BATGIRL #43, out this Wednesday from DC Comics, concludes the dramatic plot involving the Oracle. This entire plot has been a unique solution to the dilemma of tie-ins, and the end result has been a fascinating and alarmingly intelligent read.
***SPOILER WARNING***
Oracle Rising has been a brilliant and intense read. Stemming from the Year of the Villain, this plot pits two of Barbara’s mantles up against one another. Barbara is Batgirl, and Batgirl is Barbara. But where does that leave Oracle?
As it turns out, Oracle herself (itself?) would like to know. And she’s feeling rather bitter and abandoned about the whole situation. This issue, Batgirl #42 concludes the plot, resolving the tension and so much more. But how far will Batgirl have to go in order to win this mirror match battle of the minds? Fans will be fascinated and curious to see how Barbara thinks her way of this mess.
The Plot
Cecil Castellucci has done it again. Here is a compelling story of Batgirl, where she’s been forced to think outside of the box. That is to say, she has to think outside of her normal way of thinking. She’s already quite talented at seeing solutions that most others would overlook.
Batgirl #42 brought with it several changes alongside the conclusion. That’s to be expected, of course. But these changes, while surprising, also fit in nicely with where the series has been building up to for a while. We don’t yet know where it will go – but there’s no doubt that we’ll be finding out soon enough.
There were a lot of interesting elements to this issue. For starters, there was that delightful twist on the ‘enemy of my enemy’ concept. It worked brilliantly here and added some extra tension since none of us really knew how it was going to play out from there.
Then there’s Batgirl and her clever way of thinking. That was something we needed to see here. It was the perfect comparison to the way Oracle was thinking and acting. That made it the ideal way to conclude this plot, even though there is a lingering concern that the battle is not yet over (that whole rule about characters having to die graphically on screen before it’s truly over).
As far as tie-in plots go, this is one of the best ones to come out in recent times. It was clever, it was compelling, and it really shined a light on everything that makes Batgirl an ideal leading character. So if you’re looking for an example on how to merge two plots together, take notes.
The Art
The artwork inside Batgirl #42 was vibrant and so alive. That probably had a little bit of something to do with the color palette – there was a lot of fire and explosions to be found in this issue. But it was also more than that as well.
Unsurprisingly, it’s the fight scenes and way Batgirl moves around the scene that really takes the show in this issue. Everything about her looks quick and decisive, which is fairly on point for her style. The creative team did an excellent job of showing all of that off.
Carmine Di Giandomenico was the lead artist for this issue, with Jordie Bellaire providing the colors, and Andworld Design doing the lettering. These artists work very well together, and we’re looking forward to seeing more from them in the future.
In Conclusion
Batgirl #42 was a fun and intense conclusion to an intriguing plot. It’s hard to believe that Batgirl and Oracle would ever be pitted against one another like this, but this whole plot arc has proven that it was both inevitable and exciting (to read).
