[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Hope Larson
Artists: Rafael Albuquerque & Dave McCaig
Summary
Batgirl must defeat Teacher who has elevated her intelligence to a superhuman level.
Positives
The cover by Rafael Albuquerque is pretty cool. I like the use of red quite a bit. It’s a very distinct and eye-catching cover.
The interior art is drawn by Albuquerque with colors by Dave McCaig. As usual, it is excellent throughout. The issue features a lot of action which allows them to show off a bit. It’s a really exciting fight. There’s a couple of buildings involved and even zip lining; it’s awesome. My favorite panel is one in which Batgirl is trying to come up with various ways she could fight Teacher. It’s a creative and cute way to show her thought process quickly instead of her just narrating.
I still like the discussion about the necessity of college and how heavily that is drilled into people. The antagonists don’t feel that they are good enough because of a stupid test score. And society tends to agree with that notion. Without even bringing up the financial consequences of college, it can be a stressful notion. There’s an insane pressure that I related to a lot as a current college student.
Barbara giving temporarily giving up her eidetic memory is an interesting notion. I like the idea that while it is a great strength, it can also be a weakness. Her brain could potentially think faster without all that information. I don’t know how true any of that is but it makes it interesting for a narrative. I am excited to see what the consequences for this decision are.
Verdict
This is an excellent issue with a fun conclusion. The action is engaging with great art and pacing. It’s well written with great dialogue and narration for Batgirl; Hope Larson really understands Barbara and characterizes her well. I also like the discussion about the societal pressures of a college education.
