Batgirls #5 ..... 1.5 stars

 

Batgirls #5


When I saw Batgirls #5 at the comic shop I was generally intrigued, for it is a rare occasion that I find myself liking a legacy character as about as much, or more so than the original incarnation, (okay original since 1967) but this is the case with Cassandra Cain, whose first Batgirl run I thoroughly enjoyed back in the day.

It should be noted that I was an even bigger fan of the original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, but not as Batgirl, but as Oracle, who for 20 some plus years had been confined to a wheelchair as a result of the fall out from the 1988 Killing Joke comic, which every DC fan is quite aware of. 

But alas, like the fate of most legacy heroes, the original always seems to return, so now we have two Batgirls, did I just say two, actually there is three because former vigilante Stephanie Brown (aka Spoiler) is also Batgirl. Confused? Well don't be, as this is the general state of DC comics these days, where there are three Batgirls, Two Aquamen, three Flashes, 7 or 8 Green Lantern's, and a variety of duplicates for several DC heroes, and not surprisingly none of them are selling very well at present, imagine that, but we will leave the issue of legacy heroes aside for now to concentrate on the comic itself. 

Now I am aware that his comic is targeted for a younger audience, but the hallmark of a good children's story is one that adults can enjoy as well, whether it be a comic book, movie, or super hero cartoon, and this is just not the case with Batgirls, so much so that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even enjoy it as an eight year old. It does have pace and action, but it's at the expense of clarity and character development. The heroes pretty much  just pump out quick one liners, and the story itself is unengaging and scattered. 

I have no professional ambitions to be a comic blogger, so it pains me to give out bad reviews to someone who is most likely trying their best, but just like how most of us can't be young guitarist prodigies or star quarterbacks, so to can we not all be prolific comic book writers, so....one for the bargain bin. 

*1/2 Stars

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