VALENTINE'S DAY REVIEW SPECIAL # 1 - BATGIRL # 18

Batgirl #18

Written by Bryan Q. Miller

Art by Dustin Nguyen

DC Comics

Review by Darryll Carter (aka Yusuke T. Centre) 

You have to give credit where credit is due and I assure you, Bryan Q. Miller’s credit is due. Miller wrote all twenty four issues of the previous Batgirl ongoing series. He turned a spoiled brat into a wisecracking, mature (sort of), confident and respected heroine, affectively transforming Stephanie Brown into my favorite Batgirl. That’s why Batgirl #18 (Apr ‘11) is my Valentine. Here’s the review.

For those that don’t/didn’t know, Stephanie Brown, formerly known as Spoiler and one time Robin inherited the title of Batgirl from her predecessor, Cassandra Cain. She is then trained by Barbra Gordon, Oracle, also formerly Batgirl, but also currently… (Blame DCfolks.)

This issue was an interlude timed correctly with Valentine’s Day, but unfortunately thrown in the middle of an ongoing story arc. Placement aside, Batgirl #18 functions much like a one shot or an episode of Batman the Animated Series.

The readers are thrown right into the story where, a were-cat is going around ripping out persons’ hearts on Valentine’s Day evening. As it turns out this were-cat was not always a were-cat, but the familiar of one Klarion the Witch-Boy. In a mild bit of irony, pointed out by Stephanie, the cat is rampaging around ripping out hearts because Klarion denied him (the cat) a chance at love. Stephanie for most part takes the side of the audience and the phrase “are you fricking serious” comes to mind. After being trapped in a miniature globe and a few witty exchanges later; Stephanie and Klarion decide to form an “alliance” and track down the cat.

Once the duo reaches the cat, Teekl, they trap him in a globe and take him to Limbo Town, home of the Witches and find him a mate. The story closes with Klarion touring Gotham U campus with Stephanie and a short but, humorous run in with the campus “witch (euphemized)”, Jordana, being turned into a frog.

The story was great for what it was, a seasonal piece. It captured the spirit of the holiday and at the same time didn’t get too deep into it to turn someone off. The best part of the story was waiting to see what Klarion and Stephanie had to say next. The two characters really played well off of each other.

The artist for this issue is Dustin Nguyen (Batman: Streets of Gotham).  Nguyen produced 9 covers for the series and performed as penciller for a number of the issues. His art style is unique and there really isn’t anything quite like it. It stands out. When you see his art you can stop and say, “hey that’s Dustin Nguyen”. He does a great job at capturing facial expressions and just adds a sort of ‘fine art’ feel to the medium.  Just look at the painted sequences he did for yourself. Two words; gorgeous and elegant.

In all Batgirl #18, while an untimely detour from the ongoing arc, was still a delightful treat and beautiful Valentine’s day gift from Dc and the creative team. If you want a light read with a fair share of laughs instead of the usual gooeyness of Valentine’s day, this comic is for you.

The Hype factor this time around consists mostly of artwork and whimsical banter. Enjoy and…

CoW (COVER OF THE WEEK) # 1

Cover of Week

by Darryll "YTC" Carter

Cover by Adam Hughes

(Week of January 25th, 2012)

This weeks cover is  from Batgirl #5. The lure of this cover for me was the contrast between Batgirl and her background. The picture really captures the cold of a blizzard really well. The way the storm fades out the background architecture to near silhouettes, establishes a sense of isolation. It's just Batgirl all alone and this unseen assailant, who seemingly has already gotten a peace of her. The red from the blood and Barbara's hair are the most attractive things in the picture. The white scenery really helps the red pop.

THE REPLACEMENTS # 1

The Replacements!

by Darryl "YTC" Carter

Birds of Prey Edition

Hey there Clashers! Here’s something we hope you’ll really like. A few days ago, the lot of us over here at CBC began thinking. (Startling, I know.) What if the members of a comic book team were decommissioned (due to any reason imaginable) and forced to recruit from other continuums and continuities?

