Taking Barbara Gordon's history with the Joker into mind, I was really looking forward to her confronting him (and her fears) again. The Joker portion of this was solid, but then again Gail Simone has been doing a great job with Batgirl as a whole. While the cliffhanger ending is going to open up for some really interesting things in the future, the storyline with James just didn't feel as strong as the rest of this series has up until now. Shifting from Barbara as the narrator really threw me off on that, I think.

I desperately need to read ALL of the books in this story arc. Like really completely.

I feel like, as far as Batgirl is concerned, we don't get much of the impact of what the death of the family actually means. And then all this with Daimen. It's mentioned, but we don't really get to see the damage from it. And I guess I wanted a little more of the PTSD type issues with Joker's return, but I realize there's limited time and space and the story needs to move forward. (And yes, we've touch upon some of these issues in earlier volumes.)

And not to knock Ray Fawkes, but OMG I just really love Gail Simone's writing... and when it wasn't her writing the issue, I was completely longing for her. I just think she handles Babs so completely well.

AND, well, the story from Young Romance #1 - eh, not really a fan of it. Felt out of character for her. Just my option and all... and of course, it wasn't Simone writing that one... But I forgot initially that the story was from Young Romance and vocally expressing my distain while reading it. (Sorry Fawkes, I'm sure you're great with other characters... but yeah...)

Loved it. Death of the Family is going to haunt my nightmares. Embargo on reviews until October, then full details.

Read This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews

Gail Simone’s has been changing what superhero comics mean. With characters who aren’t always strong or brave or composed, who deal with mental illness, insecurities, and all manner of issues we don’t generally get to see. LGB and T secondary characters. Comic books that pass the Bechdel test. I have stars in my eyes.

In the latest collection of her popular Batgirl series, (this is Batgirl IV, [fourth time the character has starred in a series of this title,] Volume 3, [third collected edition of Volume IV comics,]) Simone’s eponymous heroine crosses over with the rest of the Bat-family for the “Death of the Family” arc, as well as the continuation and conclusion of the plot that’s been slow burning over the last year, James Jr.

We start with Batgirl Annual #1, which seems out of place in continuity after Vol. 2, which left off after Night of Owls and with a cliffhanger for a new threat. Annual #1 is back in the middle of the Talon, dealing with the intersection of the female assassin from issue 9, Babs, and Catwoman. It makes the transition from Annual to issue 14 very abrupt. I will say the art for this issue is the most stunning; Admira Wijaya’s details are phenomenal.

From there, however, issues 14-16, as well as Batman 17, are extremely well integrated, flowing flawlessly. I could imagine this arc was written as a standalone graphic novel, rather than monthly serials. Batman 17 is one of the most horrifying comics I’ve read, and absolutely essential to understanding the previous three Batgirls. The full page with Joker, the cub, and the heart? Genuine nightmare fuel. It’s terrifying and psychological and really encapsulates the relationship between Bats and Jokes, while ramping up the insanity. A lot.

(But, even ending on a scary, cliffhanger-y note, we still get an adorable Bruce/Alfred scene. “Go to hell.” I love it.)

The next comic is a short from the Valentine’s special Young Romance, “Dreamer”. It’s included as a break between storylines, but they needn’t have bothered. Eight pages of Babs taking a break to mack on a normal dude, (a minor character from the Darkest Reflections storyline.) By the time we start to feel something for Ricky, (if we can, because again, eight pages and one of them is a pointless fight scene,) the comic is over. The writing doesn’t fit with the rest of the collection, the timeline is again messed about, and the art is only so-so. Young Romance was widely panned, so its inclusion in a serious trade is just confusing all around.

The second half of the book is a three-issue arc “ending” the family drama that’s been swirling since the reappearance of Barbara’s brother, James Jr. (Seriously, Barbara Sr. and James Sr. are the most uncreative parents.) If you read Vol. 2, you’re familiar with why James’ showing back up is a Very Bad Thing. If you haven’t read that particular collection, you’ll probably be able to piece it all together fairly quick.

Again, this part flows well on its own, but it shines in the context of the collected volume, as James plays a part in Death of the Family as well. There are a few points that feel rushed, (Firebug, a minor villain who hasn’t been seen in 10 years, gets a brief two issue appearance where his motives aren’t well explained. He’s just a stalling tactic. Likewise, Alysia’s reveal seems extremely out of place in the context of the conversation she and Barbara are having. I feel like they were meant to do something else, but it got cut for length,) but overall the conclusion worked for me.

