My thoughts on Batgirl 35

Batgirl 35 hit this week, and if the internet is to be believed, this is the biggest thing to be released since sliced bread. 

This book wasn't on my radar, and hasn't been since the New 52 launched and Barbara Gordon suddenly stood up out of her wheelchair and decided physically fighting crime was more exciting than doing it from behind a computer screen. But the buzz was big enough on this book to make me rethink my stance. I decided to give it a chance. And while I didn't think the book was bad, I think I'd prefer the sliced bread. 

First thing's first, the art is absolutely gorgeous. Babs Tarr knocks it out of the park, doing a fantastic job of setting this title apart from the grim and gritty look that usually accompanies the members of the Bat-family. The book is filled with bright colors and dynamic set pieces that pop off the page. And while I didn't much care for Batgirl's suit redesign at first, it's growing on me. It really works with the book's color scheme, and I love that it's much more simplistic than most costumes in the New 52. 

But this a comic book, and the comic is more than just the art. And that's where this book falters. There is an interesting story here, especially in the light of recent events. It just isn't executed well.  It almost seems as if Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart are trying too hard to hammer home that Batgirl and her new friends are cool and hip. 

Batgirl has gone from being a young superhero to a "young superhero who gets drunk enough to not remember who she's made out with and wakes up hungover and has to excuse herself to throw up in between bouts of being a badass."

Her new roommate isn't just her outgoing new friend, she's the girl that "throws crazy parties and is super cool and uses hip language and cool nicknames and is supposed to be a lesbian but enjoys making out with dudes too."

Even the villain is turned up, as he's a "DJ and club owner who speaks in hashtag and has his tattoo-and-piercing game cranked to eleven."

I just feel like it's trying too hard to be relevant to a younger audience, as if it's written to appeal to a teenage audience that thinks this is what being in college is like. In that regards, it works. 

I'll be the first to admit, I'm probably not the target audience. And that's ok. As great as it looks, this book just isn't for me. 

But my girlfriend really liked it, and she IS a 21 year old college student. 

So it's got that going for it.