Batgirl #1 – Tate Brombal, Writer; Takeshi Miyazawa, Artist; Mike Spicer, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: The recent Batgirls series gave me just about everything I wanted (well, with one noted rainbow exception), but it had a mixed reception among some Cassandra Cain fans who wanted the character to return to her martial arts roots instead of being caught up in quirky teen-hero adventures. This new series seems like a direct answer to that – to which I say, why not both? Cass is such a great character that it’s fantastic to see her get such a big spotlight again, and this first issue is a pretty dramatic correction to the tone. It’s almost minimalist, both in dialogue and in characters – there are only two named characters in this issue, Cass and her mother, Lady Shiva. While Shiva might be the better of her two parents, that’s a race to the bottom, and things are frosty between the two to put it lightly. But Shiva didn’t call Cass for no reason – they’re being hunted by elite assassins, and the only way to survive is to run, together.
The dark tone of this issue is a little jarring – Stephanie Brown’s absence is definitely felt – but the minimalist approach allows Cass’ character to really shine in a way that will be very familiar to fans of her first solo series. While her dialogue is a little sparse – although she talks much more than she used to – her inner voice as she analyzes the world in the way only she can, through body language, is fascinating. Shiva is kept inscrutable as always to us, with a hidden agenda around every corner, but it’s interesting to see Cass slowly start to realize she may not be deceiving her this time. And of course, maybe the best part of this issue is the martial arts action, which starts early and doesn’t let up. The pace is fast, but the story doesn’t feel slim, and there are some fascinating mysteries set up here that set the stakes high and make me thrilled to see next month’s installment.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
