Now that I’ve finally managed to get a few days off work, I can get back to doing one of the things I love most: reading comics and writing these reviews for you. Given the news that Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, is appearing in season 3 of Titans I thought it was time that I returned to her adventures. The first novel, ‘The Darkest Reflection’, saw Barbara return to her role as a caped crimefighter.
‘Knightfall Descends’ starts with an issue that shows how she became Batgirl in the first place and got Batman’s approval to join the Bat-family. The rest of the novel sees Barbara going up against a new threat: A team of brutal vigilantes called “The Disgraced”, who are hurting criminals using torturous methods in an attempt to bring justice to the city. The leader of their group is a new villain named “Knightfall” who attempts to recruit Batgirl to their cause. Seeing that this group may be a greater danger to Gotham city than the criminals, Barbara enlists some help in bringing down her new adversaries.
Although I don’t mind when a novel has multiple stories, I have to say that my preference is definitely for those that are a single story, like this one. From start to finish you see Batgirl grow in confidence despite the fact that she’s an already established hero. I still feel like there’s some way to go for this series in building an emotional connection between the reader and their titular character but it’s getting there.
In terms of the artwork, I thought it was decent. The style was crisp, and the colours were fairly bold. The covers on the other hand I didn’t find particularly great, but overall this was a good novel and I’m excited to read on!
Favourite Panel:
There are few moments that have bought a lump to my throat but this was definitely one of them.
Favourite Character:
Batgirl obviously. I like that she isn’t overconfident and understands when she may be over her head in certain situations.
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★½
Artwork: ★★★
Enjoyability: ★★★½
Re-readability: ★★★½
Level: Beginner