My favorite Bat-Universe femme fatale is back and she’s fighting the mysterious group known as the Order of the Scythe and their little errand boy Slipstream. Before we get into Stephanie Brown’s speedy showdown this month, let’s talk cool gadgets courtesy of a generous grant made possible by the Batman Inc. organization. Corporate sponsorship definitely has it’s perks.
Batgirl finally has her ride… and it is PIMPED! The Compact as Steph lovingly named her new Batgirl-mobile is everything the intrepid superhero gal on-the-go could want in a car. You can catch a glimpse of The Compact in the picture to your left, but aside from being a cute little purple compact car, it packs a punch. The Compact has a discreet urban camouflage mode for our sometime college student and fulltime superheroine. Now what about those times where blending in isn’t an option? Well The Compact comes with it’s very own “Go Go Gadget” combat mode, and it looks to be the toughest little car this side of “Herbie the Love Bug”.
Now a new car isn’t the only addition to the Batgirl utility belt, now she comes armed with, and I quote, “The most bad-assingest not-tortilla press batarang maker that ever was.” Basically, she can combine whatever cartridges she wants to her heart’s content. Flaming Icerangs? Check! Electro-Gooperangs? Check! I can’t wait to see what combination batarangs her twisted little brain comes up with.
Ok, enough about Steph’s new toys, lets talk about villain beat downs. For the past couple of issues, Batgirl has been plagued by the Order of the Scythe, and in particular the speedster Slipstream. All of which comes to a head in issue #20. Let’s talk about Slipstream, who he is and why he has been breaking into banks and tagging a bunch of old money (which Batgirl and Proxy are monitoring).
First, while sitting in class fighting to stay awake and pay attention, Steph notices her deskmate mumbling away, over and over and over. Not known to be one to keep a zipped lip of course, Steph calls him out, drawing the unwanted attention of the professor. Just then Mr. Mumbles gets a phone call and bolts out of the room. This is when Steph takes a look at what he was doodling and realizes she has been sitting next to Slipstream all semester.
Now for a brief lesson in the world of a speedster, they move very very fast. We all know this, but in order to keep from crashing into things or people they are able to process information at a heightened rate. But, Slipstream doesn’t have the benefit of being a meta, his super speed comes from a suit. So, in order to get to where he is going it either has to be a straight line or he has to memorize the layout of his target.
So, why is this important? Well, the former Ms. Spoiler and now most Bad-Assingest Batgirl have decided to set a trap. She and Proxy have been tracking the tagged money and they know the Order of the Scythe is able to control Slipstream via remote comtrol against his will. So to be on equal footing and give Slipstream the beatdown he so deserves, they must keep him out of radio contact with the Order. All while saving the day and keeping the money out of the hands of the Order of the Scythe.
Batgirl is the book I look forward to reading the most each month. Bryan Q. Miller has taken and created something special with Stephanie Brown. This book always has the right mix of action, humor and intrigue. Stephanie’s Batgirl is not a joke, or an unauthorized agent of the Bat. She is a full-fledged heroine, doing her thing her way. If you aren’t reading this book, you should pick it up and give it a try.
