The art of the guest appearance in a comic book. It’s a very subtle thing to pull off successfully. First off, you don’t want to make it seem like you’re desperate for readers and using a guest star to pull a second fan base into your book. Second, it should be a character that when you put them in the book, it makes the readers who are on the fence, stop by the comic book and go… “ooooohhhh that’s interesting.”
Then there’s the decision… do you put the guest star on the cover? It can seem pandering at times, but you don’t want to be too subtle and not let people know who is in the book.
So Gail Simone and the team have decided to bring in Nightwing into issue #3. And I would say it is a smart move. It’s the new DC Universe, and as DCnU readers we have a lot of questions. Some of the obvious ones are: Does Nightwing (and by proxy Batman) know Batgirl’s identity, and does she know his. And if so, when did they learn about each other. And finally, did Barbara and Dick have a relationship other than a Bat-Family one?
So it’s a tall order. Gail knows these characters back and forth, so I have confidence that she can pull it off. I just hope the rest of the story comes together.
Batgirl #3: A Breath of Broken Glass
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Gail Simone
Penciller: Ardian Syaf
Cover Price: $2.99
Review: Digital Copy (from Comixology)
In the last issue, Barbara was chasing the new villain known as Mirror after he killed a cop. She chased him from the hospital to the cemetery to his apartment, where she figured out his identity. Batgirl comes to realize that Mirror watched his family die, while he was saved. So he is choosing to destroy any who were saved from dying. And Mirror reveals to Batgirl who his next victim is going to be.
Synopsis
- Batgirl escapes from Mirror’s apartment and attempts to rescue Mirror’s next target on the morning commuter train, a man who was saved from diabetic complications by a good Samaritan.
- Instead, Mirror decides to blow up the train that is holding the good Samaritan.
- Barbara visits her father who is talking to Detective McKenna, the officer who saw her partner murdered by Mirror in issue #1, and the two of them talk about the miracle that allows her to walk.
- Dick visits Barbara when she tries to steal her motorcycle back. Both of them alternate between flirting and fighting. Barbara appreciates that Dick and Bruce are worried about her, but she resents being handled with kid gloves.
- Barbara reminisces about meeting Dick at a Wayne Charity event when they were teenagers.
- Finally Dick offers to let Barbara handles this on her own, regretfully for both of them.
Questions and Answers
Answer: Mirror is not only out to murder those who have been saved from alternative means, but also those who did the saving.
Question: Has anyone upheld the mantle of Batgirl in the years since Barbara retired from wearing the costume? The article read by Detective McKenna suggests it to be so.
Answer: In the DCnU, Barbara and Dick both knew each other as teenagers.
Answer: Dick, Bruce, and Barbara all know each other’s identities in the DCnU.
Analysis
This was a story of two separate acts. The first act shows Gail Simone’s weaknesses, and the second act shows her incredible strengths.
The plot line where Mirror wanted to blow up a train, but Batgirl is trying to reason with him. The plot was all over the place here. I had to read the beginning of this issue twice, and re-read the last issue to really put the pieces in place… Don’t get me wrong, I understood the basics of the plot. But I wanted to understand the pieces other than just Batgirl is trying to save a train from being blown up, and fails.
And can we have some explanation of how Barbara survived the explosion? Whether she saved the person she was intending on saving? How many other people were killed or hurt due to collateral damage? Anything at all?
But I did think that Ardian Syaf’s pencils are really coming into their own in this title. I really liked the images of the lithe Batgirl swinging around the train. It really showed how Barbara is a different hero than Batwoman or Huntress or even Black Canary. I’ve been critical of Syaf’s breakdowns of the action, but this time it worked for me much better.
One problem with the first arc was that issue #2, Barbara had already talked to her roommate, made her way to the library, and finally invaded Mirror’s residence. So now, we’re supposed to believe that all this happened before the morning commute? This doesn’t work people, but it didn’t’ damage the story.
The second story arc was extremely effective, and I liked it very much. What is really important is that you have a female writer who is writing the emotions of a female character. And Gail Simone does this effectively.
Gail captures both ideas that are running through Barbara’s head. The resentment and the inner drive of Barbara to prove her worth to herself and to the other members of the Bat Family, and to prove that she is deserving of the ‘miracle’ that has gotten her out of her wheelchair. But additionally, there is that desire to accept Dick’s help and accept the charity that she has had to absorb through the years. Gail captures the idea that Batgirl likes having Dick around.
In some ways, you can really see the ‘power’ of Nightwing in how others react to him, rather than how he acts. Gail captures this brilliantly, as she describes through Barbara how she didn’t like Dick at first, but then it was the honesty of Dick that really shines through when he wants it to. Gail is able to deliver this in a story, have Barbara reflect on that ability, and then lets Adrian Syaf really show it in the expression of Nightwing. Very impressive.
“What is it about redheads?” Dick when you find out, you be sure and let me know.
I really liked the back and forth between Barbara and Dick from their teenage years. You really got to see these characters in their infancy. I so want Gail to now write a Batman Family title from the early days.
But, I really question the ability of Dick Grayson to fly between the rooftops in a tuxedo. Less so, but equally questionable is Barbara’s doing the same in a dress that is meant for a charity ball at Stately Wayne Manor.
The images of teenage Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon on the rooftops of Wayne Manor and the images of Batgirl and Nightwing on the rooftops of Gotham City were very effective.
I like that Barbara calls him Richard, but yet, I don’t see her being that formal with him, even when ticked off at him.
The interlude between Commissioner Gordon and Lieutenant McKenna was interesting, but I think we should have gotten a little bit more out of this.
I liked the artistic work in this comic book, but there were some scenes in the middle, where Barbara is talking to her dad and the expressions are completely off. Several images of Barbara staring off into space, and just giving weird looks.
I so want there to be a Batman/Batgirl crossover now, but I don’t want that spoiled either.
The major problem with the book is that the confrontation between Nightwing and Batgirl is the primary focus of the comic book. Yes it is very fascinating. But there was little new information about Batgirl trying to track and hunt down the villain known as Mirror. And at times, I felt that the Mirror side of the story was being pushed aside for the Nightwing confrontation.
Verdict
Gail Simone’s skills are in character development and relationships. I hope that sounds like I’m regulating her to ‘girl work’ or anything. But I really like seeing the depth of the relationship between Nightwing and Batgirl. The action in this comic was visually striking, but little in the way of plot development. Luckily I am very curious about the current relationship between the members of the Bat Family, so I was extremely curious and pleased by the book.
Overall Grade: 8.0 (Many Answered Questions)
Current Series Grade: B
