Review: Batgirl Vol. 3- Death of the Family

Quick Summary

Pros: The Joker is every bit as brutal and psychotic as fans would expect. James Gordon’s storyline is great and ends with a great segue into the next volume. Both villains are well written and bring out an intense range of emotions from Batgirl.

Cons: There are a few inconsistencies in story and art. The Firebug storyline is not that interesting.

Overall: This is a rough volume for Batgirl but an intense and interesting one for the fans. Here, Barbara Gordon is forced to face off against two enemies whose very presence has a huge effect on her life. It also helps that these characters are all well written. There are a few small flaws at random points but the collection as a whole is a major success.

Story

Batgirl Vol. 3: Death of the Family, by Gail Simone, is a dark and gripping trip through what is sure to be one of the most harrowing experiences in the life of Barbara Gordon. Two villains dominate this collection, both are well written and bring a ton of history with them. Watching Batgirl struggle against them is an odd mix of inspiring and terrifying that proves to be very effective. The narrative makes a few small errors and one of the book’s subplots is lackluster, but these do not affect the overall quality of the collection. This is a solid Batgirl volume and definitely the most meaningful entry in the series thus far.

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The first half of the collection is dominated by the Joker, whose appearance here is a tie-in to the Death of the Family event. While some of the other tie-ins, from this event, feel forced and unnatural, this one is by far the most organic and well executed. Joker and Batgirl have a horrific history that has a huge impact on their actions here. This allows Batgirl to exhibit a range of emotions that no other villain would bring out, giving fans a unique look into the darkest aspects of her psyche.

Once Joker is dealt with, Batgirl goes on to face Firebug. Her struggle against this villain is definitely the most underwhelming aspect of the collection. It works well as a background story which James Gordan’s narration can be set against, but is not interesting at all on its own.

Luckily, the Firebug storyline does not last long and Batgirl quickly goes on to confront James. Though this storyline starts with a bit of confusion (characters claim James was invited to the aquarium by his mother despite the opposite being true) it manages to hit many of the same high notes that the Joker storyline hit. It does this by pushing Barbara to her absolute limit and pitting her against one of the most dark and sinister adversaries she could possibly face. Setting this immediately after the Joker storyline also helps solidify this as one of the lowest moments Batgirl could possibly face.

Outside of the actual storytelling, it is worth noting how well Gail Simone writes both of this collection’s major villains. The Joker is a perfect blend of absolutely sickening terror and harmless jokes. Meanwhile, James Gordon is every bit the unrepentant sociopath readers expect him to be. Villains like these are often mishandled by writers who amplify aspects of their personality to ridiculous levels, but Simone’s writing does not fall victim to these shortcomings.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork throughout this collection tends to be good throughout, maybe a little better than average at times. It is detailed and realistic in a way that really helps amplify the horror present throughout the book. The only major flaws here come from a few awkwardly posed fight scenes and one apparent mix-up in the art (a room is filled with dead bodies in one chapter but filled with living people in the next). Overall though, this is a nice looking collection.

Continuity

Batgirl Vol. 3: Death of the Family continues the story from Batgirl Vol. 2: Knightfall Descends (Review).

The story here continues in Batgirl Vol. 4: Wanted (Review).

This volume also references stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• Batgirl’s paralyzation at the hands of the Joker plays a major role throughout this volume. This event occurred in Batman: The Killing Joke.
• The Joker’s return also plays a major role throughout this volume. The complete story of his return it told in Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (Review).
• The death of Damian Wayne occurred in Batman Incorporated Vol. 2: Gotham’s Most Wanted.