Batgirl’s life just got a whole lot messier. Not only have the ancient cabal known as the Unburied killed her mom and set their sights on her to finish their vengeance, but she just found out that she isn’t the only child of Shiva. Lady Shiva and Ben Turner, the Bronze Tiger, had a son named Tenji, the Jade Tiger. Cassandra Cain already has more than her fair share of brothers in the Bat Family, but this time she has to deal with a brother in blood, all immediately after she finally accepted her mother’s legacy as her own. Of course, this family meeting will inevitably be crashed by the assassins out for Batgirl’s head, and while she’s always ready for a fight, there’s just one problem. Tenji isn’t a good fighter. In this game, especially with his bloodline, that’s a very bad thing to be bad at.
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The Secret Sibling Is Out (of Time)
Lady Shiva’s final message to her daughter was to track down Bronze Tiger. After learning of her mom’s secret past traveling the world and fighting crime with Ben, Richard Dragon, and her sister, Cass thought she would finally get some answers and take the fight to the Unburied. Instead, she found a Bronze Tiger who refused to join the fight and a brother that was kept a secret to the entire world, even some of its greatest detectives. Cass was left reeling, but Tenji was ecstatic to meet the sister he’d been told so much about. He’d trained every day to impress and one day join Cass and Shiva in the field, under the impression that his mom was a hero. Tenji had been kept in the dark about the truth behind both of his parents’ pasts, and unfortunately, it had finally caught up with him.
Norbu the Untested, the first of three Swords sent to kill Batgirl, arrived on Dragon Ranch. He announced his intent to end Lady Shiva’s bloodline once and for all, challenging Cass to a duel that could never end with a yield. Being maybe the best fighter in the world, she could tell she could make him yield in five moves, and prepared to do just that, until Tenji said that he wanted a piece of the action, being Shiva’s son. He leapt into Batgirl’s combo, throwing her off and endangering himself as he called out every one of his moves. Tenji winds up cut pretty bad, forcing Bronze Tiger to join the fight and throw the would-be assassin into the barn with extreme prejudice.
Once they’ve gotten breathing room and patched up Tenji, Batgirl demands to know why he fights like he’s never been in one before. Tenji was trained by Shiva, Bronze Tiger, and Richard Dragon, three of the best fighters in the entire DC Universe, but none of them ever prepared him for an opponent who was trying to kill. They babied him, with even Shiva going easy on him during the once a year visits she was allowed. In contrast, Cass and Shiva have had multiple duels to the death and actually killed each other (even if they immediately brought each other back). Ben screamed that he never wanted Tenji to end up like Cass, and she replied that her past has made her a survivor, while Tenji is unprepared in a world that is coming to kill him. Having woken up, Tenji learned everything about his parents he thought he knew was a lie.
Siblings Against the World
Tenji told Cass that he dedicated everything to training to be strong enough to be allowed to leave the ranch and join their mom and her in the world to become a hero. All he’s ever wanted was to make them proud and stand beside them, and Shiva’s dying wish was for Cass to find him. They were siblings whether she wanted it or not, and he was going to fight by her side. It’s a good thing he convinced her then, because Norbu burst into the room, strength enhanced by the mysterious blue flowers the Unburied cultivate. Now a united front, the two easily dismantled Norbu in five moves, using the pattern Shiva taught Tenji. Right when Norbu picked himself up for his ultimate attack, his head was sliced from his shoulders by the second Sword Wu Bing, who said he came with an offer Batgirl must accept, or she dies.
The world’s greatest killers are after Cass and Tenji, and Jade Tiger is nowhere near ready for them, but that’s great. He’s lived the life Cass has always wanted, being raised in a loving, caring environment and never knowing death. Now Cass must unite with her brother and teach him how to survive in a world made by their murderous parents, which can be its own path of healing from the path she was forced down and never forgave herself for. It’s an opportunity for an absolutely beautiful story and character arc, and I cannot wait to see it through. Cassandra Cain has to bring her brother up to speed and fast, or their relationship is going to be cut very short, very soon. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to fans of either Batgirl or martial arts comics, because it’s the best of both that we’ve had in a very long time.
Batgirl #10 is on sale now!
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