Batgirl‘s first arc established a new foundation for the mother and daughter duo of Shiva and Cassandra Cain, and not even death can stand in the way of that continuing to evolve. Batgirl #7 takes us into Shiva’s past to provide an even greater level of context for not just Shiva as an individual but also in her approach to family, and that directly feeds into her approach to being a mother as well. While Cassandra does take a step back from her own series, it’s difficult to argue with the effectiveness of The Book of Shiva’s first chapter, and it’s a story I can’t help but want to see through to the end.
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Shiva’s backstory is unsurprisingly tragic, but you can already start to see how one of the deadliest people in the world was forged as these events play out. Every step of the way, you see a little bit more of that internal warrior start to emerge, and that is brilliantly conveyed through the artwork, colors, and lettering of Isaac Goodhart, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano. When the action hits, there’s a genuine intensity to every action and movement, and you simply can’t turn away.
That’s true of the big finale as well, and several sequences are not only intense but also incredibly creative in execution. That final confrontation is set up wonderfully through a celebration sequence that captivates through movement, color, and sound, making the action switch hit that much harder.
What’s perhaps even more impressive is seeing the arc over time, as the issue moves across a decade, so seeing what happens towards the beginning of the issue and how that plays into what happens towards the end paints a vivid picture of Mei and Ming and their constant struggle to simply survive. After all, the love between two sisters is at the heart of this story, and throughout the issue written Tate Brombal explores their dynamic and relationship from a variety of angles and viewpoints, and all of them are compelling.
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They are sisters in the truest sense of the word, with both taking lessons and learning from the other as the story moves forward. Mei-Xing and Ming-Yue may approach things differently, but their understanding of what family means is unparalleled, as they’ve come to understand in the harshest way possible that after everyone else falls, they only have themselves to rely on. The book does play on ideas and themes that could seemingly fracture them down the line, but as of now, those attempts never see to stick, and that’s part of what keeps you invested in their next steps and what happens to them in the future.
Granted, I would have loved a bit more Cassandra in this story, as I just adore the character, and it is her book after all. That said, this still feels incredibly important to the previous arc that set a new understanding for Cassandra about who her mother really is, and as that looks to be a continuing part of the series, this all feels important and worthwhile as well. I didn’t necessarily expect to be as captivated by The Book of Shiva as I was, but I’m glad to be wrong about that assumption, and I’m pretty much completely invested from here on out.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Published by DC Comics
Released on May 7, 2025
Written by Tate Brombal
Art by Isaac Goodhart
Colors by Mike Spicer
Letters by Tom Napolitano
What did you think of Batgirl #7? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things comics with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
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