Batgirl Vol. 1: Batgirl of Burnside (The New 52)

by Cameron Stewart

Babs Tarr (Illustrator)

Barbara Gordon is no stranger to dusting herself off when disaster strikes, so when a fire destroys everything she owns, she spots the opportunity for a new lease on life - and seizes it! Following the rest of Gotham City's young adults to the hip border

• ISBN10: 1401257984
• ISBN13: 9781401257989
• Publish Date: 16 June 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: DC Comics
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 176
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781401257989

Reviews

[Rinn]

I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

I’ve always been a big fan of superhero stories, but it was only in the past year or two that I started reading Marvel comic books properly, and now I feel quite well-versed in the various arcs and characters. But, until now, I hadn’t read a single DC comic. I saw this on Netgalley and thought the start of a brand new series would be a good place to start, plus Batgirl was a character I was also vaguely familiar with.

The Batgirl of Burnside follows Batgirl as she struggles with balancing life as a graduate student and her secret identity. Hackers are targeting a popular dating/friend app, which pretty much everyone in the city uses, and to add to this someone is impersonating Batgirl and trying to ruin her reputation.

Barbara Gordon as Batgirl first appeared in 1967, so it is understandable that some of her comics would appear to feel dated. This new series very much brings Batgirl into the present day – smartphones, social media, online dating – but this could also serve to isolate some of Batgirl’s older fans, those who have been following her for a long time. For me, as a new reader and someone used to such technology, it wasn’t an issue, but I could see how it could be for some fans. What I did like was that the technology wasn’t just throw in to appeal to a certain demographic – it was an integral part of the story.

My main issues with this volume were the odd mix of made up and real pop culture, the cliche of a cop/authority figure boyfriend who disapproves of our protagonists secret identity without realising who it really is, and one particular villain who talks in hashtags… That last one seemed a bit too much.

But the art was gorgeous, the colour palettes a wonderful blend, the story fun and fast-paced, and every character looked unique. The action scenes flowed seamlessly from one frame to the next. Taking a brief glance at reviews of this book on Goodreads shows that the previous DC readers don’t seem to be quite so impressed with this addition to the series, but for me, as a new reader of DC comics, this was a great introduction to its universe. One or two characters were familiar from the television series Arrow, but almost everything was new to me, and at no point did I feel at a disadvantage.

A fun, fresh update on the Batgirl story, definitely a great entry point for those wanting to get into DC Comics but unsure where to start.

[inlibrisveritas]

First off I want to give a huge thank you to DC for approving me, because that has never happened before and it basically made my geeky little heart explode. Secondly, this graphic novel was so much fun!

Before I was huge into Marvel and same publishers DC was my main source of comic book goodness, that was pre-New 52 and I hung on for a while afterwards but the amount of comics I pick from DC have been few and far between since then. However everything I’ve read so far has been really great, and I think that Batgirl is one of the best ones!

Barbara Gordon is off to Burnside, to get away from Batman (like pretty much all the other Bat family members) and to start a new life in Burnside across the river. She wants her own experiences without the taint of Gotham, and she wants to make her own mark as Batgirl. First off, kudos to her for getting away from Bruce…he’s such a downer sometimes and his proteges tend to do a lot better without him. Secondly her new costume is very awesome! It’s functional ,it doesn’t have unnecessary clinginess, and it honestly looks like someone who is a college budget can afford to put together. This new story for Batgirl seems to be aimed at the teenage audience, so it’s definitely got a more upbeat vibe to it than one of the normal Gotham fare. She’s not just a crime fighter anymore, she’s a college student who is using her smarts to help fight crime during the day as well. It also gets points for explaining the whole walking thing after the reboot, because while I’m super excited she’s no longer confined to being Oracle it’s still a hell of thing to recover from.

The story is action packed and full of cool little twists and turns. Her amazing memory and thinking come into play a lot and we get to see some true Batman family style sleuthing. The bad guys are a little more down-to-earth in terms of reality, and definitely not on the same scale as Joker or Catwoman…but they are dangerous in a difference sense. Barbara’s personality shift is explained, and I feel that the way she acts in this one could rub some fans the wrong way. But I’m just glad that despite being able to run around and kickbutt again, she is still using her brain and computer skills to bring down the bad guys. And of course the ever important mortality issue around vigilantes comes up again towards the end, so it will be interesting to see how much that affects her in the next set of issues. And the art is fantastic! I really love the character models and shapes in this one, and it stands out when compared to the super detailed and saturated world of DC.

Overall I think it’s a fun series that would be great to reach new younger audiences, and maybe even some of the older ones. I’ll be keeping up with the series from now own, even if it’s only through trade paperbacks, because it’s too good to miss out on.