Review by Ian Keogh

Several people have been Batgirl over the years, hence the plural of the title which has Barbara Gordon, the original article, reverting to Oracle for the most part, while acting as mentor to Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown. The needs of Batgirls is that the latter pair have reverted to slightly younger versions of the characters previously seen, although that’s not as obvious going forward.

Rather than repeat the conventional formula applied to Batgirl over the years, co-writers Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad apply a tone not far removed from a lighthearted animated version. It’s a buddy title with Barbara in the herding cats role when circumstances dictate all three have to share premises.

After an introductory trio of shorts set during Gotham’s Fear State event, Cloonan and Conrad take the unusual step of introducing multiple threats and playing them out simultaneously. Firstly, there’s a killer preying in the Hill area of Gotham, and Stephanie has one of their neighbours pegged as the guilty party. A street artist working with paints makes people susceptible to their commands, and a trio of dangerous new characters who worked for the now dead Simon Saint believe he’s still alive. The most sinister and unpredictable menace is the Seer, a hacker on a level with Barbara herself and sending out broadcasts making the cast aware they know a lot about them.

Jorge Corona’s art is technically extremely good as expressed in a cartoon animation style, and it’s extremely detailed. Very bright colouring from Sarah Stern completes a package that looks very attractive at first glance, but at the start doesn’t survive anything more. Corona packs so much into each panel, and is a fan of odd viewpoints, making it extremely difficult to figure out what’s going on in places. His designs are also unnecessarily complicated to the point where you’ll wonder how some of the Saints actually move. The lack of visual clarity particularly affects the opening short stories where Corona’s working his way into the style, but while it diminishes thereafter, it never entirely disappears.

Multiple thoughtful touches are applied to Batgirls, with friendship and banter prioritised over threats, and a disregard for convention, exemplified by the Batgirls travelling around in a souped-up car confiscated from gangsters. Another innovation from Cloonan and Conrad is narrative captions speaking directly to readers, adopting a whimsical tone in offering updates and explanations. It’s sometimes intrusive, sometimes as amusing as intended, but something you’ll need to get used to.

By the end Corona’s art is more accessible, with the finale in a storm stunningly drawn, and the pieces will have gelled. It’s well worth working through any initial confusion for the end result, and Bat Girl Summer is up next.