Issue #05 - Bat Attitude
Scans and Review by Jim Harvey

Gotham Girls #5
Cover Date - February 2002
Written by Paul Storrie; art by Jennifer Graves and J. Bone; cover by Rian Hughes

The action-packed miniseries concludes! As the clock runs out on gaining possession of a dangerous chemical, Batgirl finds herself torn between fighting and feeling — for Harley’s loneliness, Poison Ivy’s protectiveness, and Catwoman’s love of danger. But she and Detective Reneé Montoya have to come down on the side of the law. Can they do it in time?

Review

You know you're in for a good issue when the story opens with "Batgirl is just getting started" and she's walking away from a wrecked police cruiser covered in flames. If that image right there doesn't hook you into the story, then I don't know what will. The opening splash page is a perfect way to open the Batgirl-focused issue. We know exactly what we're getting from that first image...and it does not disappoint!

I like how Paul throws us right back into the story without missing a beat. Within seconds from last issue's car explosion, we're right back in the fight between the good gals, the not-so good gals, and the bad gals! Storrie is dead on with Catwoman, never choosing a side and being on her own, constantly. We see her fighting both Harley and Ivy, and then Batgirl and Montoya. To me- that's Catwoman! Always playing both sides.

Plus we get a nice briefy character study of Batgirl with her saving Catwoman. I thought that works nicely, and helps ease the reader into the fight perfectly. Well, "Queen O' The Jungle" Harley helps, too. What follows is one helluva fight scene where every character gets their shot. I'm not sure if Jennifer did this or Paul did, but I like how Montoya sort of doesn't ft in this scene. She hold her own, yes, but I like how we have her and then four costumes dukeing it out.

Oh, and the fighting looks and sounds brutal! Those sounds effects you add in, Paul, just make some of the action almost squirm worthy! That punch in panel one on page eight? Man, that looks incredibly painful.

After a Harley is captured and Batgirl and Montoya on on their way to find that vial, I got a nice welcome surprise. I didn't expect to see Dr. Yurkovich again in the series. I just expected this last issue to be a huge fight scene with the vial being reclaimed after dukeing it out. But here, I got a welcome surprise with some nice twists being thrown in. And it wasn't until Ivy appeared a few panels later when I realized the full extent of all of the backstabbing and betrayal in this series. "You lie to me, then you steal from me, and you're planning to run and hide?" That sums thing sup very nicely.

And that "One step closer and I swear I'll kiss him!" got a nice chuckle out of me. And then "WHUD!". Damn that looks painful...One thing I like is how Paul adds a brutal undertone to these fight scenes. Batman: Gotham Adventures suffers from stale fight scenes. But here, we get some real, gritty action.

What I like about the conclusion of this series is how it all comes back to Catwoman. The series opens with a Catwoman-themed issue, and it all comes back to her on page 17. Full circle. In the first issue she set out to steal the vial and she accomplished her task. That, to me, brings the series full circle. Paul gives us a clever finale to the issue by bringing it back to where it all started. Just a smart move and a fun conclusion. And this is all done with style, art and story-wise.

And the artwork? From the beautiful opening splash page of Batgirl to Barbara's wink on the final panel, Jennifer Graves provides some amazing art, with some assistance by Rick Burchett. You really can't beat that opening splash page....you really can't. A powerful image of Batgirl merging from some flaming wreckage? Just an awesome picture!

I've also grown very fond of Jennifer's rendition of Poison Ivy. I'm not a big fan of that character. She's just some girl with a bizarro plant fetish, but here she looks superb and looks like a threat. Plus, Jennifer gives her an air of vulnerability that other artists lack at times.

Earlier I mentioned the brutal fight scenes...well...Jennifer defiantly does her part in making them seem incredibly painful. Just look at panel five on page six, with Batgirl crashing into Harley's back. Just ouch, man. She makes the pain seem real, when in most comics, the pain is just glossed over to move the scene along. We see the heroes and villains cringe in pain with each punch, kick, and hit.

Jennifer's work on conveying emotion really works well, too. Just look at Harley's facial expressions on pages ten and eleven. Ya can't help but feel sorry for the poor abandoned girl! Or Catwoman smiling with glee on page five! She's able to capture character traits very nicely for each separate character. From Batgirl's determined look on page one to her "Not A Problem" smile on page 21...it all works so nicely.

And the appearances by Batman, Nightwing, Robin, and Gordon are nice surprises. A nice "by the way" for the readers curious as to where the Gotham Men were for the series. Jennifer also does a nice job of portraying them as well. Even though he has only one panel, Batman looks great! The art really compliments the script. Jennifer was the perfect match for Paul for this series - without a doubt.

Overall, a great miniseries. With great writing, great art, and some great character study, I am pleasantly surprised and pleased with the series. While I wish Tim Harkins could've lettered the whole series, Phil Felix does a nice job, and Patricia Mulvihill is a nice addition to the animated universe. I'd love to see her work grace the pages of Justice League Adventures. Plus, the special appearances by Brad Radar and Rick Burchett were a definite surprise for the title.

A great conclusion to one of the best Batman mini-series I've ever read. Paul, Jennifer, Rick, Brad, J. Bone, Phil, Patricia,
Digital Chameleon, Harvey, Joan, Shane, and Rian - thank you for creating a memorable and unforgettable adventure!