Batgirl, Vol. 3: The Lesson

Batgirl (2009) (Old Trades)

by Bryan Q. Miller, Dustin Nguyen (illustrator), Derek Fridolfs (Illustrator)

It's a new year and a new look for Batgirl as superstar artist Dustin Nguyen joins the creative team! Stephanie Brown's second semester at Gotham U. starts like any other - new classes, new allies, a vigilante stalker - everything a gal could want! But what Gotham City's Batgirl isn't prepared for is the arrival of the mysterious "Order of the Scythe." Who are they, and why have they set their sights on her? "The Lesson" begins here! The "Order of the Scythe" has drawn first blood, framing Batgirl for a crime she didn't commit. Can she outrun Gotham City's Finest long enough to prove her innocence? The birth of Batgirl's gallery of rogues begins here as "The Lesson" continues! Batgirl has been given her first sanctioned Batman Incorporated assignment solving a series of high-profile kidnappings, and she's thrilled! Well, she was - until Robin decided to ride shotgun. Can the Dysfunctional Duo stop fighting long enough to save the children of Gotham City's elite? Patience may be a virtue, but can Batgirl stand still long enough to stop a super-speedster foe? "The Lesson" continues as the mysterious Order of the Scythe unleashes its first weapon in their war on Batgirl - Slipstream!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Batman, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2011

About the author

Bryan Q. Miller is an American television and comic writer most notable for his work on the CW’s “Smallville” and DC’s “Batgirl.” (with Stephanie Brown as Batgirl)

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephanie continues to shine as Batgirl. She's got heart, charisma and, perhaps most importantly, chemistry with every panel partner. However, the flaws lie with the narrative. Bland villains and boring motives drag down an impressive characterisation of the titular hero.

actual rating: 3.5 /5

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fractured and hampered by tie ins and the coming of the New 52, but Steph still shines through.

It's sad, when they announced the New 52 I was happy and sad at the same time, I wanted a hard reboot I thought that's what we were going to get (but we didn't) but it also meant that it was logical that a lot of the baggage good and bad of the DCU would be gone, and Steph was on that chopping block. This is her swan song and thought it is flawed there are some real gems in this final collection.

World: The art here is only okay, other than Nguyen that is, I wished he had done the entire final run. His colors and style is great. The world building here is a bit choppy due to the tie ins and the end of the series. The pieces that we do see here, in the one and dones, are great though. I would have wanted more in depth look at the little piece of Gotham Miller created for her, but alas we are out of time.

Story: There is an overly arc here, but that the weakest part of the story because it constantly gets sidetracked by tie in books and one and dones. The one and dones are FANTASTIC! The Damien issue, the Clarion issue were highlights and they were just fun through and through. I really would have liked the story to develop more in terms of character and also the overall arc with the Reapers but that story ended up being pacey and choppy and really not that great. The final issue made me weep because I knew I was never going to see Steph in a Bat costume or her as a matter of fact for a very very long time (until Batman Eternal).

Characters: The end of the series made for a lot of missed opportunities for the characters, looking back their arcs could have been so much better. O with her relationship with Steph and how they would bond over both wearing the costume. Wendy with her plight mirroring that of O and them being a trio for Team Batgirl. Nick with his relationship and banter with both O and Steph and where that triangle would have led, plus his past which was only touched on in the end. Steph and her relationship with her mother and how it would eventually be dealth with. Finally, Steph herself and her journey to grow as Steph and also as Batgirl, there could have been so much more story to tell and the series was only finding it's groove and now it's ended. It made me cry.

The end of the series made me tear up as this was the end, I knew I would not see Steph for a while and all the stories I've read with her since Robin to now...it's been a journey and the sense of her series ending is sorta like losing someone dear to me. I wish she would be in the New 52 (eventually she was...slightly) but I knew logically she would not. With reboot happening again in 2016 I felt it was a good time to read this series again and hope and wish that she will find herself in the Batgirl book as Spoiler...one can hope.

Onward to the next book!

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Batgirl fun, but I have the sneaking suspicion that this book series is about to be canceled.

[Cindy Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this third and final volume of Bryan Miller's Batgirl comics, Stephanie is mostly alone as Batgirl, with Oracle and Proxy both busy with other things/their life. Stephanie's secret identity as Batgirl and her history with her parents comes into play here, and we also get to see "girl power" as Stephanie is not afraid to call on her superfriends for help. She's come quite a ways from the first volume, when she didn't even want Oracle's help.

