Overall, this is still a very strong annual that's absolutely worth checking out. While one story is better than the other, they play off each other very well, as they're essentially two completely different kinds of team-ups.

At least that confrontation will come in the next issue, but it would have been great to not think it was coming this month. It would have been so much more effective to not know that moment was coming.

The Penguin's son is a very strange romantic interest for Batgirl, but the issue is strong regardless. It's also a surprisingly effective starting point if you're debating giving this series a try.

The Avengers #3.1 is an entertaining, if oddly structured, story that takes us back to a classic but relevant era.

Wonder Woman #14 is another thrilling outing and provides a satisfying conclusion to the "Year One" arc.

Avengers #3 continues to further the ongoing story in a satisfying manner while setting up larger mysteries for the future.

I have no idea where Batgirl is headed next, but this whole opening arc has been an impressive and accessible debut. I'm on board, wherever it goes from here.

Overall, this is a mostly satisfying conclusion to "Beyond Burnside" that falls just short of being something truly dynamic and memorable.

The structure of Suicide Squad is an interesting experiment, but I'm not sure that it's working. I'd like a more traditional approach, especially with the ongoing story being so interesting. The expanded backstories are interesting and some of them have been very good, but they're a distraction more than anything else.

Every country would do that, and I think globetrotting would be both an easy and unique way to keep this series fresh.

On the whole, though, this is an intense, must read issue for fans of the series. It takes some hugely unexpected turns, but I think it pulls them off. While the first issue was interesting, the second definitely hits its stride, cementing this as a series where virtually anything can happen at any time.

Overall, Suicide Squad: War Crimes Special #1 is a recommendable book, especially for people who are new to Suicide Squad, but at times offers a mixed bag of characterization.

Barbara stepping into the ring, actually seeing her training in martial arts and going up against people bigger than her, that's the sort of thing I want to see more of. The ongoing story is interesting too. The tattoos on the people she keeps fighting, whatever they might mean, that is something that still leaves me curious to see where this story is going. There's not much Batgirl in this issue, but the best thing it does is give a few much-needed moments of Barbara using the Batgirl side of her brain to investigate this mystery when she's not in costume.

The issue is a great jumping on point for new readers. Rob Williams provides a great, intriguing, funny script and Jim Lee's handling the art, so they've given this comic the best of the best. It works. I'm already so excited to find out what happens next, and there's no better indicator of a good comic than that.

Both stories are bigger than what we're getting in this issue, and they feel like it. After all, this is the first in a six issue series. That doesn't really bother me, but I would have really liked little vignettes for each member of the squad, something short and sweet that cuts to the core of the character. But I'm not complaining about this, either.

Either way, Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 did its job very well. It got me interested in reading about the squad again, does a great job of bringing new readers up to speed and seems to almost mirror the visual style of the movie so that fans of that won't feel alienated by the source material.

Here, Hope Larson is clearly telling us that there's a bigger story right off the, well, bat. And I'm definitely planning to stick around and see how it all develops.

Altogether, it's a run that's been fun but hasn't lived up to what came before it in the way that it should have. There's still a lot to like in the issue, and it has us curious for Batgirl's next adventure, wherever it should take her.

And Gladius isn't the most dynamic villain we've ever had even in this run so it seems weird to close out with her, as we appear to be doing. There's still a lot of fun to be had in the issue. Great, sweet and sincere character moments, particularly between Barbara and Luke and Barbara and Frankie. The trip to Gotham Academy is probably the highlight of the issue. Definitely fun to be had here, even if it's a bit of a mixed bag.

Batgirl #49 feels fresh and that's a good thing. There's still more that I'd like from the book, but it has established itself as having a particular sense of style and while this issue deviates in terms of tone is still adheres to that style, which should satisfy readers.

Overall, this issue has continued an uphill trend for this series. By this point, my interests in the book and where it is headed are definitely reinvigorated. Hopefully, it will come to a satisfying conclusion in the last few issues.

I'll admit that the issue is convoluted, but it still does its best to play to its strengths.Batgirlknows exactly what kind of book it is and while I'd like to see Barbara use some of that dizzying Oracle intellect, I like the characters and the way they're developing. If anything, this book really won me over with another talk between Babs and Gordon. He's very much true to character here, which is kind of a rare thing these days.

The best part is how Gordon changes the dynamic of the whole series by stepping into the role of Batman. It's becoming a cop show, for all intents and purposes. Some issues have tried to touch on that, some issues have tried to prevent that, but I really think it should be embraced. That's what's going to make Gordon's time in the suit stand out. If he makes for a different Batman, he makes for a memorable Batman. I think Detective Comics #48 was definitely a step in the right direction on that front.

Overall, this is a strong issue with a better balance of action and character than we've seen in the book for a bit. Any good comic should remind you why you love that character and this one did that, for me.

Gordon knows how to take this insane situation and apply it to his own set of skills. That's what's so impressive about this issue, even if some of the actual fighting doesn't work for me, just because I haven't warmed up to the Bat-Armor yet. At this point, I probably won't. That's why it's so important to at least treat the character right, and that's what was done here.

Still, it's an important issue in the series, cements a few things about the comic and where it's headed and has a pretty strong and unexpected cliffhanger ending.

Things will at least be taking an interesting turn as Gordon's Batman embarks on his first team-up with the Justice League. Hopefully this goes well. There's a lot of story potential here. It has an opportunity to be great, this fish out of water kind of tale, if you know who Gordon is and how he operates. If not, it could easily fail. I'm hoping for the best. There were moments here where he did sound like Gordon, especially at the ball game. But this team-up will definitely be a trial for both the creative team and our new mecha-Batman as well.

Ultimately, Batgirl #44 continues to drive the series in the right direction and is definitely worth checking out.

The Joker robot's King Kong styled rampage is where we slide back into hokey territory, but everything around this kind of needless spectacle is pretty solid. The B-Plot, centering on Bullock trying to stop Falcone from targeting cops at the circus, is much more interesting. But this presents a similar problem to last month as Batman is once again the most uninteresting thing in his own issue. That could, however, simply be a testament to the strength of the supporting cast and the GCPD crew who usually play second-fiddle.

Overall, it's a solid issue. There's an old-fashioned feel to it in that it goes back to the basics of a superhero trying to balance work, school and crimefighting all at the same time. We see a lot of solid moments of Babs being drawn into a really important conversation that she then has to bail on. This is the sort of thing I'd like to see more of in this title as it continues.

Nonetheless, there's strong character work in Detective Comics #43 and the developing plot points make the series worth reading as it continues.

This issue goes a little deeper than the previous and ultimately works out better for it. Given how well this first team-up worked out, Barbara's further interactions with the Batman will be something to see.

Batgirl Annual 3 is definitely worth reading and serves as the best jumping on point for this character that I could possibly think of. It not only nails everything great about Batgirl as a hero, but the heroines of Gotham in general.

The artwork by Babs Tarr is excellent, evoking a great indie comics vibe with just a slight echo of Bruce Timm"which really isn't a bad thing. I was actually very impressed with this first issue and look forward to seeing how Batgirl develops from here.

The artwork accompanies the story well and they work in a fairly strong harmony where neither is more important or distracts from the other. All in all, it's a fun first issue with a great sense of character that leaves a couple questions unanswered. But that's all the more incentive to stay interestedin this title as it unfolds.