Batgirls #15

Coming off the back of a stunning issue in January, Batgirls packs the biggest of emotional gut punches this month. Wrapped up the usual comic book trappings are feelings of loss and grief but also the hope and strength which rise from overcoming trauma. Read Full Review

I don't even know where to go from here. I have so many emotions swirling around in my head and no idea what to do with them. I would normally say "I'd never miss the next issue or "I'm really excited about getting the next chapter in my hands, but I've been left just a little bit traumatized by Batgirls #15. Don't get me wrong, I love it. There's so much interest and intrigue, but please, just a nice filler issue might be needed to recover! Read Full Review

There has been a very clear progression throughout Conrad and Cloonans series that has palpably brought Cass and Steph together. The tension feels as impressively well-rendered as the action. Everything feels quite fluid in a series that has proven itself to be one of the more reliably good titles in mainstream comics over the course of the past year or so. A little more time with all THREE Batgirls would serve the series well, but the relationship between Steph and Cass is deeply satisfying at the center of the book.  Read Full Review

‘Batgirls' #15 turns on the sound once more for a heavy issue that finds our title characters tested as the overall plot surrounding their toxic parental elements comes to a heart-wrenching conclusion. An issue that keeps even the most seasoned comic book reader on the edge of their seat and off guard. Anyone still not reading this series needs to get on board because this is what more comics should be like. Read Full Review

Relationships are at the forefront of this action-packed episode, and I was particularly impressed by the level of feeling that encompassed the interaction between Stephanie and Cluemaster. Read Full Review

This arc has been the most emotionally fraught of the series, although it's also had the most mood whiplash. Read Full Review

A high level of disparate emotions makes Batgirls #15 an excellent exploration of relationships. That's what really matters, right? The people in our lives? This title makes this consistently important and therefore, consistently quality storytelling. This is a unique and special title, and the tease of the Mad Hatter in the subsequent storyline is something to be excited about. Read Full Review

Thoughtfully written, beautifully illustrated, and going WAY harder than it needed to, Batgirls #15 closes out this arc and starts the next with power, passion, and skill. Read Full Review

Batgirls #15 continues to deepen the relationship between its main characters in meaningful and genuine ways. But at times it likes to remind you that it's doing that, a little too much. Read Full Review

Batgirls #15 is a passable issue that delivers a scene of heartfelt emotion surrounded by a contrived plot and functional art with terrible colors. Read Full Review

Googe has worked on several other issues of Batgirls, but this issue feels more frantic and almost rushed and somewhat undercuts the seriousness of the issue's contents. Read Full Review

This issue could have been really good. It does do a nice job initially in telling a difficult story and in giving us characters who are complex. Unfortunately it jumps past realistic into dramatic and misses it's mark completely. There is nothing earned about the major emotional beats it attempts, instead they read like cheap shots for drama and nothing else. This could have had a much more impactful ending if it had simply allowed the story room to breathe, and not rushed into things, instead it tried to take a longer story and push it into a single issue. Read Full Review

Quinn

Feb 14, 2023

A really solid issue. Character drove action, and for the first time in a long time we actually see the relationship between Steph and her father defined. Cluemaster has Steph tied up and goes back to his game show origins. For those s who don’t know, Cluemaster was an obscure 1960s villain who hosted a game show and became a criminal. Largely forgotten until Chuck Dixon revived him in the 1990s, his compulsion to leave clues was cured and he became a “straight” criminal. End of history lesson. Anyway, Arthur tries to get Steph to admit her best qualities came from him and that Batman sucks. Cass shows up and Steph gets shot, but that Lazarus juice found last issue saves Steph. We also learn the stuff was a prototype stolen by Mad Hatter and tested on Arthur. He is arrested and Cass and Steph reaffirm their friendship. We also get, or at least I, get the sense that Mad Hatter and Lazarus juice is on the menu for the future. This was a tight, well-plotted issue that was driven by character and characters’ history. It built on what came last issue. So well done, all said and done. What I didn’t like? The colors. Still too neon for my tastes. But I could be wrong. Still a strong issue. And I’m not wrong. more

+ Like • Comments (2)

Quinn - Feb 15, 2023

Arthur has been “killed” several times and come back as the “surprise” villain. Bryan Miller did it in the last few issues of his Batgirl run. I have often complained about redoing old plots, but this works because it actually shows and not tells us something about the characters. But that makes it harder to bring Arthur back from the dead the next time they do it because I am a firm believer in the idea that you can run a story into the ground. See Dr. Who and the Daleks. Or I could be wrong.

Quinn - Feb 15, 2023

So they killed him for this arc and brought him back? Did not know that, but still counts as a killed and revived.

Psycamorean

Feb 26, 2023

Pretty good! I have my gripes with this series, but the writers aren't incapable. I just don't really vibe with the style they've adopted for this series. Luckily, it remains toned down here. I will say, going from that wonderful art from the previous issues to this... it's a downgrade, unfortunately.