In my opinion, for fans of Barbara Gordon, this action-packed, psychologically rich issue is not to be missed! I look forward to seeing where Gail Simone takes Batgirl's story next! Read Full Review

The last few pages of "A Blade of Memory" are the prologue to Death of the Family, the highly anticipated storyline featuring the return of the Joker. It is the first time we witness a reenactment of The Killing Joke and the third time that story has been referenced in the pages of Batgirl. While, that may seem redundant, you'll have to read Batman #13 to understand just how grave Batgirl's inevitable confrontation with the Joker is going to be and why he is so eager to make the Gordon's memories of The Killing Joke as fresh as if it were happening for the first time. Writing aside, the issue is once again rendered beautifully by Ed Benes. I know a number of readers have been off-put by his depiction of female characters, but personally I've never seen his artwork as anything less than phenomenal, especially in conjunction with Simone's literary voice. Enjoy! Read Full Review

Batgirl is one of those titles that consistently impresses in unexpected ways, as any truly great comic should. It's hard to not like Batgirl. While a lot of fantastical events have happened in this series, there has always been a real down-to-earth quality to the writing, yet Batgirl remains a true hero through it all. A role model to admire. I can't give it a perfect score, because of the misleading marketing… which is more the fault of the company than the creators. However, a good story is a good story. This one earns a strong 9/10. Keep up the amazing work, Gail! Read Full Review

This was a very good issue and Batgirl is quickly becoming one of my favorite DC titles every month. There is a well balanced mix between the story and the action in this title. The look back into the life of Knightfall raises one of those moral questions. If your parents were brutally murdered, doesn't part of you want to seek vengeance so it never happens to anyone else again? Ultimately, it draws a strange comparison to Batman who started his crime fighting career under the same premise with the difference being he doesn't kill. The art style and visualization are gorgeous in this book. The brawl felt like a movie scene and transitioned flawlessly from page to page. I highly recommend checking this out if you're following Death of the Family or if you are looking for a new monthly title. Batgirl does not disappoint. Read Full Review

Like I said, I've really enjoyed this arc, way more than the past arcs of this book. There are still a few things that irk me here and there, but add Ed Benes' general awesome art to me already enjoying this arc, and I'd say this issue finished pretty strong. Read Full Review

Though she was thrown a curve ball with the "un-Oracleing" of Babs, Simones doing her best. But it seems like this is simply a transition for the writer to get handle on this new (old) version of one of the greatest female characters in comic book history. Dont get me wrong, I think shes got it down. So as long as she slows down a bit with the character building and exploration of themes that we already know and understand, Im excited to see whats next. Weve had fourteen issues of relatively no action, but the character-building and witty dialogue has kept me around. Hopefully Barbaras confrontation with the man who put her in a wheelchair will draw some new fans into the book. And hopefully the creators can keep those readers. Read Full Review

So I guess in the end I either wanted real closure in this issue before Death of the Family starts or for the Knightfall arc to go on a bit longer with the new and exciting developments that occur on the final pages. Read Full Review

As you can probably gather I was not really amazed by Batgirl #13. I was expecting it to be tied a bit more closely to the "Death in the Family" story arc, but oh well! If you have been reading Batgirl all the way through from the start, then this issue will obviously slip really nicely into the ongoing story. However, if you are collecting the trades like myself, or just picked it up due to the very heavyadvertisingcampaign, then you may be left feeling a littledisappointed. Read Full Review

The first half of the issue is quite good, with some nice tension between the lead and the villain, some real worry for Batgirl's well-being, and the reveal of Knightfall's true identity. Batwoman's arrival works okay, but things are immediately awkward, as Batgirl herself says that Knightfall will easily buy her way out of prison. There's a couple of weird moments, and a very well-written climax undermined by sub-par art, leaving me with a mixed impression of the comic in question. Batgirl #13 makes me wonder if the artist had to rush the end a bit, but has some nice character moments for Barbara Gordon, even if they're undermined by deceptive trade dress on the cover, earning 3 out of 5 stars overall. I'm interested to see what happens with the promised Joker/Batgirl confrontations, though, and this is still my favorite of DC's monthly Bat-titles... Read Full Review