Batgirl: Kicking Assassins TPB (2005)

This collection is named aptly as well as pun-tastically. The story opens with Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) taking on Onyx as a training partner - a woman who, like Cass, is a trained assassin, and who, like Cass, is now using her skills to try and save lives instead of take them. The story ends with Cass taking on Ravager, a girl who, like Cass, has been trained by her father to kill - and who desperately needs her father's approval, just as Cass once did. In between, Cass has to face down not only the Brotherhood of Evil, but also Ravager's father, Deathstroke...

So, yes, this is an action-packed volume, but what really makes Cass an intriguing hero isn't so much the physical as the mental. Batgirl has recently proven herself against none other than Lady Shiva, so we know she can fight - but Cassandra is still struggling in her every day life, and in Batgirl: Kicking Assassins we get a gloriously wide window into just what those struggles mean for her.

Cass' difficulties with speech, reading and writing, have been approached differently by almost every writer; here, the right note seems to have been struck. Her oral communication skills are getting stronger, even if she speaks in short, direct sentences, and stumbles over the occasional unfamiliar or difficult word. She seems to be both puzzled and amused by language, as she tests sentences to find the right preposition and wonders whether she is "volving". She still can't read, or only very little, and we're shown that while that's not a handicap while she works, it can be during her civilian life - she can't read the menu in her local cafe, which makes the simple act of ordering food not really all that simple.

Luckily, there's help at hand, in the form of the cafe's owner. Despite her obvious belief that Cass' late nights and bruises are a result of sex work, Ms Miller - no first name given - is very understanding of Cass' illiteracy; Cass, in return, helps her out in the form of a Wayne Foundation Grant, and Ms Miller, although unaware of Cass' involvement, insists she comes to the celebrations. And that's really what lies at the heart of this story - Cass, starting to make connections with the people around her. A ghostly visit from Stephanie Brown reminds the reader that not that long ago Cass lost her very best friend in the world - and yet we see her now, still missing Steph but starting to make new friends, and forge a new life for herself in Bludhaven.

Overall, an excellent TPB that not only shows us Cass as Batgirl, in all her ass(assin) kicking badassery, but also Cass the girl - branching out on her own, still growing, always trying to do better. Let's just hope that with Cass' return to comics as Blackbat that this is the hero she is still allowed to be.

Batman | 128pg. | Color | Softcover | US$14.99 | ISBN 1401204392

Birds of Prey v2.11, Titans v2.34 - "Hit and miss (horribly)"

I don't often pick up comics that - well, that I don't often pick up, but this week I gave in to temptation and decided to give both Birds of Prey and Titans a shot. I was excited for BoP when Gail Simone took over writing duties, but was irritated by so much - the confusing, fast-paced plot, the apparently pointless addition of Hawk and Dove, and the horrible, horrible artwork - that I quickly dropped it; however, this week's one-shot, Huntress-focused issue (and the temporary lack of Benes) piqued my interest. Teen Titans is usually as much ridiculous team angst as I can take, but with the wonderful Isis gracing the cover this week I decided to give it a chance.

Birds of Prey #11 | Writer: Gail Simone | Artist: Pere Perez | Cover: Stanley Lau

Apparently "hit and miss" was coined purely for my two choices. Birds of Prey went a fair way to restoring my faith in Simone's writing as the Huntress once again confronts the fact that in a world of heroes-and-villains, black-and-white, she's still grey - too moral to be a villain, but not quite at the point where she can really number herself among the heroes. Apparently considering the same situation is her sometime-love interest, Catman, and the two have a chance to reconnect - or not. Simone does an excellent job of showing just how complicated the "grey areas" are - as you'd expect from the writer of the anti-hero-slash-villain team Secret Six - and also shows the influence of the people that Huntress and Catman have chosen as their friends and team-mates. The art isn't amazing, but at least it isn't Benes, and this was such a satisfying read that I think I'm back on the BoP train.

