In this review of Batgirl #3, Cassandra refuses to trust her mother, but learning more about the Order of Shiva gives her a new perspective on its leader…and maybe herself!
Batgirl #3 main cover by David Talaski
BATGIRL #3
Written by TATE BROMBAL
Art by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
Main Cover: DAVID TALASKI
Variant Cover: MARCIO TAKARA, TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: January 1, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Batgirl #3 begins as Cassandra Cain is furious at her mother Lady Shiva for leading the Unburied to her friend Ba Bao’s restaurant, forcing the two of them to abandon them and leave them for dead. She gazes at a picture she keeps of herself and the Bat-Family, reminding herself on how she’s accepted by people she’s grown to love and respect, and how they represent everything Shiva does not. Shiva tries to tell her how she’s been truthful with Cassandra the entire time, but Cass is too upset to listen to her. She starts attacking Shiva, leading them into the next car of the train they’ve boarded, finding more members of the Order of Shiva. These leftover survivors see Shiva as a hopeful inspiration – someone who pushes them to follow their dreams and become better people. Cassandra is healed by Jayesh, the High Priest who’s brother died in issue #1. He explains to Cass that him and his daughter were drawn to the Order after the murder of his wife. Additionally, the resurrection of Cass by Shiva is part of a sacred text on Shiva’s legend which the Order reveres. Everything good about Shiva Jayesh says he sees in Cass, birthing doubts in Batgirl’s image of Shiva for the first time in the evening.
Suddenly a member of the League of Shadows walks into the car, and Batgirl strikes, finding more League members and beating them all throughout various train cars. Reaching the end of the train, Batgirl finds an old enemy – Nyssa Al Ghul.
Analysis: This is the best issue of this first arc so far, in that it utilizes Cassandra’s loathing for Shiva and very plainly positions it as a reflection for how she tries to see herself. Beginning with the picture of the Bat-Family (something that could’ve been taken from Wayne Family Adventures), Cass is constantly comparing Shiva to not just Batman but all of them – with the image of her in the middle representing how they enmesh the best of her and not the worst traits which she fears.
This is something that the original Cassandra Cain title dealt with all the time, and is a core element to her character. Cassandra feels guilt in being raised as a murderer, and learning that Shiva is her mother only makes her feel worse – especially since Shiva is one of the very few people on Earth who can best her in hand-to-hand combat. Shiva relates to Cass far more than Cass would like, so Cass worries that despite her heroism as Batgirl and the found family she’s enjoyed, she’ll never not be as murderous and dangerous as Shiva is. While Cassandra’s origin has yet to be invoked in this book so far, it’s really only a matter of time. Admittedly, I’m not sure which version of her origin they would go with – the original one with David Cain or the Batman and Robin Eternal one with the Mother character? Tate Brombal might stick with the original, but it does depend on what DC wants to land on and if Eternal is even still in continuity. What is in continuity however is the death duel between Shiva and Batgirl from Batgirl #25 (2000), where Shiva did briefly kill Cass before bringing her back to life with a special strike to the chest. As mentioned by Jayesh, Shiva said the trick took her a year to learn, which is Brombal strutting his fan bonafides. I’m here for it, as it’s a major moment in Cass and Shiva’s relationship that should always be kept intact.
Moreso than Cass’s characterization, we’re shown another side to Shiva that’s far different than the one-dimensional monster that Cass wants to see her as…as well as most of the DC Universe. Far too often, Shiva is depicted as an evil death-hungry monster. Here, we’re shown that she has a smoother side to her which has inspired an entire Order of people driven to achieve fulfillment after meeting her. This is actually completely in line with Shiva’s characterization from the 1989s Question comic series, where Shiva’s interest in Vic Sage was purely to see how he could better improve himself after his training with Richard Dragon. Contrary to popular belief, Shiva is not some bloodthirsty killer looking for her next victim. She yearns for the best in people and challenging the best. That she’s seen as a healer to some is an attribute many readers may be taken aback from, but not only is it in tandem with her character’s history, but it works to through Cassandra a loop as well. So Cass is left not knowing what to think about her mother, which further runs doubts with herself.
I’ve not real critiques of this issue, other than Shiva’s voice. It’s still overly flowery, referring to Cass as “Daughter”, I still disbelieve she talks like that naturally. But while Cass’ inner monologue isn’t limited, her speaking voice is back to been somewhat direct and curt, just how I like it. I also though Miyazawa really made her beat up face shine with the look of constant impatience in her eyes. Solid writing and art, with the return of a genuine DC bad guy (Nyssa was in the final Batgirl run in 2006) makes for an exciting cliffhanger to an exciting issue.
