Batgirls #7 Review

Moving The Checkers Pieces Into Position

Written by: Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad

Art by: Robbi Rodriguez

Colors by: Rico Renzi

Letters by: Becca Carey

Cover art by: Jorge Corona, Sara Stern

Cover price: $3.99

Release date: June 14, 2022

Batgirls #7 begins the next phase of the trio's adventure when the Saints escape GCPD custody to go after Seer for tricking the mercenaries into believing Simon Saint was still alive. Is Seer worth saving, and how far will the Batgirls go to make it happen?

Was It Good?

Batgirls #7 picks up the next phase of the series by moving on from the Tutor/Spellbinder conflict into a rescue mission involving Seer and the Saints. The story is okay, the art team has undergone a major shift, and the issue ends on a serviceable "to be continued...". note. If this sounds like an unenthusiastic endorsement, that's because it is. There's nothing glaringly wrong in this issue, but it certainly feels like the creators are on auto-pilot.

The first big change you'll notice in this issue compared to the previous ones is a change-up in the art team. Rodriguez and Renzi take over for Corona and Stern (except for the cover), and it makes a huge difference in the art style. Rodriguez and Renzi most notably wrapped their team up on Valiant's The Harbinger series, and if you put this issue against The Harbinger, they'd look like they were happening in the same city.

Rodriguez has a cleaner, less stylized aesthetic than Corona, and the style in this issue looks more fleshed out and mature. On the one hand, this "more mature" style feels more comfortable for an action comic. On the other hand, Corona's stylized caricatures tend to suit the silly writing style more closely. Most of this art critique boils down to preference, so it's up to you whether you prefer Corona or Rodriguez, but it's immediately obvious their styles are jarringly different.

Renzi's colors, however, are a down point in the art. I noted in his work in The Harbinger series that he tends to go overboard with the amount of pinks and purples, and that hasn't changed as he transitions into Batgirls. Stern made use of the urban setting and Tutor's use of street art to bring an array of colors into the mostly nighttime scenery. Here, purple and pinks overwhelm nearly half the book, reducing the vibrancy of what Stern built in the previous issues.

The story picks up, after a brief gap in action that's later explained, with the Batgirls coming up with a plan to use Seer as bait to capture the Saints after they escape the GCPD. The Saints now know Seer tricked them into believing Simon Saint was alive, and they're out for revenge. The plot is generally okay, but it lacks energy and urgency. Most of the issue revolves around getting the players in place and coming up with a plan to be executed in the next issue. As long as you know Seer has been captured by the Saints, you could skip this issue and not miss anything important.

Bits and Pieces:

Batgirls #7 moves on from Tutor/Spellbinder to deal with the Saints (again) and Seer. A new art team takes over with mixed results, and the story is just serviceable in an issue that's mostly setup for issue #8. As long as you know that Seer has been captured by the Saints, you could skip this issue and not miss a beat.

7/10