Titans #34 | Writer: Eric Wallace | Art and cover: Fabrizio Florentino

And then we come to Titans which is more like a trainwreck. At this point I should almost apologise to Benes, because at least his work hasn't permanently scarred my retinas. Every single thing about this comic made me angry. First there was the panel of Cheshire being knocked down, which was carefully drawn so as to get maximum breast viewage, while a grizzled Roy Harper was apparently unable to help her because he's high on dead children. Then we have Dick Grayson angsting about his best friend and beating up a suit of armour (actually, more hilarious than anything else). Then we find out that Slade is going to remove Roy's eyeballs, and Cheshire's been captured so she can bear Drago a child. He actually tells her she's going to be his "Mary".

Oh, right, Isis. The whole reason I invested any time in this heap of steaming donkey dung in the first place. Well, her brother committed mass slaughter to bring her back to life, so naturally she goes mad and starts destroying Philadelphia. I guess sometimes you just have to accept that you are not a comic's target demographic - presumably they were going for the "people with absolutely no taste" market, that's a big market - and move on.

The Flash v3 #10, or: Hey Bart's in this one!

Indeed, Bart Allen shows his fuzzy little head in this week's issue of The Flash. He's cranky with Barry for being a tool, standing in for the reader, who think Barry is being a tool. In the issue Barry ditches the family picnic to go investigate crime, because he's a serious CSI guy now. You can't tell because he forgot his sunglasses.

In other news, we found out last issue that Hot Pursuit was Barry. This issue: From an alternate universe! And there's a DNA test to prove it. So we know it's Barry: Supertool in every universe as opposed to Professor Zoom with amnesia again, who ran around pretending to be Barry and fooling friends and family for funsies once. It's also not Barry's evil twin, Malcolm Thawne, who ran around being a dick for no reason once and therefore easily mistakable for Barry. These are obviously serious questions that needed to be addressed. Because comics. That's why.

God I love this book.

Anyway, exposition setting up for Flashpoint, Barry failing at having a healthy relationship with his grandson (probably due to guilt issues of being a literally dead beat dad for all of his children's lives), another dead body, and an old co-worker shows up for hugs. It's a lady and workplace gossip is sure to be stirred.

Next month: Traumatized children!

Power Girl TPB (2006)

I don’t know if superhero origin stories get less perplexing the more you get into comics; it seems to me the more you learn, the more you just want to forget the backstory and enjoy the characters and plot as they are. Of course, not every hero’s story exudes confusion – Batman wasn’t always a shell-shocked orphan, but he was always a vigilante determined to fight criminals. Superman’s family may have grown a cousin and a clone and a dog, but he’s always been a kindly alien. Wonder Woman, any fan will tell you, has had some of the most inconsistent portrayals of any of DC’s big heroes, and yet she is always a woman, and a warrior, from a land of women warriors.

No such luck for Power Girl. Her origins were, at first, simple – well, for comics, anyway. She didn’t exist in “our” universe, but on a parallel Earth where Batman had married Catwoman and together they’d had a daughter. Power Girl was Kryptonian, like Superman, a younger, angrier, sassier – and more female – version of him. From the beginning she was a fan favourite, and so when DC got rid of their parallel Earths, they kept Power Girl - only with her universe gone, she needed a new origin – and so the confusion began...

The Power Girl tpb follows the rather murky development of Power Girl over thirty years, taking stories from the Justice Society of America and Infinite Crisis, explaining Power Girl’s background, first as a proud Kryptonian, then as a reincarnated sorceress, and finally as a misplaced and lonely woman, alien in every sense of the word. The book includes explanations of each “stage” of her character, extremely helpful for the uninformed reader.

As a relative newbie to Power Girl, I was absolutely delighted to see her early character designs. Peej is as blonde and buxom was as I’m used to, and yet in the art of Joe Staton her musculature is given equal attention; she’s also frequently drawn in positions that suggest strength, not cheesecake. This makes a strong contrast to the art of her 1987 reboot; here, Mary Wilshire gives her a body that is much more traditionally “feminine” – slender, with a smaller chest, too. This, coupled with her new emotional backstory makes Power Girl seem a lot more vulnerable than she originally was.

