Batgirl #46

Batgirl #46Despite the issue’s cover Batgirl #46 doesn’t quite give us the Batgirl and Spoiler team-up we were hoping for. In fact Stephanie Brown doesn’t even appear until halfway through the issue when Babs sets out to save the Spoiler who has gotten in over her head with the local gangs. Still, for at least a few panels we get to see the woman who should be Batgirl fight along side of the woman who is Batgirl.

Meeting during Spoiler’s fight with the gangs, the issue can’t quite resolve a major problem with the New 52 reboot where the two are far too similar in age for Babs to be taking the older sister approach which she did prior to the start of the New 52. Given the comic’s second soft reboot, which attempted to de-age the character a bit with the introduction of a new costume and creative team, balancing her actual age and experience to that of Spoiler is problematic (which is probably why the two say less than 100 words to each other).

I’m appreciative of any issue that tries to incorporate Steph back into the DCU but this feels more like fan service than an actual attempt to bring Spoiler into Barbara’s orbit. For fans.

[DC, $3.99]