Issue #04 - I Have A Badge!
Scans and Review by Jim Harvey

Gotham Girls #4
Cover Date - January 2002
Written by Paul Storrie; art by Jennifer Graves and J. Bone; cover by Shane Glines

Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn think they’ve succeeded in stealing Ivy’s plant formula back from the chemical company that stole it first. But it’s good girls vs. bad girls as Detective Renee Montoya finally catches up to — and teams up with — Batgirl!

Review

I'm a big fan of crime noir stories. I love reading stories from the regular perspective. That's why I really enjoyed Rucka's run on Detective Comics. That's why I enjoyed a lot of Brubaker's stuff. That's why the current Catwoman series is pure genius. That's why I enjoyed Marvels as well. I love the human perspective, and the crime aspect as well. That's why I was really looking forward to this issue. Throughout the entire series we've been seeing snippets of Montoya here and there...and now it's her turn to shine. And damn if this isn't my favorite issue of the series.

"I Carry A Badge" gives us a rough, edgy look into this mini-series and presents us with a character who's a bit outmatched, but not out-witted. She's a great character and I'm glad to see her included in this series (as well as the newest season of the webtoon). She brings a good perspective to the series which brings a freshness to it. If not for her, all this series would be is four costumed folk running around. She brings is down to earth and adds a bit if realism to the series.

(and for the record, she's snapping the vines to get her hands free on the fourth panel on page 4. That's what I got from it)

I also liked her perspective on the costumed heroes of the city as well. The vigilantes surely can't make things any easier and her candor (sp) about them helps plant the realism of the series a bit more. She's comes off as a real character thrown into unreal circumstances. Alright...I gotta stop gushing about this character...

One thing I'm enjoying about this series is the pace. The pace is frantic and fast paced, yet it also has that 'real time' quality to it. The car sequence between Batgirl and Montoya feels like it's playing out in real time. We get their entire conversation. They get in the car, talk, then get out. No cuts-a-ways or little scenes in between. Just those two characters by themselves talking. Such a nice little moment. Slows the pace down a bit, but it provides some background on Montoya. Heck, I think this is the first time her background is discussed in the animated series.

Plus I like seeing the mention of Commissioner Gordon. It was great to see Batgirl quickly jump to Gordon's side and defend him. There's a 'daughter defending father' vibe in the scene that adds a nice bit of character to Batgirl. A nice character driven scene, a regular and welcome occurrence in this little series. It seems like the main intent of the series is to provide a new dimension to these characters, with the vial heist being the subplot. It can work either way, and it does.

And once this scene is done, we're put right back into the action. The series has yet to skimp on the action and here we get even more. We get a nice mix of action and characterization here, and it's what balances the series and makes it so enjoyable. The constant chance, while it can seem a bit strung out at times, helps draw us back into the action. The fact that we also don't know the real intent behind the vial yet is keeping me on for the ride. I'm curious as to who is telling the truth about it, and what's in it. I hope it's not some silly cop-out, but a real reason behind it. Is Ivy telling the truth about it? Only next issue can tell...

And then we're back to some solid artwork after the slight slip up of last week. Once again we get some stunning work from Graves. I'd love to see her do some more animated artwork in the future. Hopefully she'll be one of the regular artists for (at least) the back ups for the new The Batman Adventures series in 2003. She captures the essence of the Gotham Girls perfectly. I like the little small subtle changes she's made here and there. The characters all have a softer look to them, a bit more rounded out and feminine. Not rough and squared off like some of the animated characters. And, Catwoman doesn't look so ridiculously thin here, thank god. While she's still small, the softer look she has makes her a bit more believable as a threat.

And with that awesome splash page at the end, how can you not want to pick up issue #5? I'm already anticipating it...