After almost twenty years, Cassandra Cain is back in a new solo title! This time she and her mother Lady Shiva are on the run from ninjas! This is our review of Batgirl #1.
Batgirl #1 main cover by David Talaski
BATGIRL #1
Written by: TATE BROMBAL
Art by: TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
Main Cover: DAVID TALASKI
Variant Covers: JEFF DEKAL STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU, SKYLAR PATRIDGE
Page Count: 28 pages
Release Date: November 6, 2024
Synopsis
Batgirl #1 kicks off as Batgirl a.k.a. Cassandra Cain, is approached by Lady Shiva, warning her of a threat that demands they both leave Gotham City at once. Cassandra has a storied history with her mother, so she refuses to believe her, especially whenever Shiva expresses concern for her. The two don’t have much time for debate, as The Unburied – an ancient order of long-dead fighters – have come for their lives. Mother and daughter seek refuge at Shiva’s Temple, where her followers have been killed and the Unburied ambush them once more. Despite detesting Shiva, Cassandra remains stalwart in her vow to prevent death and not take any life, resolving to fight alongside her murderous mother.
Analysis: Longtime listeners of The Batman Universe Comic Podcast know that I was THE Cassandra Cain fan for the website. My early time on the podcast came when Cass’ appearances were dwindling just before the new 52 where she disappeared completely. While James Tynion IV brought her back in Batman Eternal and she would increasingly be made more prominent in his Detective Comics title, Cass’ presence in the Batman books has increased dramatically since the launch of her YA GN Shadow of the Batgirl. This Young Adult comic for teens was published around the time of the Harley Quinn/Birds of Prey film which used Cassandra’s name but for a character who didn’t resemble her in the least.
While my anxieties on what that large-scale media appearance would do for my favorite Bat-character, it can be argued that the high public profile helped put her back in the spotlight of the Bat-Family. But I’m more convinced by the open engagement with fans yearning for the Bat-Family of old and not simply the four Robins and Barbara Gordon be given their proper due. This is what James Tynion helped usher back in the books, and writers such as Tom King and Chip Zdarsky have been all to happy to follow suit.
While Cassandra’s time as Batgirl was pushed out of DC’s memory by Dan Didio and Geoff Johns running the company in favor of the Silver Age Barbara Gordon, we’re now currently enjoying a era where Cass *is* the Batgirl again. Between reclaiming the mantle and appearing in a Batgirls title with Stephanie Brown (whose own Batgirl history is still a bit muddied admittedly), and Babs ceding back into the Oracle role in DC, there’s little left for Cass’ fans to ask for.
All that was left was her own title, unceremoniously canceled in 2006 to make way for a Batwoman book that never came to pass. Now, after all this time, our girl has a title again.
Tate Brombal is the kind of Cass fan I relate to a lot. It’s obvious throughout this fairly quick read in Batgirl #1 where his appreciation for her and Shiva lie, as it’s similar to mine. Going back to Cassandra’s first series, the major arc that began from issue #7 through issue #25 was the rivalry and death-duel between the two women. The revelation that they’re mom and kid wasn’t written until the series’ end (something I don’t mind but don’t actually find as compelling as when the two were merely rivals), but it’s clung to their characters ever since. Both Tynion IV and Michael Conrad got into their relationship in Detective Comics and Batgirls respectively, but Brombal signals more of the deeper enmity between the two. And while Cassandra is quickly nailed with the focus on her body reading abilities and even her speech (returning to the ellipses to present how she’s still new at speech), it’s Shiva’s characterization that I was leaning into the most.
Lady Shiva is a long-running character, first appearing as somewhat of an antihero in the pages of Richard Dragon: Kung-Fu Fighter, created and written by Denny O’Neil. Ten years after that series wrapped, O’Neil brought her into his revival of Steve Ditko’s The Question. For those who have not read, this series features the quintessential Shiva. Neither heroic nor villainous, O’Neil’s Shiva is a force of nature utterly unencumbered by the simple ways and moralities of men. Utterly indomitable in combat, she’s neither cruel nor kind, unpredictable and actually best represents the death God of which she gets her namesake. Somewhat ironically, it’s during O’Neil’s editorship of the Batman books where Shiva’s appearances sanded off the complex edges of her character. Starting with her appearance in A Death in the Family and continuing throughout Tim Drake’s first miniseries, Knightsend and the Batman/Green Arrow crossover story Brotherhood of the Fist, Shiva was watered down to a more conventional – and in some ways highly stereotypical – villainous persona. She not only had no compunction for refraining from killing, she seemingly craved death, and sought to kill everyone she came across in combat. This led her appearances to pigeon her more as a supervillain for Batman and other heroes to fight against, which detracted from her unique place in the DC pantheon. When she appeared in Cassandra’s first title, while still antagonistic, much of her nuances were brought back, as she related to Cassandra by being both an unbeatable fighter and seeking an eternal challenge.
With all that being said, eagle-eyed readers can spot the influences in Brombal’s Shiva. Her quip about despising violence is a line taken right out of The Question #1 (1989). Her communicating and efforts to manipulate Cassandra through body language is an ability only the two would be able to do, referencing their first encounters in Cass’ 2000 series. These – to this fan’s mind – are the very best comics to refer to for this mom and daughter duo, reflecting more characterization than the Shiva of recent years, or Cassandra simply being good at martial arts.
The issue overall is mostly about their interactions, with the action surrounding the Unburied being a simple driving factor in how they get along. Not everything to my mind is perfect however. While we don’t know much about The Unburied, it’s difficult to imagine Shiva running from a fight. Cassandra sees her as totally villainous (for good reason), and Shiva conforms to some of those tropes, not quite matching the unique qualities from O’Neil and Kelley Puckett’s writing (‘Lest I forget, Bryan Edward Hill also wrote a great Shiva in his Batman and the Outsiders series a couple of years back).
I also think that more could’ve been put on display around Cass and Shiva’s supreme martial arts skills. These two are in the top five table for best fighters in the DC Universe, and we don’t see that presented in this first story where they are running from ninjas. Having Cass find out for herself how tough they are, rather than being told by Shiva would’ve been a better way to show what she’s up against.
Still, Tate Brombal understands the assignment when it comes to these two characters, and Takeshi Miyazawa’s artwork is simple and effective in the body-language-led storytelling. This is a solid start to a book that has a ton of potential, and above all else, the creators have proven their bonafides in representing two of the coolest women in comics.
You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Amazon, My Comic Shop, or through Things From Another World.
