The Girls are Better than Ever
Before reading this trade, I'd read issues #2, 3, and 23. (Coincidence there) Reading #1-7 in this trade has tied it all together for me. It's got a lot of great moments and, all collected together, the strong focus on Riddler in the third issue doesn't seem so bad. I can see where this book dovetails nicely with what's been going on in the other Batman books. Although I'm coming back to comics for the first time in 10-15 years and I was never big on Batman before, Comic Vine has been quite helpful in helping me figure out what's going on. However, other than a few moments where the girls' adventures cross with what's going on with the Bat-Family, they're mostly on their own with their own issues. And I like that. Let the guys have their own books, it's nice for the girls to get such a strong showing.
Of all the issues collected here, my favorite one is the last one. It's a Christmas issue where the ladies take a little R&R time and you get some good character growth time with two of the three. That's very satisfying.
Overall, the most interesting thing about this book is that t he girls are, for the most part, trying to stay clean. Somehow trouble keeps finding them. But that's what makes it the most unique villain teamup book I've ever read. They aren't teaming up to take out their arch-nemisis. They're teaming up to avoid their life of crime. I can't wait to get onto the next trade so I can get caught up to the monthlies.
