After coming off the epic and tragic finale of the “Mother” arc, Batgirl #7 finds Cassandra Cain learning more about Lady Shiva’s history. What secrets will she find out about her mother? Isaac Goodhart steps in as guest artist for this two-issue arc that covers the origin of Lady Shiva. Here are my thoughts.
I’ve have enjoyed this new Batgirl series throughout so far, and issue #7 does not disappoint. After what transpired in the last issue, I was eager to find out what Cass was going to do next considering that (minor spoiler from issue #6) Lady Shiva advised her to seek out Bronze Tiger while they were battling the Unburied. But in this issue, we take a little breather and explore this side story involving Shiva’s backstory. It’s essentially a character study that gives some insight into Shiva’s immediate family, specifically her parents and her sister, Mei-Xing.
Writer Tate Brombal does a great job with the story here because in one issue, he made me care about Shiva’s relationship with her sister. Their relationship was the highlight of the issue. While Shiva’s parents were also introduced, it’s really the relationship of the two sisters that’s the crux of the story. Although, what happens to Shiva’s parents does affect her psyche as she gets older.
Another aspect of the story that I appreciated was that Brombal did a good job highlighting that at a very young age, Shiva had a darkness brewing underneath and the anger that was built up within her would eventually shape her as a person. This issue also implied that being violent is in Shiva’s nature and is in her genes based on what’s revealed and it involves the mob, The Blood.
Isaac Goodhart’s artwork was a seamless transition from Takeshi Miyazawa’s work. Like Miyazawa, Goodhart’s action sequences were really dynamic and the way the characters moved was captivating. There’s a double-page spread that involves Shiva and her sister dancing in this village celebration, and it’s just beautiful.
The color red is prominent throughout the issue. To me, it symbolizes Shiva’s rage and violent nature. Shiva’s clothes are also red, while her sister’s are a shade of yellow or brown. Mei is viewed as the optimistic sister and the more grounded one; while Shiva is more impulsive and gets angered more easily. And the colors by Mike Spicer really reflected those characteristics of the two sisters. Once again, Spicer is the unsung hero of the issue.
Recommended if…
- You want to dive deeper into Lady Shiva’s backstory.
- You are a fan of Isaac Goodhart’s work.
- You’ve been enjoying the series so far.
Overall
Once again, we have another great issue of Batgirl. While there wasn’t that much Cassandra Cain in the issue, the focus on Lady Shiva’s origin was interesting and revealed certain aspects of her life and how it correlates to the dynamic of the relationship between Cass and her mother. Kudos to the entire creative team on this solid issue, and I can’t wait to see how they tackle David Cain’s involvement in the next issue.
Score: 8.5/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of review.
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