone managed to include a little mystery in this issue regarding who was talking to Barbara. Sure, the obvious assumption was that it was the Joker, but there was enough ambiguity to keep thoughtful readers guessing. I liked that it was revealed to be James Jr. on the other end of the line, and I am eager to see what James Jr. has in store for his sister after Death of a Family.

I Tip My Hat to Ritter

I am not sure exactly what Kyle Ritter did to this issue, but I hope he continues.

This issue had two colorists Ulises Arreola, the regular colorist, and Kyle Ritter. That was the only variable I saw in the art team, so I am heaping major praises on Ritter’s head. This issue looked gorgeous. Arreola’s solo work looks nice, but he gives everything a bit of a sheen which I do not love. Arreola coupled with Ritter, however, is a whole new thing. All the colors are incredibly vibrant and really pop off the page. Great work guys.

Death of a Conspiracy

For those of you who have read Batman #14, you have heard that Joker claims to be aware of the secret identities of all the Bat Clan. However, Joker does not actually say anything which would demonstrate this, so I am skeptical. My skepticism was heightened in this issue when Joker danced all around the idea of knowing that Barbara was Batgirl without ever actually making that statement. Could it be that someone is pulling Joker’s strings?

Conclusion

The creative team really stepped it up for this issue. I hope that they can maintain this level of quality after “Death of a Family.” Everybody remotely interested in this issue would get their money’s worth by purchasing it.