Batgirl #23: A Quieter Bad Seeds Tie-In

Batgirl #23 moves fully beyond ninjas and the supernatural in favor of a completely approachable Bad Seeds tie-in. Brombal does mention these recent events in passing, but this is essentially a stand alone issue (even as it is connected to Bad Seeds). New readers will have no trouble picking it up for the crossover. The issue is also confined to a smaller slice of what is going on in Gotham. Batgirl and company aren’t drawn into a wider fight alongside or against other Gotham characters here. Instead, Brombal focuses on two prongs–Vandal Savage’s bounty on the bats and the need to save a young girl affected by the toxic plants.

Brombal chooses not to begin Batgirl #23 after Batman Bad Seeds Sunset #1, but rather just before the plants burst forth in Gotham. The choice to do so gives Batgirl, Tenji, and Jaya a chance to briefly have some downtime and talk amongst themselves. This actually provides a very nice bit of character development for Tenji as he talks about his desire to be a big hero in Gotham. It speaks nicely to what is in his head. It also contrasts nicely with the main plot that envelops Batgirl. She’s not out to be a big hero and fight the plant life but instead simply get a little girl to the hospital. This is a really good choice on Brombal’s part. There will be time for the big fight against Poison Ivy and potentially Vandal Savage, but for now the concerns here are very human ones.

The other story component, that of Batgirl running afoul of someone wanting to collect Vandal Savage’s bounty, isn’t quite as successful. This comes in the form of a young boy trying to kill Batgirl because his family has financial problems as a result of his mother’s medical condition. This family–the same one that the poisoned girl belongs–doesn’t get a lot of setup time. As such the attack by the boy largely comes out of nowhere. While the attack does add extra stakes to Batgirl’s rescue mission, the way it’s handled here feels somewhat extraneous.

Action in Batgirl #23 is well depicted by Miyazawa. Energetic poses and expressions during the action sequences are a hallmark of the series. In the case of this particular issue, the action is fairly one-sided–Batgirl and company are fighting deadly vines for the most part. Miyazawa does a decent job creating a sense of movement from panel to panel, but the constraints of the plantlife opponent keep it from looking very energetic. This is compounded by Miyazawa’s style which is somewhat lean on details here. The vines are connected to larger creatures, but those creatures are not realized well. Overall, however, the action sequence visuals are effective.

Close up character art is actually better than the action visuals in this issue. Most of Batgirl #23 takes place in a restaurant resulting in a larger number of ordinary civilians. Miyazawa captures their fear as the environment changes.

The environmental changes are the least effective visual element in the issue. As noted, Miyazawa doesn’t overload items and settings with detail. The disruption to the restaurant and the changes to the exterior end up not being particularly imposing as a result. Spicer’s coloring does add some extra dimension to these visual aspects. Adjustments to implied light sources give added weight to what otherwise feels largely two dimensional.

There are a number of sound effects throughout Batgirl #23 produced by a variety of causes Napolitano varies font and color such that a sound effect caused by the eruption of vines and a sound effect from a door knock, for instance, do not look identical. The attention to detail makes the visuals more dynamic–especially the action which is already a highlight of the issue and the series.