So what did you think of Batgirl (the series) overall?

[Constantine Drakon]

Not about how the character is being used now.

Since her series is over and it doesn't look like she'll get another one soon, what did you think of the whole thing?

[Choppa]

I liked it.

I liked Azrael better.

[Constantine Drakon]

I'm going to do a "What did you think of Azrael (the series) overall?" thread when this one dies down. If it ever dies up.

[Choppa]

If it ever dies down or up, which is it??

[DWEarhart]

Overall, it was a decent series with some potential for some introduced characters to pop up later elsewhere. It started off great, with Damion Scott nailing the artwork and attitude of the book, and Kelley Puckett doing the writing, offering a personality of a city and a world to a girl who could not physically speak, and had no real attitude/personality of her own.

Then, she started speaking regularly, and it went downhill. I feel that she could have been turned into a villain, and I would have enjoyed it, but the route DC took in turning her was wishy washy, and it could have been done in much more sinister and psychological way.

The book lasted about as long as any Bat-spinoff book usually does. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great, and alot of holes left, but worth a read.

[Brack360]

I thought that Andersen Garbrych and Ale Garza's run was by far the best. It certainly had the most characterization and was the only run that gave Cassandra an inner monologue and her own supporting cast. However, it got rushed near the end as it approached cancellation.

I only occasionally bought the earlier issues, usually only when there was a crossover. I am not a fan of Damion Scott's non-traditional artwork. Kelley Puckett used little dialogue and no interior monologue. Each issue was read through very quickly. I felt that Puckett focused almost exclusively on action and not on Cassandra's unique background and character.

Gabrych was the first writer to "get" Cass, and the book was cancelled only a year after he came on. I definitely recommend the "Kicking Assassins" and "Destruction's Daughter" TPB's if you don't have them.

[The Shadow]

I got it from issue #1 and it was consistently among my favorites.

It wasn't a "blow you away!" type of series like The Ultimates or All Star Superman... but it was consistent from start to finish.

I loved Scott's early art and while I enjoyed the early issues the best I liked how her character developed over the course of the series.

[Magneto_X]

While I haven't read all of it yet I have read most of the trades and I *love* it!

[colossus34]

The series never gotten into a real grove. It lacked anything to distinguish it from the other Batbooks and overall got weaker andd weaker as the series progressed.

Early issues showed potential but the Batgirl character never went beyond the whole "Kung-Fu munchkin" persona. She needed more flaws, higher stakes at risk and a strong supporting cast that made her more interesting. Although, I'm looking forward to the return in Teen Tians east--I'm one of the vocal few who think she has potential to be a much more interesting villian!

[Lester C.]

I bought every issue so here is my take on it. It was awesome until the original creative team of Scott and Plucklet left. After that we got a horrible writing Horrocks and even worse art from a bunch of people you don't need to know about. Things were gravy again when Gabrich came on board with Mahn and Leonardi but by then the book was unfortunately past the point of no return. My apologies to all the writers and artists names who've I've misspelled.

For completeness sake the crossover betwen Batgirl and Ghost was good. Avoid the planet dc annual and the oneshot where Batgirl fought the joker. (Good concept but crappy art.)

[Subotai]

It started off very well. Cass was a real enigma, a girl trying to find her place in the world...I always thought of her as some sort of ronin, who winds up in Batman's service because he is most worthy of her service.

It didn't really fall apart on me until she went on that road trip and started going ga-ga over cute guys.

[Lester C.]

It started off very well. Cass was a real enigma, a girl trying to find her place in the world...I always thought of her as some sort of ronin, who winds up in Batman's service because he is most worthy of her service.

It didn't really fall apart on me until she went on that road trip and started going ga-ga over cute guys.

The roadtrip wasn't so bad and it wasn't where she went ga-ga over cute guys. That happened on the cruise as she fell for, Superboy and Blackwind.

[TheTen-EyedMan]

Andy Gabrych seemed to be the go to guy for comics that were about to be canned or changed.

When he did his short but great run on Detective, they veered right into the sewer with City of Grime.

Then he was given a Batman story before the change to crap with Judd's selfishness.

Then he was given the already half dead Batgirl and made it interesting.

Give him a Batbook and leave him on it.

[elias_A]

It was one of my favorite series, and I love the character of Cass.

However, looking back, there were some problems:
Puckett was great with Cass characterisation, but he focussed mainly on her death wish. After the duel with Shiva, he seemed to have run out of ideas.
Also, a lot of his issues were very short to read.

I think the problem was that Cass is maybe to good as a fighter - she has no serious threats or villains of her own, not even really Shiva. The focus was on her inner problems, not the villains, but that could not support the series any more after the Shiva fight.
I liked the issues were Cass is faced alone with moral problems and has to deal with them from her unusual world view, like the issue with the boys playing with rats were she has to comfort the boy whose father she just arrested.
But that recipe is not enough for a whole series, I guess.

After Puckett came Horrocks (I think that was the name?), who did not really know what to do with the character. I did not like his run very much.

But after that, Gabrych was great. He understood the character, and finally, a lot was happening.
I would like to know how much of the villains Gabrych used (Deathstroke, brotherhood of evil, Nyssa) was forced by editorial, maybe already with Titans east in mind. I would have prefered a better developed long-term threat, like a crime boss like Blockbuster or an evil ninja clan. Also, the supporting cast (coffee shop girl, mysterious sprayer) was OK but not enough, and a bit to cheerful - a more noir atmosphere like in Gabrych's Tec run or in Catwoman would have fitted better.

But still, Gabrych's run was great, and I think the issue where she visits Cain to ask who her mother is was the best of the whole series.
It is a shame Batgirl was cancelled, and I hope Gabrych returns to write a Bat-title or even relaunch Batgirl (even when it is a new character.)

[carabas]

I agree with the general concensus.
Pucket/Scott: great. new, original take on the pointy-eared vigilante.
Maybe a bit too non-conventional for many readers who expect the plot to evolve around villains and such, rather than around Cass's inner demons. See also Azrael.

Horrocks: horror. Here's what he must have thought:
teenage superheroine = teenage soap opera.
Kinda missing the point.

Gabrych: vast improvement. He got what made the character unique.
Could have done without the mutant pig biker though.

Things were gravy again when Gabrich came on board with Mahn and Leonardi but by then the book was unfortunately past the point of no return.

Gotta disagree with this. Sales upwards of 30K is not even remotely past the point of no return. Sales upwards of 20K are even sustainable these days.

The book was shut down for a reason other than sales. Possibly because of Titans East, but more likely because of Didio's obsession with getting things back to basics (as in having Babs be Batgirl at some point). Or simply to make way for Batwoman.