Changes
This fantastic cover promises a lot. I mean, it doesn't promise the biggest story or a whole ton of events, but it promises something really creepy and/or twisted, I mean seriously look at that cover! The new Ventriloquist looks looks horrifying, malnourished, and downright unnerving. And the Batgirl puppet isn't much better, which I mean in a good way because the creepiness is just so intense and eye-catching, I'm really getting excited about Batgirl again.
THIS is where Gail Simone usually shines, and hasn't quite been as much on her Batgirl run so far. The villains. The creepy twisted disturbing brilliant villains. This new Ventriloquist is on a scale altogether more overwhemingly twisted than the previous. The most recent one before this might have been a bit more uncanny with the uncertainty on whether or not Scarface was sentient, but Ferdie shows definite shades of that as well, just not the same kind of detachment from his host. This new Vetriloquist has a great bunch of abilities that really suit her namesake, and Simone does a great job ratcheting up the creepiness with some of the abilities left implied while others are obviously expressed. Her motivations lie in a vein similar to the bs new m.o. Simone wrote up for James Jr., but they work well for this character.
Simone is really taking Batgirl in a new direction, and it's one that's more satisfying for me. She's possibly having Barbara once again outgrow 'Batgirl' but in a more trial by fire kind of manner, shedding her skin, per se. After killing her own brother, Batgirl's not sure if she truly 'had no choice' or if it was REALLY an accident. This is definitely some of the more legit kind of accidental murder angst I've seen, and it's forcing Barbara to grow up and shed the forced 'young spunky teen hero' persona she'd shown splashes of. I'm really hoping this is a catalyst for Barbara outgrowing the Batgirl role to evolve into something new, leaving room for Stephanie Brown's return.... a guy can dream.
In Conclusion: 4/5
After Death of the Family and a death in the family, Batgirl is really starting to look up again. Batgirl's new angst is causing her to doubt everything she stands for, and it's creating a bit of a uniqueness among the family in her. Not a huge one, but it might cause something even bigger if she decides to truly leave 'Batgirl' behind and leave the position open. Moreover, the villain in this arc is totally twisted, and exactly the kind of output I expect from Simone.