Barbara Gordon: Breakout #2 – Mariko Tamaki, Writer; Amancay Nahuelpan, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Barbara Gordon’s first 24 hours in Supermax went about as well as expected, as her life sentence (set up by her to allow her to expose a serial killer targeting inmates in the prison) began with her being targeted by a low-level supervillain, harassed and hunted by the guards, and beaten within an inch of her life under mysterious circumstances. In this issue, she wakes up in the infirmary, interrogated by the guards for clues to a mystery they’re probably not actually interested in solving. But while she’s drifting in and out of consciousness, she’s approached by a mysterious woman named Sparrow, who seems to move around the prison, even into cells and other secure areas, with ease. Is she a fellow inmate? A guard? Or something else entirely? We don’t know, but she claims to have been sent from the outside to help – and to keep Barbara alive long enough so they can solve the same mystery.
There are some great segments set outside the prison, as Jim Gordon and Nightwing talk about Barbara’s plan. Nightwing is one of the members of the Bat-family who is not on board with the plan, for obvious reasons, while Gordon has figured out that his daughter is too determined and too brilliant to argue with. As the issue goes on, Barbara returns to her cell, goes through the daily routine – until another body turns up in the prison and the stakes escalate again. This is a solid mystery, with some surreal horror elements starting to make their way into the narrative. I do worry that the pace is pretty deliberate so far, and I’m not sure this prison suspense story can go the long haul without becoming monotonous, but so far it’s done a good job of escalating the tension with each issue and showing us how Barbara operates when she’s cut off from her technology and seat of power.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
