‘Batgirl #26’ (review)

Written by Mairghread Scott
Illustrated by Paul Pelletier
Published by DC Comics

Batgirl gets a new writer and artist with this issue.

The issue starts off pretty good actually, but then slowly just becomes trite. I had hoped someone would come along and turn this title around.

Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

The issue begins with a high speed motorcycle chase through the streets of Gotham.

Batgirl is chasing the villain Grotesque who is a violent art thief. This portion of the issue is good. It has a nice set up with some excellent excitement.

Then, Grotesque shoots Batgirl in the spine with a stun gun and then gets away.

That’s when the issue got strange for me.

Grotesque gets away and we are left with a Batgirl who is messed up. It feels like it could have been interesting, but by the end of the issue I just felt that this started to drag. It feels like it should be moving faster.

The art by Pelletier makes it feel like that certainly.  But it just didn’t for me. I felt like I already know the ending of this storyline already and now have to read it and go through the motions.

By the end of the issue, it becomes sort of strange as Barbara has an “episode” from the stun gun. What is going on? It just feels so minor that I hardly cared by the end of it. There’s not really any weight behind it all.

The art by Pelletier doesn’t do the second half of the issue much in the way of favors. The first half has a few thrills. Then it just got weird and generic for me. Pelletier always makes me wish for Alan Davis when I see his art. It just bores me usually.

This feels like it could have been a thousand times better. Maybe it’ll pick up. Right now however, it’s just sort of rather dull.

RATING: C