Hey again folks, Crooker here to once again give you my review for the latest in Tate Brombal and Takeshi Miyazawa’s Batgirl, starring my forever beloved girl, Cass Cain. This is issue #4, and it feels like we’re reaching the climax of this arc. Will the book continue on? What stories does Brombal have in his pocket? Time will tell. Let’s dig into this entry, shall we?
Continuing on from how things were left last time, Cass is now face-to-face with villains from her past, and she’s not happy about it. However, that’s not as much the focus as one may initially think. This issue is more about explaining and hinting farther towards the Unburied, their reason for existing, and why they’re after who they’re after. It’s not Cass, as we are shown by the end, and Shiva seems to have much deeper a connection to them than she’s let on. We do learn that they have a history with Ra’s Al Ghul, and that comes as little surprise. These secret assassin organizations tend to cross pollinate in the DCU, don’t they?
That’s all good stuff, but it’s the relationship between Cass and her mother that continues to carry the book to success. The deepening of their relationship in this issue is subtle, but builds upon the past three, with the implication that Shiva doesn’t like this any more than Cass does. We get a nice heart to heart where Shiva confesses some of her flaws, and expresses genuine regret (on some level at least) for the kind of person she’s become, and what that means to her relationship with her only child. It’s a conversation I don’t think we’d be able to get in any other book, with all this groundwork being laid to force the two into working together.
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Cass is, as Shiva puts it, still trying to be like Batman, still searching for herself. Cass has assumed many identities over the years, and yet she still aspires to be like her father, (Batman, of course, not David. This book is very clear that both Cass and Shiva see Bruce as her real father). Perhaps she still hasn’t found that true self yet. It’s an interesting thing to ponder, but I’m not sure if Cass would agree. If nothing else though, it sets up the end of the issue where Cass willingly casts aside the “what would Batman do?” question and starts to try and think in the way her mother does, all to save her. Though, that IS what Batman would do, isn’t it? Save the person you hate the most in this world, no matter the cost? Food for thought, and I love that this book is serving that food at all. As I’ve outlined before in previous reviews, Cass hasn’t really had a character arc to call her own in this way for a very long time, so I’m very much enjoying having this much to chew on.
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And of course, Miyazawa’s still killing it on the art. As I’ve already said many times prior, the visual language is the key to a good Cass comic, and Miyazawa perfectly understands this. In previous runs with the character, this is often expressed with very bombastic, dramatic movements… which is utilized here too, for fights. However the thing I’m impressed by is still the subtle things. Cass getting entire meanings and internal conversations from just a touch to the shoulder, the slight change in expression, that’s how you make her unique body-reading abilities really shine.
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Batgirl #4 is another knockout for the humble Cass Cain enjoyer such as myself. And presumably you, if you’re reading this. I’m really excited to see how this arc draws to a close soon, and hopefully Brombal has other stories cooked up with this character, because I’m so not ready to say goodbye to this book. Here’s to a long and prosperous run!
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