Since this run of Batgirl was cancelled before the final issues were completed, we do get an ending rather than a cliffhanger. In fact, the ending is one of the most touching endings of any series. Sweet without being sentimental, and a sort of farewell tour for Stephanie as Batgirl as parts of her past play out in her final efforts to save Gotham yet again.

I'm glad I knew that the series had been cancelled before I started reading. These three volumes are so good that I would have been quite angry if the cancellation happened "real time" while I was reading them. Too bad, DC comics. You could've had a new lifelong fan.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Steph. This is her last outing as Batgirl, and her best. She was just so good in the part, and it's a shame she got bumped. I'm grateful to Miller for a very good run, and for giving Steph the best possible farewell. I especially liked the issue guest-starring Squire, and for the guest appearances by most of DC's young female heroes towards the end. I love Babs, but I miss Stephanie already.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable comic. Who is Bombshell? What is going to happen to Stephanie's father? Can't wait to read more comics with Batgirl!!!

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series ended kind of abruptly, but it had a lot of good parts. I didn't even mind all of the filler issues.

The Lesson lasted just about this entire volume and I'm not entirely sure it had the climax it was meant to. I don't know the history of this series, but I'm thinking they were given maybe 3-4 issues to wrap things up. Some wrapped nicely and others...not so nicely.

Still, it wasn't a bad ending to the series, just not a stellar one.

[Silvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damian-Steph team is hilarious.

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOD, WHY IS THIS SERIES SO AWESOME?! AND HOW/WHEN DID I GIVE IT FULL CONTROL OF MY EMOTIONS?! AND AND AND WHY DID IT DECIDE TO GO TO A THEME PARK WHEN IT WAS IN CONTROL OF SUCH A PRECIOUS PAYLOAD?!?!

Alrighties, clearly I have had too much caffeine. The sane version of that convoluted intro was more or less: "Wow, this most recent read from The Batgirl series really took my emotions for a ride. The writing is so very clever, and I don't even know when I fell in love with these characters, all I know is that I have and I'm enjoying every minute."

Personally, I prefer the first one. You can make your own choice. In all seriousness, this was an amazing conclusion to the series (although I'm really really REALLY hoping there'll be more)and it most certainly did not disappoint. The only problem I had with it was the final great twist the Father is behind it all *GASP* was a teeny bit cliché. I mean when they did it the first time, it was GREAT. They can still pull it off times 2 through to 4, or maybe even 5, but it seems in this day and age that this "great twist" is showing up more and more, and it is getting a tad bit repetitive. However, I digress.

The final few pages were perfection (Damien, I just LOVE YOU. How the Hell did I get here?!?) and left it so that if any more in this series are made, it'll still flow fairly nicely. That being said, it also gives us closure; like I said, very impressed with the writing. AND (and I can't believe I haven't mentioned this) the art is FANTASTIC! Overall, a great read.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trade collects issues 15-24 of Brian Q. Miller's Batgirl series.

Here we have the end of Miller's Batgirl, one of the most unfortunate casualties of DC's New 52. For those unaware, DC cancelled all of their titles in August 2011 and launched 52 new titles, with a lot of rebooting and retconning. Barbara Gordon was given the Batgirl mantle back, leaving no room for Stephanie Brown for the moment.

But to focus on the positive, this volume continues to achieve the high standards of story and art established in the first two volumes. Miller builds toward the end, from Stephanie's recurring battle with the "Order of the Scythe" to wrapping up several overarching threads of the series and giving some of the supporting characters their own appropriate closures. The way Stephanie interacts with and influences others, particularly Damian (who was greatly missed from last volume), is as always a highlight. Also, the Bat-history lesson she gives Wendy is easily one of my favorite comic book sequences ever.

Everything works beautifully and the final issue is amazing in how well it captures the core of Stephanie's personality.

There are a couple of issues that contain side stories (featuring Klarion and Squire, respectively) and are a bit jarringly timed from a story line perspective, but both are a lot of fun, and had to be fit in somewhere.

I'm sad to see this series end but Miller did the absolute best he could to give Batgirl a decent send off.

[J. Griff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the era of DC I truly enjoy. Stephanie Brown was a poor choice as Robin, but made up for it as Batgirl. Bryan Q. Miller’s writing made Batgirl quirky & fun with self-deprecating humour that has become Stephanie Brown’s trademark. The art in this book was beautiful regardless of artist (Dustin Nguyen, Pere Perez, Ramon Bachs, & Derek Fridolfs). If I remember correctly this was the end of the series, which was unfortunate.

