Batgirl #17 – Tate Brombal, Writer; Takeshi Miyazawa, Artist; Juan Castro, Inker; Mike Spicer, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Cassandra Cain has been through it ever since this series began, being chased out of Gotham by an army of assassins, losing her frenemy mother before going on a quest acros the world, discovering a new brother, and facing off against Nyssa Al Ghul on the far reaches of the world. But now, she’s finally ready to return to Gotham and embrace both her families. We even get a cute conversation between her and Stephanie Brown for the first time since their Batgirls series wrapped up – something fans have been waiting over a year for (Steph fans can follow her into Brombal’s Titans run later this month!). But a peaceful family dinner isn’t to be – as soon as she arrives in Gotham, Cass finds she’s inherited a curse from Shiva’s clan – the curse of the bloodmaster. She’s now able to use her own blood as telekinetic weapons – whether she wants this ability or not.
Cass as a metahuman is a unique twist and one not all the fans are embracing, given how unique she was as the most skilled human fighter in the world. But Takeshi Miyazawa’s art goes a long way towards selling me – this is an excellent effect, like something out of a dark fantasy martial arts epic. And that’s where this issue finds its inspiration. While the previous arc took on the tone of a mountain epic, this one feels more like an urban crime thriller. As Cass chases down the mysterious Bloodmaster, the only other figure who knows how to master this skill, she and her brother Tenji and new ally Jaya are pulled into an epic battle, including a stairwell fight scene that might just make Tony Jaa nod with approval. As the issue ends, we start to get a better clue of where this story is going – and it ties in with yet another iconic Cass story as this series continues to up the stakes with every arc.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
