In the wake of "Batman R.I.P."and BATTLE FOR THE COWL, Stephanie Brown, the vigilante formerly known as The Spoiler and Robin has taken on the identity of Batgirl as she begins her nocturnal crusade to take back the night from the underworld. Now she has become the target of both Gotham City's heroes (who don't take kindly to a new person wearing the cape and the cowl) and its villains (who want to see the entire Bat-family six fee
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Bryan Q. Miller is a staff writer for the long-running Smallville TV series and currently writes the adventures of the Teen Titans and Batgirl for DC Comics. Lee Garbett has illustrated Midnighter, Batman and The Highwaymen.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed this book. I was pretty hesitant to pick up the series at first, but now it's near the top of my reading list. Reading this makes me what to go read everything else this character has appeared in. The characterization is well-rounded, with interesting and amusing character quirks (i.e. Batgirl's sometimes problematic tendency to think aloud).
I also like that the book references other series and events subtlety; the references are there if you read enough DC titles to notice them, but won't confuse you if you don't. While it definitely manages to take into account the various character's histories and appearances in other titles, it is self-contained. You don't need to read anything else to enjoy this book. The book has enough humor to keep me interested, but not so much that it distracts from the story. On the art side, the book is consistent and well-drawn.
I really recommend this to anyone looking for a new book to read.
I also like that the book references other series and events subtlety; the references are there if you read enough DC titles to notice them, but won't confuse you if you don't. While it definitely manages to take into account the various character's histories and appearances in other titles, it is self-contained. You don't need to read anything else to enjoy this book. The book has enough humor to keep me interested, but not so much that it distracts from the story. On the art side, the book is consistent and well-drawn.
I really recommend this to anyone looking for a new book to read.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I always liked Stephanie Brown. Like most comic characters, she has been put through some hard knocks, but her light-hearted personality is always a fresh voice in the overly-grim Bat Family. Since she first debuted as Spoiler, she has been a welcome addition.
In just the opposite, I never liked the Cassandra Cain Batgirl. The whole League of Assassins-origin and even her mouthless costume made her seem too much like a designed "cool" comic-book character and less of a person. She just never lived for me.
So I am happy to see the Batgirl mantle pass from Cassandra to Stephanie. And that is literally what happens in "Batgirl Rising." After a team-up fight with Spoiler and Batgirl, Cassandra decides that, since she fought for Batman, and that person isn't around anymore, then she too can retire from the fight. She strips off her Batgirl costume and hands it to Stephanie.
Everything works just right in "Batgirl Rising." Writer Bryan Miller has gone to the comic Stephanie first, Batgirl second. You get the sense that Stephanie feels like she is playing dress-up, that even though she likes the power of having the Bat-symbol on her chest, she is a fraud and afraid someone will uncover her. She is, as Barbra Gordon points out to her written in an emergency room report, "someone pretending to be Batgirl." (Miller has a nice touch for scenes, by the way. Like when Stephanie walks away from the wheelchair-bound Barbara by going up the stairs. An understated scene with strong impact.)
Miller writes the rest of the Bat Family well also. Damien/Robin hates her, like he hates everyone, and is disappointed he didn't get to meet the assassin Cassandra. Dick/Batman is furious at Barbara for taking it on herself to train and outfit a new Batgirl. The Stephanie/Damien dynamic is lots of fun, with his snide superiority coming off as the petulant 10-year old that he is. Some major villains show up to challenge the new Batgirl, mainly Live Wire, Scarecrow and Roulette's crew.
Lee Garbett's art is good if not particularly outstanding. He seems to come from the J. Scott Campbell "Gen13" -school of comic book art, although with more realistic proportions for his characters. He does have some fun with the backgrounds though, and if you look closely you can see someone picking their nose in one of Stephanie's school scenes.
Really, the only thing I didn't love about "Batgirl Rising" was the new Batgirl costume and gear. It works alright, and is a modified version of the original but more heavy-duty and combat oriented. I am just not a fan of the purple siding. And the Bat-bike Stephanie gets...I don't really understand what that is supposed to be - it looks like those old WWII suicide piloted torpedoes, but with wheels attached. It looks goofy, and Bat-stuff should never look goofy.
