Batgirl #9 Preview/Discussion SPOILERS

[psynetrix]

Wow! Batgirl #9 was amazing. Not only did Ardian Syaf deliver his best work yet in the title, but Simone also wrote a fantastic story. This one shows the true reach of the Court of Owls. And Batgirl's closing remarks were just chilling.

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[Ed Sizzers]

I think people might be overreacting over the reviews since there are just people's opinions at the end of the day.

Exactly. There are people on this thread that would have given Batgirl a 9/10. And there are people on this thread that would have given it considerably less. No-one's right or wrong, and no opinion is more 'important' than another, just because it's featured on a website.

[ArnoldoAAD]

I didn't sense any connection between Batgirl and Mary Talon --

i mean the connection between random japanese girl-mary-Batgirl

thats pretty much what had impressed most reviewers

with Gretel, yes, but not with this baddy. I felt there was genuine compassion on Mary's part, like her humanity was still in there somewhere.

you know, the big problem that i have with this is simply that the Talons are nothing like that

if this had been a completely new character thats is not a Talon then it might had work but we never see Mary's real personality at all, we only see her once as a kid, she doesnt say anything or expresses anything and we are suppose to buy that once she became Talon she somehow retained some personality, i guess thats the parallelism that Gail is trying to do with the japan flashback, that somehow all that insight that we get from the school girl is exactly the same one as mary
but we dont see anything to prove that

also is this is the 4th time in a row that Gail to humanizes the villain and the last 3 were just as forced

Maybe she thought Batgirl was deformed under the mask?

ok, i was joking when i say that but its obviously nothing so simple

Or maybe she simply spared Batgirl because she wasn't supposed to kill her.

thats a Really weak excuse and would had nothing to do with the "I understand" msg at the end

It's not like the Talons are crazed maniacs; they are finely tuned assassins.

right but they are also controlled by the court

Its a little convenient that This Talon is so free thinking


But i most add that i dont really think that The Talon part is bad, its just weird, i dont like the method use on the comic to go certain places, like the use of the fire balloons by mary
if anything, what i really hated of this comic was Jim Gordon, he just sucks, and the whole plan to turn on the signal which just makes no sense at all in the way it was done

[adkal]

if anything, what i really hated of this comic was Jim Gordon, he just sucks, and the whole plan to turn on the signal which just makes no sense at all in the way it was done

It was a psychological attack on Gordon to show that his realm, his control, his domain has been infiltrated.

He tried to call Barbara using someone else's phone, and the call was intercepted.

He tried to draw attention to what was going on to the Bat-family and provide some solace to Gotham, only to find that the tool of reassurance had been usurped and corrupted and that, in using it, he only fueled the fires started by the Court instead of dampening them.

[ArnoldoAAD]

It was a psychological attack on Gordon to show that his realm, his control, his domain has been infiltrated.

there was nothing psychological about the first encounter, he was threaten, thats it

He tried to call Barbara using someone else's phone, and the call was intercepted.

If he had called IMMEDIATELY
and i mean the second he arrived to his office i would had forgive it
but no, he waited, he was scared like a little girl
he FOLD

a good portray of Gordon would had done any of this, he would had called Barb after getting threaten, if the call was intercepted he would had go to her house, contact other police to assist him, contact Bullock or someone else

and finally
why is not a target to be killed?
he wasnt attacked by the Talon, not directly at least
none of this was necesary and it doesnt makes me think anything different from the Court as a villain, just makes me question the gapping plotholes on this plan

He tried to draw attention to what was going on to the Bat-family and provide some solace to Gotham, only to find that the tool of reassurance had been usurped and corrupted and that, in using it, he only fueled the fires started by the Court instead of dampening them.

thats the very end of the comic, the motivation that let him to turn on the signal sucks, and (this is the biggest flaw of the comic) he could just turn it off, or even more he could had notice that there is no longer a bat on the signal, the thing is not invisible

i mean the idea is more than good, its a declaration of war from the Owls, but the execution is not good

[adkal]

there was nothing psychological about the first encounter, he was threaten, thats it

No, I'm referring to the totality of what happened, you're taking it piecemeal.