You get the Replacements! This is our new segment where we take an existing comic book team and replace its members with suitable counterparts from other mediums. This week we are starting things off with Birds of Prey and substituting them with video game characters.

The following is the cast of Birds of Prey pre-New 52. We will get to the NEW 52 Birds of  Prey eventually.

Oracle First Appearance: Detective Comics #359	Cortana Halo Series
Barbara Gordon, leader of the Birds, is a tech wizard, adept strategist and high level martial artist. Her guidance and intelligence are the cogs and gears of the teams operations. Once an active member in the field, since her paralysis Barbara issues commands and provides support through her tech and planning.	Cortana is a viable replacement for Oracle. She posses the technology and skills to assist the Birds in their daily operations. She can simultaneous manage several programs and cyber operations and processes at a speed no human can muster. She lacks Barbara’s fighting knowledge and strategic ability, but being an AI gives her the capacity to learn at an accelerated pace. With the ability to hack and decipher ancient alien technology to boot, Cortana may be overflowing Barbara’s shoes.
Black Canary First Appearance: Justice League of America #220 (Nov ’83)	Tifa Lockhart Final Fantasy VII Series
Dinah Laurel Lance is a master martial artist equipped with an earsplitting sonic scream. She has fought the best fighter on the planet, Lady Shiva and lived. Capable of snapping a man’s bones in multiple locations in seconds, Dinah is a formidable opponent.	Tifa Lockhart is the substitute for Black Canary.  Tifa is an adept fighter. She jumps off walls and does somersault kicks for breakfast. Tifa lacks Dinah’s technical fighting ability, but makes up for it with raw force and an unlimited arsenal of materia to choose from. Who needs a sonic scream when you can wield every element at your fingertips? Psshaw… Just call on Knights of the Round.
Huntress First Appearance: Huntress #1 (Apr ’89)	Nina Williams Tekken Series
Helena Bertinelli is cold blooded. She will kill you if she has to and she has the martial training to do it. She’s trained in various weapons, but often favors the crossbow. Helena has been known to cross the line 9 out of 10 times, but she is bound to her friends and will do anything to get them home safe and accomplish her goals.	Nina Williams is a trained assassin and adept martial artist. She’s ruthless and goal oriented just like Huntress. Nina is a systematic, skeletal dissector in combat, trained with her hands and firearms. If Nina’s put a target on your back, watch out. Frankly, I think she’s the best match on our list.
Lady Blackhawk First Appearance: Blackhawk #133 (Feb ’59)	Jill Valentine Resident Evil Series
Zinda Blake is feisty, beautiful and great in a bar fight. She is a member of the legendary Blackhawks, an expert pilot and adept marksman. Zinda finds her place as the Birds’ wheelman.	Jill Valentine is stepping in for Zinda. Jill is a top level operative, hardened by mankind’s war on Umbrella Corp. and biological weapons. She lacks Zinda’s zesty personality and piloting ability, but Jill’s tenacity and determination make her more than applicable. Her connections in the BSAA can provide vehicles and adept drivers.  Besides, not every non metahuman can take out a Tyrant with a Beretta and a combat knife.
Hawk & Dove Hank’s First Appearance: Showcase #75 (June ’68) Dawn’s First Appearance: Hawk and Dove Vol. 2 #1 (Oct ’88)	Ryu and Chun Li Street Fighter Series
Hank Hall and Dawn Granger are the current faces of Hawk and Dove. Hank is an anger and testosterone driven powerhouse, while Dawn is gracefully agile and a voice of reason. Essentially, these two are War and Peace.	Ryu is by no means a Hawk doppelganger. He is calm, cool and collective. Ryu relies on his training and peace of mind to defeat his foes. In fact, Ryu could just as easily be Dove. But for color (red, white) and gender parallels we cast him as Hawk’s replacement. It’s a definite improvement if you ask me. Chun Li is the perfect mesh of power and grace. Like Dawn, Chun Li would rather find the peaceful solution to a dispute rather than resort to her more than capable kicks. With the power of the Hadoken and Kikoken at their wrist, this duo outshines the first string.