Batgirl #19 – Tate Brombal, Writer; Takesh Miyazawa, Artist; Juan Castro, Inker; Mike Spicer, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: It’s the conclusion of Cassandra Cain’s journey through the Spirit World, seeking answers to the curse that’s befallen her. While power over her own blood might seem to be a cool new ability, it’s actually painful and deeply unsettling for her, and she’s determined to get it removed by any means necessary. Cass, along with her brother Tenji and her new found family Jaya, have entered the realm in search of the Bloodmaster, her uncle, who has designs on the power himself. But as they descend deeper into the towers of the Spirit World and encounter the powerful spirit behind the power of the blood, what started as an uneasy alliance turns into a shocking betrayal. Cass doesn’t have the best luck with her birth family, outside of Tenji, so the twist this takes isn’t the biggest surprise – but given what the blood has been shown to do, it’s also not exactly hard to understand.
This series has taken Cass back to her roots, but it’s also taken her into some seriously unexpected territory. The idea of Batgirl facing off against dark spirits in a cosmic realm might seem kind of ridiculous, but it’s also a plot that works surprisingly well given the themes of the title. Cass has been outrunning her twisted family legacy since the start, and this plays into that – but her story is also paralleled with that of the Bloodmaster, who has been outrunning his own family’s curse and has gone to extreme measures to try to free himself. The ending here hints at a new ending for all of them, but it also reveals that Cass isn’t quite done with the powers here just yet. Given all that she’s been through in this run, the reunion with her family is very well-earned (and glad to see Steph greet her first, IYKYK). It’ll be interesting to see where Cass’ journey goes next given all that’s unraveling in Gotham.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