Exploring ideas of posttraumatic stress, revenge, and what makes a hero, it’s a heavy collection. I loved seeing Killing Joke canonized, (recanonized? Continued canonization?) and used to restore some of Bab’s agency after she was fridged to give Jim his motivation in the classic graphic novel. The parallels drawn between her and Batman, (and her dad from Killing Joke,) and again between her and James, aren’t heavy handed, but left me thinking. If it weren’t for the romance interlude, it would be a five star collection. As it is, I heartily recommend it to anyone following the Bat-family in the New 52. I would not, however, recommend it as a starting point for new readers. You’ll need to pick up Vols. 1 or 2 for that.

While I liked the previous two trades of New 52 Batgirl, I really enjoyed this one. The stories were more cohesive, and with Gail Simone at the helm, these story arcs couldn't help being great, since the Joker and James Gordon, Jr. are some of the best villains for Batgirl. I could've done with more development of Gordon family dynamics and the relationship between Barbara and her roommate Alysia, though (who, while I'm glad that she's trans and it's no big deal, doesn't seem to have any reason to be trans except that DC wanted to seem forward-thinking?).

The Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/10/batgirl-vol-3-death-of-the-family-by-gail-simone-ray-fawkes-graphic-novel-review-bane-of-kings/

An excellent collection that continues one of the best DC series out there - Batgirl ties in very well with the Death of the Family arc as well as strongly progressing with the James Gordon Jr. arc – making this a must read for any Batgirl fan.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields


Story: Gail Simone, Ray Fawkes, Scott Snyder | Art: Ed Benes, Daniel Sampere, Greg Capullo, Julius Gopez, Jonathan Glapion, Mark Irwin, Vicente Cifuentes, Admira Wijaydi | Cover: Ed Benes | Collects: Batgirl #14-19, Batman #17, Batgirl Annual #1, material from Young Romance #1

"Batgirl stars in these epics from #14-19 of her monthly series, plus BATMAN #17, BATGIRL ANNUAL #1 and a story from YOUNG ROMANCE #1, all spinning out of “Death of the Family.” The Joker is back, and Barbara Gordon must confront her past as she deals with the crazed criminal responsible for crippling her. Plus, once the dust settles, Barbara must deal with her family demons as her psychotic brother James Jr. comes after her."

Gail Simone is one of my favourite writers at DC Comics at the moment and having recently jumped on the Batgirl series with the beginning of the Wanted story-arc I thought that I’d revisit the series’ previous Volume when it showed up on NetGalley for me to review (and any issues that weren’t collected in the NetGalley Volume I went back and brought myself), as there were still some bits that I wasn’t to sure on. I won’t spoil anything here for readers not up to date with the Batgirl series but it certainly answered several questions, providing a much needed catch up and some much needed enjoyment from one of the best Gotham-related titles around outside of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman. I’m glad to say that it doesn’t drop in quality here, providing a very entertaining and grimdark storyline for Barbara Gordon, which sees her character go through hell after each issue.

Batgirl Vol. 3Those expecting the main section of this graphic novel to be focused on the Death of the Family arc will probably be disappointed. It gets pushed to the side here with the bulk of the narrative focusing on Barbara’s battles with James Jr. This thread carries through several issues that sees the confrontation unfold with some tragic results that really set the stage for the next Batgirl storyarc. It’s also tied in together well with the Death of the Family arc – you’re not reading the Death of the Family arc and then the James Gordon Jr. arc for example, as both storylines are linked throughout the graphic novel.

Also, I’d like to raise a problem that I had with this Volume. It’s the only Gotham-related storyline that’s still feeling the effects of the Night of Owls crossover event three collections in, and it doesn’t really have any solid connection to the two main story-arcs presented in this Volume, serving as setting up the next Birds of Prey arc (which I haven’t had the chance to read) and it allowed Catwoman to have the spotlight in a title outside her own series which is refreshing as I’ve been turned off by Ann Nocenti’s rather weak prose. However – whilst the artwork by Admira Wijayadi is the best thing about this Annual, it serves as an odd start to the book and doesn’t really work.

