Batgirl #17 Reviewed!

Batgirl #17 - Review

- John

Yep, I love me some Batgirl.

Bryan Q. Miller has been able to do what few can in the long laundry list of Bat-titles, and that's write a book that's not only consistently top notch but also delivers on humor and heart. Too often the Bat-books (or the ancillary character books that depend on Batman being the reason for their existence) are dark and gritty and angry, which is perfectly fine for a character like Batman. But Stephanie Brown's Batgirl is a lighthearted character, and the book definitely plays off of her bubbly, borderline cartoonish thought process.

The latest issue is a one-and-done story that sees Batgirl and Damian's Robin team-up to stop a child kidnapping at a Gotham museum. It's a simple premise, and there's not a single batman rogue to be found, so the book's main theme is the characters of batgirl and Robin. Not only are the two a perfect match (the Devil's grandson mixed with the ditsy blonde), but Miller finds a nice part of Damian's character that hasn't been explored by any writer yet. This is a 10 year old kid raised and trained by assassins; he's never had fun in his life, and the idea of "having a good time" is just completely lost on him. Miller manages to capture the humor in it, as well as a couple really great moments of heartbreak for the poor kid.


Pere Perez steps in for Dustin Nguyen, and his pencils are as sharp as ever. Perez has the uncanny ability to not only mirror other artists' styles (we've seen him do it already for Lee Garbett and Ryan Sook), but he's got an exceptionally clean, vividly detailed style to him that I really appreciate. I'm still waiting for DC to give Perez his own book to pencil (preferably a fun, lighthearted one), because this guy is a breakout waiting to happen. Until then, I'm going to appreciate every fill-in spot this guy does.


While next month will bring us back into the fold of Batgirl's current story arc, this issue makes me anxious for two things; 1) More team-ups between Batgirl and Robin, and 2) a Robin solo book written by Bryan Q. Miller.


Who says comics can't just be fun?