Timala Elliott
Timala Elliott
Batgirls 2022 Annual #1
DC Comics
Written by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad
Art by Robbi Rodriguez
Colors by Rico Renzi
Letters by Dave Sharpe
The Rundown: After a surprising incident, the Batgirls find themselves in a series of unusual and dangerous situations.
The story begins with narration and various current non crime related scenarios involving the Batgirls. Afterwards, Cassie and Stephanie search a home with ties to the GCPD. Then, at home, Cassie and Stephanie have a girl’s nights that ends with a game involving a mysterious thank you gift. The next morning chaos ensues as the duo discover their previous actions have consequences. Soon, all the Batgirls must work to discover the source of their problems while dealing with their current investigation and a series of violent attacks. Finally, both Cassie and Stephanie come face to face with familial connections.
The Story: Friendship and family take the forefront in the over the top, jam-packed issue. In the first Batgirls Annual, Phillips uses humor and pop culture references to create an additional layer of depth to a narrative that emphasizes relationships. I love these fun “easter eggs” and I may or may not have put The Prisoner’s Song on my current playlist. This issue has a lot to unpack and as it has such a breadth of character development it serves as a part 1 to a new storyline instead of acting as a stand-alone chronicle.
The Art: The artwork in this edition uses a traditional, yet youthful, comic styling that focuses on character expression and form. The detailed drawings bring the script to life and the changing colorwork does much for creating an emotional involvement for the reader. This is a well-done piece that I found visually stimulating.
Batgirls 2022 Annual #1
