Batgirl #47

'Batgirl' #47 rises above its event tie-in status to tell a harrowing story that feels utterly indispensable within the character's history. Read Full Review

Even if you haven't been regularly reading Batgirl as of late, this issue absolutely, positively deserves your time and attention. Read Full Review

With only a few issues until this run ends, I cannot wait to see what happens to our beloved heroine. (I would give this 11/10, but I'm not allowed!) Read Full Review

A Batgirl tie-in to the Joker War tie-in could have been really tedious if it hadnt been handled correctly. The relationship between Batman and the Joker has been garishly over-rendered over the years. Batgirl could have been a pale reflection of that. An issue that pulls everything into a tight close-up in a run-down, little Gotham City apartment, transcends the crossover to become something far deeper and more satisfying than anything else in the Joker War crossover thus far. Anything else in the series is going to have a hell of a time topping the elegant minimalist appeal of this issues conflict. Read Full Review

This is another fine issue in a series that seems to be getting better and better each and every month. Read Full Review

Batgirl #47 is a brilliantly written tie-in, one that did justice to Barbara Gorden. Combined with beautiful artwork, this is an issue worth reading. Read Full Review

Batgirl #47 makes clever use of the Joker War tie-in, but just doesn't dive deep enough into the implications of the dramatic teamup to capitalize as successfully as possible, despite delivering plenty of awesome artwork. Read Full Review

This was an excellent issue. I only wish this concept would be the final issue of the Joker War. It would have been so satisfying for Barbara to be the one to take him out, especially in this manner. The Batgirl series' tie-in with the Joker War begins here and continues to #50, so I admit I'm a little nervous when considering how this arc will go after this issue, but after the thought put into this so far, I'm on board with trusting Castellucci will land Barbara respectfully. Read Full Review

Robbi Rodriguez does an excellent job with the art. The style is kinetic and full of energy. Every moment featuring Barbara was great and she looked amazing in contrast to Joker who never visually seemed as scary as he does in other incarnations. Read Full Review

Batgirl #47 isn't a perfect redemption story for the infamous '80s Batman tale, but it does allow Barbara to take charge of her Women in Refrigerators moment, making this a worthwhile pick-up. Read Full Review

Is Barbara Gordon the best equipped to take on the crown prince of crime now he has hundreds of millions of dollars, or will she be another statistic? Read Full Review

Batgirl #47 is not a necessary Joker War issue, but it's not a bad read for Batgirl fans.  Cecil Castellucci gives Babs a chance to kick the Joker's ass, and while it doesn't erase their past, it doesn't need to.  Overall, this is the best issue in Castellucci's run so far. Read Full Review

The problem is that this is a story we've seen before, and the way it's presented in this issue is deeply uncomfortable. And the ongoing subplot about Barbara's role in Jason being disabled"coming to a head soon"isn't holding my interest. Read Full Review

I didn't like this issue. The intentions are noble with interesting themes and commentary on both Barbara Gordon and violence against women. That's all great. But, personally, I'm tired of Babs having to face Joker and prove her worth over and over again. Combined with a version of Joker that I find dull and artwork I'm fond of, the issue falls short for me. Read Full Review

If it's not clear, I did not enjoy Batgirl. Having Joker strip Barbara Gordon of her agency and ability to walk, then parade around her, puppet her, and eventually drive her to hurt herself to escape him is the exact opposite of what I feel a proper response to TKJ would be. Even outside of it being a response, its attempts at giving Barbara a chance to take back control over her body from Joker miss the mark, and make the reader so uncomfortable that any meaning is lost. While the art and colors are stunning, this book is in such poor taste, any redeeming qualities about the story are hard to appreciate. Read Full Review

Nathan.Payson

Jul 21, 2020

This issue is a ride, as the power and control of the scene swap between Barbara and the Joker at various different times. All while moving toward an exciting new future for the Batman Family. Castellucci does a great job showcasing Barbara's will and tenacity as she proves that she is never helpless, even when she loses, she still manages to win. As a tie-in, it's not the most successful story, but it's certainly a game changing issue that we will be discussing months from now. I've read a couple of different opinions and I disagree with what they have think because this issue does such a great job being meaningful interesting and fun. The art is consistently unsettling, but it adds effectively to the unsettling fight. I can't wait to see where the Batgirl Joker tie-in goes. more

Comics Code Authorities

Aug 13, 2020

This was a pretty exciting tie-in to the Joker war. My only real thing is I hate his hair. Who's his barber? Matt Murdock? He looks like some '90s hoodlum. Otherwise it's a good issue for such a terrible visit. It's amazing how the Joker seems to think he's funny, but on the rare occasion someone laughs at him, like Barbara does in here, he gets all pissy. What a hypocrite.

Swift Planet

Nov 17, 2020

The biggest joke in this comic starring the Joker is how he and Barbara are thought projections of Cecil. It isn't without its cool moments, but man does the dialogue stink.

Liem Duong

Jul 21, 2020

Man, first I do not like how Rodriguez draws Joker. I don't really like his art style in general for that matter. And second, huh? What is this story. I don't read Batgirl, I don't read the tie-ins, but this cover got be the most mis-leading intrigue ever. The continuity is all over the place. Its connected yet not connected at the same time!?!?!?! It was cool seeing a Batgirl-Joker interaction again, but this was just horrid. What the hell is this Joker. The way he is written is terrible. I like Barb trying to be clever with what she has, and her self-talk in the beginning was nice, but this Joker is a joke compared to the Batman one. I can tell Castelluci has some real SJW/women-empowerment vibes with how she is trying to handle this " rematch " with Joker and Barbara, which is not surprising given her past work. And that mentality translated onto the page made this book fall apart, and it shows. She wants Barbara to " defeat " Joker so women can feel empowered, but it was so poorly handled especially at that end, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. " What scares a man most? A woman who laughs at him. " Holy cow, the dialogue just fucking falls off a cliff halfway into this book. Way to empower women Castelluci. No Bueno.... more

REYNARD

Jul 21, 2020

This is what happens when you force a series to tie in to an event that they have no knowledge of and were not included in the creative process.

Spacey Medicine

Jul 29, 2020

My favourite part was how Joker apparently doesn’t know what a masochist is.

Psycamorean

Jul 21, 2020

I decided to stop reading this series a while back, and I guess the enthrall of Joker War was "too much" to keep me away. And man, they're still doing that awful Jason Bard romance huh? I still think that's a terrible love interest! This issue is filled to the brim with cringe inducing platitudes. My favorite being when Barbara stabs herself in the back to destroy the device that lets her walk, and says something like, "I decide what to do with my body". That'll show 'em, Babs! I'm sure the writer thought that was very empowering, but I just laughed at it. Also, I so so so hope the Batcomputer encryption is like Kryptos because that means Batman fucked up at least a couple times. Classic Batman, always screwing up his secret messages. It's what got Alfred killed, I think. more

ZorEl

Jul 22, 2020

Someone at DC sure seems to have a penchant for letting perverted men rob women of their agency of late and then cancelling their books. First Supergirl, now Batgirl. I'm sure someone gets something from reading this. I did too - nausea.