Batgirl Vol. 1: Mother

Batgirl (2024)

by Tate Brombal, Takeshi Miyazawa (illustrator)

Hold on to your seats, clutch your pearls, and rejoice in celebration becauseCassandra Cain is taking center stage as Batgirl—part of DC’s bestsellingAll In initiative! When the Unburied, a deadly group of assassins, shows upto kill Cassandra, her mother Lady Shiva—the deadliest assassin in the DCUniverse—comes to her aid, and they must put their complicated past asideand work together as mother and daughter to ensure they make it out alive.Unfortunately, things are never as easy as they seem, and Cass must embarkon a jaw-dropping, martial-arts-filled adventure in her quest for truth,justice…and revenge?!It’s a Batgirl story like never before as writer Tate Brombal (House ofSlaughter) and artist Takeshi Miyazawa (Mech Cadet Yu) dive into the psycheof one of Gotham’s fiercest fighters while exploring her deep and complexrelationship with her mother.This volume collects Batgirl #1-6.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Young Adult, Batman, Graphic Novels Comics

136 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic exploration into the complexities of a mother / daughter relationship that utilises Cass and Shiva’s strained kinship to tell an action packed and heart felt story. It follows the pair as they try an evade a group called the Unburied that not only pack a heavy punch but also have a point. There are a lot of comparisons between the two leads sprinkled in that are expressed through the visual presentation and writing. Whilst most of the parallels hit, and it is nice to see daughter echo mother, Brombal’s overreliance on the same repetitive dialogue can grow tiresome. However, it is still a treat to read and look at, and it ends on a note that leaves you wanting more.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is almost everything I wanted in a Batgirl book. I wanted to give it 4.5 stars but I could not round it down. In fact, the only reason I could think of to take half a star off is that the story moved a bit slower than I expected, however, this is the start of the series they can't do everything in the first book.

Cassandra Cain's mother, Lady Shiva, is back in Gotham. What could worry or shake the unshakeable most lethal woman in the world? Concern for her daughter? A new enemy, unexpected allies and a possible new side of her mother are going to force Cassandra/Batgirl back into a world she had left behind.

Great and lots of ninja action. Cassandra is already the best and most feared fighter in the Bat family, with the threat that is going to force her to improve is scary. I can't wait to see what is next in this series. Cass is my favourite bat, apart from the man himself, I am so happy she has her own series.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're writing a Cass Cain book, you have to do a Lady Shiva story. It's like writing a Teen Titans book and not doing a Raven getting possessed story, or writing Batman and not doing a Joker story. It's just a DC rite of passage at this point, I think. Thankfully, Tate Brombal a) gets the Shiva story out of the way first, and b) does a pretty good job with it as well.

The care for the character is clear. Cass Cain's had some ups and downs over the years, and it's hard to see a character like her constantly being regressed back to the same basic traits. Brombal tries to show that everything Cass has been through has formed her, from her OG series back in the early 2000s right up through Batman & Robin Eternal and Batgirls. While not everyone likes all of her canon, it all happened, and it's all part of who she is.

Lady Shiva herself is as expected - a manipulative bitch whose small flickers of affection may or may not be genuine, to the point that even Cass has no idea any more. The idea of the Unburied is solid enough, and even if the inevitable betrayal is...inevitable, the journey to get there is well done, and even manages to rope in some fun, unexpected characters along the way.

Takeshi Miyazawa's artwork fits the kinetic fight scenes really well too. There's a sequence in one issue that's set across a train, and you could lay six or seven pages end-to-end and get a complete panel, it's really clever. The colours are a little more muted than usual for Miyazawa's pencils, but that seems like a good choice given that most of the story takes place at night, and it's pretty dark subject matter at times too.

Cass is back for All-In, and I'm all-in too. Bring on the pain.

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Batgirl Vol. 1: Mother' - a most fitting subtitle to such a simple, short and straightforward Batgirl/Cassandra Cain comic.

The 2024 DC All In brand comic is about Cassandra very reluctantly and begrudgingly teaming up with her mother, Lady Shiva, the world's deadliest assassin, and all the complex and complicated feelings and experiences that go with that premise (while showing a truncated history).

That's all you need to know about 'Mother'.

Short as the series is, it is still nice to read a new Cassandra Cain comic. Herein lies action, drama, girl power, women power, tragedy (but not really, as it's a DC comic so you know it won't last and won't matter), and Cass as Batgirl not always being successful, but is continuously learning so much. She is a great character, and she is in character in 'Mother'.

The comic remembers to add plenty of human moments and elements to go with its action.

It carries a lot from other contemporary era DC comics. Cass's bestie Stephanie Brown, the other Batgirl, even sort of cameos! (Spoiler avoiding.)

'Batgirl Vol. 1: Mother' - mummy issues have never been stranger and grittier.

