Stella Bowman Comic Reviews

Despite some minor story points that do not add positively to the overall presentation, this story is great, thoughtful, and consistent!

If you are looking for a story with strong female leads taking place during an important and fascinating time in history, then I suggest you pick up DC Comics Bombshells!

Overall, I am pleased with the way this story turned out, and I am hoping that it keeps on this track of fun and meaningful storytelling.

2) As I stated earlier, this Babs does at times read like a late 90s version. Even if we read her like that, one feeling that troubles me throughout the issue is that Babs is the one that is most unsettled being stuck under the Dome. No matter the version of Babs, I dont think she would be the one that is not content with her current life. She is still in Gotham City, still in the Clocktower, and SHE is usually the one who tries to focus on the present. Dick has been seen by Babs in the past as a bird that cannot be caged. Think about Dick leaving Bruce to become Nightwing, leading the Teen Titans, and even going off-world. I believe that Dick would be the one who would be most troubled with the current situation, and because of that, I think that Babs should have said yes to Dick. After all, she said yes to him during the insanity of Infinite Crisis! How is now any different?

Dick and Babs are my OTP (One True Pair) in shipping fandom, and I certainly was not disappointed with how they ended up, but there were some hiccups in the story that could have unnecessarily created some problems for them. Simone comes through with an interesting story that showcases the strengths of both of these characters, and leaves fans satisfied with a sweet ending that we may never see in the post-Flashpoint (cough New 52 cough) Universe. Overall, I enjoyed this story more so than the first because it was more streamlined, had less superfluous elements, and had the classic Birds of Prey or Nightwing feel to it. Nevertheless, there were some story elements that did not quite add up, and probably needed to be retooled.

This is another enjoyable issue and Im beginning to see where some of the story parts could go, but here are two questions to leave you with: How far can you expand the cast without the story getting out of control or being unable to wrap-up loose ends, and What is the best way to introduce characters and when?

Finally, we see a story that fits Wonder Woman and gives her a fight that she deserves. She is challenged by the Baroness and it is a fight that really showcases the character we know and love. After this part, it is clear that the Baroness was a wonderful choice for a villain here. I especially enjoyed the shared narration between Diana and Baroness regarding the Tenebrae, illustrating that they have shared experiences. And how glad I am that Steve Trevor is pulling his weight and actually doing something instead of just playing the victim. Its about time!

Bombshells continues to be an entertaining story with an interesting twist on well-known characters, but until the characters start working together within the same vicinity, the book will continue to have unity problems and will feel disjointed.

Its fun, but the setting of Gotham City and the specter of Batgirl that hangs over this book makes it a bit redundant, not to mention the fact that there is little mother-daughter time.

Besides the disjointed feel of the stories, I can see them slowly inching towards each other. If only for the Batwoman story, I recommend this, but I hold out hope that once stories intersect it will become strong once more.

There is a lot going on in this issue, but the majority of it is treated well, and Im hoping that the tempo remains high.

Finally we get to see the re-occurrence of the odd sea creature seen back in issue one! Hopefully it will not be another several issues before we see the connection between the sea creature and Mera. As new elements are introduced and others are tied together, I cant help but wonder how this story will conclude.

Try as I may, it is difficult to have anything but a split mind about this book. It is an important and necessary story that brings representation to a group that has been without representation for so long. My main concern is that this is Barbara Gordon in name only, and the literal and symbolic importance of "Oracle" is not explained.

While this is not the high quality that the first issue produced, I am hopeful that it is merely a slump and that storylines and art will converge for the next issue to present an outstanding continuation of a worthwhile story.