I picked this rare gem Batman: Batgirl at my local comic book shop. It is written by Kelley Puckett and drawn by Matt Haley and‎ Karl Kesel in 1997.

The tale takes place in the early days of Barbara Gordon’s career as Batgirl. She has not yet been fully embraced by Batman as a potential partner and is still learning the ropes. After a series of seemingly unrelated crimes, a mugging, a building being destroyed by a bomb, and a murder, Batgirl soon realizes that the crimes all led back to the Clown Prince of Crime himself, The Joker.

The story takes place long before The Killing Joke by Alan Moore. If I had been Bruce Timm, I would have used this graphic novel to extend the plot instead of the useless storyline involving a one night stand between Batgirl and Batman.

Kelley Puckett, who also has written for Supergirl and the Cassandra Cain stint as Batgirl, crafts a well rounded story that is true to the character without bogging down the story with too many facets. It is straight, polished, and represents the DC Comics character in a truly fascinating way.

It was an insightful look into Barbara Gordon’s early days as Batgirl plus her first time meeting the Joker. We see her make mistakes and grow from them. It definitely was an exciting adventure and one any fan of the Batman Family will love.

That is my review. What do you think? Let me know in the comments and let me know if there are any graphic novels you’d like me to review.. While you are at it, check out my Top 10 Favorite Superman Costumes. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

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