Monday, November 7, 2022

Batgirls #12 Review

  

   

Written by: Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad
Art by: Neil Googe
Colors by: Rico Renzi
Letters by: Becca Carey
Cover art by: Jorge Corona, Sara Stern
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: November 8, 2022

Batgirls #12 brings the hunt for the Hill Ripper to a close as Steph and Cass battle Riddler and Mr. Fun to stop the killings once and for all.


Is It Good?

Batgirls #12 would be a perfect spot to end the series and have everyone walk away on a relatively positive note. It doesn't look like that's the case, but if readers need a graceful jumping-off point, this is it.

Tonally, Batgirls #12 is wildly inconsistent with the previous issue. Issue #11 felt like it was written for grade schoolers who get their comics material from Scholastic. Still, Batgirls #12 feels like a traditional DC comic with a mix of action, revelations, blood, and a fairly decent conclusion to the Hill Ripper hunt.




The Hill Ripper's identity, Mr. Fun, was revealed in previous issues, so there's no surprise here. Readers learn the motivation behind Mr. Fun's killing spree (spoiler: he's crazy) while Cass tries to save Mr. Fun's latest victim and Steph takes on the Riddler in hand-to-hand combat. In the end, Cass saves the day and nabs Mr. Fun, but Steph misses the chance to take Riddler in.

It all sounds well and good, but there are a few rough spots in this issue.
First, The dialog in the first half is stiff as a board, sounding as natural as the ingredients on a cereal box.




Next, the Riddler suggests that he was also hunting the Hill Ripper, but it's not clear why suggesting the Riddler was forced into the story as an excuse for him to drop a tidbit about Steph's family.

Lastly, the art is generally okay, but the coloring leans too heavily on pink and purple. There are several panels where one or more Batgirls look sunburned, so the color selections are odd to the point of off-putting.

Overall, it's not a great comic but one of the better issues in this run.

 


About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.


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Bits and Pieces:

Batgirls #12 brings the hunt for the Hill Ripper to an end with a respectable amount of dramatic tension, plenty of action, and a decent conclusion to the killing spree. That said, the dialog in the first half is terrible, the tone is wildly inconsistent compared to the previous issue, and the art, especially the coloring, is odd.

6.5/10

 

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