So, DC, how do you get a good 'Batgirl' story? Well, aside from the obvious - rehire Gail Simone, dammit! And stop firing female writers, and while you're at it fire your employees accused of multiple cases of sexual harassment! - another obvious thing to do is, yes, let a woman write for Batgirl. Hope Larson - of 'Goldie Vance' recognition - was a decent choice, as 'Beyond Burnside' is a mystery and Batgirl is a detective. The Rebirth titles continue to look promising.
I, along with quite a lot of people, am not a fan of Batgirl's 2015 run in Burnside (also known as "hipster Gotham", or "lamer Gotham or Bludhaven"). I do not like Barbara Gordon being 21 when all logic and continuity says she should be older. And wiser. Barbara, after everything she's been through, would not care about her alter ego's fame and reputation. She would not be obsessed with taking selfies after every crime she busts - that's just asking for your identity to be compromised. Heroes without superpowers tend to keep to the shadows and the night for a reason. There's separating herself from Batman and his ways, and then there's being an irresponsible, reckless, stupid woman-child. Her "villains" gallery in Burnside suck too. And Black Canary, Bab's oldest and dearest confidante and girl-friend, is suddenly an equally-childish arsehole to her. BC is also in a band. I don't think I will ever get over that.
It all sounds like DC is trying too hard to be relevant; to appeal to the youth of the current generation, at the expense of the development of one of their most popular female superheroes. It comes across as desperate, tacky and dated.
Thankfully, in 'Batgirl, Volume 1: Beyond Burnside', Barbara finds herself - away from Burnside and in Japan and other countries in Asia. She fights crime, uses her brain whenever it is very useful and not contrived, works hard on overcoming her limitations, thinks outside the box (admittedly she does this in 'Burnside' as well, though the situations here are far more dire and the solutions are not ridiculously easy), and she doesn't use her technology to take selfies. Everything Babs does and thinks is essential to the plot and her character arc. Her eidetic memory is even used in a creative and shocking angle towards the end.
She has a friend in Burnside, Frankie Charles, a woman POC with muscular dystrophy who is her information wizard and is a great friend - a positive in Batgirl's run on 'Burnside'. I do miss Alysia Yeoh, the transgender woman of colour from Gail Simone's New 52 run, however.
It seems Barbara is back to her old self I know and love, or she's getting close. Another aspect I like about her character is how she dates multiple guys throughout her life - before, during and after her time as Batgirl - and this is treated just how it is: completely normal. In 'Beyond Burnside' her love interest is her childhood friend Kai Ma, who mysteriously shows up as her roommate in Japan. Their relationship is sweet and full of friendly banter (they both manage to avoid being too touristy while they're at it), and it concludes in a non-cliche manner. At least Kai has nothing to do with Burnside, and isn't an idiotic cop who treats Barbara like a spoilt, privileged kid.
The baddies Batgirl fights in 'Beyond Burnside' are also a huge, memorable improvement on the past. They're threatening, somewhat sympathetic, can kick arse and are a real match for the caped crusader heroine. The last issue has her up against/teaming up with Poison Ivy; a fun callback to DC's old days and is what superhero comics should be read for. Batgirl truly saves the day here - brains all the way!
The artwork is a mixed bag; simplistic with too many lines and shadows on people's faces, it's rather off-putting. The cover art is always better drawn. The dialogue is fun and witty, conveying what it needs to.
Really, when it comes to my favourite superheroine of all time, aside from a smart story, all I want is a fun 'Batgirl' comic. 'Batgirl, Volume 1: Beyond Burnside' delivers that. How relieved I am! Rebirth appears to be DC's apology for how badly it had treated its heroes in recent years - especially its female heroes - and I was going off the "darker-and-darker-for-darker's-sake" company until now.
I'm anxious for what is in store for Barbara Gordon in the future, with fewer and fewer references to 'The Killing Joke' at a time.
Final Score: 4/5
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