Lady Shiva

Few martial artists in DC's vast universe command the kind of quiet, electric respect that Lady Shiva does. Born from the Bronze Age in 1975, she stepped onto the scene in Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #5 — a creation of the legendary Denny O'Neil alongside artists Ric Estrada and Wally Wood — and she has never stopped casting a long shadow across the DC landscape in the fifty years since. Her world is one of shadows and discipline, and she's most at home in the pages of Batgirl, Batman, and Detective Comics, sharing those dangerous, rain-soaked Gotham corners with the likes of Batman, Bruce Wayne, and Batgirl themselves. With half a century of appearances and a key issue to her name, Lady Shiva is one of those rare Bronze Age figures who only grows more formidable with time — absolutely essential for any serious DC collector.