Batgirl #42 // Review
Faced with an adversary that knows her intimately, a young hero is forced to behave in ways she would never have done before as a new chapter is opened on her life. The final chapter of Barbara Gordon’s tangle with the AI known as Oracle begins the new year in Batgirl #42. Writer Cecil Castellucci delivers a new twist on an old premise in the finale of his Oracle Rising story. Artist Carmine DiGiandomenico gives the action dramatic tension that is well-grounded in a very vivid and detailed corner of Gotham City. In the close of his opening arc with the character, Castellucci shows a great deal of mastery over those things which make Batgirl so very, very appealing.
Batgirl has fled from the AI she created in failure. It’s something she would never have done before. This wasn’t an accident: she realizes that Oracle knows her well enough to know her every move. The last thing that she can afford to do is do something that she would normally do. As a result, she’s going to have to act instinctively without playing to logic. Her best strategy is not to have one. It’s going to be one hell of a challenge for her. If she survives, it’s going to be a challenge that will change her substantially as a person.
Doing irrational things to beat an evil artificial intelligence is an idea that has a long and distinguished history in science fiction. Castellucci gives the old concept a clever new spin as Batgirl has to do things without thinking sixteen moves ahead as she is accustomed to doing. The freedom that this allows her is liberating. Castellucci renders the deeper elements of Barbara Gordon’s psyche with a smart economy of dialogue and internal monologue. It is brilliantly keeping the personal emotional journey from slowing down the action in a fast-paced action story. It’s a very, very clever balance that he’s created here.
The detail of DiGiandomenico’s art continues to impress. Action glides swiftly across the page against an impressively detailed background. The architectural backdrop of Burnside is thoughtfully committed to the page with a level of mastery that would almost suggest that the artist had photo references of a city that doesn’t exist on this side of the comics page. Once again, the emotional intensity of the conflict between hero and villain reaches the page with iconic power thanks to a very solid understanding of the writer’s approach to the story. Castellucci and DiGiandomenico make an excellent team.
Batgirl has liberated herself from the relentless discipline she’s come to expect from herself. The change in her personality came about out of necessity. From here, her story could potentially cascade into several different directions now that she’s free and clear of the year of the Villain crossover event. As good as Batgirl has looked throughout much of 2019, Castellucci and DiGiandomenico certainly seem to be casting her in a direction that appears to be a substantial improvement over last year.
