Barbara Gordon (daughter of police commissioner Gordon) is a typical modern girl. She’s moving into an apartment with friends, working on her college thesis, and fighting crime. Ok, maybe she’s not entirely typical.
First let’s get a little confession out of the way: I’m not a comic book nerd. That being said–I TOTALLY LOVED THIS! Presently, there is a huge push for believable, strong female characters and I think this Batgirl really hit it.
Now before you go off on a tangent about her taking a selfie or crushing on guys remember that she is a young adult in today’s society and that someone who takes pictures of themselves does not mean they are self centered or unintelligent.
Barbara admits to her mistakes (mostly after they’ve gotten out of hand but hey–at least she learns from them), something I find many characters do not do. She is also very smart, tech savvy, and independent. It’s always nice to see a character who can operate on her own but knows when to admit that she needs help.
Each story arch had a modern touch to it: theft to cyber theft, stolen identities to stolen personas, the over use of social media and the desire for fame no matter how fleeting, and that ever so lovely idea of vengeance and personal growth.
What I enjoyed the most is that I wasn’t lost. I was worried getting into this volume (which consists of the first six issues of the comic) that I would have no idea what was happening. But Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr made sure to give those of us without the certified comic background enough information to fill us in.
The behind the scenes important info (SPOILER ALERT if you’re new to comics like I am) is of course that the Joker shot Barbara and she spent some time in a wheel chair. Time spent writing an algorithm which could anticipate crime within the city to help prevent it. When the algorithm becomes elf-aware it hunts Barbara using her past friends, enemies, and interests. And like all evil robot programs–it wants a body. Her body.
I don’t want to go into too much else because you should head out of your house and go buy it as it was released today. I promise you it is well worth the read.
