Stephanie is in the midst of the worst family reunion ever and if Cass can’t reach her in time, it’ll be the last reunion she ever has.  Your Major Spoilers review of Batgirls #15 from DC Comics awaits!

BATGIRLS #15

Writers: Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad
Artist: Neil Googe
Colorist: Rico Renzi
Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Editor: Jessica Chen
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: February 14th, 2023

Previously in Batgirls: Stephanie Brown, AKA Spoiler,  thought her father, the villain known as Cluemaster, was long dead.  Turns out she was wrong and he has now kidnapped her and is holding her hostage.

LET’S PLAY A GAME

Batgirls #15 opens with Cassandra Cain racing down a country road on her motorcycle.  Elsewhere, Stephanie is tied up in a cabin as her father rants and monologues about what it’s like to be dead.  He then unveils a makeshift game show set and forces Stephanie to play.  The game doesn’t go smoothly for Stephanie, nor does Cluemaster get the answers he was hoping for.  Cassandra then arrives on the scene, but has to navigate the multiple traps that Cluemaster has rigged the cabin with.  The confrontation eventually breaks down with the two vigilantes facing down the barrel of a gun.

DEEPLY EMOTIONAL, BUT UNEVEN

Batgirls #15 features some pretty heavy subject matters.  Things like parental expectation versus child individuality, nurture versus nature, and what it means to watch someone close to you suffer from mental health issues so badly that there’s no helping them.  And, considering that these issues are being addressed by a failed game show host turned costumed criminal and a masked vigilante mentored by a man dressed as a bat, there was an appropriate level of mania and unhinged-ness involved.  Also, the connection between Cassandra and Stephanie comes off as genuine here, when it could’ve easily come off as forced.  Where things start to fall apart is basically everything after the action is over.  Everything after that is overly sentimental, bordering on cartoonish levels where friendship can solve everything.  The tonal shift from rather raw and intense emotion to sappiness is jarring and throws the flow of this issue off quite a bit.

WORKS FOR SOME, NOT FOR ALL

The stylized, exaggerated art style in Batgirls #15 works really well in some situations.  Particularly, with Cassandra Cain’s Batgirl suit and the action involving her.  Here it makes her look wraith-like, almost as if she is an unnatural figure honed to be a threat. It’s a great effect.  Where it doesn’t work so well is the facial expressions on Stephanie and her dad during their argument.  Here the way their faces contort as they get more emotional makes them come off as distorted and victims of overzealous photoshop effect usage.  The colors in this issue deserve some mention.  The M.O. for this series always seems to be tone over realism and here it’s in full effect.  Heavy amounts of orange, red, green, and purple in the backgrounds make it seem as if the emotions of the characters are leaching out into the world.  It’s a nice effect, but it can be a bit much in the interiors, which makes it look nearly monochromatic.

BOTTOM LINE: A DECENT OUTING WITH SOME ROUGH EDGES

Batgirls as a whole has been a mostly enjoyable series, and this issue falls right into that definition.  It’s tense and emotional, and has good action, there’s even a sense that there are some real stakes here.  But, the extra large dosage of sentiment towards the end doesn’t do it any favors, nor does an art style not quite suited for the emotional weight of the issue.  3.5 out of 5 stars.

---

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.

Batgirls #15

70%

70%

Cass is Still Scary

Batgirls #15 continues to deepen the relationship between its main characters in meaningful and genuine ways. But at times it likes to remind you that it’s doing that, a little too much.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  7
• Coloring

  7
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0