After several unexpected adventures while traveling across Asia, Barbara Gordon is glad to be heading home. True, she’s a little stressed because of all the work waiting for her. Not to mention a deadline she missed because the e-mails regarding it were bounced off The Great Firewall of China.

Any hope of relaxation disappears when a strange smell floods the plane. The good news is that it isn’t some sort of toxic gas or chemical weapon. The bad news is that the smell is attached to a rather lethal and rapidly growing plant.

Unsurprisingly this is the work of Poison Ivy, who happened to be on the same flight. For once, however, Ivy is completely innocent of wrong-doing. Ivy was transporting the preserved remains of a prehistoric plant and – miraculously – the conditions inside the plane’s cargo hold proved to be precisely what was needed to revive the plant and let it thrive.

While Ivy would normally be thrilled about something this miraculous involving an extinct plant, she is practical enough to consider what effect a rapidly growing carnivorous plant will have on an airborne jet. A reluctant partnership is quickly formed to get the plane down safely, though they disagree on the importance of saving the plant as well.

While technically the epilogue of Beyond Burnside arc, Batgirl #6 proves to be an excellent entry point for new readers. Hope Larson’s story doesn’t depend on having read the previous five issues. Indeed, this story is so friendly to new readers someone who has never heard of Batgirl or Poison Ivy could gain a good understanding of the characters from this easily accessible issue.

Originally I was skeptical about Rafael Albuquerque’s status as the artist on this series. Albuquerque is a fine artist but – being familiar with his work on American Vampire – I was uncertain how well his style would translate to a series that usually encouraged a bright, traditional aesthetic. I shouldn’t have worried. Albuquerque’s versatility won out in the end, resulting in a book that – paired with the colors of Dave McCaig – provided a unique visual experience unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

If you’ve haven’t read the post-Rebirth Batgirl, this is a fine time to start. The story doesn’t require any previous experience with the series to date. The artwork appears amazing throughout. This is a great comic, plain and simple and a must-read for all fans of Batgirl and/or Poison Ivy.