Cameron Stewart and company are giving Batgirl the kind of goodbye (or is it?) that other books dream they could attain. The battle for the Burnside bridge is evocative of another time, while still keeping the themes and tone of what this new Batgirl is all about.
There’s a mob of Jokerized madmen in Gotham City, and they’re determined to spread the virus into the world beyond… but they’re gonna have to get past Batgirl first! There are no words that can describe “The Battle For The Burnside Bridge”– you’ve got to see it to believe it!
It’s rare when a publisher’s blurb for a book really nails what the book is all about, but this time DC got it right. Batgirl – Endgame #1 really does need to be seen to be believed. I don’t say this very often, but this book is a true work of art for the modern age. Not a single line of dialogue, not a single text box is seen here. All we get is some amazing artwork that tells the story all on its own and while many may find it pretentious and cheap, I see it as an expression of all this Batgirl is.
The book really feels like the kind of leap forward that Jim Steranko shocked audiences with back when he did nearly the same thing with his Nick Fury book. Batgirl Endgame #1 is more than a comic book, but is an experience that needs to be picked up and shared. While the text isn’t anywhere to be seen, we do get a number of panels using nothing more than texts and emoji to convey the situation at hand. This grounds the book in Batgirl’s world and hows how being a hero would often be like. No crazy inner monologues, no grand speeches while the world burns, just quiet and intense action to get the job done.
With the Joker’s virus already on the loose (this is a tie-in issue), Barbra is tasked with extracting a number of VIPs from Burnside. These aren’t just any VIPs as Lucius Fox and family are on-board this escape bus. The whole process of this extraction is simply beautiful. The artwork is some of the best I’ve seen not only for Batgirl, but for any book from DC in a long while. The colors especially lend an amazing feeling to everything with the warm color palatte really shining through. The use of orange is prominent and Batgirl’s hair contrasting against the fires and smoke is something to behold.
Batgirl shows the full gamut of emotions with the book, but we really see her as a hero that stands alone and without fear. She is strong, determined, and handles the dire situation in a way many heroes twice her age and experience just couldn’t. Whatever you might have to say about the new direction this Batgirl has taken, this book will make you think twice with how strong it, and she, really is.
The big moment that the book focuses on is a segment when Barbara realizes that one VIP was left behind on the bus. The unvocalized communication between Batgirl and this character is very well done and it leads to a pretty spectacular ending. Batgirl Endgame #1 encompasses everything that this Batgirl is and stands for. If someone asked me to recommend them one issue of Batgirl that would sell them on this teenage Barbra series, this one would be it.
I am beyond excited to see more of this and what the future hold for Batgirl and to see what the team has in store for Batgirl with this new threat looking to end everything that the Bat-family holds dear. Batgirl Endgame is one heck of a ride, and is one that is summed up best by in the final panel with the only spoken line of dialogue (sort of). Pick this one up as it comes highly recommenced.
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