- Written by Hope Larson
- Art & Cover by Rafael Albuquerque
- Colours by Dave McCaig
The Batgirl you know and love is going global with Eisner Award-winning and New York Times best-selling writer Hope Larson (A Wrinkle in Time, Goldie Vance) and all-star artist Rafael Albuquerque (AMERICAN VAMPIRE). In order to up her game, Babs travels to Japan on a quest to train with the most elite modern combat masters of the East. But when a chance meeting with an old friend puts a target on her back, Batgirl may need to use her new skills to solve a deadly mystery.
‘Batgirl: Rebirth’ #1 is available at Comixology now!
The rollout of DC Comics behemoth ‘Rebirth’ line continues with the reintroduction of Batgirl. Coming off the back of a very successful run in the back half of The New 52 the pressure was on new writer Hope Larson to maintain the quality.
After a run of dark storylines which culminated in Batgirl’s role in ‘Death of the Family’ the move to take her off Gotham’s main streets and move her to the Burnside region was revelatory. Overhauling the tone of the series and putting some unique artists set Batgirl apart from her rivals. What new team of Larson and artist Rafael Albuquerque have chosen to do is move Barbara Gordon one step further.
‘Beyond Burnside’ sees the character leave Burnside, leave Gotham and leave the USA and take herself off to Japan. The formula of removing a popular character and taking them on a global adventure is nothing new. Even with the reintroduction of Nightwing we’re still seeing a globe trotting Dick Grayson leading the way in the DC Universe.
Barbara Gordon spent all of the 90s and early 00s living in the wake of the events of ‘The Killing Joke’. Her first New 52 run gave back the use of her legs but failed to honour the legacy that she built for herself as Oracle. Burnside offered a chance for Batgirl to get out from under the shadow of Batman and to spread her wings. Given some new love interests, new surroundings and new threats gave the character a chance to breathe.
‘Batgirl: Rebirth’ picks up directly after Barbara has left town. She’s left her tech company in the hands of her friends and decided to go back to basics and see the world. On paper the premise opens up her world hugely, in continuity she is still only 21 and has a lot to learn about the world. In practice this issue is a fairly flat introduction to her new surroundings.
When in Burnside ‘Batgirl’ comics spent a considerable amount of time building a support network for Barbara. There were a revolving cast of characters inhabiting the Burnside world which really enhanced the books aesthetic. That whole cast has been left behind, there’s room for references to them but right now we’re putting some distance in and that calls for some new supporting players. This issue focusses on Kai, an old school friend of Barbara’s from her Chicago childhood. Naturally he has a slightly shady past and their reconnection ends with Batgirl making an appearance in Japan.
The story doesn’t match the originality found in Burnside but the introduction of local hero Fruit Bat offers some potential. I’m being slightly over critical given that this issue has to re-contextualise the character. There’s no doubt that it successfully takes her out of Gotham and launches a new story. What does remain to be seem is whether the story has the legs to run for multiple issues.
Though the story doesn’t quite hit the mark the artwork is a different matter altogether. Albuquerque masterfully crafts a new look for the series which suits its tone and exotic setting. Burnside-era ‘Batgirl’ featured some ultra-modern, cartoon-eque imagery to match its tech savvy setting. Upon reaching Japan Batgirl finds herself looking much more angular and sketchy, the colour palette is also much more diverse. It’s a striking new look for a series which in the past has taken more pride in its story than its visuals.
Faces are consistent – by now I’m sure you all know how much inconsistent faces bother me – and overall the visual style matures the series in line with its lead character. Visually ‘Batgirl: Rebirth’ is an unbridled success.
Verdict
‘Batgirl: Rebirth’ #1 is a fair start to the soft reboot. The setting has high potential to create something never-before-seen for the character and that’s truly exciting. It has strong visuals to boot and a story which at best sets the scene for things to come.
3 stars
