PULL OF THE WEEK: AUGUST 16, 2017 – BATGIRL VOL. 1

Each week brings a round of new comic book releases. We discuss the our suggestion which one deserves a spot in your collection.

When DC Comics relaunched their entire line back in 2011 with New 52, it brought many changes — some good and some bad. One of it’s greatest casualties was the Batgirl ongoing series by Bryan Q. Miller and Lee Garbett. Following a career as the vigilante Spoiler and a (dramatically) brief stint as Robin, Stephanie steps into the role of Batgirl.  The series pairs her with the reluctant Barbara Gordon, whom would rather see Steph hang up the cape, but the two formed a dynamic relationship and made Batgirl one of the best Bat-Family books of the era.

Sadly, New 52 resulted in the book’s cancellation and all of Stephanie’s exploits as Batgirl were retconned (*shakes fist furiously*). Well, fans can now find some semblance of solace because this week DC comics will release Batgirl: Stephanie Brown Vol. 1. The TPB will collect Batgirl #1-12.

Old fans can relive Steph’s highlights and new fans can discover what made her so gosh darn endearing. I’ll spoil it a bit for you though — Stephanie is the least capable person in the Bat-Family, like, ever. You see, Stephanie is a bit of a screw up. Her time as Batgirl is a chance at redemption after nearly igniting a mob war in Gotham and almost being killed by Black Mask. Naturally, Barbara/Oracle is there to assist Stephanie and help make her a proper hero, but it’s still not the smoothest of transitions. Stephanie is struggling to balance her life as a freshman in college with being a crime-fighter and it’s not easy. Stephanie is not Dick Grayson, or Tim Drake, and certainly not Damian Wayne. She’s not a wunderkind adept at juggling her daytime/night-time activities and that is the joy of the character. She is fallible.

But what Steph lacks in detective skills, fighting ability, instinct, romance…you get the point, she makes up for with moxie and an unbeatable will. She makes Batgirl one of the funnest Bat-Books in recent memory and the TPB is an absolute must have. Eventually, time will heal the still festering wound of this series no longer being canon (*fist shaking intensifies*), but until then I’ll be getting reacquainted with one of DC’s best characters in her absolute prime — and you should too.