Convergence: Batgirl (2015) #1

Convergence: Batgirl #1

by Alisa Kwitney (Writer), Steve Buccellato (Colorist), Rick Leonardi (Penciller)

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! After a year living under the confinement of the dome, Stephanie Brown isn’t sure she wants to be Batgirl again. But when she’s attacked by Catman and Gorilla Grodd from the world of Flashpoint, she’s forced to put on the cape and cowl to fight alongside Red Robin and Cassandra Cain!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels

25 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2015

About the author

I'm the author of YA, graphic novels and novels for adults who still feel young, at least most of the time. Recent works include GILT, a graphic novel about time-traveling women of a certain age; Cadaver & Queen, a YA Feminist Frankenstein meets Grey's Anatomy tale, and Mystik U from DC Comics, which features Zatanna and other magical characters in their first year at college. I also co-host a Sandman podcast, The Endless, with Lani Diane Rich.

My first novel, Till the Fat Lady Sings, is also about college and romance and eating disorders. (It was my thesis at Columbia University's MFA Program, where I felt like an outlier for liking comic books and romance as much as literature.) I was an editor at Vertigo, the mature/dark fantasy branch of DC Comics, before going freelance. (I've also written two hormonal werewolf books as Alisa Sheckley.)

I live near the Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park, NY, with two dogs and a frightening number of books.

aka Alisa Sheckley

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B+) 76% | Good
Notes: Read in trade paperback. Collective review for issues #1-2 and other tie-ins can be found here: Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note that this review is for the both Convergence tie-in issues, not just the first issue.

This was definitely one of the better tie-ins. It was a good way to get to know the history of the Batgirl universe, and it also had a captivating climactic fight against both Catman and Gorilla Grodd.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good: this comic takes its time to develop the world Stephanie inhabits under the dome, especially through the eyes of someone living a normal life. And it really cements how terrifying it would be to suddenly be thrust into the main conflict when you‘ve let all your training and physical skills disappear. She’s not ready and there’s no way for her to win. I also really like Stephanie’s narrative voice. She’s ruled by fear and insecurity and self-loathing in all the stories I’ve read of her and while it makes the people around her want to shake her, it also makes the reader want to root for her and watch her overcome herself.
The bad: The desert scene is garbage. The Gotham scenes shouldn’t have been a flashback. The were the main story so just start there. Then you could have ended with the arrival of either Catman or Grodd. You don’t have to start every story with an action scene, you know? But yeah, Red Robin is weirdly stupid in this. I thought it was supposed to be mind control but since he started off stupid and it isn’t addressed again, maybe not?
The art is inconsistent in style and quality.
While I care about each of these characters individually, this story is boring, predictable slog.

[The Sapphic Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading anything with Stephanie Brown in it and I have to say, I like her! She fits right into the Bat family. I don't know much about her history or what she was doing after being Batgirl. I have read some Cassandra Cain Batgirl and really like her. Tim Drake I know less about that Steph.

Having the two Batgirls together is really cool and I love how they interact in this. There are a few well-spent pages showing more mundane interactions in their shared home and it's a delight to see - especially the "playing house" bit. If you've read Convergence: The Question #1 you'll know what I mean.

Great first issue. Really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Kelsey Mackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so good to see Steph being Steph. I loved her being insecure about heroeing, because, lets be honest, after all the emotional abuse Batman put her through, offuckingcourse she was insecure. The beautiful thing about Steph is that she's always been more human less batgod, she stands out of the batfamily with how achingly normal she is. This did a good job of showing that.

[Jena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the Titans issue, mostly just plot at this point.

But we did learn something extremely important: Stephanie and Cass live together.

[Jade Vandel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this trio and love how it explores Steph as a person, not just a hero. She would train to be a midwife and I appreciate that acknowledgment to her past as someone who was pregnant, it's often looked over but I think it's a really compelling piece to her character.

[Arthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. I haven't read much about Stephanie Brown, but I feel like I'd like her. Weird seeing Cass talk though.

[Solace Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know nothing about this particular Batgirl except what I learned of her from the back of the comic. I could see why some would have a hard time getting on board with this particular character. Stephanie is unsure of herself, despite having been Batgirl for a time. It's almost like a complete reset and now she doesn't know what to do. It's a frustrating character, because it almost seems like she is still an angsty teen unsure of her feelings on life, instead of someone who has gone further than that.

What this story DOES do that some of the others do not, however, is show that it is not easy living life locked away in Gotham in a dome. After all, there's no contact with the outside, if that world even still exists. They must survive off of their own means of what is already in the city. Imagine New York, Chicago, or San Francisco being domed over. How would they survive a year with no contact to the people who provide them with meat, produce, and anything else to make products to survive. However, it has not been long enough that anyone is starving.

It's interesting, and I'm anxious to see how this ends.

[Chris Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm curious to see where it goes.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain so I loved this issue so much. It's so great to see Cass again.