Cassandra Cain: Batgirl/Orphan Appreciation 2020

[Cmbmool]

Whoever directed this Birds of Prey/Harley Quinn film really needs to require reading up on what Cassandra Cain is really like in the comics before even thinking about placing her in this film.

[Blight]

(Sits impatiently, twiddling his thumbs, waiting for that Amazon “same dat delivery” pre-order to actually get here.)

I actually could probably find it somewhere else right now... but I want a physical copy for my students to read if they dig through my comics.

She’s still the best Batgirl. And it’s still not all that close.

The good news is it's selling out at comic shops.

[Frontier]

Anyone pick up shadow of the batgirl today? I’m super excited to read it

I wasn't aware it came out. Have to go look for a copy myself .

[ChaosIncarnate]

I wasn't aware it came out. Have to go look for a copy myself .

It's out in comic book stores, at least. I can't recommend it enough Whether you're already a fan of the character, or looking for a place to start with her, this is definitely going to be my top recommendation for people on where to start with her. As much as I enjoy No Man's Land, I find it difficult to tell people to start with her introduction there, as there's a lot of baggage with that book. I love Kelly Puckett's run, and I read it before No Man's Land, but this book understands the core of her character, and makes it more accessible. Great book.

[millernumber1]

Finally got a copy, and read through it. Quite good, though a couple elements didn't work quite as well as they could have.

spoilers:

The fight scenes were really not the artist's strength - they're muddy and confusing, and not terribly interesting. The Jackie character is fun, and often quite nuanced, but even though Kuhn lampshaded it by saying "I'm an Asian cliche," her being good enough at martial arts to beat an assassin barehanded was just too silly for me. All that being said, the library setting was AMAZING. I want to live in there. And I really liked all of the other characters, and how Cass's body language reading power fit into characterization of all of them. I'm a bit surprised that this is supposed to be a teen project - this felt a lot more like upper middle grade stuff.

end of spoilers

All in all, this is definitely another Black Canary: Ignite type book, in being a really good crystallization of Cass's origin in a modern context. Very enjoyable, though not quite perfect. I would love to see this lead to better things for Cass, though - a sequel, maybe.

[SneakyLookingSort]

Shadow of the Batgirl is now available on Comixology

[Digifiend]

(Sits impatiently, twiddling his thumbs, waiting for that Amazon “same dat delivery” pre-order to actually get here.)

I actually could probably find it somewhere else right now... but I want a physical copy for my students to read if they dig through my comics.

She’s still the best Batgirl. And it’s still not all that close.

Good timing for you to say that, because....
Cassandra Cain: Why the Birds of Prey Star is Still The Best Batgirl

[The Cool Thatguy]

Good timing for you to say that, because....
Cassandra Cain: Why the Birds of Prey Star is Still The Best Batgirl

Wonder if they'll have the guts to cal out Cass' depiction in BoP

[godisawesome]

Got my copy of Shadow of the Batgirl, read it, and loved it.

Now, it *does* have some decisions that are tailor made for a young adult market as an adaptation, there are some compromises made for the format/intended audience with the character, and yeah, the art’s the kind that generally wouldn’t be part of a mainstream comic (it also fits more with the art of young adult graphic novels)...

...But it nails an awareness of Cass’s strengths as a character, and how damn dramatic her story can be even in everyday elements. The book also has a good and sweet sense of humor that pops up every now and then, and the supporting cast suits the book and Cass well. To me, this is the kind of quick but in depth read you could, say, offer a Birds Of Prey Movie fan who doesn’t know why you’re upset if Cass in the film doesn’t deliver, and get proved correct pretty quickly.

For more specifics...

spoilers:

Cass is introduced already having killed a few people before, and having a smattering of language knowledge, both of which are probably compromises to accommodate the book’s target demographic and format; it helps emphasize how terrible Cain is to already have used her as a weapon and make her total experiences much closer to the target demographics ages, moves Cassandra’s epiphany closer to the book’s start for a single cohesive story while also allowing her to contextualize her issues and growth a bit more clearly for readers. The substitution of her target saying the word “daughter” and her reading what the word means to him as her epiphany spark os a pretty good substitute for 10 year old Cassandra “reading death.” The library setting is awesome, especially in how it allows her and Babs to connect, and Jackie is a great character as well. Her romantic interest is another more “young adult” element than anything else... but it’s also handled well enough to be good even for someone who doesn’t like “young adult” romances, so this a positive. Babs seems to have been a Batgirl in a Gotham without a Batman... and I’m fine with that. It again allows the book to tighten up and focus for its target demographic, and I like the way it allowed Babs to basically isnpire Cass twice over before the reveal. I definitely would like a sequel, and they do broach the subject of Cass’s mother at one point...

end of spoilers

I’m fairly certain I could give this to most of my students, and it’s be fine. They’re 6th graders, and the very occasional, very mild swear and very oblique reference to... sensual matters... aren’t severe.