In just the opposite, I never liked the Cassandra Cain Batgirl. The whole League of Assassins-origin and even her mouthless costume made her seem too much like a designed "cool" comic-book character and less of a person. She just never lived for me.
So I am happy to see the Batgirl mantle pass from Cassandra to Stephanie. And that is literally what happens in "Batgirl Rising." After a team-up fight with Spoiler and Batgirl, Cassandra decides that, since she fought for Batman, and that person isn't around anymore, then she too can retire from the fight. She strips off her Batgirl costume and hands it to Stephanie.
Everything works just right in "Batgirl Rising." Writer Bryan Miller has gone to the comic Stephanie first, Batgirl second. You get the sense that Stephanie feels like she is playing dress-up, that even though she likes the power of having the Bat-symbol on her chest, she is a fraud and afraid someone will uncover her. She is, as Barbra Gordon points out to her written in an emergency room report, "someone pretending to be Batgirl." (Miller has a nice touch for scenes, by the way. Like when Stephanie walks away from the wheelchair-bound Barbara by going up the stairs. An understated scene with strong impact.)
Miller writes the rest of the Bat Family well also. Damien/Robin hates her, like he hates everyone, and is disappointed he didn't get to meet the assassin Cassandra. Dick/Batman is furious at Barbara for taking it on herself to train and outfit a new Batgirl. The Stephanie/Damien dynamic is lots of fun, with his snide superiority coming off as the petulant 10-year old that he is. Some major villains show up to challenge the new Batgirl, mainly Live Wire, Scarecrow and Roulette's crew.
Lee Garbett's art is good if not particularly outstanding. He seems to come from the J. Scott Campbell "Gen13" -school of comic book art, although with more realistic proportions for his characters. He does have some fun with the backgrounds though, and if you look closely you can see someone picking their nose in one of Stephanie's school scenes.
Really, the only thing I didn't love about "Batgirl Rising" was the new Batgirl costume and gear. It works alright, and is a modified version of the original but more heavy-duty and combat oriented. I am just not a fan of the purple siding. And the Bat-bike Stephanie gets...I don't really understand what that is supposed to be - it looks like those old WWII suicide piloted torpedoes, but with wheels attached. It looks goofy, and Bat-stuff should never look goofy.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Stephanie Brown is started out in the crimefighting biz to stop her B-grade supervillain father's plots, and kept going from there. She's made mistakes along the way, and everyone around her has repeatedly told her to just give up and retire: her mother, her ex-boyfriend, Bruce himself. But Steph just can't quit, which is where we find her in the beginning of this book. Fighting crime in Gotham all alone in a borrowed Batgirl costume, she promises herself every night that tonight will be her last night in costume, but is always unable to stop herself from roaming the streets again...
When Babs discovers that Steph is running around as Batgirl, she also tries to deter Steph from fighting. Steph has to prove her own determination to be Batgirl to Babs and to herself in a fantastically-written encounter with a villain (the highlight of this trade for me). The rest of the trade covers Steph's interactions with other members of the Batfamily. Her interactions with Damian, the current Robin, is one of the jewels of the series. The two characters gel brilliantly, and I loved Steph's inner dialogue in this book hearkening back to her own tenure and trials as Robin, as she realizes the difficulties of dealing with someone who's taken your old job (and thinks this must be why Babs always looks like she wants to "hug-punch" her).
That said, the one thing about this book that rubbed me the wrong way was how abruptly and hamfistedly Cass, the previous Batgirl, was written out. I adore Steph as Batgirl, but I loved Cass dearly too, and the reasoning behind Cass giving up the cowl being all about Bruce (even if it was retconned later) made no sense. Cass was Batgirl because of her own experiences, not just because "Bruce told her to be." Steph and Cass were best friends, Cass was Batgirl for years, and yet now she goes unmentioned and her involvement in the passing on of the cowl to Steph is only given a few panels. Steph is fantastic and this series is amazing, but Cass deserved a better exit and a far larger role in passing the baton to Stephanie. I can only remain hopeful Cass gets a spotlight in this book somewhere down the line.
