Convergence: Batgirl 2

[espanolbot]

The issue picks up where it left off last month, with Cass dodging around Flashpoint's CyberGrodd while the Tim, Steph and Flashpoint Catman attempt to help her. It doesn't go well, with Cass thrown heavily into the rock by Grodd so hard that she's either knocked out or physically can't move.

Luckily Steph works out that, since Catman is the official contestant against the preboot Bat Folk, if one of them surrenders then that'll end the fight by transporting them back to their cities... in theory. Steph says that if Catman doesn't do it, she will in order to save Cass and the other folks at home, but Catman concedes that since everyone he cares about is dead, he'll take a dive instead.

Steph punches him, while he lies on the ground and pretends to be knocked out while she declares herself to be the winner. Luckily this seems to work, because the dude controlling this scheme might be god-like but he's also kind of a moron. Catman uses the opportunity to make Grodd grab him, thus whisking them both back to their city away from Steph and co.


Wait, did he imply that Flashpoint Grodd has human wives/sexual partners like the DCAU version, or that they're also talking gorillas and that Catman will have sex with them regardless... either way, EWWWW!

A little later, Cass is in hospital and Steph and Tim have evidently repaired their (unhealthy) relationship while she was recovering. It's covered more in the pages I'm not posting here, but basically Tim is still interested in Steph and vice versa.




Yeah, Cass can tell when people want to bang from their bodylanguage. It's weird, but it's also canon so...

The issue ends with Steph and Tim attempting to make out but failing due to their Grodd-induced injuries. They decide to snuggle instead.

---

Well, that was an okay two parter. Okay, not great. According to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo Cass'll be making her proper DCnU debut in the immediate future (possibly within the post-Endgame storyline), which I'm looking forward to at least.

Comments

[zechs80]

This was a resounding meh. Not to mention the art looked way different than previous Leonardi art on Batgirl. The coloring also just seems off.

[espanolbot]

Seems to be done in a homage to the latter Cass issues in some panels, though that was probs unintentional.

[yvonmukluk]

As soon as I realised this story existed to get Steph & Tim back together, I walked away. That story was done, as far as I was aware. Didn't they have a Batgirl/Red Robin crossover that drew a line under that relationship?

Honestly, Kwitney seems like the only writer working on the Convergence books who wasn't coming into this with a real love for the characters. The fact she states she didn't actually read any issue where Steph & Cass directly interact was a major warning sign. Not to mention the end of Gates of Gotham seemed-at least to me-that Cass & Tim were either moving in romantic direction or making that aspect of their relationship official.

It feels like Kwitney came onto this book without a real vision for the characters like her contemporaries. I mean I know there's obviously a danger of fanboy writers (see: One More Day), but considering that the core premise of the Convergence tie-ins is 'look at these classic versions of your favourite characters', having someone who's already knowledgable and passionate about them is a real asset. Did nobody else at DC have a better premise for these guys that 'Steph & Tim get back together, also there's Grodd'?

Honestly I'd have made it a Blackbat book and then reversed a dump truck full of money up to Kelley Puckett's house to get him to write it. I mean, 'fight to the death to save your city & doom the other to death'? That's like the ultimate Catch-22 for Cass to deal with.

I mean look at the other Pre-Flashpoint books.
Superman: Lois & Clark have a son.
Titans: Roy gets Lian back.
Atom: Ryan comes back, Deathstroke gets babyhands.
Harley: Rides into the sunset with her fellow sirens.

This? Not really a good way to wrap things up for them (unless you're a Steph/Tim shipper, nd even tht could have been done better). Honestly, 'The Lesson' and 'Gates of Gotham' were ultimately better sendoffs for the Dynamic Trio.

[jaybee3]

The reality is this was a book about Steph (though Cass was Batgirl waaay longer than she was but whatever) and that was clear from the get-go. I'm just happy they didn't use non-continuity event to kill pre-reboot Cass off (which is what I was afraid of).

[ebailey140]

So, you're pissed off that Steph was the star and it didn't have your OTP?

[yvonmukluk]

That's rather a large generalization. And a leading question, to boot.

I'm pissed that not one of these characters reads like they did in the original books. I would have no problem with Steph being the star if the book was written well or any of the characters matched up with the narrative voices previously established.

Not to mention the Tim/Steph relationship dominating the book. I showed up expecting Steph to kick a gorilla in the face and generally be awesome, not whine about her relationship with Tim. You know, like she was in her own book (turns. If it was a Cass/Tim relationship shoved in as awkwardly, I'd have as much of an issue with it. Steph and Tim works well, but it was my understanding that it'd come to a conclusion, so its resurrection makes me raise an eyebrow. I'd have preferred NO romantic-I'd call it a subplot, but then the book is called 'The Love Song of Stephanie Brown' so I guess it's actually the main plot. Because that's what Batgirl fans liked so much about her book, am I right? The way she whined about Tim?

Is that a good enough answer?

[lego_joker]

To be honest, from what I've read, Puckett does *not* work well with hasty, messily-arranged tie-in stories. The two Batgirl one-shots he wrote in that vein (one to tie in with Batman & Robin, the other with the Girlfrenzy! fifth-week event) were both confusing as all hell and didn't have any real endings. I'm not sure how much his being the creator of Cass would let him overcome that.

[q99]

Andersen Gabrych is who I'd drop the money in front of to do the fill-ins :) His run with Cassandra was also good, and he even touched on Steph a bit in it.


There's also the Red Robin writers, Fabian Nicieza did a good Cass.

Bryan Q. Miller is of course the Steph-Batgirl writer and iirc still on good terms with DC.

There's so many options.

[q99]

-Honestly, Kwitney seems like the only writer working on the Convergence books who wasn't coming into this with a real love for the characters. -

Matrix-Super girl *way* worse.

-The fact she states she didn't actually read any issue where Steph & Cass directly interact was a major warning sign. Not to mention the end of Gates of Gotham seemed-at least to me-that Cass & Tim were either moving in romantic direction or making that aspect of their relationship official.-

... yea. I didn't know that, but she really didn't quite get the character's voices. Not Beechen bad, of course! Just kinda 'filler-esque, this is off' stuff.

Is it so hard to assign Cass and Steph to writers who either know them or at least are willing to put in the work?

[zechs80]

Also did Steph & Cass pull in an appearance in the final panel to Nightwing & Oracle issue?

[espanolbot]

I don't know, did they?

[thepinkperil]

It counts as a happy ending, I'll take it.

[nyadnar17]

My Cass/Tim ship! Noooooooo.

[redmagpie]

I'm going to choose to read the ending as Steph finding herself, finding stability, and recovering from her dome-depression. She and Tim are probably going to break up whenever he starts being awful again, and then she and Cass can finally kiss.

[jaxjyls]

That was weak

and boo Drake/anything

[q99]

-
Yeah, Cass can tell when people want to bang from their bodylanguage. It's weird, but it's also canon so...-

Hey, I like that someone's remembering the thing that's central to her character. Even if using it a bit odd.

[zechs80]

I just find the ending weak in it should have been between Cass/Steph. Not really of Tim. Tim was a major non-factor to me in this mini.