Go Cass!

Final Score: 3.5/5

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this so much! This is by far the best comic I have ever read. I love Cass and Shiva's relationship in this so much. The ending hit me in the feels.

[beyza ç · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Because I am Cassandra Cain. Weapon. Orphan. Batgirl. Hero. And tonight, I am a daughter. Tonight, this is my mom..

Batgirl: Mother was my introduction to Cassandra Cain, and I am so glad I met her. Her character is so beloved to me: a girl trained to be a weapon, finally finding peace and a home after a myriad of pain. Kuddos to the artist and writer because the dialogue might've been my favorite part. It was easily readable—everything exact and precise—and the art just edible.

"Make me bleed all you want... it will still be your blood."
For some reason, I read all of Lady Shiva's dialogue in Bojack's mom's voice. I have not read Cassandra Cains origin yet, but what I learned from this comic is enough to know Cassandra has every right to be and feel the way she does. "You took all my soft, daughter."

Also Stephcass mention yumyum

[Nevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the character of Cassandra Cain, but good stories about her are rare. This one almost manages it at times: The author seems to truly love her, and it looks at her relationship with Lady Shiva with some depth. But too much of it feels like disposable comic book stuff with a mandate to fill shelves and leave the status quo unthreatened. There's lots of fighting, arguing, powerful new characters who won't matter, and revelations about the past. It's also clear that a few of these characters are important and protected by Plot Armor, while the rest are there to be tragic sacrifices or demonstrations of the stakes.

[Mik Cope · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this as individual issues, inspired by my brother's review of #7. It's been a while, last I knew of this character she wasn't speaking. The story is ostensibly about mother-daughter relationships, but is really just a load of battles between different ninja clans: the Unburied, the Blood, the League of Assassins (seems Talia al Ghul has a sister now), Old Uncle Tom Cobley, well, you get the idea. All a bit uninspired and probably intended for True Believers.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will this be the year that Batgirl finally uses her words?

We've seen similar themes thrown at us with Cheshire(assassin mother)/Cheshire Cat (Arsenal's daughter). A lot of this is going to feel reallllly familiar. This series does manage to rejigger the Batman rogues gallery and bring some Demon's head family back to life. Freshen up the supporting cast, I guess?

Maybe, twenty years after her resurrection, she can put the 'mommy issues' aside.

[Mariano · Rating 2 out of 5]

La nada misma. Vayan a leer la serie de Kelley Puckett. Puro diálogo repetitivo tratando de parecer profundo pero que repite lo mismo una y otra y otra vez. Ya entendimos que Cassandra no quiere seguir a la madre y que la madre igual quiere que la siga, no necesito siete mil millones de globos de diálogo repitiendo eso todo el bendito tiempo. Y en el medio machaca, con secuencias muy flojas de Miyazawa. No es el tipo de historia para que se luzca. Una pena.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

that first issue was so good. everything since then has been a big let down.

lady Shiva is being hunted by blue flower users/unburied. inspired by batman begins .
Shiva lies to Cassandra about their motivations the truth comes out abd people die. innocents and not alike.

the images of Cassandra unmasked are so beautiful. and the few full pages of Batgirl with a del luca effect are great.

[Ka Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review for this will be shorter than most as this book can be summed up very simply; it's a perfectly solid story, it simply isn't really about Batgirl.

Rather, it's Batgirl's mother - Lady Shiva - whose story takes primary focus, which Batgirl seems like little more than the reader's vantage point into Lady Shiva's world.

Given it's the start of a relatively "B-tier" ongoing, the art is passable but unremarkable. There's nothing that should dissuade you from reading it, as long as you're comfortable with reading a story that isn't particularly about its titular character.

[lina · Rating 4 out of 5]

up to #10 (somehow im up-to-date lol)
i felt like this was such a strong start into understanding cass' connection to family and the way she perceives herself as an orphan despite having a mother. she choose who she gives her love to, and hopes they give back that love in return. i felt like it did depend a lot on lady shiva, which is to be expected but in batgirl 2000 lady shiva was not characterised the same. (which is a good thing because we now truly understand her motives and the way she is BECAUSE it is the way she was)

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Page of page of characters standing about posturing

Lacks any depth, plot, characterisation or plot

[A J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in single issues. Cass <3

[Sarospice]

No ma'am. This was all Lady Shiva and absolutely no character Cassandra. A few moments of fighting art put a pause in the monotonous mother daughter relationship tropes.

[The Fizza · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS

[Kendra maidment · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Jourdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally really enjoying learning more about Cassandra, and though her mother is still her mother it’s interesting to see her through a bit more of a human lens

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me super interested in Cassandra. Good personal moments.

[Brianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gut wrenching. I love her 😭

(Read by monthly issue)