Review: Batgirl #21

[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Hope Larson

Artists: Scott Godlewski & John Rauch

 

Summary

Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon investigate a case in which women have been mysteriously falling into comas.

 

Positives

The cover by Dan Mora is cool. The monster looks cool and it’s an image that grabs your attention. I like that the background features more dull colors which allows the monster to contrast and really stand out.

The interior art is by Scott Godlewski with colors by John Rauch. They do solid work. The characters are expressive and I like the style the two bring to the material. It’s nice, colorful and looks great.

The plot is not really the focus of this here. There is a scheme that the Gordon family uncovers but that is somewhat pushed to the background. Hope Larson focuses more on the dynamic between Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon working together. It’s a fun partnership, for obvious reasons, but I like that character is the priority. Babs gets to spend the day with her dad doing what they do best. It’s a very sweet issue.

Larson is one of favorite writers right now because of her sense of pacing. She has a great handle on how long or short a story should be. For a few years, it felt like every comic story had to be six or seven parts for the trade. That’s starting to go away and I love that DC has a writer who can tell cool short stories as well as awesome longer narratives that keep me engaged all the way through.

 

Negatives

There are no negatives worth mentioning in this issue.

 

Verdict

This is a great issue. The art is cool with some nice colors. It’s a solid short story that’s just fun. It’s a really enjoyable read that I recommend.

 

Sean Blumenshine

Sean Blumenshine

I am currently a senior at Wichita State University studying communications. I started reading comics in 2013 because of how much I loved Man of Steel and season one of Arrow. My favorite hero is the Green Arrow and my favorite villain is the Joker.