If he had called IMMEDIATELY
and i mean the second he arrived to his office i would had forgive it
but no, he waited, he was scared like a little girl
he FOLD

Right...in light of the fact that Batman had been missing for two weeks because of the Court there's absolutely no reason for him to give any credence at all to their threat? That's what you're saying, isn't it?

a good portray of Gordon would had done any of this, he would had called Barb after getting threaten, if the call was intercepted he would had go to her house, contact other police to assist him, contact Bullock or someone else

Again, Batman's abduction already shows how serious and capable the Court is.

And in the time taken to get to her place? What reason would there be to even think she was at her place?

The fact that the call, which was made from a phone that wasn't his, was intercepted already 'ups the ante'

and finally
why is not a target to be killed?

He is. Nightwing was going to go to him but felt that he was relatively safe where he was so opted to go protect the Mayor instead.

he wasnt attacked by the Talon, not directly at least

He's on the list.

none of this was necesary and it doesnt makes me think anything different from the Court as a villain, just makes me question the gapping plotholes on this plan

Personally, I've found almost this entire storyline to be quite 'meh', but I can appreciate the (apparent) 'necessity' the Court has in usurping the Bat-signal. The 'light of comfort' is now one that draws confusion and fear.

thats the very end of the comic, the motivation that let him to turn on the signal sucks, and (this is the biggest flaw of the comic) he could just turn it off, or even more he could had notice that there is no longer a bat on the signal, the thing is not invisible

The assumption there is that he always looks at the light before switching it on. Shock is debilitating.

i mean the idea is more than good, its a declaration of war from the Owls, but the execution is not good

It's not just a 'declaration of war', it clearly states to Gordon that his place has been infiltrated.

[ArnoldoAAD]

No, I'm referring to the totality of what happened, you're taking it piecemeal.

but there was no psychological impact on the start and yet he seem distress

Right...in light of the fact that Batman had been missing for two weeks because of the Court there's absolutely no reason for him to give any credence at all to their threat? That's what you're saying, isn't it?

no, he had all the reasons to believe that the threat was credible

but he is Commissioner Gordon
he gets threats ALL. THE. TIME.

Its Unforgivable that he reacts like this to even one of them, that he sits on his hands while the officers tells him that Gotham is on fire

Again, Batman's abduction already shows how serious and capable the Court is.

absolutely irrelevant
we dont even know if he is aware that batman was kidnapped by the Owls

And in the time taken to get to her place? What reason would there be to even think she was at her place?

The fact that the call, which was made from a phone that wasn't his, was intercepted already 'ups the ante'

this all would actually makes sense if it wasnt that the purpose of plan was actually to make Gordon turn on the signal, while having a Talon throwing paper balloons at the building

and the fact that Gordon chooses to turn it on, despite all of the threats on his daughter makes it worse

he had a phone call intercepted, what made him think that just sending an officer to protect his daughter would do something
cause the call could be intercepted, cause the officers could fail to protect, cause they could be working for them

the easy solution to this was to go for Barbara himself and take her to the GCPD before the crap hit the fan, NOT DURING IT

I think Gail ruined the Gordon family, every single one of the, once great characters now useless

He is. Nightwing was going to go to him but felt that he was relatively safe where he was so opted to go protect the Mayor instead.

He's on the list.

I didnt say he wasnt on the list, Its obvious that he is
but he wasnt attacked, not directly

in fact he was warn instead of being attacked

Personally, I've found almost this entire storyline to be quite 'meh', but I can appreciate the (apparent) 'necessity' the Court has in usurping the Bat-signal. The 'light of comfort' is now one that draws confusion and fear.

The assumption there is that he always looks at the light before switching it on. Shock is debilitating.

you are only looking at the result, my problem is not that, like i said, i like the idea of claiming the batsignal
my problem is the method to get to that result

It SUCKS
Is badly written
It makes Gordon looks like a coward and an idiot, the plan has gaping holes on it
The Shock just loses its impact

It's not just a 'declaration of war', it clearly states to Gordon that his place has been infiltrated.

It doesnt matter what was the message for Gordon, he was targeted to be killed, so what does it matter
why wasnt he attacked?