[William Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super big fun. I love Miller's writing on this book, along with Ngyuen's art. Together they have created an accessible character that is all her own without the heavy hand of Batman in the foreground. Miller tries to sell the book on Batgirl alone and I bought it with no problem.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batgirl: The Lesson picks up where the previous volume left off, collecting eight issues (Batgirl #15–22) of the 2009 on-going series and contains three storylines: "The Lessons", "Chalk ♥ Outline", and "Five Minute Fast".

"The Lesson" is a six-issue storyline (Batgirl #15–17, 19–21), which has Stephanie Brown starting her second semester at Gotham University with new classes, new allies and a vigilante stalker to top it off. However, what Gotham City's Batgirl isn't prepared for is the arrival of the Order of the Scythe, which has framed Batgirl for a crime she didn't commit.

"Chalk ♥ Outline" is a one-issue interlude (Batgirl #18), which has Stephanie Brown wanting to spend Valentine's Night quietly, but she quickly finds a violently murdered man in a dark alley and to find Klarion, the Witch Boy, holding the dead man's heart.

"Five Minutes Fast" is a one-issue storyline (Batgirl #22), which has Stephanie Brown as Batgirl arriving in London for a top-secret Batman Incorporated assignment, where she teams up with Squire to save the United Kingdom.

Bryan Q. Miller penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well, it is interesting seeing Stephanie Brown grow into the role of Batgirl – one that was thrust on her, but took it in stride. Furthermore, she is making her own connections to form her own allies and her unique villains.

Pere Pérez (Batgirl #15, 17, and 22), Dustin Nguyen (Batgirl #16, 18, and 21), Ramon Bachs (Batgirl #19–20), and Lee Garbett (Batgirl #15) is the pencilers for the trade paperback. For the most part, the penciling styles complement each other rather well, making the artistic flow of the trade paperback rather smoothly.

Overall, this Batgirl series is written rather well. Stephanie Brown makes an interesting Batgirl, she is not as intellectual as Barbara Gordon or quite the fighter as Cassandra Cain, but she took the Batgirl mantle and made it her own – one that I quite enjoyed reading and saddened that it would not continue as I can foresee more stories with Stephanie Brown as Batgirl.

All in all, Batgirl: The Lesson is a wonderful conclusion to a wonderful series. Sadly, it seems that the last few issues were not included in trades, which I would have love to read.

[ai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, Stephanie Brown as Batgirl felt like the most righteous thing DC had ever done to her character.

We have an amazing well-rounded girl like Stephanie who isn't afraid of making mistakes because she knows she's going to fix them. We have a girl who's so courageous even in the face of extreme adversity but still manages to have a good punchline in her head before improvising her way out. And most of all we have someone who's just so entirely normal. She's juggling college, has these run ins with her ex that kind of shakes her a little bit, she has the whole disobeying parents thing nailed spot on. Stephanie Brown resonates to me a lot and this is because most of her character is rooted in youth and the accuracy of it all.

I just wish she'd been treated better by DC. She's the best Batgirl we've got and I'm disappointed that she never got the chance to be Batgirl again after three timeline resets.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far more like it - the art is occasionally a bit hit and mess, but I would far prefer to see someone trying to be Frank Quitely than someone trying to be Rob Liefeld like in that Titans tosh from yesterday. Nicely written too - it’s refreshing to see a writer kind of be aware of their limitations and instead of heading for cliche (again see Titans), head for something reasonably straightforward and low level threat (it’s very telling the worst issue here is the London one - Miller is good at taking the British cliches and subverting them but significantly less good at the cosmic stuff and his discomfort shows. On the whole not bad at all

[Justice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww I really loved this series. Great characters, great premise, everything (except for villains. Up until the very last issue, they were bland and forgettable). I've read a fair amount of Barbara-as-Batgirl, a little bit of Cassandra-as-Batgirl, and now this series, and I have to say Stephanie is by far my favorite Batgirl.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephanie Brown is easily the most underrated woman in the DC Universe, I love her

[gianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

she is so good to me.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need MORE

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ended too soon. Another victim of the New 52.

[Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol. 3 marks the end run of Stephanie Brown as Batgirl. It's a satisfying conclusion to Steph's (too-short) journey as the "Violet Avenger". If you've followed Steph's long and sometimes convoluted journey from estranged daughter of third-rate villain Cluemaster to minor sidekick as Spoiler and her short stint as Robin, Miller's work on Batgirl is a treat.