[millernumber1]

Got my copy of Shadow of the Batgirl, read it, and loved it.

Now, it *does* have some decisions that are tailor made for a young adult market as an adaptation, there are some compromises made for the format/intended audience with the character, and yeah, the art’s the kind that generally wouldn’t be part of a mainstream comic (it also fits more with the art of young adult graphic novels)...

...But it nails an awareness of Cass’s strengths as a character, and how damn dramatic her story can be even in everyday elements. The book also has a good and sweet sense of humor that pops up every now and then, and the supporting cast suits the book and Cass well. To me, this is the kind of quick but in depth read you could, say, offer a Birds Of Prey Movie fan who doesn’t know why you’re upset if Cass in the film doesn’t deliver, and get proved correct pretty quickly.

For more specifics...

spoilers:

Cass is introduced already having killed a few people before, and having a smattering of language knowledge, both of which are probably compromises to accommodate the book’s target demographic and format; it helps emphasize how terrible Cain is to already have used her as a weapon and make her total experiences much closer to the target demographics ages, moves Cassandra’s epiphany closer to the book’s start for a single cohesive story while also allowing her to contextualize her issues and growth a bit more clearly for readers. The substitution of her target saying the word “daughter” and her reading what the word means to him as her epiphany spark os a pretty good substitute for 10 year old Cassandra “reading death.” The library setting is awesome, especially in how it allows her and Babs to connect, and Jackie is a great character as well. Her romantic interest is another more “young adult” element than anything else... but it’s also handled well enough to be good even for someone who doesn’t like “young adult” romances, so this a positive. Babs seems to have been a Batgirl in a Gotham without a Batman... and I’m fine with that. It again allows the book to tighten up and focus for its target demographic, and I like the way it allowed Babs to basically isnpire Cass twice over before the reveal. I definitely would like a sequel, and they do broach the subject of Cass’s mother at one point...

end of spoilers

I’m fairly certain I could give this to most of my students, and it’s be fine. They’re 6th graders, and the very occasional, very mild swear and very oblique reference to... sensual matters... aren’t severe.

Solid review! I think the idea that this serves as a really nice counter-programming piece for the film is a good one. I definitely approve of Cass not having magic language skills as in her original Batgirl run, and also of not keeping her at the same level of illiteracy that her Batgirl run did. I was intrigued at the fact that it wasn't Cass's first kill in this version - I thought that made the story a bit darker, more in line with Batman and Robin Eternal in some ways (though I think that kept the "first kill" thing). The library is so cool. I wanted to live in that library after reading it! I wonder if it was a Wayne Foundation library from a long time ago, kept up by the Waynes... I was a bit surprised that the love interest wasn't named "Duke," but he was a cool character, and if there's a sequel, I hope that he continues to be a fun part of the story. I'm not convinced there's no Batman - I just think they didn't want to add more complication.

[Digifiend]

Why would you be surprised that the love interest wasn't Duke? Did they even interact much before they joined the Outsiders in the main universe? There's no way the graphic novel could've considered that.

[millernumber1]

Why would you be surprised that the love interest wasn't Duke? Did they even interact much before they joined the Outsiders in the main universe? There's no way the graphic novel could've considered that.

Just the way the character was presented kind of reminded me of Duke - very smart, athletic, hidden depths. But I liked the way they made him a new character.

[skyvolt2000]

Amazon numbers for the book

#15 in Teen & Young Adult Superhero Comics (one of the few times I have seen a top female of color book from DC not that other company that normally has that on lock)
#5 in Young Adult Coming of Age Comics & Graphic Novels
#9 in DC Comics & Graphic Novels

[WebLurker]

Anyone pick up shadow of the batgirl today? I’m super excited to read it

Got my copy. Some things worked better then others, but, as a YA graphic novel, it did pretty good. Obvious that the writer really liked the character.

[AJpyro]

Sounds like a good get.

For someone who stopped their Cass trades after her Big 3 solos trades came out, where do I go?