The Call Is Coming From Within — Reviewing ‘Batgirl’ #17

“Blood is thicker than water,” is the saying. But family — as a concept — goes far beyond blood-related connections, except for when a person’s family has the ability to control blood and they suddenly find themselves with that uncontrollable power.

It’s a bloody bad homecoming for Cassandra Cain as Batgirl #7 brings the title character back to Gotham and a whole new family issue. Her saga continues under the guidance of Tate Brombal, Takeshi Miyazawa, Juan Castro, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano.

A new arc has begun, but its roots go back to the whole of the first sixteen issues. That doesn’t mean it’s hard to follow or drops a bunch of previous lore upon readers. No, this is a continuation that still finds a way to be mostly friendly to any folks jumping aboard at this point.

Seeing Stephanie Brown — the other Batgirl — here, even if for just a brief phone conversation, was really nice. I’ve missed Cassandra being able to interact with her chosen family. Brombal gets their dynamic right as they bounce back and forth on the phone. Hearing about Bruce beating Cassandra to the dinner and Dick making lasagna was some choice funny stuff.

Hopefully, we get to actually see the family interact again in this arc at some point.

Having Miyazawa on the art is always so darn good. Coming in hot with the style that feels rough and raw while also being very smooth and whimsical. It benefits the seriousness of Cassandra’s story without foregoing any of the fun of superhero comic books.

Each panel has tons of depth and a dense level of details which invigorates the world these characters inhabit. Gotham City is a dark and vast with personality, and yet different on every single block. Castro adds to that depth with assistance on the inks, in addition to the inks Miyazawa is already doing himself.

Similarly, the color palette Spicer utilizes has many of the same levels of depth and presentation. All of the colors are wrapped tightly in a blanket of a darker and heavier nature while still popping with vivid color. Each, no matter if they are lighter or heavier, are swirling with energetic and memorable shades.

Seeing the world is important. Just as important is being able to hear the world — and characters — in the most authentic ways possible. Napolitano makes sure that a reader doesn’t leave a book without having a good grasp of these tonal qualities deep in their mind. Crafting the right level of voice for each character that resonates with their unique vocal stylings and personality.

This is on top of other atmospheric work that goes into lettering across the pages.

Batgirl #17 is now available from DC Comics.