Barbara Gordon: Breakout #3 – Mariko Tamaki, Artist; Amancay Nahuelpan, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: As this series proceeds, it’s becoming more and more clear that this isn’t just a story about Barbara Gordon’s survival in prison – it’s a story that’s going to test her mental and physical fortitude in every way as she faces enemies both within the prison and outside of it. When we last left off, Barbara had barely survived a brutal beating from a fellow prisoner, and unlike many cases involving heroes taking beatings, she’s not bouncing back quickly. This issue actually does a fairly good job of showing the fallout of a severe concussion, with Barbara’s brilliant mind betraying her and the system showing absolutely no mercy when it comes time to her recovery, dealing out harsh punishments for even the slightest lapse and dumping her back in the yard for her attacker to find her again. Her only ally is the mysterious Sparrow, who seems to come from the outside and come and go freely to give Barbara the help she needs to survive – except she very much also seems to have her own agenda.
There’s a framing device that flashes back to a mission Barbara went on years ago, working with Nightwing, Cassandra Cain, and Huntress to investigate an abandoned hospital named after a woman…but there was no record of the woman anywhere in the Gotham record. As the investigation continues, it turns into an escape and Barbara finds herself in a surreal collapsing hellscape. But is this really the reality she experienced back then, or is it just her mind playing tricks on her now? Grounding this issue in a character whose mind is experiencing the fallout of a serious injury is a very interesting way of immersing us in Barbara’s dire state, but it also makes the narrative a little bit unclear at points. Three issues in, though, this is definitely one of the most unpredictable comics in the DC stable and I’m curious what Tamaki’s plan for the title is – because it doesn’t seem like a long-term status quo after Bad Seeds, that’s for sure.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
