Batgirl is teaming up with one of the deadliest assassins in the entire world, and they are long overdue for a reunion.

Batgirl #1 finds the titular hero coming face-to-face with none other than the infamous Lady Shiva for an encounter she truly hadn’t expected. Surprisingly, Lady Shiva hasn’t come looking for a fight, but as part of a rescue mission. As it turns out, there is a group of similarly lethal ninjas who are out for them both, and there is simply no escape for either unless the estranged mother and daughter can put aside their differences long enough to survive the onslaught together.

• Written by TATE BROMBAL
• Art by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
• Colors by MIKE SPICER
• Letters by TOM NAPOLITANO
• Main cover art by DAVID TALASKI
• Variant covers by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU, JEFF DÉKAL, and SKYLAR PARTRIDGE

Introduced back in 1976’s Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #5 by Dennis O’Neil and Ric Estrada, Sandra Wu-San’s origin story has been rewritten numerous times over the years. Originally, she took up the mantle of the lethal Lady Shiva in order to avenge her sister, whose life was cut short during a battle between a villainous spy and Richard Dragon. In the years that followed, Lady Shiva served as a prominent ally to Dragon, yet the vast majority of these events were entirely undone by the emergence of the Post-Crisis timeline.

In more recent years, Lady Shiva’s story has come to revolve around her relationship with the League of Assassins and, more specifically, the seemingly unstoppable David Cain. Despite David being personally responsible for the death of her sister in the Post-Crisis timeline, Lady Shiva still ended up embarking upon a short-lived tryst with her fellow assassin. This fiery romance ultimately culminated in the birth of Cassandra Cain, better known as Batgirl.

Cassandra Cain made her debut in the pages of 1999’s Batman #567 by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott. Cassandra’s earliest incarnation was almost entirely unable to speak thanks to the silence that her father had raised her to embrace. Though Cassandra could only say a few words even as an adult, there was no doubt that she was one of the greatest fighters the world had ever seen. After escaping her father’s overtly cruel upbringing, Cassandra made her own way in the world until arriving in Gotham City in her teenage years. There, Cassandra was taken in under the wing of Barbara Gordon before picking up her mentor’s old mantle of Batgirl.

Batgirl #1 is on sale now from DC Comics.

Source: DC Comics.

Batman

Batman is one of the oldest comic superheroes, with nearly a century of comics, TV-shows, films, and video games. The mild-mannered Bruce Wayne becomes Gotham City’s caped crusader, protecting it from villains like The Joker, Killer Croc, The Penguin, and more. Batman is also one of DC comics’ “Big Three” alongside Superman and Wonder Woman, and together the three help keep the earth safe as founding members of the Justice League.