BARBARA GORDON: BREAKOUT #3 – Who to Trust?

Creative Team

Mariko Tamaki, Amancay Nahuelpan, Tamra Bonvillain, Ariana Maher, Karl Kerschl

Writing

Barbara is in bad shape, and just getting worse. Besides the splitting headaches, the hallucinations, and the overall pain, there’s the fact that she’s still in constant danger. In Supermax, Barbara knows there’s something unusual about this prison. Something she isn’t able to see, but she knows it’s there. Using her Batgirl skills, she needs to get to the bottom of the mystery so she is able to survive Supermax.

Mariko Tamaki continues to impress with Barbara Gordon: Breakout #3, giving us what can only be described as Barbara’s trauma growing and growing. Barbara is in a world of pain, but still having to look over her shoulder. She knows there’s some kind of threat, but she can’t pinpoint it. Barbara also knows that she’s alone in this, not knowing if she’s able to trust Sparrow or not. Tamaki keeps you on the edge of your seat, anxious to see what happens next.

Art

Amancay Nahuelpan, Tamra Bonvillain, and Ariana Maher bring so many different layers to the artwork of Barbara Gordon: Breakout #3. Starting with an excellent flashback of Barbara and members of the Bat-family, we start off on a note of nostalgia looking back at the heroes at work. Each character is drawn beautifully in their classic Bat-look, with the mysterious energy that comes with the team while their on a case. With Barbara in Supermax, there’s a muted tone to the artwork of the prison, pushing the feeling of hopelessness amongst the scene.

Nahuelpan breaks up the muted tones with Barbara’s hallucinations of the Grim Reaper that is equal parts terrifying and stunning. Bonvillain brings so much vibrancy in the exact right places in the comic, like the flashbacks or the hallucinations, that it makes those pages nothing short of stunning. Maher captures the emotions of the characters through the dialogue perfectly, and with some excellently used sound effects, wraps this comic up in a perfect bow.

Final Thoughts

I am loving this run so much! There’s so many different layers to the story, especially with Barbara and it’s all beautifully handled by the creative team.

Overall Grade: 9/10

How are you liking this series? Let me know in the comments

This review was written by Megan from the Vigilante Vibes Podcast. If you liked my review, be sure to check out my other reviews! Let me know what you think of Barbara Gordon: Breakout #3, or tell me what comics you’d recommend me trying out! Find me on my socials, and check out my Marvel podcast, Vigilante Vibes, by clicking here!