There are four stories in this extra-long anniversary issue, and not a dud among them!  As deals go, this is a good one, with our new Batgirl writers coming out with the heavy ammunition in not one, but two of the included tales--one of which looks like it will be the kick-off to the ongoing…

I have to admit up front that any book in which Jim Gordon makes an appearance almost always gets at least a .5 boost in the score from me. So I’ll give you a second to mentally adjust for that before I launch into my review of Shawn Aldridge’s “Choices”, a one-shot pitting Batgirl against…

The “Strange Loop” closes out this era of Batgirl with slightly more whimper than bang, but this was nevertheless a satisfying conclusion (both to the loop itself, and in preparation for the incoming new crew in June). Larson’s work on the book has been consistent in its unevenness, but that’s actually helped stabilize a book…

With a title like “Strange Loop” I can only hope that writer Hope Larson isn’t planning to Ground Hog day us with this closing arc on Batgirl.  So far the signs are good that we’re in for a different kind of strange, though. With Shawn Aldridge stepping in for the June issue, Larson will take…

This comic book has problems, but I don’t care and I’m giving it a relatively high score because it was just such a fun kick in the pants to read: start to finish, just a solid adventure you might enjoy from an episode of Batman: the Animated Series, for example: fun, light-hearted, and fast-paced. And…

Shots are fired!  Hope Larson gives us a solid issue in which Batgirl struggles to solve a technological mystery while also facing a failure of her recent past in a book more solid and more indicative of what this series can really by like when it’s allowed to shine. No goofy social media that will…

Hope Larson brings winter to Burnside/Gotham in this first part of a new arc titled “Cold Snap” that features our polar pal the Penguin--someone with whom Batgirl has a fairly well-established history as of late. Cobblepot isn’t causing any trouble just yet, however, as he rides into town on an open sleigh (or, rather, it’s…

I love saccharin Christmas comic book stories--you know, those one-and-done tales of peace on earth and good will featuring superheroes doing good deeds for the less-fortunate, helping to restore a sense of hope in a dark world? Unfortunately, while this issue of Batgirl technically should qualify under those parameters, you’ll have to look elsewhere for…

Hope Larson pushes her Batgirl and Nightwing team up into a new level of mystery as “Summer of Lies” hits its third installment. We’re still on the trail of the elusive Ainsley, connecting the dots of nanotechnology and addiction and revenge leading back to one fleeting summer when Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson took their…

“Summer of Lies” continues as Batgirl and Nightwing deepen their investigation into ex-colleague Ainsley’s potential vendetta (using nano-technology and possibly the Wonderland Gang to further aims we still have yet to fully identify). This story is using all of Barbara Gordon’s skill sets: doing the detective work to piece together how current events are likely…

I know a lot of people feel like Jervis Tetch is a “poor man’s Joker”, but I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the Mad Hatter because he’s just so crazy and pathetic. I also have a long-running love for the Alice in Wonderland world, so his Wonderland Gang was always a…

We get another one-shot from Hope Larson on the Batgirl title, and this time it’s a team-up with Catwoman in a little tale humorously titled “The Truth about Bats and Dogs”. I’ll just say it upfront: this is kind of a silly story. But I will also temper that by saying: eh, it’s entertaining anyway.…

The first thing I want to appreciate about this issue is that Hope Larson has given us a one-shot, which we just have too few of in comics these days. The current trend is long-spanning arcs and multi-plot narratives that last virtually forever, it seems. This is a big improvement over the cross-over hell in…

After reading the first three pages of this week’s Batgirl, I was already gearing up to write a completely excoriating review. And then...a miracle happened! Hope Larson pulled it off. The “Son of Penguin” finale proves to be no dodo. Indeed, I had been optimistic going into issue No. 10 that there was still hope…

Dad Gordon! Dick Grayson! Ridiculous new super-villain in a ridiculous new theme suit! This week’s offering on the altar of Batgirl is an interesting example of a well-paced visually exciting comic with just a bunch of stuff I’m not especially happy about, but can appreciate anyway even through my objections. I’ve always said Hope Larson…

Oh my. Let’s just get straight to the point. Here are some things I really love in a comic: Who are these people and why do we care? Sarcasm aside, unless Ethan is running some kind of fertility clinic scam and these two characters are going to be swept up in some startled web of…

I love it, I hate it. I want to see what happens next and also want to burn the pages of the current book. Sometimes an extreme reaction is a good one. Being provoked can greatly add to one’s experience of a nice pulpy read on a lazy evening. But then there’s this: Get. the.…

There are some crazy quick things that happen in this book--and the sweeping hand of cleaning up a neighborhood junked full of trendy fare and obnoxious aesthetics may make your head spin a little, but I have to give major props to Hope Larson for just getting the job done so we can move on…