Review: Batgirls #6
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers: Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad
Art:Â Jorge Corona
Colors:Â Sarah Stern
Letters:Â Becca Carey
Reviewed by:Â Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
The Batgirls expose the connection between Tutor and Spellbinder and Stephanie finds out the hard way that somedays you just can’t get rid of a bomb…!
Positives
Batgirls #6 has it all, but firstly it has Barbara Gordon kicking Spellbinder’s butt! Last issue, Dante got the drop on Barbara and I was a little disappointed. She’s better than that. Cloonan and Conrad make up for it in Batgirls #6 as Babs takes him down single-handedly with an appropriate monologue thrown in for good measure…don’t underestimate Barbara! And, it’s great to see her use her physical abilities as well as her intelligence/ tech skills in the same issue. She wraps up things nicely as she hacks in as Oracle to alert Gotham that Spellbinder and Tutor have been shut down.
This title touches on a lot of different elements, action, adventure, heartwarming moments, and humor and they all add up to FUN! After Cass and Stephanie stop Tutor, Steph ends up with a bomb in Bondo (their car) to dispose of….and it was impossible not to think of the scene in the Adam West Batman ’66 movie when Batman is trying to dispose of a bomb on a pier. Steph never utters Adam West’s line, but she does drive off a pier to get rid of the bomb.  It’s nice when comics can be fun and channel this reference and not resort to outright silliness.
Jorge Corona’s dynamic approach to storytelling keeps the issue moving, but he knows when to stop and hit the reader with an iconic shot. There’s a particular panel as Steph and Csss are both aloft between buildings and lighting flashes in the sky behind them. Corona’s sharp lines and edges work perfectly to transmit some of the energy of lighting into their figures. It’s a striking panel, one that made me stop and take it all in.
One thing the Birds of Prey comic and TV series both did well was to take a few quiet moments at the end of the story for the characters to reflect and connect. Batgirls #6 does this and it adds so much to the characters and relationships. It was nice to see that they thought about Bondo’s sacrifice, as well. Â
Negatives
You get it by now, right? This is the type of comic I like. Even the surprise ending was well done!
Verdict
Batgirls #6 is another great issue. It wonderfully balances some humor with action/ adventure and plot with character. The bottom line is FUN. I can’t stress that enough. And, if you’re paying attention it will make you feel good as well.
