War Comes For The Family — Reviewing ‘Batgirl’ #12

Vengeance is a powerful emotional reaction. It can overwhelm even the most logical minds, leading to making possibly rash decisions- Such as teaming up with a long-time, seemingly reformed, enemy to dispatch a common enemy.

That’s where Cassandra Cain finds herself as the battle against the Undying takes on a whole new direction in Batgirl #12. It’s the beginning of a whole new arc from Tate Brombal, Takeshi Miyazawa, Juan Castro, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano.

Cass Cain has been a favorite from the moment I first met her (not in the comic books strangely enough, but in the novel Batman: No Man’s Land, an adaptation of the comic book event of the same name). That love transferred over once I became a full-time comic book reader again and dove into the Batman family of books.

Watching Brombal really delve deep into her world and add even more depth to the character is beyond exciting. A complicated mother and daughter relationship has gotten more complicated with Lady Shiva’s death, as well as the introduction of Tenji Turner, the Jade Tiger- the brother that Cassandra never knew she had till now.

There is a true level balance to the approach of this series. There’s plentiful amounts of kick-ass action, character development, and overall story depth. Then Brombal sprinkles in dollops of backstory and overall canon that doesn’t really pull anything down. It adds spice to the proceedings that is enriching for new and old fans alike.

Approaching Miyazawa for this series was a masterful choice. He has an artistic style that is inherently perfect for this particular type of character and story in numerous ways. Miyazawa delivers a fluidly kinetic energy that wraps itself in dense detailed imagery with dashes of whimsical lighter touches. A heavier hand at times really deepens what is on the page, assisted on a number of pages by additional inks from Castro.

A softer touch dances with the rougher touch creating a dense hefty feeling piece that moves like fluid. Action sequences feel authentic prepped to burst off the pages without notice.

Colors are balanced in a similar fashion with the lighter and darker tones swirling together. Overall, the setting pieces are toned down and kept at a very medium sort of level, creating that more neutral or natural sort of appearance to the world that these characters inhabit. This fits with the tangible familiar feeling mentioned with the overall artwork. Shadows help keep that atmospheric tone steady and true.

The more vibrant colors come into play to showcase the colorfulness of the cast of characters- from their flashy clothes to their costumes to their powers or personalities. These bits of the palette work to liven things up and help bolster the fantastic elements that are in this story.

Crafting a variety of voices is just one element handled in the lettering, giving any word upon the page uniqueness, strength, and power while keeping them flowing naturally. Napolitano is quite good at all of this, while also making sure things have the right modifications to boost their visual appeal. Whether that is more colors or shifts to their boxes, bubbles, or placement.

Pouring the right energy onto the page so that the words are as intricately crafted as everything else. Big and bold, while presenting as something simple and normal.

Batgirl #12 is now available from DC Comics.