By Cat Wyatt

Batgirl #19 is the start of a new plot, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that was a little bit confused upon seeing this cover. Batgirl and Cobblepot working together? According to the caption on the cover (which can sometimes be misleading, intentionally or not), they’re ‘Burnside’s newest crime-fighting duo.’ What alternative universe have we been flung to? Obviously I just had to read this one and see what was going on!

Of course, after a cover like that there’s no way they were going to start right off with an explanation. So instead things start out with Batgirl doing what she does best, stopping crime and protecting the little people out there. In this case that means stopping a donut shop owner from being intimidated. I’m tempted to make some donut and crime fighting jokes here…but I’m going to do my very best to refrain from that.

I do have some questions about the next few panels. The people threatening the donut shop – they’re not trying to rob her (the owner), and have made no move to try and physically harm her either, nor did they make a move towards Batgirl. Was the physical response on Batgirl’s part warranted? I mean, yeah what they were doing was absolutely not okay (basically trying to scare the woman into closing her bakery), but did they deserve a Batgirl punch to the face? I can only imagine how hard that girl can hit, and I’ve got to say I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end. Food for thought (hey, I said I was going to avoid crime fighting jokes, not food jokes).

Considering Barbara’s active nightlife (you know - the whole vigilante crime-fighting thing), it’s no wonder that she’s occasionally exhausted during the day. One can burn the candle from both ends for so long before it takes a toll on you. Thankfully there’s a magical fix for that: coffee. Lots of lots of coffee, preferably without cream or sugar (a sure sign of the desperation for caffeine she feels). Still, if you’re looking for a quick laugh at Barbara’s expense, taking a peek at the panels where she’s trying to function pre-coffee may be a good idea.

While Barbara, Qadir, and Frankie are enjoying their morning banter (is this a daily thing? I have friendship envy), the weather outside is steadily getting worse. Where the reports keep saying the skies are clear and the temperature shouldn’t drop too low, what Burnside is actually getting it the polar opposite (sorry, couldn’t resist). Snow and rapidly dropping temps are quickly making things dangerous for the town, especially considering the cut budget for this sort of emergency (figures). Again, I’m going to do everyone a solid and resist any jokes about weathermen always being wrong. I promise (probably).

I’m sure that I’m not the only one that had a sudden “aha!” moment about the snow here – Cobblepot on the cover, and a sudden snowstorm outside? Okay, it isn’t exactly up his alley, but it isn’t exactly unthinkable either, is it? Though obviously, that wouldn’t explain the ‘crime fighting duo’ bit, so my brain isn’t helping me too much in this case. Oh well.

Though I was partially correct – the snow does bring about Cobblepot’s introduction for this issue. Granted, he’s not looking to work with Batgirl, though they both have the same end goal in mind. At least by all appearances they do. Cobblepot is making his men help clear the streets of snow and ice. I suspect this has less to do with altruism, and more to do with creating a better image for himself. I’m still suspicious that he had something to do with this, even if in a roundabout way, but until I can prove it I’m just going to quiet down.

The real question of the day is how the weather network was still getting the wrong information. Thankfully Batgirl is around, and thanks to her amazing (but not humble) computer skills she’s able to accurately track the problem back to the source.

I know this was the start of a new plot, but I kept catching myself thinking it was a light one-shot sort of story. Maybe it’s because despite the snow drama, things never really got out of hand. Plus all of the silly moments and joke potential included. On a happy note, there’s a Super Girl cameo, which is a plus. I’m not sure where this plot is going yet, which is a good thing. I still think that Cobblepot is going to be related somehow, but maybe that’s just me thinking that since he made the cover, he must have a bigger part in this?

I loved the artwork for this issue. Snow is so easily overlooked, but it’s so easy to get wrong if you're not careful. I think it may have learned a little too much on the ‘pretty’ side than the ‘threatening’ side, but it’s hard to have people actively moving outside and still be seen in a comic when the snow is that heavy. So I understand the artistic choice at least. I love how expressive they’ve been making Barbara lately – for example when she was exhausted and essentially using the cafe's table as her bed.

Score: 4/5

Batgirl #19
DC Comics