Batgirls #4 // Review
A team of heroes nearly has enough evidence to reveal graffiti artist Tutor of his mind control crimes. He’s got a gallery full of stolen goods. However, before they can do so, they risk being spellbound in Batgirls #3. Writers Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad continue to establish a team of detectives in a story brought to the page by artist Jorge Corona with the aid of colorist Sarah Stern. Steph, Cass, and Babs have a compellingly distinct rapport that plays through the series with clever bits of wit and what is slowly revealing itself to be a very well-thought-out plot structure.
Steph and Cass are very well-trained and talented detectives who also happen to be roommates. They seem to trust each other, but they’re both learning to read each other’s unspoken psyches with very careful attention to detail. They’re considering what this might mean for a game of poker between them, but they’ve got bigger concerns. There’s a hell of a lot of preparation to be done involving a sinister figure capable of controlling large groups of innocent people. They can’t afford to go on the offensive without serious planning. If things don’t work out, they might find themselves…for instance…trapped in a room full of mind-controlled Gothmites who are all rushing at them zombie-like.
Conrad and Cloonan take a step back from the danger this issue to focus on the connection between the three leads. There IS action and intrigue around the edges...some of which dives right into the center of the story. Still, this issue is about getting to know the team a little bit better for the most part. The big fight that is the climax of the issue is fun, but not nearly as much fun as all the time with the two Batgirls leading up to that fight. Getting to know characters during downtime can be tedious if the characters aren’t actually interesting. Thankfully, Conrad and Cloonan not only give the three Batgirls plenty of personality, but they also find clever gimmicks to make it fun. The car named Bondo that can only ever seem to play a certain Smashmouth song is a nice touch. (“Forcing more than one listen is considered a violation of international humanitarian law.”) There are lots of clever, little bits of wit that cling around the corners of the imagination in another fun series of pages with three really appealing characters.
Corona and Stern have a lot of atmosphere to settle into. Conrad and Cloonan focus the script on interpersonal stuff. This could make for a very dull issue visually if it weren’t for the fact that Corona is really good at filling a panel with earthbound details that feel immersive in their own unique way. Stern keeps the colors from overpoweringly amplifying all of the detail that Corona is cramming into every panel. Making this particular corner of Gotham City feel every bit as busy and claustrophobic as one might expect from the second-largest city in the US of the DC Universe.
With clever bits of personality emerging from very appealing characters in a very immersive and gritty world, Cloonan, Conrad, Corona, and Stern are developing something very endearing. It’s a version of Gotham City that seems to have found its own voice just a few issues into the series.
