“Vice Versa” – Part 2
Writers: Becky Cloonan & Michael W. Conrad
Artist: Jonathan Chase
Color Artist: Jonathan Chase
Letterer: Jonathan Chase
Review by Fay Clark
After the Batgirls Annual and everything freaky that happened in that storyline, I couldn’t wait to jump back into the single issues. Batgirls #13 picks up right after the Annual, so you need to know what’s going on before continuing the weird and wonderful plot.
Parents’ Day
The freaky Friday of it all is still happening, and the girls are really starting to get to know more about each others lives. Seeing Cassandra Cain’s mother and Stephanie Brown’s dad is a real kick for DC fans and it feels like Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad are setting up for something massive.
I loved the way Steph acted protective yet smart while in Cass’s body. Now, there’s something I never thought I’d type! Steph having to use her own wits to keep her alive with Lady Shiva was great. It think it’s the most I’ve ever seen “Cass” talk. Cloonan and Conrad have this special ability to make sure you know who’s speaking even if they’re not in the right body.
There are 3 storylines going on in Batgirls #13 and I loved keeping up with all of them. One story per Batgirl. They are all on different side quests now, but just you wait until they come back together. You will all be cheering, unless your the bad guy. Cloonan and Conrad must have a great arc coming, because this set up so far has been super interesting.
What can’t he do?
Well, well, well… we have a new guy on the team. What’s that? He handled the art, the colors and the lettering?!? Okay… can we keep him? What a talented guy that Jonathan Chase is! When I saw that the same person did all that work, I was impressed.
I know the art style’s different from what we have seen before, but I feel like it goes really well with the direction the story’s going in. The slightly darker feel to the color themes suits villainous parents coming to visit. The details in the panels backgrounds are great, and I found myself focusing on them, probably more than I needed to! I hope Jonathan sticks around for a while.
Conclusion
This arc is going to be spectacular. We have had so many surprise guests already, and we’re barely 2 issues in. Batgirls #13 sets the next few issues up amazingly. Babs is figuring out how to get the girls back into their bodies while Steph and Cass deal with the parents from hell. What more shenanigans could you want? I can’t wait for the next issue!
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
