Been feeling like talking about O'Neil/Cowan's Question for a while now and figured I'd zero in on a very subtle piece of characterization for Lady Shiva and the hows and whys of its disappearance.

So let's talk about Lady Shiva and the...

This might get a bit edgelord-y and VERY pretentious, so please bear with me.

One of the things about Lady Shiva that's changed a lot without really looking like it has is her motivation. The woman likes to fight, we all know that, but what does she like to fight for, exactly?

If you go by the first issue of Question, she's in it for the money and some sort of violent pleasure. If you go by the second, she's in it because she enjoys studying other people's motivations.

But the 1988 Annual offers an explanation that's both simple and profound.

In it, she explains how she goes "where opportunities exist to exercise my skill -- my passion." And we also get the first example of Shiva calling herself an artist.

Now, an artist, any artist, expresses themselves or an idea through a medium. And martial arts are no different.

Wushu and other martial arts exhibitions are personal expressions of one's skill and preparation, and also cultural expressions of national heritage. Through use of the body, a martial artist expresses their ideas to the crowd.

And even actual combat sports are, on some level, an expression of ideas of supremacy and domination. Your training, your preparation, your skill and your will are all expressed through violence to impose the idea that you are, in fact, the better fighter.

Now, the reasons why each artist chooses to express those ideas depends on them. Maybe they want the recognition of being the best. Maybe they want to transmit their love and passion for these national heritages. Maybe they want money to sustain themselves and their families.

All these are, to me, perfectly valid reasons to express oneself. And of course, there's no law forcing one to pick just one reason. An artist can create because they like their chosen medium and because they want money. It's not a zero sum game.

But...

There are artists in all mediums that create for no reason other than to create; who care little for riches or recognition and who practice their art because it has become their nature. They're not, in my opinion, inherently better or morally superior to the rest. Just different.

And it's in this category that I think Lady Shiva, especially (and perhaps only) when written by O'Neil, fits like a glove.

At no point during his run in Question is it suggested that Shiva is really in it for the money, or even for glory. She doesn't call herself the best...

... nor does she claim to always be looking for the best (with the exception of Batman). She sees Hub City and its unwashed criminal element as a chance not just to find amusement, but to practice her arts -- her passion.

Everything else, the money, the fame, the recognition, it's all not even secondary; it's wholly unimportant. All that matters is that she's found a place where she can express herself through her art and maybe find some interesting people or challenges along the way.

And that doesn't change. Literally right up until the last issue of the regular series, Shiva's motivation is still the same. It's not one born of necessity or obsession. It's just what she does, for no other reason other than that.

But here's where I maybe get a bit prejudiced.

Because I think that, to someone born and raised in a very utilitarian society, this kind of motivation may seem vague or dilettante-ish. Sure, we all enjoy doing art, but how could any artist this good not care about recognition, or money, or leaving a legacy? The idea that...

... someone might dedicate their entire life to a single thing and never show desire for anything in return other than the opportunity to do that thing seems utterly alien to people living in a material world that practically demands interest in material rewards.

And again, this isn't inherently wrong. Discovering what you're good at and finding ways to live off of it without sacrificing one's enjoyment is, to many, one of their primary goals. And as long as nobody, including oneself, is hurt along the way, that's fine.

But in this kind of pragmatic, utilitarian view of the world means, someone who's exceedingly talented in something but isn't constantly reaching out for the brass (or gold) ring seems wasteful. It boggles the mind. How could someone like that exist and be happy living that way?

And that's why I think that nearly every other writer besides O'Neil has tried, with different degrees of effort, to give Lady Shiva what they may consider a more solid or better motivation than that. Sometimes it's about becoming the best in the world...

Sometimes it's about demonstrating that her way of attaining strength through murder is the only one worth following...

Sometimes it's about dying to end a life of creeping regret...

And sometimes it's about leaving something behind once she's gone.

And here's the thing: none of these are "bad" motivations. They're all perfectly human and perfectly understandable.

But I'd argue that's what makes them a bad fit for Lady Shiva.

Because under O'Neil, Shiva had transcended those kinds of material concerns. She had emptied herself and embraced the resulting void so thoroughly that she was left with no reason to do anything BUT fight. Fighting is not an ambition or even a necessity to her; it's a passion.

One she gives herself up to without any resistance or ulterior motives. It's her way to express herself to a world she barely seems to be a part of anymore. It's art (bloody, violent, amoral, wretched and inhuman) for art's sake, and nothing more.

To take that away...

... in lieu of something easier to grasp and understand is, in my eyes, removing part of what makes her a unique presence in the DCU.

So what I want her to do?