Batgirl, Batwing, Batman: Europa, Creature of the Night

Batgirl 35-38

First of all, the writer is apparently a piece of trash, so good riddance to him from the comic industry.

This is one of those “brand new start!” issues, essentially putting Barbara Gordon in a YA setting, a la DC Ink years before it got off the ground.  It’s not bad, reimagining Babs in a modern college setting.  The problem is that it still tries to place itself in the continuity where she was paralyzed by the Joker, and this Barbara is way too young for Killing Joke.  It makes for a weird disconnect that I can’t get past.

Babs Tarr’s art is perfect for the YA vibe.

That last image is chilling.

I would have kept reading if I had the issues, but I don’t care enough to keep buying.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Batgirl: Year One 1-9

I loved every second I spent reading this.  I never remember just how good this is.  Between the writing by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, and Marcos Martin’s top notch art, this is what Pure Joy comics are all about.  Nothing but pictures from here:

All these gorgeous covers!

Especially this one.

We've all sat like Dick before.

LOVE Martin's drawing here.

Look at that perspective!

Martin comes up with the best poses.

Love how the skies are always on fire, pushing the Firefly angle.

Spectacular colors by Javier Rodriguez throughout.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pure Joy

Batwing 1

Why did I get this?  Probably the Judd Winick writing.  Eh.  The Batman of Africa doesn’t do anything to impress me, and past me did well to drop it so quickly.  Keeping it in the collection because it’s just one issue.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck

Batman: Europa 1

Batman and Joker have been infected by the same deadly virus and have to team up to find a cure.  The Jim Lee art was the only thing that caused me to buy this, and I remember how pissed I was to buy the second issue and realize he wasn’t drawing any more of it.  

Great colors by Alex Sinclair

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Batman: Creature of the Night 1-4

Perhaps it was unfair of me to expect Superman: Secret Identity when this came out, but this was marketed as a story in the same vein.  And a story about a ghost-fetus-Batman-spirit isn’t what I was looking for.  

In defense of Kurt Busiek’s work, it’s a lot better than I remembered; I was sure I was going to cut this.  But the first three issues were far more engrossing than I expected.  Unfortunately, I only had fun when following Bruce Wainwright’s everyday life; I liked seeing how someone in circumstances similar to Bruce Wayne’s might actually try to do some good in the world.  All the stuff w/ Batman was just too strange.  

Then things completely fall apart in the last issue when Bruce goes all paranoid and nearly loses his mind.  I could have done without any of that.  Still, the first three issues are worth keeping this in my collection.  

Those backgrounds by Jean Paul Leon remind me of Will Eisner

The master.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine