Review: Batgirl Vol. 2- Son of Penguin
Quick Summary
Pros: The main storyline is engaging and centers around a solid mystery. The volume brings up social issues that are great to see being talked about in a mainstream comic book. The artwork is positive and suits the book well.
Cons: The ridiculous nature of the main villain’s powers take away from the real-world problem they represent. The book fails to go beyond the surface level when addressing social issues.
Overall: This collection has some positives and negatives but ends up working out overall. The volume depicts a showdown in Burnside that elicits excitement while also providing some commentary on modern social issues. However, some aspects of the main villain are underwhelming and this commentary never goes as deep as one would hope. Overall, this volume could be better but still manages to tell an interesting and compelling story, one that fans of the series will likely enjoy.
Story
Batgirl Vol. 2: Son of Penguin, by Hope Larson, stumbles at a few points but mostly manages to tell an entertaining story. The volume sees Batgirl return to Burnside, where she immediately becomes entangled in a multitude of problems. She has to face changes in her city’s social climate, personal issues from her friends, and the rise of a mysterious new villain. This allows the volume to tackle unique, 21st century problems that often go unaddressed by comics. The problem is that the volume tries to address a ton of issues and storylines at once, which feels chaotic at some points and leaves some of the issues underdeveloped. Luckily, the volume is still fun to read and ends up being a worthwhile addition to this current saga.
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About half of Son of Penguin focuses on superheroics. From an early point, readers are alerted to the fact that something is not right in Burnside and quickly discover that this problem has it out for Batgirl. This creates some wonderful tension as Batgirl begins investigating the mystery, while also dating a potential villain. Then, it is finally revealed that Batgirl’s date, Penguin’s son, is the villain and a final conflict erupts. This allows the volume to end on an even higher note and bring even more excitement to the table.
My only qualm with this portion of the book is that Blacksun’s powers are poorly depicted. He ends up using “data” to literally take over peoples’ minds. The story could have used his mastery of data to show how the information age can subtly and insidiously impact public opinion but this more nuanced take is lost by the direct and ridiculous nature of his powers.
The other half of Son of Penguin focuses on more personal issues. Batgirl returns to Burnside to find her friends are dealing with relevant, real-world problems, like struggling with when to move out of an apartment or whether to have children. Meanwhile, the city has its own set of problems, with gentrification, apathy, and the gig economy doing a number on underprivileged people. Seeing these issues brought to light is great and helps further the feeling that Batgirl is more plugged into the modern social scene than other mainstream comic characters.
The biggest problem here is that this portion of the book tries to juggle too much at once. It tries to bring up a ton of issues all at once yet, because of this, is unable to fit in a satisfying examination of any one issue. Though the volume approaches gentrification, transgender discrimination, homelessness, data collection, public apathy, and economic concerns caused by app-driven business, I never felt like any of these topics were actually explored any deeper than at surface level. Hopefully, future volumes will be able to manage this problem a little better.
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Art
Though the story has a mix of positives and negatives, I seriously enjoyed the artwork throughout all of Son of Penguin. Chris Wildgoose’s pencils and Jon Lam’s inks produce a stylized visual palate that matches the general trend of the Batgirl series in recent years. This visual style is bold and energetic, in a way that makes both the city of Burnside and the characters who inhabit it feel alive. This point is further accentuated by Mat Lopes’ colors, which paint this world in equally bold and bright depictions. On top of all of this, the character designs are great, as familiar characters wear street clothes that match their personality while new characters get cool new costumes. All in all, the artwork in this book is positive and is a wonderful match for the storytelling.
Continuity
Batgirl Vol. 2: Son of Penguin continues the story from Batgirl Vol. 1: Beyond Burnside (Review).
The story here continues in Batgirl Vol. 3: Summer of Lies (Review).
This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:
- Nightwing moved to Blüdhaven in Nightwing #10, collected in Nightwing Vol. 2: Back to Blüdhaven (Review).
- Batgirl previously fought Riot Black in Batgirl Vol. 4 #35, collected in Batgirl Vol. 1: Batgirl of Burnside (Review).