Johanna's Batgirl #2 Review
Johanna Draper Carlson
Plot: Scott Peterson & Kelley Puckett
Script: Kelley Puckett
Pencils: Damion Scott
Inks: Robert Campanella
DC Comics
That has to be one of the most unattractive covers I've ever seen. Batgirl's
drawn with a huge head, sunken eyes, and scrawny neck; overall, she looks
like a famine victim. I also don't remember her eyes being hidden
previously, but I guess eliminating any sense of humanity in the hero fits
in with this issue's message.
The most significant part of this pedestrian story is the way it shows how
much superhero comics have changed -- and not for the good. Instead of the
once-upon-a-time message of "every man can be a Superman" or "every woman
can be a Wonder Woman" (both explicitly stated in the Silver Age), now the
message is "get involved, try to do the right thing, and you'll die. Only
the emotionally crippled can be heroes, because they don't have anyone to
leave behind." Heck, the first page even calls it a "stupid, juvenile,
comic-book notion of heroism." No wonder no one reads superhero comics
anymore; they're full of self-loathing for what they're about.
The only positive note is that our mute heroine does finally begin to
realize the need for communication... and it only took an innocent man's
death to convince her. You know, if she's arrested the bad guys in the
beginning instead of beating them up and running away, his death wouldn't
have happened. (Once upon a time, heroes were more concerned with the people
they got involved with, instead of retreating to their towers and their
moonbases.) I'd say it doesn't particularly seem to bother her, but since
they're still working on overcoming the problems of showing how a mute
character feels, who knows if that's correct?
This series started shaky, and it's getting worse. Avoid.
Johanna Draper Carlson joh...@comicsworthreading.com
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Newly updated: March Previews, reviews of Batgirl #2, Martian Manhunter #18