Bats and Bones

Batwoman #2

Batwoman and her new sidekick, Bette Kane, take out a bunch of thugs while discussing the fact that Batwoman has been invited to join Batman, Inc. Meanwhile, DEO agent Cameron Chase visits Gotham to warn Maggie Sawyer that she believes she’s actually Batwoman. Kate Kane has a date with Maggie, plus there are more investigations into the mysterious child abductor.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Without a single doubt, this is the best-looking, most amazingly beautiful comic being published today.

Batgirl #2

Batgirl pursues the new villain Mirror, who is obsessed with killing people who he believes have unfairly gotten a second chance at life. They have a thoroughly brutal fight across the city before she loses him in the cemetery. After a stern talking-to from her new roommate, Barbara goes on a date with her therapist, does some research on Mirror’s background, then tracks him to his secret lair and learns he plans to blow up a subway car just to get a single one of his victims.

Verdict: Ehh, I dunno. I like the writing, I like the art — but not only is Mirror a really low-quality supervillain, it becomes more and more clear as we’re reading this that Batgirl is not actually a very good superhero either. It’s not just that she screws up a lot, but she also doesn’t seem to be up to the job, either physically or emotionally. If she’s having difficulty with a schmuck like Mirror, how’s she going to handle Killer Croc or Clayface or the Joker? She needs to be back working a computer, not trying to be an action hero.