Review by Ian Keogh

Bat Girl Summer cleared up all the inherited plots, so it’s a clean slate heading into Girls to the Front, which begins with a set of unusually conversation-heavy sequences. They’re a prelude to this final Batgirls graphic novel, setting the scene for around half of what follows. People are looking for both Cassandra and Stephanie, and that situation is greatly complicated by their minds being transferred into the other’s body, which could have fatal consequences for Stephanie, as it’s Lady Shiva who’s been looking for Cassandra. She’s the world’s premier assassin.

Despite that, it’s a touching story from Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad, with bravery to the forefront and parental issues paramount. The switching of bodies gives each Batgirl a stronger understanding of their friend, and credit to the writers for not prolonging a traumatic moment when the solution is present.

Robbi Rodriguez (sample spread left) draws more pages than anyone else, his loose style very different from the way the series began, but compact, dynamic and effective. Neil Googe draws the middle chapters, and his art is far more attractive when he’s drawing everything himself rather than having Gerardo Borges inking, although even left to his own devices Googe’s villain is exaggerated too greatly. The surprise is seeing Jonathan Case, pencilling inking and colouring his pages over two chapters (sample spread right). The first is less distinguished, but the second wordless chapter is a tour de force showcasing some bold colour choices.

The closing three chapters concern a sniper in Gotham Hill, more bad luck for reporter Grace O’Halloran, and the Batgirls as targets. Cloonan and Conrad weave a taut thriller where political pressure on the police works against public interest. There are some clever moments, the way a few matters tie in is well conceived, and the tension is sustained until the end. It’s a pity to see this series go, but Girls to the Front is fine way to bow out.