Batgirl #20

by Eric Levy:

The bat-family has hit a bit of a rough patch. It seems like just about everyone is dealing with something monumental in their life.

Batman has become somewhat of a loose cannon after the death his son Damian. Meanwhile, Nightwing has up and left Gotham City for Chicago in order to track down the man who killed his parents; Red Hood’s memory has been erased; and Batgirl is an emotional wreck because she thinks she killed her flesh and blood—her brother, James Gordon Jr. Little does she know, he is alive and well! (see Suicide Squad #20—in stores now).

It’s hard to find any glaring weaknesses with Batgirl #20. Not only does it continue an intriguing story line involving the Gordon clan, but it also completely revamped The Ventriloquist character.

Since the 80s, The Ventriloquist has been a man named Arnold Wisker or a woman named Peyton Riley—both accompanied by a puppet named Scarface. Not anymore. Say hello to Shauna Belzer and her little friend, Ferdie.

Writer Gail Simone did a great job in providing a solid backstory for Shauna. We learn about her troubled past from the get-go of the issue and it only lasted a few pages, leaving wiggle room for other material.

Visually, Batgirl #20 was well drawn. Joining Daniel Sampere on pencil duties was Carlos Rodriguez. The two crafted clean and crisp panels that were beautifully enhanced by the lines of Jonathan Glapion and the jump-off-the-page colors by Blond.

Overall, I wouldn’t consider this issue essential to own, but it is worth the cover price. That being said, the confrontation that is building up between Barbara and Commissioner Gordon alone is something that no Batgirl fan should pass up.

Eric Levy covers the hit CW TV show Arrow for DarkMedia. He is a comic book enthusiast who loves to read, watch, and write about his favorite characters. You can follow Eric on Twitter at @LifeinStrips. You can also check out his blog at lifeinstrips.blogspot.com