Batgirls #13 // Review
Lady Shiva encourages Steph to eat the broccoli, assuring her that it is not poisoned. This isn’t exactly a joke. Lady Shiva IS a very dangerous person. She thinks she’s talking to her daughter Cass. There’s a good reason for this: Steph is in Cass’s body. It’s complicated, and it’s only going to get worse in Batgirls #13. The writing team of Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad continue a fun, witty action fantasy in an issue brought to the page by artist/colorist/letterer Jonathan Case. The visuals of the drama feel a bit stiff and static, but the action feels quite dynamic.
Cass and Steph are all mixed-up. Lady Shiva knows that SOMETHING is going on, but she doesn’t exactly know what it is. She’s willing to attack someone who APPEARS to be her own daughter to figure out what the hell is going on. Meanwhile, Cass is having a hell of a time in Steph’s body. She’s all tied up by her father...being driven out into the middle of nowhere. Maybe Babs can work it out. She’s hanging out with a pretty good detective when a really good magician shows up. Maybe SHE will be able to make some sense of the whole body-swapping thing...
Cloonan and Conrad alternate between the three Batgirls with style and poise, which is pretty remarkable considering how mixed-up everything is. The writers have done such an excellent job of defining all three characters in the 12 issues leading up to this one that the mash-up hits the page with striking clarity. Given how similar all three Batgirls are, this is quite an accomplishment. In light of this, the brilliantly articulated casual familiarity between Babs and Bruce on the other end of the chapter feels like an added bonus. Cloonan and Conrad manage another thoroughly entertaining adventure with the three Batgirls.
It’s a pretty jarring jump from all of the art of the previous 12 issues to this one. Had it been a situation where Case didn’t have to pick up in the middle of a story, the transition between artists might have felt a little less clunky. Case is a solid artist, but picking up in the middle of a very fluid and delicate story with body swaps, action, and drama...it all feels a bit stiff on a new artist. That being said, Case DOES manage a few charming moments here and there, and the action IS powerful on more than a few occasions.
Case continues next issue. With a bit more of a handle on things, it’ll be interesting to see how he manages with the first issue in his rearview. It’s going to take some getting accustomed to a new artist, but Conrad and Cloonan have built up such impressive momentum so far that it’s hard to imagine the next few issues being anything other than a great deal of fun.
