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Review of Batgirl Annual #2 – When Pamela Gets Blue

BG Annual #2 Banner

Batgirl Annual #2 is here!! A Batgirl-Poision Ivy team up? What strange world are we in now!? THIS WILL BE A SPOILER FREE Review!

BG Annual #2 Cover

I know this is the NEW 52, and you have to stay consistent with the continuity. Which I like, but based on Clay Mann’s cover here… I was really hoping to see Babs decked out in the Bat ’66 Batgirl costume. As is pictured on the cover. I’m not saying that it’s bad that she’s not, but would have loved to see it in the book itself. Annual #2 picks up after the WANTED storyline, and I’m not sure if it’s before or after the Silver and Midnight Man stories. However I think these Annuals are sometimes meant to be one shots. Even though Gail Simone continues down BG’s path and all that. It didn’t seem as if it was connected too much to the main stories going on in the title.

BG Annual #2 Page 1

Writing: 

Because I’m writing spoiler free here…. I’m not sure HOW much of the plot I can reveal….. I will say that Gail Simone writes an interesting few twists with Poison Ivy, and the teamm up with her and Batgirl seems a little strange at first. But I eventually saw where they were both coming from. What Simone does so well is develop characters in a short amount of time. I could be wrong, but I think that this is the first time that I have read Poison Ivy in the BG ongoing. I know she had dealings with the Birds of Prey, but in nearly 31 issues of the BG ongoing, I don’t remember Batgirl having faced Ivy.

BG Annual #2 Page 2

The basic plot here is that BG and Ivy team up to find this guy who supposedly has a cure for Ivy. Mr. Rain he has implanted innocent people with devices that make them do his bidding. After that I won’t say much more on the plot. Because you really need to read this for yourself. It is a super interesting story that takes place over all four seasons of the year. There is also a subplot with Babs’s roommate Alysia that is quite cool to see her again. Gail Simone continues to keep me on the edge of my seat with her writing these characters so well.

BG Annual #2 Page 3

Art:

Robert Gill and Javier Garron are on the art duties here, while the colors are done by Romulo Fajardo, Jr. Letters by Rob Leighn, and the cover is by Clay Mann. The art here is wonderfully done. I LOVE the idea of breaking the story up into the four seasons, because that’s what makes the most sense in a Poison Ivy story. And the Seasonal Bat images are wonderfully done. The Cover of the book by Clay Mann is simply amazing. It looks like Ivy is breaking Batgirl’s back, but then we see on the cover that she is tied up by the branches Ivy controls. The coloring is very well don on the characters and backgrounds as well. I never would have thought to use the Bat Symbol to reflect seasonal changes. As this story keeps advancing by three months every few pages. Really love the way Gill draws the characters in Batgirl’s world.

BG Annual #2 Page 4

Final Thoughts:

Yet again I found this issue to be perfect, the writing, the art, everything came together well. It’s interesting to see how Simone wrote Ivy. I don’t think I have never seen the character this deep or complex before! Very good job on the writing and the art is superb!!! Batgirl Annual #2 is a wonderfully written and drawn issue that once again seems to be a self contained adventure for Babs and her world.  Go get Batgirl Annual #2 now!!!!

Final Rating:

RATINGS - 5.0 STAR

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TFG1Mike

TFG1Mike is a geek with many interests. He has been podcasting for over a decade, and sees no stopping point in sight. From Transformers, He-Man, Batman, Comics, movies, video games, cartoons, and so much more, Mike has a zeal for the things he loves, and he will bring the hammer down on the things that he has a disdain for. He's generally a postive person, but negativity can creep in there. Mike is all about the innuendos and innuendon'ts too. You'll hear him on many of The GCRN podcasts!

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