serge lapointe

Ever since Saga set a new standard for indie comics success in 2012, there's been an explosion of American sci-fi comics, many of them from Saga publisher Image Comics. Of these, one of the biggest standouts is Southern Cross, which has created a compelling, dense world with stunning visuals and gripping mysteries in just its first six issues.

Batgirl has been firing on all cylinders since the creative team of Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr came aboard just over a year ago, and has carved a niche as not only one of the most exciting books published by DC Comics, but as a book that's genuinely representative of the millennial experience. It might just be the amount of Lucha Underground that this particular millennial watches, but the most exciting moment in comics this week came from Batgirl #48, with the team joined by Rob Haynes, Serge LaPointe and Lee Loughridge.

I don't have a whole lot of OTPs, but Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon are right there at the top of the list. They're two characters who have felt made for each other since the first time I saw them together, and even when they're not romantically entangled --- which is pretty frequently the case for characters that I always picture together --- and even when I don't actually want to see them romantically involved, which happens almost as often, their interactions always have a sense of history that makes them compelling and interesting. It's that interaction that takes center stage in this week's Batgirl #45, a character piece about two people whose lives have been pulled in drastically different directions and who don't know if they'll ever have the same connection that they once did. And it's one of the best takes on their relationship that I've ever read.