The final story, written by Geoff Johns and with art by the extremely fangirlable Amanda Conner, manages to show Power Girl’s vulnerability, confusion, and loneliness, without detracting at all from her strength. This is the tale that seeks to re-establish Peej’s original origins, but in true comic book style it doesn’t do so without throwing any number of red herrings in the way. Still, it clearly took things in the right direction – after all, Power Girl has her very own series now, and she seems to have more fans than ever.

Power Girl has come full circle. At her introduction, she was a woman who preferred to punch first and ask questions later, a mostly private and solitary person with a reputation for a bad temper – in part due to her wish to keep people away, but also simply because she liked her independence, and resented anyone who threatened to take it away from her. In her recent title, first under Palmiotti’s writing and now Winick’s, she’s once more developed these characteristics. Similarly, her costume has really changed very little over the years, aside from the much-ragged “boob window”. This just goes to show, perhaps, that while the editors and visionaries at DC might expound the need to reimagine and recreate for their audiences, sometimes it really ain't broke and it really don't need fixing.

• DC Universe
• 176pg.
• Color
• Softcover
• $14.99 US
• ISBN 1401209688

Batman Inc #4

Grant Morrison seems to be a writer who divides fans down the middle; there's those who think he's a stone cold genius, and can only admire his complex creations with open mouths - and then there's those who read his work with knitted brows and cries of "No seriously, what the fuck is going on." A certain amount of Morrison's charm comes from his belief that everything that's ever been written in comics is canon, but at the same time, his work can be so heavily referential that it is impossible for anyone who isn't Grant Morrison to parse. His characterisation ranges from the brilliant to the bizarre. His writing is intricate, but often ultimately confusing. He is, essentially, an acquired taste.

With all this in mind, I picked up the latest instalment of Batman, Inc. with some trepidation. I knew going in that Morrison was not only going to be using fan favourite Kate Kane - the current Batwoman - in this issue, but also retelling the story of Kathy Kane, the original Batwoman, whose existence was erased Post-Crisis. I needn't have worried - the story showcases Morrison's talent in the very best way.

Kathy's new origins stay somewhat true to her Silver Age counterpart. She becomes Batwoman to help fight crime; she has her own sidekick, Bat-Girl; she has a romantic relationship with Batman. However, Morrison has as always given her rather more complicated motivations, and allowed her to be more than just another love-interest for Bruce. She has a fierce independence, and has faced a lot of personal tragedy - there are more than a few parallels with her male counterpart, and yet despite the names and the history, it never feels as though either of them are encroaching on the other's identity.

Kate Kane is also well developed, with characterisation clearly drawn from Rucka's recent Detective Comics run. It is certainly a relief to see her kicking arse and taking names here, as her own title is yet again delayed 'til date unknown. Kate finds herself chasing an unknown villain through the very same circus once owned by Kathy, and as we find out more of Kathy's story, it's obvious to the reader - and to Kate - that this is more than mere coincidence.

Chris Burnham's art is satisfying, if not brilliant. Where he really shines in this issue is in the flashbacks to Kathy's time as Batwoman, where the style manages to catch the Silver Age feel without being cheap or cheesy. He also captures the power of his female heroes, without resorting to t&a or dressing them in clothes that don't suit their personalities.

Are we going to see the return of Kathy Kane? It seems unlikely. What will we see, hopefully, is Kathy finally assume her rightful place in Bathistory - not as a joke or a footnote, but as a strong, capable woman, the forerunner of Babs, Cass, Kate and Steph. Kathy Kane should be remembered as the woman who dared to be Bat.

Welcome!

Welcome to Paperbag Vigilantes. We're a new comics (and related pop culture) blog written by (mostly) women, some named and some anonymous. We hope to offer review and commentary that you might not have seen or thought about before. If you want to suggest a topic, drop us a comment or e-mail.

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