Stephanie has come into her own as Batgirl in this final volume. She may have been impulsive in Vol. 1 (Batgirl Rising) and still hesitant in seeking help when she needs it in Vol. 2 (Batgirl: The Flood), but all her training and sage advice from Barbara Gordon appears to have paid off in the final volume. She fights crime by night while slugging it out as a student at Gotham University. If you're new to Steph as Batgirl, you should start from the beginning with Batgirl Rising.

This is a fun and amusing series to read, especially for a Bat-family character. It's not all angst, doom, gloom and brooding. Gotham can be a cesspool of despair, but plucky Steph doesn't let that get in the way of living her own life. Her journey is full of humour, quite a few laughs, some on-campus drama -- and a few tears.

It helps that Barbara is her main mentor throughout the series and keeps her young protege grounded, with only a few appearances by the moodier "lead" Bat family members ie Batman and Robin/Damian Wayne. The stories involving Batgirl's team-ups with Robin and with UK heroine Squire were among my favorites.

It's bittersweet that the series' potential would not have the time to develop in DC, post-Flashpoint. The New 52 has altered the DC universe irrevocably, with a healed Barbara Gordon reclaiming the mantle of Batgirl. It was always hers, but Steph carried the banner of the Bat confidently. Stephanie Brown's run ended on a hopeful note, so one can only wish that Gotham U.'s own superhero resurfaces again someday. If not as Batgirl, then as another superhero. She has persevered, bled on the streets of Gotham and fought for that right time and again. Many readers would say she has more than earned it.

Only time will tell if her adventures will continue.

[Emile Rudoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó mas que el compilado anterior, pero no tanto como el primero. La serie fue de mas a menos y volvió a subir un poco pero al final no retomó lo que era. No se si a Bryan Q. Miller le dijeron con bastante anticipación que la serie sería cancelada y entonces todo el desarrollo que tenían los personajes de soporte se perdió.

Básicamente es una historia de siete números que se decidió dividir en algunas tandas con otros números de relleno donde Steph vuelve a compartir con Damian, con Klarion (este número está bastante divertido) y con Squire en un viaje relámpago que hace a Inglaterra que tiene continuación con lo que estaba haciendo Grant Morrison con Batman en Batman Incorporated que era una serie donde Batman unió a todos los héroes que eran afiliados a el de una u otra manera en una especie de "compañía" y les asignaba misiones. La serie era bastante buena (igual, no la he vuelto ha leer desde que salió). Tristemente y, a diferencia de lo que pasó con el compilado anterior con Red Robin, aquí no incluyeron el número en cuestión, quizás porque ya este compilado tenía diez números, pero si eres completista o te quedaste picado pues tienes que buscar el número por otro lado.

En el arte se incorporó Dustin Nguyen. En su momento me encantó su arte (en particular el tipo que utiliza para hacer las portadas que es mas como abstracto que ha veces también utiliza para interiores), pero, y quizás para muchos sea una tontería pero no tomó en cuenta el hecho de que Steph es zurda. Es algo que también comenté en la entrada del primer compilado, y no, no soy zurdo, pero es un detalle bonito para las personas que son así el verse representadas.

La verdad siento que tenía muy romantizada esta serie. Si tuviera que ponerle una calificación a los veinticuatro números como una serie completa le pondría un siete. Comenzó bien, incorporando a Steph a la universidad, dándole un elenco de soporte propio (que nunca había tenido y nunca volvió a tener, de hecho jamás ha vuelto a estelarizar una serie propia) pero poco a poco se fue diluyendo. Hay algunos números muy divertidos (en los que interactúa con Damian, Kara y Klarion), pero creo que le faltó.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lesson collects the final issues of Bryan Q Miller's Batgirl run, before being cancelled and replaced with the New 52.
Stephanie Brown is growing up. She's at uni. She is finally gaining some independence and growing away from needing Oracle to do everything.
Miller has done an amazing job of capturing the essence of a young person doing the best they can, in a job dominated by the super powered and super intelligent. She has doubts. She stumbles on more than one occasion. But I think what makes her most appealing and relatible is that she is someone who regardless of what happens will persevere and use everything around her to get the job done.
The art is flawless and instantly loveable. The story makes you yearn for a series that was not cancelled before its time.
The final panels are touching, and leave a sense of satisfaction and closure for the reader.
As Steph says, there's room in Gotham for hope, and this title does exactly that.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a jumpy departure from the previous collections in this series. Miller still does a great job keeping the action and dialogue light and fun, but the plotting takes a significant nosedive. There's no real explanation given for the villain's motivations, which I chalk up to a looming cancellation in the face of the new 52 relaunch, but still. Also, there are little interludes in the story for no apparent reason. They're kind of interesting (Batgirl teaming up with Klarion the Witch-Boy as he tries to capture his murderous cat, Batgirl teaming up with Squire to stop a time thief), but ultimately serve only as distractions from the main storyline that's been building for the rest of the series.

