Batgirl # 27
Recap
Barbara awakes in a hospital after her collapse in Commissioner Gordon’s office. She soon realizes that her eidetic memory has been compromised by the damage done to her implant. The doctor tells that the implant has to be replaced and the procedure will be in a week. She is warned that extreme physical exertion can further impair the implant. Barbara’s mind is on stopping Grotesque before he hurts other people. Her dad talks her into staying with him until the surgery.
She stays in her old room and sees an old wheelchair that she used before she got the implant. She considers that she may end up in the chair again. She looks at the detective’s files she cloned and finds several promising hideouts that Grotesque might be using. She doesn’t have her costume with her, but she does have an old prototype she used the first time she was Batgirl before the Joker crippled her.
After checking several places, she hits the jackpot. She finds Grotesque’s body (Phillipe). She realizes that he has been dead for a while. Then she is confronted by the man she fought wearing Grotesque mask. They fight, and she manages to overcome him. Unfortunately, her implant malfunctions again before she can unmask him, and she must hide before she passes out. She hides in a dumpster. She returns to find Phillipe’s body with a batarang in it and several cops accusing her of murder. Grotesque, of course, is gone.
Review
This is another great installment by the new creative team. Scott captures Barbara’s anxiety over losing her eidetic memory and her fear of ending back up in the wheelchair. Barbara admits that she always thought that she might end up paralyzed again. This issue is powerful emotionally and Batgirl proves herself a hero by going after Grotesque even though she is risking so much to do it. The stakes are high. At first, I was unimpressed with the preview art of the new costume, but after seeing it drawn by Pelletier I kind of like it. The variant cover by Joshua Middleton is very nice once again. The only problem I would say is that I feel like I know the identity of the new Grotesque. So, the story might be a bit predictable but otherwise, I am very much enjoying this run.
Final Thoughts
The new creative team is doing awesome and I am looking forward to the new issue. I haven’t been this excited about Batgirl since Gail Simone’s run.
Batgirl # 27: The Chair
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10