Comic Recap/Thoughts: Batgirl Volume No. 1: Beyond Burnside, Part 2

Happy Friday! This week went fast, but in a good way. Welcome to part two of this Batgirl Volume No.1: Beyond Burnside recap. If you still need to read part one, click on this link here. Today we will be covering issues #4-6.

Beyond Burnside Part Four: We left Batgirl in Korea about to fight Moth and another student of some mysterious teacher. Construction worker student, (I do not know her code name) tells Batgirl that Kai is not worth saving or fighting for, Kai was/is trouble. Batgirl points out that it is the pot calling the kettle black. Construction girl points out that this is not America, one test decides their whole future. Note: they are fighting while this whole conversation is taking place. These are literal students working for a teacher who promised them a second chance. Schoolgirl ninja shows up and we learn the codename for the construction girl is 'Hardhat.' (Bit on the nose.) These poor girls have nothing to lose and Batgirl knows this is not the fight she needs to be in. One smoke bomb later Batgirl is making a break for it, while trying to get ahold of Kai.

We see the words of Barbara leaving Kai a voicemail. She is warning him a little too late though. In Shanghai Kai is getting beat up by, who I can only guess is, the Teacher. She knocks Kai out and we see her readying a giant needle to stick into him.

At the airport Babs is trying to get a flight to Shanghai, but is going to be delayed a day. She calls up Frankie, who naturally assumes Babs is checking in on her company, Gordon Clean Energy. Babs isn't calling to check in though, she needs help. Babs explains bumping into Kai and her theory about a bio-encrypted formula. Looks like the guy Kai was going to work for is pretty shady and known for stealing other people's research. The formula that everyone wants is for an experimental drug that boosts brain power, but with a bunch of bad side effects. Basically the teacher is going to help the students pass their tests.

The next day at Shanghai East Hospital we see a very beat up Kai talking to some unknown old guy. Batgirl drops in after the old guy leaves. Kai admits he lied to Barbara, his grandparents are not in Shanghai, that old man was Grandfather Blood, head of the Gray Gang (that is a dower gang name). Batgirl is pissed and lays out all the info, asking if Blood is the buyer for the formula. He is shocked that Batgirl knows everything. After being stabbed they gave Kai antibiotics and that killed the bio-encrypted bacteria. He seems hopeful he can work everything out, but Batgirl shuts that down real hard. She tells him to leave Barbara alone, that he put her in danger. Tells dude to clean himself up and maybe Barbara would give him a chance.

Barbara is wandering around Shanghai wondering how students from Japan, South Korea, and China found this teacher. She figures the teacher had to be advertising somewhere. In a café she is able to find an ad for a last chance cram school. Batgirl finds the super shady location of said cram school. She finds the Teacher getting up to some chemistry. Batgirl scares her, causing her to spill some of the formula on herself. For a moment the Teacher looks dead, but then her eyes glow pink and she is feeling more alive than ever.

Beyond Burnside Finale: The Teacher is pretty happy to now be supercharged. They debate who is the real villain. Teacher was just trying to give kids like her another chance (for money, but you know...). Batgirl tries to think ahead, like Fruit Bat suggested, but isn't fast enough. Teacher rebuffs her attacks and then makes a break for it, jumping out the window and taking her notes about the formula with her.

Batgirl chases, wondering how a girl who failed her college entrance exam was able to decode a bio-encrypted bacteria and then synthesize an intelligence drug. Batgirl follows the Teacher into what looks like a homeless shelter. Batgirl is looking around and we hear the Teacher explaining growing up with drug dealer parents who cooked up their own drugs. Teacher never wanted to be a criminal, she wanted to help people. Batgirl calls her out, pointing out she is a criminal just like her parents. Teacher won't be goaded into coming out of hiding.

Batgirl spots some of Teacher's hair on the ground (hair loss is a side effect of the drug). She follows it but Teacher gets the jump on her, causing Batgirl to see stars. Batgirl actually sees more than stars, she finds herself sitting in a coffee shop chatting with Fruit Bat. Fruit Bat tells her the same line about not being able to see the future when the past is in your way. Batgirl still doesn't understand what she means, she needs to wake up. Kai joins the dream asking her what the 3rd ingredient is of his candy bar. She flashes back to when they were ten and she saw the label the first time. Batgirl is a genius, but she uses a lot of brain power on her eidetic memory.

Fruit Bat tells her to turn it off (I wonder if this is a legit thing). Batgirl is afraid that she won't be able to turn it back on or if she can shut it off. Fruit Bat seems confident in her and Kai gives her a red ribbon to remember. They are about to kiss when Batgirl falls back into the waking world.

A man from the shelter is trying to help her up and tells her a bald woman knocked her out. She doesn't remember getting knocked out, she just knows she needs to stop the bald woman. Batgirl catches up with the Teacher for a rematch. They start fighting and this time Batgirl is doing much better, to the chagrin of the Teacher. Once she beats and subdues Teacher, Batgirl opens her mind back up, getting a mad rush of memories. Batgirl can't give Blood the formula, but she does give him the Teacher so that he will forgive Kai's debt. As she is leaving we see that the police are there to arrest everyone.

Later, at the Last Chance Cram School, the three wayward students finally arrive. Batgirl is there, but not to fight, she wants to introduce them to a good teacher. Fruit Bat is there to take on some new students. FB sends Batgirl to go check on Kai. At the hospital Kai is getting discharged, Batgirl tells him to head home and maybe don't come back to China, she won't be around to protect him. He just asks her to tell Barbara he is sorry. They part ways, both looking sad.

