Batgirl #8

Okay, I have to say this issue irritated me on so many levels, yet remained an excellent read. There was a whole lot of character development, and some really interesting plot twists. We get three blasts from the past for Barbara in this issue. The first being an ex-con named Danny who was directly involved when Babs was shot by the Joker. Danny seems to be a very complex character that suffered from a guilty conscience and couldn't get out of a lifestyle that he had become trapped in. After that we have Barbara's mother, who also suffers from some form of guilt over James Jr., but her excuse that she left to "save" her family seemed half-arsed, and that's what irritated me the most and apparently it did Barbara too. The last part at the end where we see James Jr. meet Alysia, felt a little creepy, and seeing that James has returned it would seem that Babs will soon be getting another hit to the sensitive parts of her psyche. I want so bad to not like this issue, but the more I think about it the more it seems to fit. The only thing that really bothers me is that at times the dialogue felt forced and unnatural, especially the conversation between Barbara and her mother. I've noticed that quite a bit in Gail Simone's books the dialogue seems a little forced, but it's not all bad, a very very strong story was still delivered in this issue of Batgirl and I recommend that everyone pick this issue up, because this is a pivotal moment in the history of Batgirl.

(Oh by the way my copy had double covers XD)