Batgirl #47 Review: A Profound and Incredibly Satisfying Rematch

While Barbara Gordon as Batgirl has been a beloved fixture in DC Comics' mythos for decades, a handful of moments have undoubtedly defined her comic book tenure. The most controversial of those is undoubtedly the events of The Killing Joke, the 1988 graphic novel that saw Barbara paralyzed after being shot by The Joker. This polarizing moment has been subverted, analyzed, and retconned many times in the years since, but still remains—for better or for worse—a key part of what made Barbara who she is today. All of that sets the stage for Batgirl #47, a tie-in issue to the "Joker War" event which quickly becomes so much more. The issue is not only an exhilarating modern-day update to Barbara and The Joker's upsetting dynamic, but it is one of the best illustrations of trauma that mainstreams comics has delivered in recent years.

Batgirl #47 Review: A Profound and Incredibly Satisfying Rematch Comicbook.com July 22, 2020