The BatFam picks back up where we left off last time with the adventures of Batsteph with Red Robin the Angsty Teen Wonder! Our former Spoiler gives her new duds a field test before taking a spin with Roulette, and Tim may find himself coming down a case of Assassin-Phobia thanks to the Council of Spiders!
Give us your thoughts on these two stories in the comments below!
Discussion Question: Tim is going more solo, whereas Steph is getting more involved with the larger Bat Family. Does this reversal of the norm work for you, or do these characters work better the other way around?
These are some of the solid “Steph gaining reputation” issues of “Batgirl Rising”. It’s really fun how BQM structured the whole first year as Steph proving herself to Babs, then Dick and Damian, then Tim, then the whole city. So great!
I think the reversal is mirrored by Tim, who started out very idealistic, becoming extremely cynical and almost despairing, and Steph, who started out very bitter and jaded, choosing to hope rather than fear. I don’t know if I think it should be that way always, but I love it for this period of time!
I wonder, though - what do people think about Steph’s romantic plot with Detective Gage at this stage?
In the spoiler (pun COMPLETELY intended) part of the discussion, I’m curious if people think that the pace of Steph earning the respect of Babs, Damian, and Dick is set well, too fast, or too slow. I think it’s done just right, like Goldilocks, and I really appreciate how careful BQM was to structure the whole first year around that aspect. So much of the story is Steph recovering from (both physically and emotionally and reputationally) War Games, even though the actual wounds of that disaster were healed during her year in Africa.
That’s fair, but I think since most people still associated Steph with War Games, having her prove herself and develop a stronger network of support (since before she really didn’t have any at all) was very important to her as a solo hero.
