Review: Batgirl #34

“Terrible” – Part One
Writer: Mairghread Scott
Artists: Paul Pelletier and Norm Rapmund
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Andworld Design
Review by Fay Clark
As we continue on from the last drama filled issue of Batgirl, I can tell that this chapter is only going to escalate things for our heroine. The opening pages just add to the intrigue of part 1. People in masks; bad. People in animal masks; super evil. Batgirl tends to agree so I can’t be that wrong.
Will this end how you think? Or will Gotham finally throw a tough enough Villain at our fiery red head?

Heroine or Heroin?

People say power is a drug, they aren’t wrong. Have you ever noticed that the female version of the word Hero is pronounced the same as the drug? Could that possibly be because people think when woman get power it’s like a drug to them? Batgirl seems to be the poster child for this very cause in this issue. We spend a lot of time with Barbara’s inner monologue, and normally I’d quite like that. This time, however, there feels like some kind of shift. Batgirl, after having just realised that her crazy brother is out on the streets again, seems to have lost some of her cool.  Pushing people away, and the things that used to mean so much to her, Babs dives right into a new mystery instead of dealing with problems at home.
I can’t fault the writing of Mairghread Scott, she truly is a master at work. You feel the unease and anger as you read Batgirl’s thoughts. The complete confidence that Babs has in her own abilities, she even goes as far as to flaunt them to the reader. Scott has set up for what I can only hope to be a fantastic storyline in this first part, seeing where she take Batgirl is going to be great fun.
Pelletier and Rapmund are back and just as great as ever. As soon as you open the first few pages you can tell they’re back. Seeing the way the villains were designed, I mean people in masks don’t really scare me. However these new characters, they make me uneasy just by the way they’re drawn. We don’t get to see any facial features, so Pelletier and Rapmund deal with a lot of body language in this one. They do a great job.

Conclusion

What a great set up for the new arc. New villains, more mystery and maybe some romance in the future? Who knows what will  happen next? I for one can’t wait to find out. It was kind of cruel the way it ended, but who doesn’t love a bit of a cliffhanger, especially when it’s done well.
What will Batgirl do next? I’m picking up the next issue to find out, that’s all I know.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
(This review was originally published on the Dark Knight News website on April 25th 2019)

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