Hey folks, me again, with more of the ongoing Batgirl series by DC Comics, starring my favorite character of all time, Cass Cain! This is issue #9, by Tate Brombal and Takeshi Miyazawa. Nice to see him back now that the flashback is over. This is one bombshell of an issue, so let’s take a look.
Okay, I’m only gonna say this once: MASSIVE SPOILER incoming. You’ve been warned, it’s gonna be one of those reviews this time. So minimize this tab, go get your copy of this one, and come back for my fun and lighthearted analysis after. Go on, I’ll wait.
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You stopped and come back yet? Finished reading? Good. Let’s continue.
Batgirl’s got herself a BROTHER! Well, she kind of always had brother(s), plural, Bat-family thing and all, but a blood brother on her mother’s side? Now there’s a twist for you. I admit, the reveal is a bit obtuse, and threw me off about as much as it throws Cass off in this issue. Really, Shiva had another kid? Well, honestly, the more one thinks about it, the less odd it ends up sounding. Shiva’s been around a long time and it doesn’t feel that out of character for her to have sired another kid at some point. I think Cass is just so ubiquitous with the “Lady Shiva’s Daughter” branding that it feels less obvious than it is.
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Thematically, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I do like that this issue has Cass revved up and emotional on her mother’s behalf, acting a degree out of character in her mourning a woman she has deeply complicated feelings on. Bronze Tiger himself even points this out, re-assuring readers that this isn’t Brombal hitting a massive characterization swerve, it’s intended to feel a bit sudden, and I like that. Cass has always been an impulsive, emotional character who jumps in the deep end, so latching on so strongly to her mother for the first time, to the point of acting like a thug, is a valid character beat. I only focus so much on this to continue pointing out that it’s been nearly 20 years since Cass last had writing even remotely this nuanced.
I must admit I have my suspicions about the Jade Tiger reveal… if I know Shiva like I think I know Shiva, there might be more to this than meets the eye. And if this book has had one consistent, core message up until now it’s this: family is what you make of it. Even if B.T’s son is really Cass’s half brother, her poor reaction to the idea shows that it may not be a possibility she’s open to right now, and that ties back in strongly to the theme of her needing to choose her family for herself.
It’s really compelling stuff, sincerely, and I’m excited to see how this develops.
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Art wise, it’s nice having Miyazawa back! His strong sense of panelling and body language returns in force with a fantastically aggressive Cass, fully channelling the worst of her Batman-like interrogation impulses to knock an innocent man around in a brutal way. Her angry, narrowed white bat-eyes and intense posture really selling that this is our girl not in her rightest of minds, and that something’s deeply off about her at the moment. Very good stuff.
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Batgirl #9, ye or nay? Mostly, ye. I think the Jade Tiger reveal is gonna massively turn some heads, and I fully predict the fandom environment will never be the same again. A long lost relative of a massively popular character – a BATMAN character no less – is a huge deal. I think this could go well, or go over like a gasoline factory on fire, entirely depending on how the following issues choose to explore the notion. Very tenuous ground this issue is walking to be sure. For the good? For the bad? We shall see. But it’s Cass, so I’m happy either way.
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