Review: BATGIRL #41

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BATGIRL #41
Written by Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher
Art by Babs Tarr, Joel Gomez, and Serge LaPointe
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: June 24, 2015

There’s a new hero in town, and the name is… Frankie? Oh wait, I mean, Batman. Either way, it’s a bright new start for Batgirl’s new partnership, just as the former Commissioner’s daughter gets the news about her dad’s new job. Only problem? Her dad’s first mission is to arrest Barbara!

With the conclusion of their first story arc, Stewart, Fletcher, Tarr, and company have taken Barbara Gordon from a fairly darkened life to a much more triumphant and brighter place. It’s a little cliché to call issue #41 a new beginning (particularly only 6 issues into a run), but there is this sense of lightness that is a sharp contrast to what we’ve seen to date. Barbara and Frankie both come off as much better for what they’ve been through, closer to each other, and more bold in their determination to be heroes.

It’s refreshing, really — particularly in light of Dinah’s disagreements with Babs and subsequent departure — to see Babs have a best friend again. Stewart and Fletcher have solidified Barbara’s new life just in time for her to have to deal with a bit of her old one, so that even when the situation gets more tense, the book still has a super fun feel to it. The dialogue between Babs and Jim is particularly great, because it genuinely feels like a 21 year old’s interaction with her father. There’s still a bit of adoration, a whole lot of guilt when he clarifies his mission, that just seems right for someone who’s stepped out on her own, but not too far out.

A great deal of the charm in that exchange comes right off of Tarr’s pencils and inks, as Barbara and Jim both have much more of an animated appearance. It’s a looser style than in the previous arc, where Tarr was working off of Stewart’s breakdowns, and it lends quite a bit of additional energy to the entire book (although it’s definitely a trade-off in terms of detail and sequencing).

Faces are more lively, less square-jawed, and layouts feel like they have a little more room to breathe. Tarr is expanding the margins around panels, seemingly in an attempt to slow down the action in parts, and it’s really working. Because when things speed up, the spaces between images get smaller, but the delineation still gives LaPointe’s bright color palette a real pop.

Overall, issue #41 is an artistic bounce forward for a book that has inspired so much of the renaissance we’re seeing at DC Comics this month. The action is dynamic, but the relationships the creative team is showcasing are what really give the book its spark. A genuinely FUN comic, Batgirl #41 is the perfect place to jump in if you want to have a new, bold, and determined set of ladies to watch kick ass (and warm hearts).

The Verdict: 9.5/10

 

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