Batgirl #7 is written by Tate Brombal and published by DC. Artwork is by Isaac Goodhart, colours by Mike Spicer and letters are by Tom Napolitano. Main cover art (left) is by Reiko Murakami.
Batgirl #7 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Spinning out of “Mother,” the first arc’s world-shattering finale, Lady Shiva unveilsher true, secret origins to Batgirl for the very first time. Courtesy of special guestartist Isaac Goodhart, don’t miss the definitive history of Lady Shiva.
Review
Shiva is dead… perhaps. But that’s certainly where we pick up in this month’s issue of Batgirl. After a gut-wrenching finale to the series first arc Tate Brombal is changing up the pace and stepping back in time to explore the origin of Cass’ mother. As the series looks to cement its future, can it find success in telling the stories of the past as a way to add context to the character’s journey?
Batgirl #7 is a pretty big departure for the series. Brombal is taking a swing by shifting focus on to Shiva, using Cass as a bookend to her story. Isaac Goodhart is also stepping in to draw this story meaning Takeshi Miyazawa is taking a step back for the time being. So anyone coming in to issue #7 will need a moment to readjust. That being said I like what Brombal is doing here. With Shiva and her relationship with Cass so pivotal to the first arc it feels like now is the right moment to tell this story. You also have to applaud Brombal for the tenacity not to dive headfirst in to more direct-Batgirl action.
The serialised nature of Brombal’s storytelling is refreshing and super contemporary. Before you jump in to my DMs saying “but comics have always been serialised!” take a moment to think about what usually happens between arcs. It would have been easy to pick up with Cass back in Gotham, perhaps still licking her wounds, at the beginning of a new case. The way Brombal has chosen to write this story feels more seamless which I really appreciate for the consistency of storytelling.
It’s also a pretty bold move to tell the origin story of a character who has existed for five-decades. Whilst aspects of her origin have been touched on in the past. It can work counterintuitively to her long, storied history to suddenly add a load of new context. Particularly if it makes us sympathetic towards a character previously seen as someone fairly cold and calculating. But Brombal has been nudging both Cass and Shiva in a slightly warmer direction and this story furthers that development in both cases.
As for Shiva’s story itself. Brombal has constructed his narrative around fragments of story from the past. Nothing here is drastically rewriting history. Shiva lived a somewhat nomadic life with her parents and her sister until tragic events forced them apart. This first chapter hones in on the sisterly bond between Mei-Xing and Ming-Yue. It highlights the fact that Shiva came from a place of love and connection. Something which has been missing from her relationship with her daughter prior to this series beginning.
The bare bones structure of Shiva’s backstory makes for strong reading. Brombal certainly knows how to piece together a story which hits all the right notes emotionally without compromising on the kind of action we’ve come to expect from Batgirl. There are a couple of elements which end up somewhat predictable. There’s an inevitability to Shiva and her sister confronting their parents killer which will play out exactly how you expect. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t blockbuster reading when it comes to pass.
Isaac Goodhart stepping in to provide the artwork for Shiva’s story works well for the book. It gives Shiva her own visual style which stands apart from Cass’. Whilst it might not have been purposeful intention, it’s a neat way to visually separate the mother from daughter. It would have been cool to use Miyazawa for the bookends with Goodhart providing the filling in the sandwich. Even without that there’s certainly no jarring jump from one artist to another.
Goodhart is an allrounder which is also exactly what Batgirl #7 needs. There’s so much variety in the locations, settings and even on basic content level that Goodhart has a lot to contend with. From snowy mountain tops to fiery temple battles, Brombal really left nothing out of this issue. What helps is that Goodhart has a great grasp of character and expression which continually emphasises the emotions which Brombal is trying to convey through the story.
Verdict
Batgirl #7 is a neat change of pace for the book. Exploring Shiva’s past, especially discovering it alongside Cass, adds to the series pursuit of bringing new depth to their mother-daughter relationship. Isaac Goodhart brings new life to Shiva’s history even as some of its fundementals do become a little predictable.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
