Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Lee Garbett; Pere Perez; Walden Wong; Guy Major; & Travis Lanham
Cover Art by Stanley “ArtGerm” Lau
SUMMARY:
Released by DC Comics for August 2010, it’s titled “Batgirl Rising: The Flood, Part Three of Four.” A captive Oracle/Barbara Gordon struggles to resist the Calculator’s mind-probing (including a false reality married to Dick Grayson). It’s up to the original Batgirl to face her abductor in virtual reality.
Meanwhile, Stephanie Brown’s Batgirl must run a drenched Gotham City gauntlet evading Catwoman, Huntress, and, in the sewers, Man-Bat, as they’re all the Calculator’s mind-controlled pawns. With help from Wendy Harris (the Calculator’s own daughter), Stephanie launches a last-ditch strike to rescue her mentor.
REVIEW:
In this penultimate installment of Stephanie Brown’s year-long “Batgirl Rising,” neither writer Bryan Q. Miller nor a top-flight art squad disappoint fans. Reminiscent of Gail Simone’s long stint on DC’s Birds of Prey, Miller does exceptional work conveying his female characters — they’re all actively capable players.
In particular, an increasingly savvy Stephanie comes off as a worthy Bat-Family member on a par with ex-boyfriend Tim Drake’s (Red) Robin, including a HALO-style jump. The only caveat is a disturbing plot element re: the villain’s murdered son, Marvin. Fortunately, readers this time only see a glimpse of the character’s decaying corpse.
As seen in the spot-on cover image, this issue’s art team delivers excellent visuals. In that sense, Batgirl # 11 accelerates on all cylinders. On Miller’s watch, the new Batgirl isn’t the detective Barbara naturally is and doesn’t possess Cassandra Cain’s formidable athleticism. Proving both likable and relatable, Miller’s spunky Stephanie has enough of everything else to fill Batgirl’s role admirably. This issue is proof that Stephanie Brown’s short-lived Batgirl series deserves re-discovery.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Along with a full-page color cover image, there’s a five-page black-and-white textless preview of Neal Adams’ artwork for his six-part Batman: Odyssey mini-series. Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler’s “DC Nation” column hypes the release of the direct-to-video Batman: Under the Red Hood animated film.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
