In this review of Batgirl #15, after the mission to destroy the Unburied’s power source, Batgirl has questions that demand answers from Nyssa Al Ghul!
Batgirl #15 main cover by Reiko Murakami (DC Comics)
BATGIRL #15
Written by TATE BROMBAL
Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
Main Cover: REIKO MURAKAMI
Variant Cover: JORGE FORNÉS
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 1/7/26
This review contains spoilers
Tormented by the confusing nightmares of guilt and rage, consisting of her past crimes, her mother Shiva and Jaya, Batgirl awakens back in Samsara to a worried Tenji. Cass angrily attacks him until Jaya arrives and hits them both with a chakra strike, clearing their heads. Tenji runs off in despair, while Cass describes her dream to Jaya, expressing anxiety that she inherited her mother’s vengeance.
As Batgirl #15 continues, Batgirl confronts Nyssa about the mission’s true purpose, accusing both her and the late Ra’s Al Ghul of pirating the Unburied’s land. Nyssa cops to Ra’s complicity but feigns innocence on her part. Cassandra asks her the color of the sky, realizing she cannot tell when Nyssa is truthful or lying to which Nyssa owes to the result of her torture that left her body physically and expressively numb.
Tenji discovers a secret room where members of the League of Shadows are seemingly aiding people in a medical bay, then finds Kalden the Unseen in a holding cell. Kalden mocks Tenji’s shallow sense of heroism, and through their conversation Tenji realizes that the Unburied have managed a tunnel leading directly to Samsara. Racing to tell Cassandra, he’s stopped by Nyssa who assures him that everything is going according to plan. As Angel Breaker prepares to slice him in half from behind, Jaya releases Kalden, stating that what’s buried will soon come to light.
Analysis
Batgirl #15 is Tate Brombal’s more forward moving script in the run, posing a mystery that’s decently compelling while managing to keep Cassandra’s ongoing crisis of faith at the emotional core. While there were one or two beats I didn’t care for, I found this to be a generally enjoyable issue.
As usual, the dialogue is more than a bit much. Some months I’m used to it, others like the last two are too much for me to not knock off critical points. Every time this book arrives, I yearn for the sweet tranquility of Batgirl #5. Brombal’s got a solid enough handle on Cassandra, and knows when to pull her dialogue back. However when anyone else is talking, it’s wither overwritten or uninspired writing like much of what comes out of Tenji’s mouth. Tenji as a character has yet to activate for me beyond a simple little bro archetype who is too eager, too earnest and too annoying to be enjoyed. If he ends up dead by this story’s end, I won’t be crying. Additionally, he brings out the worst in Cassandra. We open with another out-of-character crash out where she’s flinging fists wildly at him. Granted, it’s noted that this isn’t like Cass, but that’s remarked upon in a throwaway line. I wish that the OOC moments meant to be reacted to by the reader were actually written with the intended punch and not simple story beats representative of any generic story.
But okay, let’s hit up the positives. We’ve got Stephen Segovia on art, doing a terrific job of making Batgirl look fierce from the first page to the last. I’m familiar with Segovia’s work on the Jace Fox-led book I Am Batman. Always a solid artist, but here his stuff has improved dramatically. He excels at the action, as well as the dynamic moments such as Tenji with Kalden in the cell. I also really love the half-mask scenes with Cass in the beginning.
I also like the switch-up pulled on our heroes. Cassandra’s ability to trust are at an all-time low, and having her friend Jaya seemingly betray her at the end when she already doesn’t like Tenji and doesn’t trust Nyssa was a solid reveal. Now I think when it comes down to it, with the exception of Kalden, none of these people could or should conceivably take Cass on in a fight. I’m not eager to test that, as Brombal’s generally let Cass’ fighting abilities down in this series. Her marital arts skills being her specialty is just not something kept in the forefront of this series’ mind most of the time. But in a tighter story, it would be really cool to watch Batgirl fight Nyssa, Angel Breaker and Jaya all at once.
Nevertheless, the implication that Cass has allied herself with all of these people and walked into a den of lions is really one of the most enjoyable reveals in the entire book. I am excited to see how things end up, and if this accelerates Cassandra’s return to Gotham, which is something that Brombal has promised is happening this year. Batgirl #15 was decent throughout with really nice artwork, but the cliffhanger at the end definitely bumped it up a few points.
