Cut for spoilers.

The issue starts with Stephanie (Batgirl) and Kara (Supergirl) bantering while being strangled.  On the next page, it shows that they’re being strangled by Dracula.  The old-school one with the widow’s peak and the cape.  Cheer up, both of you.  As the recent explosion in the vampire genre has shown, it could have been so very much worse for you.

For example, it could be ‘family scrabble night,’ which we flash back to.  Stephanie and Mama Brown are playing, and Stephanie looks so uninterested and dashes so quickly when the doorbell rings that I feel sorry for her mother.  You’re stuck there, Stephanie.  At least feign interest.

She gets to the door, and finds Supergirl hovering outside.  Stephanie slams the door shut to keep her secret from her mother, and when she opens it again, Kara’s in glasses and street clothes.  (And on the ground.  Obviously.  Although I guess with Stephanie blocking part of her mother’s view Kara could hold a stick in front of her and pretend she was on a Segway.)  Stephanie grabs any excuse to get out of the house, and runs off with Kara.

They both wander around the grounds of Gotham University while Kara spouts off a bunch of things that she saw people in movies doing when they went to college.  Just be glad she’s keeping to the 1990s-2010 era, and didn’t go back and see Porkys.

They’re knocked apart by a guy running while carrying papers and muttering that he’ll ‘show them all,’ but despite seeing every college movie for the last two decades, they’ve seen no action movies and just keep going.  The guy goes to a lab, which is being dismantled, shouts about how he’ll get them results, and he won’t go back to being a T.A.  “No one should have to do that!”  Ooooooo.  Academia burn.  He throws a switch, and there’s a glowing light.

Stephanie and Kara, having decided that they haven’t seen enough movies, are watching a Dracula film in which Dracula wails about being ‘alone.’  The light glows, and suddenly Dracula is stepping off the screen.

Kara tears off her sweater to reveal her Supergirl outfit beneath.  Stephanie declines to do the same, since all she has on is her bra. 

Kara:  “Does it have a bat on it?”

Stephanie:  “I assure you that it does not.”

Of course not.  It has a little ‘R’ on it.  Everyone knows that.

Also, how do these superheroes keep themselves in clothes?  The Kents aren’t exactly rich.  Maybe Kara is what’s driving the expansion of H&M.

They track down Dracula and Kara attempts to punch him, but he smacks her across the room.  Stephanie throws a ‘gooperang’ which does pretty much what you’d expect, but does it effectively.  Dracula is immobilized.  They drag him back to the guy who was muttering about how he’d ‘show everyone’, proving that that brush up on movie cliches did help them with their work.  It turns out he has just the way to stop in – a sciencebabble stake through the heart.  The Dracula disappears.  But there are others!

Kara and Stephanie go on a staking spree, which is very cute.  Oh my god, there’s Dracula on a Segway scooter!  It’s like my mind is bonding with the book, I swear. 

There’s also a photo-booth sequence that shows Dracula looking into the camera, Kara giving him bunny ears, Kara staking him, and then Stephanie and Kara taking a picture together.  Awwwwww.

They go after the last one, but he gets the drop on them in a sequence that doesn’t entirely flow.  He’s suddenly gone, then he’s behind them.  I don’t know, but this is where we came in.

He’s stangling them and talking about how he’s alone and doomed, when the sun hits him and he turns away.  Stephanie and Kara both stake him through the heart.  Go team!

They retire to Stephanie’s bedroom, and I kind of love how Stephanie is in full pajamas, with even the little collar that some pajama shirts have, and gym socks.  But not as much as I love the Bender toy perched on her TV.  Inter-media shout out!  They decide both declare that they’ll call each other if they ever feel lonely, and boom, end of team up.  No angst.  No misery.  No intentional rudeness.  No annoying little fight before they decide to get together.  I love it.

The next morning, Stephanie apologizes to her mom for bailing on her, which she should, and her mom makes her waffles.  Because everything should end with waffles.

Conclusions: 

Suckiness Advisory Warning:  Sometimes an action happens without a clear set up of how it comes about, but that’s minor.

Interesting Irrelevant Detail:  It kind of looks like Stephanie has a ‘Twilight’ poster on her wall, with out-of-focus nuzzling and a little caption which says ‘the dating’.

Overall Awesomeness Level:  Holding steady.  Like I said, I love how this team-up was done.  Everyone seems to be getting along, and the crime that they stop underscores their personal issues without having them blow up in their faces.  It works.

Similar Posts:

• DC Comics: Hooking Them Young, Keeping Them Interested
• Batgirl #17 Play-by-Play
• The last Stephanie Batgirl: Issue #24 Play-by-Play
• Batgirl #23 Play-by-Play
• Batgirl #15 Play-by-play

Posted in Batgirl Play-by-Plays, comic books by Esther Inglis-Arkell |