A Tale of Two Bat Volumes: A Review of DC’s New 52 Batgirl and Batman: The Dark Knight

For many, DC Comics New 52 introduced an era of uncertainty about which of their treasured comics would resemble the previous incarnations and which would be so radically altered that longtime fans would feel alienated. Stray too far from the source: disaster. Stray too little: pointless.

Two collected first volumes — Batgirl and The Dark Knight — illustrate this dichotomy perfectly.

On the one hand, Batgirl: vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise overcrowded Bat Family. Barbara Gordon, newly able-bodied, struggles to come to terms with her new role as a superhero while balancing her youthful uncertainties about her decisions and responsibilities. The art reflects this energy and the vibrant colors carry the reader from panel to panel with high flying ease.

As a fan of Tim Drake as Robin, I found her pathos and joy resonated as familiar and welcome. And it proves not every Bat story need be completely mirthless … or without a female protagonist. Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf are on the top of their game and left me ready for more of Babs and her journey. This solo book is easily worth seeking out and adding to your collection.

Then there’s Batman: The Dark Knight Vol. 1: Knight Terrors. Written by a trio, including David Finch, Paul Jenkins and Joe Harris, with art by David Finch, Ed Benes and Richard Friend, it’s rare that so much splash amounts to so little real substance. The storyline lacks any real originality or suspense as Batman winds his way through his rogue’s gallery, a la “Knightfall,” on the way to discovering a hidden master villain just beyond his grasp. Even the beginning scenes are rote, as if to simply introduce new readers to Bruce Wayne and provide heavy-handed world-building.

The artwork is similarly flawed. Every page is so close to Jim Lee’s iconic style, from splash pages to fights, that if the two were placed side by side a viewer would be hard pressed to identify who had illustrated which. It’s slick and appealing, but falls prey to the same visual limitations as Lee: the heroes only pose in majestic leaps and the female characters serve little more than to titillate.

While there’s certainly some interesting work happening with the Dark Knight of Gotham in the New 52, alas, this one lacks anything truly new at all. It simply feels more like a comic to round out the already full rack of Batman titles. It might not be ugly, but that doesn’t make it good.