In this review of Batgirl #4, just as Cassandra thinks she’s got her hands full with the return of Nyssa Al Ghul, the Unburied are right on her heels to attack!
Batgirl #4 main cover by David Talaski
BATGIRL #4
Written by TATE BROMBAL
Art by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
Main Cover: DAVID TALASKI
Variant Cover: SOZOMAIKA
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: February 5, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Batgirl #4 begins as Cass is greeted by Nyssa Al Ghul, who references her presumed death at the hands of Cassandra years ago in Robin #148 when she was under the mind control of Deathstroke. Nyssa’s appearance comes along with Angel Breaker – last seen during Shadow War – and a new face, Wu Lin a.k.a. Bloodmaster. They explain that the Unburied have attacked them from all across the globe, and that they must join together to survive and defeat them.
Just as Shiva is getting Cassandra to fall in, Batgirl notices a surprise ninja, and a fight breaks out. The Unburied have found their getaway train, unmooring it off the tracks. Shiva, Wu Lin, Angel Breaker and Nyssa all fight alongside Batgirl, until Shiva takes her daughter inside the train and reveals that she has petals from the Poppy flower the Unburied are after – revealing herself to be the one they’re looking for. Just then they’re attacked by Chodak the Unbowed, who overpowers the two of them, knocks Cass out and takes off with Shiva. When Cass comes to, Jayesh hops a motorcycle and beckons Cassandra to join him in rescuing Shiva. Batgirl #4 ends as the two take off in pursuit.
Image Credit: DC Comics
Analysis
With this series we’re still in the “good” side of the quality equator for a Cassandra Cain series, but I remain frustrated by Tate Brombal’s dialogue and overall presentation of these characters. Last issue I forced myself to make peace with his overly articulate voice for Shiva (which never stops), but here we’ve got Nyssa and Wu Lin and more members of the Unburied, and everyone speaks the same. It’s distracting, and rings too much of a guy way into old school Shaolin Monk action movies applying that into a 2025 superhero comic.
Cassandra’s got it too, referring to Batman as “father”, and that’s nice and all but I don’t feel it reflects her personality to think of him in those exact words. And I don’t think this is hard to parse, if one is a Cass Cain fan and has read even some of her adventures over the years. She never says things like “I have learned much from my father.”, that’s simply not her voice. When the voice is off, I become sensitive towards how her character is rendered in other ways.
Now that’s ultimately my biggest gripe with Batgirl #4 and series as a whole, because the characterization is still solid. Having Cass see herself surrounded by more villains and think “Okay, what would Batman do?” is very cool, and I like the touch of her playing out the scenario in her head and only Shiva can read her mind and hint for her to back off. Good stuff. Even better is how every issue so far has, fundamentally, been about how Cass views Shiva. At the start she’s thinking about what Batman would do, but her acceptance of Shiva is growing, and she considers her actions by the end of Batgirl #4.
This is important character development, as Cassandra hasn’t been able to move past her hatred for her mother beyond the realm of pity, and I think it’s high time she does that. They fought together in Batman and the Outsiders, and it’s been a very long time since Shiva’s plotted against her in any way. But of course, Cass’ views of her mom reflects how she sees herself, and along with her opinion of Shiva, her own self image has been evolving. There’s a lot of great potential in seeing where this goes once this first arc ends and she returns to Gotham and interacts with the rest of the Bat-Family.
All of this has been about the heart of the very best of Cass’ adventures in her original series in 2000 – how she views herself and working out of her self hatred. I applaud Brombal for explicitly referencing that title, and even the bad stories that came after like Cassandra being brainwashed to become a villain in the pages of Robin. There’s actually a ton of continuity referenced in this issue, even namechecking Cass’ Kasumi moniker in the pages of Justice League Elite – which is a reference only hardcore Cassandra fans know about. That goes to show how all of her life is still intact, presumably erasing the Batman and Robin Eternal continuity involving Mother and such…except her history as Orphan is still referenced.
Hmmm…how might Brombal reconcile this I wonder? Nevertheless, I like that those old events were referenced as “years ago”, placing Cass as in her early 20s at least. DC Continuity is still vaguely Post-Crisis POST-Dark Nights Metal, but there are definite cracks in the holes. Some things are being re-written in real time, see my reviews for Batman and Robin Year One.
Overall I had to remind myself I liked Batgirl #4 because the dialogue was really bothering me. It gets better as the plot returns to Casandra’s inner monologues and observations, and we’re staying with her headspace in driving the book. It can be better, but it’s still, overall, solid character work.