Overall, this is an enjoyable read with a touching ending, but don't look for anything too original.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third, and final, volume of the Stephanie Brown era of Batgirl, this book demonstrates the potential that the character and series had, and that DC flushed away with their New Universe introduction.

Bryan Q. Miller find a strong voice in Steph slowly but surely finding her footing as a hero and one of the Bat squad. Though the overall story got jerked around by stuff going on in other Batbooks (in particular with Batman, Inc., and changes with Oracle), the overall arc is strong, aided by the very different but equally talented Dustin Nguyen and Pere Perez on art.

The final issue is a great tribute to "what ifs," had the series (and character) continued.

It's nothing that set the comic book world on its ear, but BQM's "Batgirl" was a solid, entertaining book I looked forward to each month.

(But, no, I'm not bitter ...)

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ideally I would have given Batgirl: The Lesson and 3.5, but I'm afraid it's closer to a 3 star than a 4, in my opinion. Although I was a little disappointed by this collection, I will definitely be checking out the other volumes of Stephanie Brown/Batgirl.
I was a little underwhelmed with this book and found the stories merely decent. They were interesting enough, I guess, but they barely held my attention. What really pulled me over the line was the strength of the characters. Stephanie Brown is an incredibly likable and well-defined character and the interactions between her and Damian Wayne were wonderfully hilarious. I was really intrigued by Wendy Harris/Proxy's character development. Miller writes some of DC's strongest female characters, and I will definitely be getting my hands on some of his other stuff. :)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the unfortunate casualties of the New 52 was the Stephanie Brown version of Batgirl. It wasn't always perfect, but Bryan Q. Miller and the various artists on the series did an excellent job in creating fun, adventurous stories. Stephanie was a well developed character, and the series did a great job of using some of the Bat-universe's other characters, like Oracle and the Damian version of Robin (who made an excellent foil for Batgirl). And it was nice to see a smart, positive female hero in comics who wasn't drawn ass-pointed-to-camera in every other panel(though the series wasn't always innocent on this).

Hopefully Miller will have a chance to bring Stephanie into the new DC Universe, or maybe an original graphic novel or something. Batgirl, you will be missed.

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main storyline in this volume isn't that much stronger than the first two volumes, especially after the disastrous Witch-Boy story, Squire one-shot, and rushed ending due to cancellation, but Dustin Nguyen's art really makes this so much more enjoyable. The switch to Ramon Bachs in the middle on top of the awful script ("Electro-Gooperangs!", "I don't know-- cops 'n' stuff?", "I know right?"), I almost stopped reading.

The character development for Wendy Harris, formerly a non-superhero sidekick for the Teen Titans, is excellent! As excited as I am that DC comics are being more inclusive, it seems like they are stacked into single characters: Wendy/Proxy being queer and having a disability, Francisco being gay and Latino or Hispanic.

[Justyn Rampa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly, this is the final volume of Stephanie Brown's run as Batgirl.

The opening pages are BRILLIANT and in some ways capture everything I love about Stephanie Brown.

The remaining issues are interesting enough although I didn't love the villains and it didn't quite give Stephanie Brown the final arc I felt she deserved. I will say that the final pages are a touching tribute to Stephanie Brown as the New 52 Reboot loomed ahead.

Worth the read, but I wish she could have stuck around a bit longer and really gotten into some heavy story lines worthy of one of the most fantastic characters in the DCU!

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some definite good things as Stephanie Brown's solo series as Batgirl comes to an end. We get resolution to her parental issues (both sides-and I shall say no more), and the loose threads are effectively tied up. Her long running case involving the Reapers does reach an end. Writer Bryan Q. Miller does a decent job of trying to add some depth to Wendy's character. For sheer fun though the not-quite-standalone installment with Stephanie going to England and meeting Knight and Squire is a light fun, breezy tale that should bring a smile to your face. In addition, Damian's brief guest shots are an effective as he personality is such a contrast to Stephanie's.