Comic Review: Batgirl #36 (2016-)

Batgirl #36

DC Comics

Writer: Mairghred Scott

Artist: Paul Pelletier

Batgirl #36 is a mid-grade issue that accomplishes what it sets out to do. The issue is written by Mairghread Scott and drawn by Paul Pelletier. It concludes a three-issue arc featuring Bojack Horseman style animal people and the underbelly of Gotham.

“Terrible” part 3 is a pretty decent cape jaunt that plays out the conclusion of the current arc and direction for the titular character. Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl has traced dark money back to a club of debauchery run by individuals with Actual Animal Heads and she aims to shut them down. It is standard and somewhat goofy in premise but as we see so much throughout the DC Universe, it balances well with the human cape story they want to tell.

The art is the biggest strength of the issue. The action is easy to follow, the layout is clean but not boring, and the inks and colors are serviceable, though maybe the ink is a tad heavy in spots. The animal-faced characters are believably drawn yet still benefit from the overall cartoonish style. They are expressive and the details are all great. The human faces, however, are a little samey. It doesn’t distract, though, and this is honestly a great looking standard cape comic issue.

The plot and characterization leave something to be desired, comparatively. It seems odd to expect a little nuance out of a mid-tier cape book but there’s the pervasive feeling you get with things like the Arrowverse tv shows in which characters we love and expect better of act stupid for convenience of the plot. There’s nothing unbelievable or particularly egregious, fortunately. Just a lot of tooth-gnashing character interactions and internal monologuing. The aggressive confrontations are the best bits of personality. Dynamic action with the appropriate amount of cliche for sweet comfort. Vulture and the other two of the Terrible Trio are charming and are bizarre animal people as opposed to crooks in animal masks. The human supporting cast is present but as with many DC stories, the villains are the bright spot of the issue. Batgirl herself has a heroic showing trying to save the crooks when their surroundings start coming down but her personality is grating in the issue. A certain degree of selfishness is present in the character here and her due karma is fitting when she suffers a setback in the course of the plot.

The actual story of Batgirl investigating these criminals gets the job done of giving us a scenario for these characters to play in, but there is nothing readers haven’t seen many times in Batman or Nightwing or other Gotham/Bludhaven books taking down secret minor crime organizations. It doesn’t feel like they were trying to be more clever than that, just laying a baseline for superhero action to take place on. At the end, we are given a minor status quo shake-up. “Terrible” part 3 is the finale of the current Batgirl era with hints at returning concepts and characters coming soon.

For an individual issue, Batgirl #36 is a fine read for genre fans and fans specifically of Barbara. The inclusion of modern interpretations of Silver Age villains the Terrible Trio feels good and gives us more than the standard Gotham rogues to read about. While the actual events portrayed are more or less color-by-numbers, the end product is a definite success.

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