[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Shawn Aldridge
Artists: Scott Godlewski & John Rauch
Summary
After narrowly escaping the mazes of her own mind, Batgirl swings back into action to help Jacob Cesaro, an old classmate who has recently made some bad life decisions. Little does she know he’s now Two-Face’s latest recruit—and the key to his plans to take over the city! But Jacob’s not in it for the money and power promised by one of Gotham City’s greatest villains…he’s got something much more valuable in mind!
Positives
I love the cover by Dan Mora. The detail on Two-Face’s burnt side is incredible. The best part of the cover is that an image of Batgirl is on Two-Face’s coin; I didn’t even notice it at first but it’s a nice touch.
The interior art is by Scott Godlewski with colors by John Rauch. I like their work a lot. The panel layouts are fun and creative. There’s nothing extremely weird about them but some fun is had with how the issue structures the panels. I like the use of the moon and shadows in certain shots; there’s a solid atmosphere to the book.
The issue deals with the idea that Gotham, or the shadows of Gotham, can consume a person and lead them down a dark path. Batgirl is trying to save someone whose father was recently killed; Babs is desperately trying to prevent this kid from being consumed. It’s really smart to play that against Two-Face who also was a good person but Gotham perverted and deformed him. The effects of Gotham on its citizens is always a fun concept to play with in Batman related stories and I enjoyed that aspect in this.
Negatives
There are no negatives worth mentioning in this issue.
Verdict
This is a great issue. The art is wonderful; the characters look good and the colors provide a solid tone. I enjoy how Aldridge deals with how Gotham affects the people within and vice versa. There’s a lot of fun dialogue as well. The issue is a stand alone story that is a lot of fun to read and I recommend checking it out.
