Review: Batgirl Vol. 5- Deadline

Quick Summary

Pros: Most of this volume is great. The collection opens with multiple great stories that do well on their own. The conclusion is epic and full of action.

Cons: The “Gothtopia” tie-in will not be as meaningful to those who have not read the main event. The conclusion to the main storyline feels very rushed and chaotic.

Overall: The last volume in this Batgirl saga is great right up until the conclusion of the central narrative. It starts out with a number of fun, short, and satisfying stories that have a great level of variety. Then it begins to tell the very epic conclusion of this era in Batgirl’s life. Though this conclusion is exciting, it also feels noticeably rushed, which is the collection’s main flaw. Fans who have read previous volumes will still thoroughly enjoy this one but might not love the end that much.

Story

In Batgirl Vol. 5: Deadline, Gail Simone continues and concludes her fantastic run on the Batgirl series. This volume starts with multiple fun and entertaining stories that highlight how awesome Batgirl is as a character. These stories are also wonderfully diverse and tell tales of vampires, demons, and psychotic assassins. This volume also includes an epic conclusion to this lengthy saga, one that easily meets the expectations required of it. The only problem is that the conclusion is noticeably rushed. Overall though, this is a great book that wraps up Simone’s work here nicely.

(spoilers start here)

The collection starts with a tie-in to the Gothtopia event that provides an initial reminder that Gail Simone is fantastic at writing suspense. It has a woman poison Gotham’s ice cream and nearly murder a group of young schoolchildren. She is ultimately stopped by Batgirl but the path to this resolution is a tense one. The only problem with this chapter is that readers without no knowledge of Gothtopia may find it harder to connect with exactly what is happening here.

Next, the volume goes on to tell several fantastic short stories that stand completely independent, while also developing Barbara as a character. One furthers her relationship with Strix, another shows the emotional toll Dick’s “death” put her through, the third picks up on her past with Poison Ivy, and the final one deepens her bond with Alysia. These stories are also wonderfully diverse, from detective adventures with a twist ending to pure supernatural thrillers. All of these stories are entertaining and all of them help readers understand what kind of person Batgirl is under her mask.

Once these stories conclude, Gail Simone’s run on Batgirl reaches its endgame. Batgirl’s ongoing antagonistic relationship with Knightfall comes to a head when Knightfall makes a play to violently wipe out crime in Gotham. This showdown has been building for a while, which helps give this final confrontation plenty of substance and meaning. The inclusion of the majority of DC’s female heroes also helps make this an action packed and extraordinarily epic conclusion as well. Overall, it is very satisfying, though it does have a few problems.

While this final showdown is epic and grandiose, it also feels very rushed and chaotic. New characters and major plot elements are introduced only to be ignored later on. This includes Batgirl’s former roommate, whose offer to recruit Barbara comes out of nowhere and ultimately does not lead anywhere. Meanwhile, other plot points, like Barbara’s boyfriend, are quickly abandoned and only given cursory resolutions. The ending to this run was clearly rushed and, unfortunately, this manages to damage its overall appeal.

The book’s final chapter is a tie-in to the Futures End event. As far as tie-ins go, this one does surprisingly well. It is fittingly dark and emotional, while also bringing in numerous elements from the entire Batgirl series thus far. Specifically, it shows readers what Batgirl could be if she surrendered to her own dark thoughts, which is a major plot point in the previous story arc. Overall, it is an entertaining chapter that works even if you have not read Futures End.

(spoilers end here)

Art

Deadline sees the return of penciler Fernando Pasarin and inker Jonathan Glapion. As we discussed in our review of the previous volume, these two do a great job in capturing the dark feeling that many of these stories require. This is particularly satisfying in the chapters that are focused around the supernatural. These chapters look great and have a couple of delightfully creative moments within them. Some characters’ faces still look a little odd in places but this is rare and does not have a large effect on the overall quality.

Continuity

Batgirl Vol. 5: Deadline continues the story from Batgirl Vol. 4: Wanted (Review).

The story here continues in Batgirl Vol. 1: Batgirl of Burnside.

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

• The first chapter is a tie-in to the Gothtopia event from Detective Comics Vol. 5: Gothtopia.
• The red “x” over Damian Wayne’s face is a reference to the events of Batman Incorporated Vol. 2: Gotham’s Most Wanted.
• Strix became involved with the Birds of Prey in Birds of Prey Vol. 3: A Clash of Daggers (Review).
• Andrew Bennet made his last major appearance in I, Vampire Vol. 3: Wave of Mutilation (Review).
  
• Batgirl mentions that Dick Grayson is “gone”. This is explained by the end of Nightwing Vol. 5: Setting Son (Review) or the beginning of Grayson Vol. 1: Agents of Spyral (Review).
• Poison Ivy’s fallout with the Birds of Pray has a major effect on one of this volume’s stories. This fallout occurs in Birds of Prey Vol. 2: Your Kiss Might Kill (Review).
• Commissioner Gordon’s incarceration is the result of events at the beginning of Batman Eternal Vol. 1 (Review).
• This version of Huntress has her origins in Worlds’ Finest Vol. 1: The Lost Daughters of Earth 2.
• The book’s final chapter is a tie-in to the Futures End event.