[Captain Jim]

Read this issue last night and thought it was very good, one of the better "Night of the Owls" issues I've read to date. The WW2/ Japanese background, the inclusion of the Haley's Circus subplot, the stalking/ threats toward Commissioner Gordon and the moving ending were all nice elements. It was interesting the Barbara encountered her owl even before getting the message from Alfred and yet the continuity between this and Batman were perfect. Well written and very nice artwork as well. The only thing I didn't care for was the cover art, specifically the odd spread-eagle pose of the owl. But all in all, great issue.

And no, it doesn't trouble me in the least that the people who hate every issue hate this one too. Yawn, what else is new?

[paulski]

I haven't read the issue yet, but, if that is indeed what happened, then I can certainly buy it as a reason for not killing Batgirl (I'm assuming she was in deep doo doo at the time). I'd expect Talons are conditioned to obey the Court's orders unconditionally at all times.

Ignore everything I said there. After reading the issue, it didn't happen like that at all.

Hey, here's an idea... Why doesnt Gordon turn off the Owl signal?
Or what if the Owls just made a signal of their own that they could light themselves so they wouldnt need this elaborate plan to get Gordon to light it?

Also, my reaction to "i have mask 2, i understand":



That made no sense at all.

Such a dumb issue. Which is a shame, because there were a number of things in it that had a lot of potential.

Seriously, though:

- Gordon just standing there like a stunned mullet and... not turning the Bat/Owl signal back off? WTF?
- The female Talon not finishing off Babs... because she was wearing a mask too??? Methinks the Talon's in the wrong line of work in that case!
- The ending where it was revealed that the young Japanese girl was actually in Nagasaki at the time might even have been touching if it hadn't have been executed in such a hamfisted way (IMO).

This book's really getting close to the point of no return for me.

[ArnoldoAAD]

- The ending where it was revealed that the young Japanese girl was actually in Nagasaki at the time might even have been touching if it hadn't have been executed in such a hamfisted way (IMO).

I hadnt notice that

thats actually really cheesy

[batGRRRl4ever]

Since Babs is still a book-geek who would like to see a villian who uses quotable quotes from old books in their crimes? With Bab's eidetic memory she'd be able to pull most of those references right out of her head from the many books she's read in the past. Kinda incorporating and giving a nod to her previous continuity librarian past w/out actually going back there literally.

[batGRRRl4ever]

Read this issue last night and thought it was very good, one of the better "Night of the Owls" issues I've read to date.

And no, it doesn't trouble me in the least that the people who hate every issue hate this one too. Yawn, what else is new?

I'd really like for the books detractors to submit to us their fanfic to show us once and for all just how much better this book can supposedly be.

But yes as I said before, a pretty good stand-alone issue. Looking forward to seeing Knightfall's outfit/depiction. And I'm just HOPING that eventually James Jr. will wind up in a spandex supervillian outfit as well! Here's a before and after idea of what I'm talking about for James Jr:


lol

[El Sombrero]

I'd really like for the books detractors to submit to us their fanfic to show us once and for all just how much better this book can supposedly be.

Just continue the tone and style of Batgirl: Year One and it would be ridiculously better.

[batGRRRl4ever]

Huh, I did NOT love that book. Didn't hate it, but definitely did not love it either. Babs is too "stephy"/teeny-bop-erish in that book for my tastes in parts, definite turn-OFF. And the hitting over the head with all the Oracle references was so hamfisted. And I also did not like how she clearly got demoted into a more sidekick role in that tale.

At least in this current title while it's obvious that she has gotten some of her gear from Bruce, it is also clear that she is quite independent of him as it suits her.

[El Sombrero]

Huh, I did NOT love that book. Didn't hate it, but definitely did not love it either. Babs is too "stephy"/teeny-bop-erish in that book for my tastes in parts, definite turn-OFF.

I'm pretty sure that book came out before Steph was created. I understand your point but just saying.

EDIT: Apparently Steph was created in 1992 and was Spoiler in the 90s. Batgirl Year One came out in 2003, Steph became Robin in 2004 and Batgirl in 2008.

I guess our difference in taste makes sense as I prefer the teen / lighthearted take on Babs. My favorite interpretations are Batman: The Animated Series, the 60s show, and All-Star Batman & Robin.