But this book as a whole is definitely a winner: Miller's dialogue crackles, and Steph's cute pop-culture references as she goes about her crimefighting duties call to mind Buffy Summers. The writing is more the main draw for me than the art, but nothing about the art turns me off, and the action sequences are great. In addition, the art's depictions of Steph are never exploitative or oversexed, which is great to see for a comic heroine. Both the writing and art succeed fantastically in making Steph a relatable, likable girl who carries a college class load by day and fights crime by night.
Overall, Batgirl is a fun addition to Gotham's typical dreariness, with a protagonist who fights believing in a better tomorrow and won't give up against all odds. The story's theme of second chances in life and trying to make the world better keeps the story consistently upbeat and a joy to read. Highly recommended.
When Babs discovers that Steph is running around as Batgirl, she also tries to deter Steph from fighting. Steph has to prove her own determination to be Batgirl to Babs and to herself in a fantastically-written encounter with a villain (the highlight of this trade for me). The rest of the trade covers Steph's interactions with other members of the Batfamily. Her interactions with Damian, the current Robin, is one of the jewels of the series. The two characters gel brilliantly, and I loved Steph's inner dialogue in this book hearkening back to her own tenure and trials as Robin, as she realizes the difficulties of dealing with someone who's taken your old job (and thinks this must be why Babs always looks like she wants to "hug-punch" her).
That said, the one thing about this book that rubbed me the wrong way was how abruptly and hamfistedly Cass, the previous Batgirl, was written out. I adore Steph as Batgirl, but I loved Cass dearly too, and the reasoning behind Cass giving up the cowl being all about Bruce (even if it was retconned later) made no sense. Cass was Batgirl because of her own experiences, not just because "Bruce told her to be." Steph and Cass were best friends, Cass was Batgirl for years, and yet now she goes unmentioned and her involvement in the passing on of the cowl to Steph is only given a few panels. Steph is fantastic and this series is amazing, but Cass deserved a better exit and a far larger role in passing the baton to Stephanie. I can only remain hopeful Cass gets a spotlight in this book somewhere down the line.
But this book as a whole is definitely a winner: Miller's dialogue crackles, and Steph's cute pop-culture references as she goes about her crimefighting duties call to mind Buffy Summers. The writing is more the main draw for me than the art, but nothing about the art turns me off, and the action sequences are great. In addition, the art's depictions of Steph are never exploitative or oversexed, which is great to see for a comic heroine. Both the writing and art succeed fantastically in making Steph a relatable, likable girl who carries a college class load by day and fights crime by night.
Overall, Batgirl is a fun addition to Gotham's typical dreariness, with a protagonist who fights believing in a better tomorrow and won't give up against all odds. The story's theme of second chances in life and trying to make the world better keeps the story consistently upbeat and a joy to read. Highly recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A perfect comic book
This volume reprints Batgirl #1-7, written by Michael Q. Miller, with art by Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gareth Simon
New Girl on the Block...
2010's "Batgirl Rising" marks the assumption of the Batgirl cowl by Stephanie Brown, formerly the Spoiler and now the protege of Barbara Gordon, AKA the Oracle. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. S. Thurlow
The start of a phenomenal series.
This trade collects issues 1-7 of Brian Q. Miller's Batgirl series.
Batgirl starts in the shadow of the events of Batman:RIP. Read more
Batgirl starts in the shadow of the events of Batman:RIP. Read more
Published 4 months ago by para
The triumphant return of Stephanie Brown, this time as Batgirl. One of...
I've always loved the whole 'girl power' thing (Not to be confused with Power Girl. LOL), but I almost missed out on Batgirl altogether. Read more
Published 11 months ago by R. A. McDowell
Please KILL HER OFF!!
I prefer Cassandra Cain version of Batgirl. This one is just the lamest of the LAME. I mean come on, blonde hair and purple/pinkish costume? Read more
Published 14 months ago by Fearless
Fun intro to the new Batgirl, but what's up with these prices?
Batgirl Rising introduces the latest Batgirl (Batgirl #4 if you're counting) Stephanie Brown. Stephanie has been a supporting player in the bat-books for years but this book does... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Kid Kyoto
Awesome book!
I think the way Stephanie is written is sweet but tough. She's facing challenges as the new Batgirl and it's done in a clever way. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Brian
Fun Comics
Full disclosure I read this in monthly form and not the trade. If it doesn't contain what I think it does, then please disregard this. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Kauffinbauchser
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