Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Batgirl #15
DC Comics
Simone, Sampere & Cifuentes
Batgirl is faced with the prospect of marrying the Joker simply to save lives, among them, her mother. This issue of Batgirl continues the trend that this book has seen since the re-launch. It's entertaining, it's well written, it's ambitious, but as it reaches for greatness something holds it back as all of the pieces just don't quite mesh together. This issue is no different, though the component that holds it back is unique to this issue. Overall, the book is a satisfactory read and definitely nails the tension between Batgirl and the Joker, but it just doesn't quite live up to the potential.
The book opens with a chilling flashback to the Joker (still with his face intact) having a chat with a Doctor at Arkham. The whole scene is terrifically done, even if it seems a little far-fetched. The Joker, clad in a straight jacket with alligator collars to anchor him in his seat proceeds to frighten the crap out of the Doctor with his journal entries. The scene is visited a couple of times throughout the book and each time Simone gives the reader a little bit more to help establish just how much evil the Joker is capable of. It's quite effective.
The brunt of the book is Batgirl trying to deal with the Joker and his games, face to face. Simone builds tremendous tension and leaves the reader guessing as to what Batgirl will do, what the Joker will do and how this will all end. It's great to see Simone build within a comic book to this degree rather than letting the arc as a whole develop the stress for the characters.
However, the book has one problem with it and that is the ending of the confrontation. Too much is glossed over. We know Batgirl isn't going to kill the Joker, but the mechanics of her getting the upper hand and then losing to the Joker is utterly not believable. Without spoiling it, the timing of the interference and placement of the interference just didn't make sense to me. Those last few panels in the disco were very puzzling to me. I also wasn't thrilled that the topic of whether or not Joker knows Batgirl's identity wasn't so much as mentioned.
The other issue with this book is the portrayal of the Joker. Over in Batman proper (shipping this very week along with Batgirl) Snyder makes the entire opening about the Joker's eyes and the pinpoint-like pupils of them. However, in this book the pupils are big and green and look like they have the same range of emotions as any other character in the book. Editorial dropped the ball on this because with a hyped crossover such as this one is, the Bat office needs all the oars pulling at the same time and clearly they are not.
The artwork is good but it is not great. The Joker is very creepy and deranged in both the present time and in the flashbacks. However, the pencils on the present time simply range too wide. The Joker just isn't consistent enough. On the other hand, the Batgirl is stunning, vibrant, tough and precise. Overall the book relies a lot on the scare factor and this book is loaded up with it via the artwork. That means it's a winner in my book.
Batgirl is an entertaining book and it has been for the entire run. However, the book is close to greatness and small things are keeping it from getting there. Sadly, with Simone's run coming to a close it is unlikely we will see the book mature to the greatness level I believe Simone would have guided it towards eventually. This is a creepy comic book but is the kind of thriller that you probably won't be able to put down.
3.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
