The final Requiem for Robin this week comes with Batgirl #18, but it really isn’t a requiem. Sadly for us, writer Ray Fawkes is still penning Batgirl, which leaves the true writer, Gail Simone, out of the loop for this important bump in the Bat Family history. Fawkes continues to write his story concerning the face off between Batgirl and her psychopathic brother James. Issue #17 was one of the worst comic books I’ve read in a long time. Does issue #18 erase that? Nope. Not at all.
When last we left Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), she’d faced off against Firebug, only to have him accidentally fire off his flamethrower and blow up a building. Issue #18 opens with citizens of Gotham searching the wreckage for Batgirl. Amazingly, though she was in the direct path of the explosion and the building collapse, Batgirl makes it out with a few scratches and some tears in her costume. Not to her mask though, woo hoo, lucky there.
Back to James, who makes a bunch of ultra-hackneyed speeches about his sister before turning his attention to the lame trap he’s set for her. He doesn’t spring the trap, but there’s enough conjecture by the end that you’ll figure it out. The whole “Requiem” thing is laughable, because the Batgirl-finds-out-Robin-died stuff is crammed into maybe seven panels. Then Batgirl is off to fight and defeat Firebug. Issue #18 feels more like three different issues randomly stapled together.
Fawkes’ problems are multiple. First, he has no idea of pacing. The elements in Batgirl #18 consist of a villain named Firebug, Batgirl, her brother, and the death of Robin. Fawkes simply cannot tie all of that together with any grace. Every single element feels forced, which leaves Batgirl #18 extremely sectionalized. Lacking flow, Fawkes then turns to his amateurish dialog. Most of that falls on James, who can’t stop talking like a clichéd serial killer. That’s the final failure. When James was first introduced he was cunning, and manipulative. He never fell into typical serial killer ideals, save maybe for his torture fetish. Fawkes kills all of that. James could now be any run-of-the-mill killer from any B-movie.
Daniel Sampere’s art is one of the few good things happening here. His style seems basic, but there are a lot of small details happening in each panel, like the reflection of James in his car window while he talks to Barbara. The make-up of each costume is ripe with folds and bits of armor plating, giving them a well rounded feel. I also like how he handles faces; he manages to give the emotion that Fawkes fails to create with his subpar writing.
R. Hunter, M. Deering, V. Cifuentes and J. Albarran all handled the inking. I have no idea why it took four people to ink this issue, but they did a superb job. There is no discrepancy between the four and the inks add to the carnage of the opening scene, as well as enhance Sampere’s detail work. The colors for Batgirl #18 were applied by Blond who does an average but competent job throughout. Nothing jumps out at you, but at the same time, none of the colors feel off or muddy.
Batgirl deserves better than this. Hurry back, Gail.
(3 Art, 1 Story)
