Name: Batgirl: Death of the Family
ISBN: 9781401242596

Daniel Sampere

Gail Simone

Mirror, the nightmare-inducing brute, is destroying the lives of Gotham City citizens seemingly at random. A new chapter in the riveting adventures of "Batgirl" continue in stunning fashion.

Vol. 3 (New 52)

Batgirl: Death of the Family

Maggie Gordon

I think I've been a bit too lenient on the Batgirl series so far. While it is important not to dismiss a book just because it is different from what came before, more and more I realise that this incarnation of Batgirl is continually a disgrace to the legacy of the character, and mostly for silly, editorial reasons. 

Death of the Family was not a plotline I enjoyed in the main Batman books. I found it convoluted, overly drawn out, and melodramatic in a very unsatisfying manner. The Joker was crazy terrible almost as a gimmick, and the results of the entire arc didn't seem to have any weight to them (particularly in comparison to Death in the Family). Batgirl's part in this whole mess was particularly infuriating. Since issue one of her solo series, Batgirl has been building up to a confrontation with the Joker. What he did to her has been driving her both positively and negatively for years, and she deserved a chance to go head to head with him and win. This book completely denies her this chance. 

Batgirl does spend a few issues dealing with the Joker who has kidnapped her mother and wants to, inexplicably, marry the superhero. However, at the climax of this arc, she's knocked unconscious and given to the Joker by her mother. At this point, the story switches to Batman dealing with the Joker and Batgirl doesn't actually feature anymore. This villain that was so important to her development just uses her as a tool AGAIN and the book never addresses this point. She's a vehicle for Batman angst, something that was more definitely ordered by editorial, and it's infuriating. Once Batman's part is over, the book switches over to dealing with her brother, and I guess we are free from the Joker focus now that Batman is dealing with it. Barbara is also supposedly quite angry/distanced from Batman over this, but the book never shows us why! I can totally imagine why she would be angry, but I shouldn't have to make up reasons. For something this important, the book should have covered it. 

I should also note that the volume has, once again, too many things going on. We open with an issue dealing with some Court of Owls things that if you aren't reading the Batman books, don't really make sense or add to Batgirl's world. Catwoman appears, but she hasn't even been mentioned in Batgirl, so why should readers care? Barbara finds out Damien dies and is sad, mostly so that the cover to her book can be dramatic and sorrowful, not so that her actual story changes. After all, Damien hasn't appeared in these pages either! James, her crazy brother is back, and I can't help but think he was so much better in The Black Mirror storyline. This take lacks in subtlety and basically any background to give you reason to contextualise what he did to his family. 

Volume three of Batgirl was very frustrating. Were it not for the fact that I want the new52 background before I start reading Batgirl of Burnside, I'd have dropped it with this arc, but alas, I keep going.

Ardian Syaf

Vicente Cifuentes

After being attacked by the Joker three years ago, Barbara Gordon is now fully healed and reclaims her role as Batgirl, but until she learns to handle her demons, she cannot keep Gotham safe.

Vol. 2 (New 52)

Batgirl: Knightfall Descends

Megan Cooper

Read these as the seperate issues 7-13 and origin issue 0.

I'm enjoying this series better as it progresses. I liked the first six, but BG loses a bit of her angsty self-doubt and kicks more butt.

Batgirl: Death of the Family Vol. 3 (New 52)