Batgirl #21 – Review

By: Gail Simone (story), Fernando Pasarin (pencils), Jonathan Glapion (inks), Blond (colors)

The Story: Babs proves that you don’t need a Bat on your chest to be a hero in Gotham.

The Review: Together again.  Though it happens rarely, it’s not unprecedented for me to pick up a title again after it’s been Dropped.  Simone and I went through a pretty tragic parting of the ways on Batgirl, but my recent pick-up of The Movement made me curious as to the state of by far her most popular series.  We may have had our differences, but the fact remains that I still respect Simone, enough to give Batgirl another shot.

I confess I was also heartened by the issue’s opening conversation between Babs and Dick.  It’s natural and familiar and full of warmth and heart, qualities that Batgirl has been missing for a long time.  Granted, Simone’s not really the most effusive of writers—if her works say anything about her outlook on life, it’s that she may need some therapy—and even here, there’s a bittersweetness to the exchange that’s a little bit stronger on the bitter than the sweet.