I was looking forward to reading this comic. Not only did it have all the controversy surrounding Barbara’s return to the bat franchise but Oracle was one of the few characters I did know something about. Mostly from Smallville but also through some Birds of Prey stuff. So…

I really enjoyed it but there was also some REALLY frustrating aspects.

The good? It was fun. Straight up fun. Of what I assume is the ‘classic’ superhero variety. Batgirl lept from rooftops, punched (and kicked) bad guys, there were crazy costumes involved and in the end (some) bad guys got their just desserts. Just plain old fun. And that’s what I signed up for.

The part where she freezes when the gun is pointed at her was also very poignant. This girl is human and that scene immediately made her a character I could care about. Very well done.

And to the author: the scene where she wakes up and her dad says she can always stay where she’s already loved but she refuses… I saw what you did there.

But what’s with the internal monologue that messes with the, well, ‘external’ dialogue near the opening? And that title page – the ‘look, I have legs and they work’ page. That’s kind’ve offensive given the controversy, don’t you think? And then there’s the last frame. That had to be a mistake. The artist must have misread the notes or something. Unless the mirror guy can control minds or something. Pointing the gun at Batgirl with him still in the room just made no sense.

And ‘Fight The Power’? It made this golden age hip-hop fan hurt on the inside. I want bad things to happen to that room mate (who was annoying anyway).

I still can’t see why it was necessary to get rid of Oracle and there were some fairly irritating flaws in the writing of this book but in the end it has the charm and good vibe to get me back for more.

Although a better bad guy would be nice…