Batgirl annual review

The Batgirl Annual has the title character interacting with both Catwoman and the Talon she fought in Night of Owls. There are a few references to previous story arcs, but the annual is easy to understand if you haven’t read any of Batgirl’s series before now. Is it any good though?

For the most part, this issue is great. The story is both interesting and has a proper beginning and finish. It reveals that the Court of Owls still has power, despite their massive defeat during the Night of Owls crossover. They’re scaring homeless people into burning down buildings, and trying to frame Bruce Wayne for the acts. Meanwhile, Catwoman is breaking Batgirl’s Talon out of prison for money. The situation soon spirals out of control for an intense climax.

Batgirl’s voice isn’t nearly as spunky as usual, but that doesn’t bother me considering she’s investigating both serial arson and the Court of Owls. It’s a shame though, because an annual is the perfect place to showcase a character to a potential new audience. Catwoman can be fun in her unpredictable nature, but she feels kind of bland here as well. Apart from that, I can’t think of any complaints on the writing side.

The art for the first 25 pages is brilliant. It has a lifelike painting feel, and it almost looks like a bunch of stills from a live action movie at times. The remaining pages don’t look nearly as good, but they still look decent. The backgrounds appear mudded on these panels and the facial expressions feel a bit generic, but it’s still easy to tell what’s going on. The switch between artists is kind of jarring, and it holds this issue back a fair bit. This issue would have looked much better if the artist from the first 25 pages did the whole book.

While Batgirl’s internal voice isn’t as fun to read as usual, this is still a decent book with a complete, compelling story. If you’re interested in the larger Bat family, this is a good place to check Batgirl out. Just keep in mind that she’s usually much spunkier than this, and more fun as a result. Also, a potential new member of the Birds of Prey is introduced – can’t go wrong with that.