Batgirl #8 Review

In part two of “The Book of Shiva” arc, Cassandra continues to read the diary that her mother left her. After going over her tragic beginnings, Shiva now recounts her and her sister’s journey to America. Along that journey, the sisters encounter some of the most fearsome martial artists in all of the DC Universe — Bronze Tiger and Richard Dragon! Shiva also crosses paths with Cass’ infamous father, David Cain. How will these new relationships shape Shiva into the ruthless woman she eventually becomes? These are my thoughts.

Once again, we have another great issue of Batgirl. Tate Brombal and the entire creative team have (as the kids say) been cooking as this series has been going along. Issue #8 was emotional, action-packed, and it added more context for Shiva’s complicated past. And it once again highlighted the dichotomy between Shiva and her sister. The sisters are renamed Sandra and Carolyn Wu-San, which is a callback and homage to Shiva’s original origin. That part of her mother’s life correlates to Cassandra’s own journey as she takes the next step in seeking revenge for Shiva’s demise in the first arc.

In regards to Shiva’s story in this issue, Brombal does an excellent job in showcasing why Shiva has so much darkness in her soul and how she becomes the lethal assassin later on in her life.

The inclusion of Ben Turner (Bronze Tiger) and Richard Drakunovski (Richard Dragon) in this issue was a delight and perfectly sets up the next arc as Cassandra will be seeking the guidance of Bronze Tiger. The action scenes with Tiger, Dragon, and the Wu-San sisters were dynamic and beautifully illustrated by fill-in artist Isaac Goodhart. There’s also this one page where Shiva is having a nightmare about her sister’s death, and I just thought the image was visually stunning and captivating.

My one small gripe about the issue was David Cain’s involvement. While very impactful to the story and Shiva’s character development, I just wanted more from his character. I wanted to know more about his motivations and why he’s pursuing Shiva. Brombal does slightly touch upon Cain’s motivations, but I just felt it was a little surface level. I know with only two issues to go over Shiva’s beginnings, it can be difficult to dive deeper. But overall, Brombal does a good job with the limited amount of pages to tell Shiva’s backstory. I just wanted more since I’m not too familiar with the character’s original comic origins.

Recommended if…

• You want more insight into Shiva’s morals and motivations.
• You want to see great action sequences with some of the best martial artists in the DC universe.
• You want to see how big of a piece of **** David Cain really is.

Overall

Batgirl #8 is one of the best issues of the series far. Brombal and the entire creative team are creating something special, and they sent me on an emotional roller coaster in just two issues exploring Lady Shiva’s backstory. The next arc is also perfectly set up, and I’m excited to get into Cass’ next journey as she seeks out Bronze Tiger. And I’ll state this now… Batgirl is possibly the best “Bat” title going on right now. Sorry not sorry.

Score: 9/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of review.