Batgirl #38 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher
Art By: Babs Tarr
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 14, 2015

Worst Superhero Ever

Last issue of Batgirl I found myself not completely hating what was given to me.  I don't know if it was the over the top story of a artist that yearned for Batgirl's spotlight and decided to take it upon himself to simply take it by becoming Batgirl but whatever it was, it was certainly the best of the new creative team's installments.  That doesn't mean that I'm behind this revamp though, no I still cringe every time I hear the name Batgirl of Burnside especially with the ending to last month's issue, where she decided to claim her identity and start posting selfies.........I might have just had an aneurysm writing that.........WHY WON"T MY EYE STOP TWITCHING?!  Hateful opinions aside, let's check out what this month's installment has in store for us.

Explain It!:

Our issue begins with me yanking my hair out because of all the selfies that Batgirl is posting online and how #BatgirlofBurnside is trending.........What happened to my hero?  Luckily I'm not the only one with a problem because we see Black Canary confront Batgirl about her recent behavior and how she's acting like a teen celebrity instead of a superhero.  This is the part of the book where I'm hoping that an intervention or a wake up call will work but instead Batgirl decides that Black Canary is a jealous bitch and ends their friendship.  

We move on to Barbara having a date with Officer Powell who we met last issue and I don't want anyone out there in interwebs land to think that this is Officer Steven Harris that Barbara would go on to marry in the Futures End tie-in , no that would be too easy to tie this new take on Batgirl in with Gail Simone's run, instead we have a new character and the only thing that I can say I like about him is he tells Barbara what he really feels about the vigilante Batgirl..........It's not good.  The best is that while the two were walking they saw some reality TV star named Jordan Barber being harassed by the paparazzi about him walking on a drunk driving arrest that left a girl badly hurt and Officer Powell says that Batgirl and him are the same kind of reckless, celebrity seeking assholes.........Well he doesn't exactly say that but it's close.  I think I'm starting to like Officer Powell. 

The next day after hearing what her assistant Nadimah thinks about Jordan Barber, Barbara decides..........after a couple of drinks that tonight is the night that she'll take Barber down before he can hurt anyone else with his drunk racing.  The best part is she goes to a club that she knows Barber will be at and her very presence causes Barber to want to race her and even though she had ample time to stop Barber from getting into his car, she was too busy telling people that she didn't have time to take a picture with them.............How is everyone loving this series?  So now the race is on and Barber and Batgirl drive recklessly through Gotham and it comes to an end when she throws a gel bomb into his car (kind of like the airbags system in Demolition Man) that causes him to drive directly into a coffee shop.............causing the damage that she wanted to stop...........while she was drinking earlier.........Bah.

In the end, Batgirl escapes being arrested by Officer Powell and the next day during their date we find out that he knows a lot more than he should about her past.  The reason for this we find out when he excuses himself to the bathroom is that he's been receiving phone calls from someone he thought was Barbara who apparently just wants to talk about her deepest secrets............ Well it seems that the Barbara impersonator is upping her game.......... or after reading the last issue, possibly his game.

That's it for this issue of Batgirl.............. and I don't see what everyone is talking about when they say how good this series has become.  It's just issue after issue of social media and selfies and the hero that I once loved becoming a self absorbed little brat.  I'm beyond complaining about the art because it's Babs Tarr's style and while I don't really like it being in Batgirl, it's still her style and it's fine.  I've never come across anything in her artwork that I thought was subpar, I just think I'd like it better in a different title............. or maybe with a different Batgirl....... I don't know, I just know that I can't get behind this new take on the character and every month when I open this book I die a little.  See you next month when we take a look at how the writers can sully the good name of Batgirl more.

Bits and Pieces:

There has got to be some grand design to this series where the writers will bring Batgirl back to her former glory at some point because as of right now it seems that she keeps getting worse and worse and I never thought that I could hate Batgirl.  Everyone seems to love this new take on the character and how young and carefree she's become but all I see with each issue is another way to show how Barbara has become a thrill seeking, selfish, celebrity wannabe brat.  There's no redeeming quality to this issue and all it seems to accomplish is to alienate the people that loved the character and the idea of a strong female lead.

2.5/10