Batgirl #8 – Tate Brombal, Writer; Isaac Goodhart, Artist; Mike Spicer, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Cassandra Cain might be the star of this series, but she’s only a bit player in this arc – enjoying a long-distance train route while trying to figure out her complex relationship with her possibly-dead mother. And the best tool she has…is Shiva’s journal, the first chronicle we’ve ever gotten of Shiva’s early years. Last issue, we followed her as a young girl in a remote village, along with her sister – until their peaceful days were interrupted by her deranged warlord uncle. Their village was razed, and they were the only ones to escape. Armed with their skills and each other, they stayed one step ahead of the villain and slowly made their way abroad – to America, where they took on new names and began a racket fighting in martial arts matches. And that’s where they met a pair of Kung Fu tourists – Ben Turner and a man known as Richard Dragon – who proved to be the best match they’d had yet in more ways than one.
And this is where we start to see the first rifts form in the sisters’ bond. Carolyn slowly starts to open up, escaping her traumatic past and finding love with Ben. Sandra, who will become known as Shiva, closes herself off even more and rejects Richard’s efforts. When Carolyn tries to play off her quest for vengeance, the two start to become estranged. And of course, lurking in the background, is none other than David Cain. The sadistic assassin and eugenicist is one of the darkest characters in DC’s history, and he’s oily as ever here, talking to Shiva in the manner of a cult leader. The ending of this issue is inevitable, but the way it plays out is especially tragic. This is one of those issues where little happens and a lot happens at the same time. We’re seeing the genesis of Shiva’s ruthlessness, but at the same time this story makes her more human than any book has managed in a long time.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
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