Writer: Scott PetersonPlot: Batgirl and Batman hunt down a young Indian actor's killer, with the help of the shapeshifting Aruna.
I am so glad that I stopped collecting Batgirl when I did, because the main story in this Planet DC Annual, like the monthly title, suffers from a few too many flaws.
We open with a visually dangerous, almost unnecessary three splash pages, which demonstrate Batgirl's ability to take out common thugs. After they're defeated, we discover that Batman and Batgirl are in India for some reason other than the kidnapping they now overhear, but we're never told why Batman would decide to fly halfway across the world in the first place; there's a hanging plot thread for ya.
That, I can almost forgive. That is, until multiple errors spring up in nomenclature and lettering, and I don't know whether to fault Peterson - who has disappointed me in the past, with both his Gotham Adventures stories and, as noted earlier, his work on the Batgirl monthly - or Albert T. De Guzman, the letterer.
We're told that the young actor who's been kidnapped is Ashok Ramanan. We later find out that the special effects artist is called Aruna Shende. Well, when the two Bat-folk break-and-enter into Aruna's apartment, Batman says that they're looking for "Aruna Ramanan". Oh, so they're related now! Okay... Again, on page 15, Batman refers to her as Aruna Ramanan. Later in the story, and in Aruna's origin, we learn that her name obviously isn't Ramanan, but Shende, as it was originally stated, so either Batman made an error - which is unlikely - or someone on the creative team slipped up.
Midway through the book, two major lettering errors occur within as many pages. On page 21, Aruna and Batgirl arrive at the home of the kidnapped boy's parents. Ashok's mom ends up being attributed with a word balloon meant for Aruna, and on the next page, the very same thing occurs, except that Aruna's lines are directed from both of Ashok's parents. This interferes with the quality you'd expect to find in a comic, forcing you to go back and read the scene a few times until it makes sense.
After their visit with Mrs. and Mr. Ramanan, Batgirl and Aruna go next door to some wealthy guy's place, who just happens to have the kidnapped boy. Why? Class discrimination. It doesn't matter that the neighbour's rich and old, he's gotta pick on a young guy who just happens to have an up-and-coming movie career.
What was the point of Aruna shapeshifting like crazy in front of him, anyway? To scare him into giving away the location of the boy? Neither she, nor Batgirl makes a move against him. He seems very adamant about holding his ground at the start, lying about the location of the boy, but actionless shapeshifting shouldn't scare the guy that much. I'd sweat more if Batgirl breathed down my neck, with those pointy...ears of hers.
Deodato and Stanisci showed Batgirl's speed quite well on page 18, where she lays the smackdown on more thugs, but on page 23, Cassie takes hold of the Speed Force. The rushing wave effect is common to the Flash, or to a flying Superman, but not to an unpowered Batgirl. She can't fly, and she can't vibrate through solid objects, so there's no need for Speed Force-like effects.
To top it off, we're never told exactly why Aruna decided to help out the Bat-crew. She's just a special effects whiz who can shapeshift. The origin story doesn't even make her role as a heroine clear. The cover states that we've "never met anyone like her". Oh no? I have, and his name's J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, Mr. Shapeshifter, himself.
One thing I did manage to enjoy was when Bruce and Cassandra make themselves up to be reporters. In the past few years, we haven't seen much of Bruce Wayne, but recently, the Bat-writers have been finding new ways to bring him into play.
Now, onto Aruna's origin story...
Writer: Scott Peterson
Artists: Pablo Raimondi (p), Walden Wong (i), Gloria Vasquez and Jamison (c), Albert T. De Guzman (l)
Plot: Aruna recounts the story of her childhood, growing up on the streets of India.
I almost can't believe that the same writer who came up with the main story produced this much better backup tale, which tries to explain how Aruna Shende came to be. If you don't care for Deodato's hourglass figures, the art in this short will be easier for you to enjoy.
Peterson melds Indian legend with mysterious family upbringing in a story that seems disconnected and strange, until Aruna provides the link. There's a super parable between Brahma and an aging father and son, tying in very nicely to Aruna's present and past.
The only problem is that it doesn't relate anything about Aruna's supposed role as a heroine. Pair that up with a disappointing lead story, and this backup simply cannot function on its own; it should be complementary to the rest of the book, not outshine it.