But the rest of the main narrative is a success. The three part tie-in to the Death of the Family narration really works well with the combined strength of Gail Simone and Ed Benes. Whilst this graphic novel suffers from consistent changing of artists (other Bat-family books also suffer from this problem, such as Nightwing and Talon for example) this story remains one of the two main highlights of the book. The other highlight is the James Gordon Jr. storyline, that really impresses. Having read The Black Mirror before reading Death of the Family it really helped keep me up to date about James Jr. – a character whose origins as a villain were fleshed out by Snyder and I felt that Simone nailed the portrayal of the character really well, and the overall narrative was pulled off pretty strongly to boot.

Most of the action here focuses on Barbara Gordon dealing with her past. We see her battling her brother and the Joker, the villain who crippled her. This is a lot for Barbara to deal with as one would expect and to make matters worse, both characters are done really well here. Simone’s Joker is eerily similar to Snyder’s, very creepy and very terrifying. She gets the character spot on here with some stunning scenes – and equally she manages to make the reader want to root for Batgirl, providing a complex and nuanced character with great depth and skill. She’s certainly not a two-dimensional character – and Simone continues to write Barbara’s character very well throughout the entire narrative.

If you’re looking for one of the best tie-in to Death of the Family then look no further. Not only are you getting a strong Barbara-focused storyline but each tie-in fits very well to pull off an amazing read. The switch to Ray Fawkes is another thing that prevented this collection from being truly great – most readers will be aware of the controversy that resulted in Simone being booted from Batgirl before being reinstated after a fan backlash, and whilst yes this does mean that the writing does not remain the same quality throughout the book, it’s still a thrilling read that’s pulled off mostly exceptionally well. Certainly a must for any Bat-fan, but it might be wise to check out Death of the Family Volume 3 and Batman Incorporated Vol. 2 first to get the full story on what’s going on.

VERDICT: 4/5

Entre el arco de Joker y el de James no se con cual estuve más pegada a las paginas. Enfrentar su pasado, su gran trauma junto a la familia de murcielagos me llenó de ansiedad. Mientras, enfrentar y detener a su hermano fue toda otra experiencia. Por momentos me cansaba e irritaba, James era un demente, pero un demente imbecil. Insoportable.
Aunque ahora sea "hija unica y huerfana" creo que llenarse las manos de sangre y tomar esas complicadas decisiones, termina siendo lo mejor. En este volumen se deja que pensar, tanto Joker como James eran/son dos personas peligrosas que repetirían el mismo ciclo de locura e infierno una y otra vez, lastimando a quien pueda, ¿detenerlo de una vez por todas o volverlo a encerrar para que vuelva a huir? Algo moralmente complicado de responder.

The Death Of The Family story, overall, was okay but not riveting. The Batgirl issue contained in the collection bordered on appropriation and cliche with the villain being an Asian female character human trafficked to America during WWII and becoming an assassin. I know, that seems a bit specific to be a cliche, but it kind of is. And then being physically silenced by having her tongue removed? Comics treat Asian women Really Poorly.

But aside from that issue, I loved this book. That character is much more interesting in the context of the larger story. I also thought the way Barbara's Death Of The Family arc plays off [b:Batman: The Killing Joke Deluxe Edition|52681895|Batman The Killing Joke Deluxe Edition|Alan Moore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566862112l/52681895._SX50_SY75_.jpg|551787], as well as the family and roommate drama that Simone seeded in the first two volumes of this run of Batgirl, really rewards long time readers of Barbara Gordon's story while also making it completely approachable for new readers.

This continues to be one of the best of The New 52 titles from DC.

I always thought that out of the entire Bat Family, Barbara would be the most likely one to break Batman's moral universal of 'no killing,' especially when it came to the Joker, and especially after he broke her. That's the overall theme of this volume, and from the opening pages of the chapter, Barbara makes it clear that she is going to kill the Joker, and that Batman's greatest mistake was letting him live that long.

Barbara and Joker's reunion was not as epic as I would have liked it to be, but it was pretty close to being perfect. The best was seeing the aftermath and looking at how it affects her relationship with Bruce going further, because it is quite clear that in a way, Barbara perhaps could not forgive Bruce for letting the Joker live for so long. All of this is much more harrowing when the Joker tells her that the reason Batman hasn't killed him yet is because he loves him and he couldn't live without the Joker; it is almost tragic, when, in the closing pages of the story arc, part of Barbara (and the rest of the Bat Family) start to somewhat believe that.

Perhaps though, the greatest with this volume lies in its final pages when Barbara finally snaps and does the unthinkable; it was great, and tragic, and painful, and so deeply complex.