“The Movement” issues 1 – 12 and “Batgirl” Vol.4 issue 34

Written by Gail Simone

Wildstorm Concepts:    

“The Movement” depicts another attempt to be more socially minded from DC, showing a group of homeless kids and activists banding together to fight against the corruption from their city, Coral City. Among their troubles are corrupt cops, serial killers and traitors in their midst. As with most books featuring mostly original characters, the book was a commercial failure. It did manage to introduce another Wildstorm character into DC: Rainmaker. Gail Simone wrote the Gen13 for Wildstorm before, and Sarah’s LGBT background is not forgotten; she gets to date the book’s main character, Virtue.

In this new universe, Rainmaker also works as an activist who helps homeless kids. In her turf, she’s known as the no-nonsense “witch”, and her attitude and distrust of outsiders is famous around the city, gaining loyalty through fear. Rumors ran amok, some saying she’s got two heads.

A serial killer with weather powers has been killing people, so The Movement enters the witch’s territory to ask what she knows. They come uninvited and unannounced, so a fight with Sarah’s followers breaks out. Sarah stops the fight, showing off her elemental powers like a force of nature. The misunderstanding is quickly over, and Rainmaker doesn’t mind sharing the serial killer’s identity to help clear her name. The Movement asks for Sarah and her people to join them, but she’s not ready. She’s been looking out only for herself for too long; she just wants her people to be left alone. Still, she gives Virtue her phone number.

Not long after, the two gals start dating, but Virtue’s turbulent homeless life leads to having to cancel their first date at a fancy restaurant. Their second attempt is humbler, just buying casual coffee. Rainmaker feels insecure that it might be too cheap of a date, and the poor environment not romantic enough, but that’s where Virtue feels more at home. The girls share their first kiss. This is about the last we see of her, but it’s fair to assume she got over her selfishness and distrust of outsiders and started helping out The Movement.

Rainmaker comes back from the same writer in the pages of “Batgirl”. Batgirl is facing supervillain Knightfall, who initiates “Operation Rebirth”: a project to hire dozens of superhumans to commit murderous vigilantism and kill all of Gotham City’s criminals in one night. Batgirl is forced to call all of her female metahuman friends to stop Knightfall’s plan (because like black people, all female heroines know each other), and Rainmaker and Caitlin are among the superheroines who answer the call.

Next: “Supergirl” Vol.6 issue 33, written by Frank Barbiere.