Overview: Batgirls #13 sees Batman and Batgirl search Gotham as Steph and Cass face their parents in each other’s bodies!
Synopsis (spoilers ahead): Batgirls #13 begins in Lady Shiva’s penthouse suite, found in Gotham’s Diamond District, as Steph (still trapped in Cass’s body) attempts to mimic her best friend as Shiva presents a lavish meal – but Shiva has already noticed her daughter’s absence!
In the back of Cluemaster’s car, Cass (likewise still trapped in Steph’s body) listens to her best friend’s father monologue about his “death” in Batman Eternal.
At Wayne Manor, Bruce and Babs continue to investigate Steph and Cass’s body swap, looking through the library for arcane clues, and Bruce calls in his old friend Zatanna as a magical consultant.
Steph and Shiva fight brutally, Steph stretching her improvisation to its limits to stay ahead of the world’s deadliest martial artist, and ends the fight pinned to the floor, knife at throat, and reveals her identity to Cass’s mother.
Cass continues to listen to Steph’s father’s meandering speech with her own mouth taped shut.
Zatanna casts a spell and reveals the old woman who gave Steph the coin in the annual. Batman and Batgirl head out.
Steph argues with Shiva that Cass is already better than her mother, and Shiva grudgingly reveals she loves Cass.
Batman and Batgirl confront the old woman, revealing that she’s actually Madame Zodiac in disguise, who says the spell will reverse a day after it takes effect – leading to Steph and Cass snapping back to their own bodies while still captive!
Cass immediately suits up as Batgirl to save Steph, as Shiva fails to Darth Vader persuade her to lead the League of Assassins with her.
Steph, in the meantime, finds herself tied to a chair as her resurrected father faces her in a dirty room.
Analysis: Writers Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad continue the story they started in the annual at the end of last month. And like that issue, their attention to the emotional moments pays off well. Though the narration boxes still need to be moderated, in general, the tone is well-judged rather than overly cutesy or obnoxiously “funny.”
A lot of continuity shows up here – references to Batman Eternal in Cluemaster’s death, Cassandra’s first deadly fight with Shiva in her original Batgirl series, and Shiva’s amazing appearances in Birds of Prey all receive callouts and often editor’s notes.
Though Cass spends most of the issue tied up and gagged, both Steph and Babs have really solid character work done. Steph’s fight with Shiva – especially with the narration note that she has stopped fearing death and faces the world’s most terrifying mother and killer without flinching – is thrilling. Babs teaming up with Bruce to research and then hunt down magical clues, along with a delightful Zatanna cameo, really plays to her strengths as a librarian and investigator.
While the writing, generally improved and strengthened since the beginning of the series, continues to hold up pretty well, the art really, really shines in this issue. Jonathan Case has been showing pieces of his work for the past several months, and seeing the whole issue is well worth the wait. A pity his moody, ink-washed panels, thrilling fight scenes, and extremely expressive faces are only in the book for two issues. You really feel Babs’s curiosity as she peeks around Bruce to see Zatanna, the adrenaline of Steph as she stretches herself to her limits fighting Shiva, and Cass’s fury at being captured and lectured by Cluemaster. Every panel is a delight of characterization and emotion – the next issue promises no dialogue as Cass hunts down Steph solo! Case’s art should really shine in that exercise!
Jorge Corona’s main cover for Batgirls #13 has perplexed many since it was first solicited. An orange Steph and a purple Cass (an odd color choice, given Steph’s affinity for purple…though given the switch, maybe that was the point!) overlap each other in a translucent way, and the resulting chaos against a green background is eye-popping, to say the least! Dan Mora provides the cardstock variant, a lovely piece featuring Babs as the classic suit Batgirl with Dick Grayson Robin behind her highlighted against a cheerful yellow background, a companion piece to his variant for this month’s Nightwing. Rian Gonzales paints her final incentive variant, the 13th in a gorgeous series, with Steph and Cass blowing kisses at the reader from inside a lovely pink heart, with tiny chibi Tim, Kate, Alysia, Babs, Bitewing, F1D0, Kyle, Dick, Maps, and Conner surrounding them!
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with a copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Comixology through Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
Batgirls #13
Overall Score
3.5/5
This story raises the stakes for Steph and Cass well and gives Steph and Babs some really solid adventures - fighting for the former, detecting for the latter, and deploys its guest stars brilliantly, especially when rendered by new guest artist Jonathan Case in his moody, elegant style.