We end this issue and this storyline with Batgirl looking out on Shanghai thinking about this whirlwind vacation. Guessing her memory will continue to play a part in her story going forward. She gets a phone call from Frankie, more hero stuff to do.

Beyond Burnside Epilogue: Page one and a plane that is covered with plant roots is falling. Batgirl is hanging onto the wing of the plane, while thinking this is 35,000 feet above her pay grade.

10 hours earlier, Barbara is typing up an email that is some type of application. Suddenly there is a lot of turbulence. Everyone gets very nervous, but eventually the plane levels out. Now there is a stink filling the plane. Babs thinks maybe Batgirl needs to investigate. There is another red head on the plane who is looking good.

Batgirl follows the smell down into the cargo hold. (Where did she change? How does no one see her?) Right as Batgirl sees a very iffy looking plant, Poison Ivy makes herself known. The plant is a fancy prehistoric madnolid. I love that Batgirl refers to Ivy's voice as sultry. Ivy explains that the plant was a fossil, she didn't know that it would or could wake up. Ivy hopes to calm the plant, but it is already wrapping itself around Batgirl. Batgirl cuts the plant and it screams, both BG and Ivy look surprised.

The plant keeps growing and all the noise draws the attention of the flight attendant. Ivy blows something in the woman's face, it smells really good. Batgirl is still fighting the plant. Ivy tells the flight attendant to add the scent she hit her with to the air filtration system. She does and it knocks everyone else in the plane to pass out peacefully.

The plant takes out one of the plane's turbines. Ivy is trying to get the plant to stop by asking it nicely, but that doesn't seem to be working either. The plant makes its way into the walls of the plane and is now messing with the electrical system. Batgirl heads out onto the wing (there is no way all of this took 10 hours, like maybe 1 hour) and cuts off one of the plant's limbs, only to see that its roots are all over the bottom of the plane. Batgirl heads back into the plane to tell Ivy the plant seems to be absorbing water from the clouds.

Before she can say anything else Batgirl faints into Ivy's arms (whoa cute tension). They are both light headed due to the thin air. They go up to some seats to get some oxygen and debate their life choices. Batgirl tells us the application she sent out would mean a career change, but maybe the plane ride home is not the place for big life decisions. Ivy is feeling guilty for bringing the plant on the plane, she should have known no one can control nature. They both take a moment to breathe.

At that moment Batgirl gets an idea for how to beat this plant. Turns out the masks are not connected to oxygen tanks, but to oxygen candles that are made of sodium chlorate. Ivy knows that it is a weed killer. Before Batgirl can attack the plant, Ivy stops her. She says there are plenty of humans, but this plant is one of a kind (she stopped feeling bad real quick). Batgirl points out that humans didn't kill this plant and maybe it wasn't supposed to be brought back. Ivy relents, but won't help BG kill it. BG hits the plant with the weed killer and it screams again. In a last ditch effort the plant grabs BG and is about to choke her out when Ivy steps in and does save her. The plant dies and BG passes out.

Later at Gotham International Airport, Barbara wakes up asking Ivy (now back in her normal outfit) if they are home. (Did Ivy change her back into her regular clothes?) Barbara tells Ivy (I am not sure if she knows it is Ivy) that she was having a crazy dream. Ivy says she was too, but looks out the window at one very destroyed engine. (I think this conversation is just for fun.)

In the terminal Babs is checking her phone, many emails and she got accepted into whatever mystery thing she was applying for. Frankie is there to pick her up and Babs gives her the low down of all the things that happened on the plane. (See, she knew it wasn't a dream.) Some guy is giving Babs all the eyes, we follow this guy and he is E. Cobblepot according to his driver's sign. (Some long lost son of Oswald Cobblepot, aka, Penguin?) Anyway, guess he is on his way to Burnside too.

Looks like Batgirl's adventures abroad are over for now. That was a fun story and kind of a nice way to give Rebirth Batgirl a little bit of a clean start. If I am honest my favorite issue was the epilogue, not that I didn't enjoy all the globetrotting and Fruit Bat was cute. I am sure there is something coming regarding Barbara and her memory.

I am going to introduce a new bit in my blog posts. DC makes some amazing covers and I would be remiss if I didn't start picking some favorites. This week my favorite cover is issue #6, cover B, done by Francis Manapul (Twitter link), who did all of the variant covers on issues #1-6.

The writer for this volume is Hope Larson (Twitter link). Mad props to a lady comic book writer. It looks like she will be the writer for many Batgirl issues, so I am excited to see what she does. The main artist for this run, who did all the A covers and internal artwork is Rafael Albuquerque (Twitter link). I liked his style, Batgirl is a lot lighter than some of the other members of the Bat-Family and that is reflected in the art style.

Now for my favorite line, again it comes from issue #6 and it is Batgirl calling it like she sees it.

Next Week: Batgirl and The Birds of Prey Volume No. 1: Who is Oracle?, Part 1

Batgirl and The Birds of Prey Volume No. 1: Who is Oracle?, Part 2

Last Week: Nightwing Volume No. 1: Better Than Batman, Part 1

                   Nightwing Volume No. 1: Better Than Batman, Part 2

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