by Joe Iconic, Reporter

On her latest mission, Batgirl finds herself mixing it up with Helena Bertinelli of Spyral…but who is the mysterious Spyral agent who seems to be one step ahead of her at every turn without ever showing his face? She’s determined to crack this mystery – but Grayson is just as determined not to get caught! Plus: Batgirl visits Gotham Academy – and there are plenty of surprises in store for her!

Batgirl Annual 3 is a tour de force of #DCYou Gotham! Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher first Batgirl annual showcases the new energy and direction in DC Comics.   Annuals should be a place to do something different and awesome with the character and story.   Batgirl chases a villain through the different landscapes of Gotham, encountering the other local characters in their different genres of storytelling. Each section of this story has different art to match, which pays tribute to the awesomeness of Gotham’s different ongoing comic book series.

In Batgirl Annual 3, Batgirl punches henchman with Grayson, sparing with Spoiler, entering the darker realm of Batwoman, and then exploring the mysterious passageways under Brenden Fletcher’s Gotham Academy. Although all the artists are a stand-out, special fan love has to go to Bengal as Artist and Colors on the Grayson arc. Bengal is red-hot in July, with Guardians of the Galaxy Team Up on the stands this month as well. There are different types of fans in comics. Many fans start like I did, following their favorite characters. With experience, many of these fans begin following their favorite writers. Then there are these amazing fans I meet that follow different books just for the art. They are the fans I most want to share a table with at the local coffee shop. Bengal is one of those artists you should follow. Seriously, his work is why it is called sequential art.

The Grayson arc of Batgirl Annual 3 is magnificently written as well, very much a spy story with a “Three’s Company” twist on it. Seeing Batgirl help Helena Bertinelli clear floor after floor of henchmen also has the feel of a first person shooter game, clearing the levels to the Big Bad, with extra tension with Dick Grayson helping but avoiding Barbara.   The favorite gag is how Batgirl (almost) recognizes Grayson by seeing his butt; the same gag of how Midnighter recognized him in his ongoing series. Dick Grayson’s quality posterior is now canon, and maybe offers an explanation of why he thought those tights were a good idea when he was Robin.

The next section of Batgirl Annual 3 has David La Fuente on art and Gabe Eltaeb on colors for Batgirl’s encounter with Spoiler. This part of the story was also well executed, and felt like a tribute to Babs Tarr’s style in the ongoing Batgirl series. Stephanie Brown fans should add this to their pull list, but be forewarned! This is not the same Spoiler of Batman Eternal and Catwoman. In this month’s Catwoman #42, Spoiler approaches Seline Kyle for training. Just the reminder that Stephanie Brown had surfaced again sent me back to the comic book racks to pull the Catwoman issue.  The Catwoman series is a crime family drama (think Sopranos meets Arkham). Cat puns aside, Stephanie Brown has the potential of landing on her feet and finding a much needed home in the new 52. Catwoman is yet another great different side of Gotham, and would have been a great opportunity to integrate into Batgirl Annual 3 to showcase Gotham, and how Batgirl fits in this different stories. Instead, this Stephanie Brown is a unique take on Spoiler, the overly eager manga novice trope. She feels more like Maps from Gotham Academy than Stephanie Brown. This Spoiler still fits if her characterization is interpreted as Batgirl’s perspective on Spoiler. Maybe Batgirl just misses her harder edges, seeing her as the upstart newcomer. Batgirl meets previously-in-another-universe-but-maybe-future-Batgirl should have been a high point, but instead is a moment of rare discordance, but hopefully only for us die-hard Stephanie Brown fans.

The Batwoman section of Batgirl Annual 3 has Ming Doyle on Art and Ivan Pascencia on colors, which establishes the more muted colors, the harsher lighting, and the near-horror tones that resonated so well in the Batwoman series. This story also contributed to the different facets of Gotham, and how the different stories can co-exist as different walks of life which exist in a big city. The Wicker Man prison definitely existed many city blocks away from Burnside, but was still awesome. Do you ever feel out of place while taking a wrong turn into a different part of your city? Achievement level unlocked goes to this Batgirl team.

The contrast is great when Batgirl goes to Gotham Academy, with Ming Jue Helen Chen on art and colors for Fletcher’s other awesome series. It feels Disney-like in contrast to the previous section, and yes, it’s a little too fitting that Olive and Maps are there to save the day, but it still makes a great and enjoyable story. There is a brief oops when a word balloon that was intended for Olive is attributed to Batgirl, but it is easy to overlook.

For music to listen to while reading Batgirl Annual 3, change stations when the art changes.   Mission: Impossible soundtrack with Grayson. When Spoiler shows up, maybe whatever the Black Canary band (another great comic!) would sound like in your head. The Ramones, maybe. Then change to Fever Ray or anything more metal with a touch of vampire for Batwoman, and then back to that well-played Harry Potter soundtrack when you get to Gotham Academy.

Batgirl Annual 3 is highly recommended for fans of Batgirl, Black Canary, Grayson, Gotham Academy, or Gotham in general. Get this book to see the possibilities of what could be done with an annual and different storylines in a rich setting. This book is worthy of pulling for the art alone. The different stories in different art directions is compelling. Usually changes in artists within an issue strikes a wrong note, here it plays a symphony. This annual also made me eager to see how Batgirl is integrated into an upcoming issue of We are Robin, a series with yet another art direction, tone, and brilliance in the Gotham cityscape.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Batgirl Annual #3 4 batarangs out of 5 batarangs

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