She's Cassandra Cain, raised from early childhood to be the perfect assassin, an unstoppable killing machine. Haunted by guilt, she fled, did who knows what, then turned up in Gotham City. Now 17 and under the tutelage of Batman and the original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon (now confined to a wheelchair but as fiesty as ever), Cassandra fights for justice, fights to ease her conscience, fights to understand a world of language and emotions she can barely understand. That's a lot for a teen to handle, even one without such a screwed-up childhood.

An impressive concept, and a fresh take on Batman's little corner of the DC universe, and it may work better at a monthly's pace. Collected in a single volume, these first 6 issues in Batgirl's ongoing series move way too fast and tend to gloss over all the things that make her unique. It's like trying to read the label on a spinning cd to see what song's playing.

Beyond Batgirl herself, the best element here is the unusual yet compelling art by Damion Scott and Robert Campanella. Scott and Campanella work in a very animated style, influence by manga, anime and "Batman: The Animated Series." The characters are cartoony, yet vivid and expressive, and at times, move with fluid grace, which is saying a lot for static images on paper. The adventures play out on detailed sets, with much attention to background and foreground elements.

Sometimes, the panel-to-panel flow doesn't quite work (as in one early scene where it's tough to judge the sequence of word balloons), but what they do best is give Batgirl comical facial expressions, even when she's in her faceless mask. The supporting characters, even Batman and Barbara, get the same treatment. While not as "realistic" as a lot of artwork out there, it seems more "real" at times. Kind of funky and fun.

While the artists handle some of the characterization chores (as they should), everything else seems rushed. As soon as silent Batgirl piques our interest, a psychic's rearranged her mind so she can understand language. This affects her fighting skills, but that's tossed aside in favor of Batman's getting angry at her for stopping someone's heart. Evidently, she has little problem adjusting. Then why even mention it? How does it further the story, and, more importantly, how does it make us care about Batgirl?

Look at it this way: she had her childhood stolen, she killed a man at the age of 7 and it horrified her, she wears a costume and jumps off rooftops. Barbara Gordon constantly psychoanalyzes her and Batman tries to mold her into a version of himself. Which one is right, and what's best for Cassandra? Why not use this rich material?

We, as readers, are not allowed to dwell on anything for more than a panel or two; therefore, the stories seem slight and hurried, and without real consequences or mood. Chances for real emotion and poignancy (Batgirl impulsively kisses someone she's saved) pass by almost unnoticed and overwhelmed by endless action sequences. A kid wired on Super Sugar Crisp comes to mind.

This wild, untamed Batgirl is quite a character, but at this pace, she's going to be just another black-suited Bat-ninja, no different from any other comic book character. And that's a real shame. She could be a contender, if only she had a chance. That said, by all means check it out and groove on the new Batgirl while you can.


Surprisingly Good Start   November 18, 2002
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

I bought this book without high expectations. I had heard very bad things about the series but was pleasantly surprised by this decent first collection. It reveals a little about the new Batgirl's past and a bit about her current relationship with Batman through conflicts with various antagonists.

She is an interesting character, but I fear that developments towards the end of this series is going to change that. Batgirl was a mute because her father never taught her to speak, instead concentrating all her training on combat and related skills. In his collection she meets someone who helps her to understand words. This may ruin things in the future. Instead of letter her learn to speak over a period of time, the writers are going for a shortcut. Its much more difficult to write characters who don't speak but this is part of what makes her interesting.


Grand Opera?   August 1, 2003
 3 out of 5 found this review helpful

I have recently regained a strong interest in comics and have been collecting them (especially Batman TP's) feverishly. I, like others on this forum, admittedly took a browse through one of the collected-editions in the comic store and was initially disgusted: it smacked of a 'teeny-bopper' comic, focused on some cutesy teenage girl. I gave the book another chance a month later, bought it, and actually found a lot of merit in it.

Batgirl: Silent Running is a book I appreciate more for its story-telling than its artwork. I find the manga-inspired artwork interesting; Damion Scott's extreme angle-shots (if drawings can be referred to as that), facial contortions and high-speed action seem almost perverse and lifted straight from films and anime. The 'freeze-frame' action sequences are especially well-suited to the new Batgirl character. The coloring in the first two books is good, but gets worse in later issues (see below).

The stories contained in the pages of `Silent Running' continually introduce situations that expose new facets of each interacting character, including Barbara Gordon and Batman himself. While I understand that each writer wants to make his (her?) own mark in the continuity of each character, I feel that Batman sometimes acts out of character (being too fatherly or embarrassed, for instance). The dialogue is trim and without waste; good. I'm not a big fan of the `meta-humans' and the psychic in the Batgirl stories. I appreciate that Puckett is straying away from the classic Batman supervillains (though an appearance or two wouldn't hurt), but these villains show very human flaws and situations - they don't need to have these ridiculous abilities. Batgirl's skills should be demonstrated against cunning opponents rather than invulnerable ones. Cain (her father) is the most interesting villain, for obvious reasons, but his encounters with the protagonist are a bit comical (no pun), goofy, and a bit ridiculous. He is not the hardened-assassin he should be. Perhaps outside of the writer's goals, but I wish the story were darker. It certainly could be, considering the history of this murderous family.

Surprised and pleased with this new Batgirl continuity, I have purchased `A Knight Alone' (also excellent) as well, am planning to obtain `Death Wish' upon release, and have bought several other issues written by Puckett and penciled by Scott. I have to admit, the later issues (i.e. 33-37) lacked the fresh story-telling and compelling situations that the first two books demonstrated. The stories seem increasingly rushed, with Puckett often wrapping up potentially-powerful situations within a single issue. While the fight scenes were very cool in the first two books, demonstrating Batgirl's physical superiority, then her struggles and humanity, the later issues' fights are all very mundane: anime-style monotone unidirectional lines in the background, Batgirl in some mid-air contortion, and 3-4 bodies flying in various directions. There is hardly any mental processes, showing her mind's assessment of the fight, present during these sequences (through narration, I'd expect), which is a shame. While Batman has recently demonstrated a great deal of cognitive analysis during his fights, Batgirl doesn't seem to show any. The outcomes of Batman's fights are often predictable, but at least they aren't monotonous in course. The fights may as well be implied.

Issue #37 is the final issue written by Puckett and penciled by Scott. Too bad, but it seems like Puckett was getting disinterested in the series anyway. I give both `Silent Running' and `A Knight Alone' high marks, while the quality of `Death Wish' is pending. I am disappointed with later issues.


Mediocre story about a mediocre character.   November 17, 2003
 2 out of 10 found this review helpful

She's dressed in all black! She's the best fighter in the world! She's the mute daughter of an assasin! And...she's dull.

Honestly, the stories contained in this trade paperback are boring, with pretty bad art. There's very little meat on the bones with the character and her "adventures." Superhero books should be imaginative and exciting, but this book is neither. This book is simply Warner Brothers and DC Comics trying to separate foolish Batman fans from their money.

For a MUCH better Batgirl story, pick up "Batgirl: Year One," which is about the first Batgirl, Barbara Gordon. She has personality...unlike this new Batgirl, who is a cardboard creation at best.