Friday, 8 July 2011

Batgirl: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
Batgirl's greatest adventures collected together in one volume.  Barbara Gordon is a demure librarian at Gotahm City Library.  She decides to surprise her father by dressing up as a female version of Batman for the Policeman's Masquerade Ball, but on her way there she interrupts an attack by Killer Moth on the playboy Bruce Wayne and decides to take the villains on.  Wayne takes the opportunity to escape, change into his Batman alter ego and assist the overwhelmed Batgirl.  It is the beginning of a great partnership, in which Batgirl defies Batman and her father and teams up with Robin to fight crime.

11 stories, moving from Gardner Fox's debut of Batgirl in DC comics in 1967, all bright colours and slapstick punching, kicking and bad puns, think Adam West and Burt Ward, to three darker late 1990s stories.  Photo Finish features the strange angles and beautifully fluid style of Duncan Fegrado (Enigma).  The two part disturbing  Folie a Deux ('shared psychosis') written by Kelley Puckett follows the treand of the 90s in exploring the darker sides and twisted psychologies of Gotham legends and villians.

An excellent collection and introduction to one of the lesser known but most endearing comic legends.  The only addition I would have like to have seen is reference to Barbara Gordon's career as Oracle after being critically injured by the Joker and having to rebuild her life (The Killing Joke)

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