Cassandra Cain (Batgirl, Black Bat) Appreciation

[godisawesome]

Part1: If Cass was given a fresh reintroduction in the New 52 would you like her to go back to not speaking? ...
Part2: do you have a headcanon for how cass could be introduced to the new 52?

Y'know, I want to answer those questions...

Part One: I think Cassandra not speaking, or at least being as laconic as she was during her hayday, is an integral feature and challenge of the character. The artist needs to be someone who can be suggestive and emotive to help tell the story, and seeing Cassandra quietly access a scene and use small one-word sentences to express her opinions makes her an excellent character, and a great foil for the more talkative members of the family. Even Batman seems like a windbag next to her. Someone like Tim or Jason making their snarky comments allows for some nice color commentary and dialogue tricks.

Part Two: I've got an idea: introduce Cassandra through one of the Robins' backstories, preferably Tim, Damain, or Jason. For Tim, set up an "act II" for Tim's origin (KEEP LOBDELL THE HELL AWAY!) that echoes his first miniseries from the 1990s, but replace Lady Shiva with Cassandra as his trainer. For Jason, have him have freed her from her father's tutelage shortly after his resurrection from the whole One Who Is All prophecy. For Damian, she's the weird older sister figure he remembers who he feels so we hat threatened by.

In all cases, she's being tracked by Cain and comes to Gotham for aid. After getting her Robin's support and witnessing Batman in action, she expresses a drive to follow his legacy like in her first series. She maintains contact with at least one plugged in member at all times and fights as the Black Bat, and we see her reactions to the idea of a civilian life and single minded focus on becoming one of Batman's successor's.

[Sardorim]

Keep Cass away from Damian, that Brat will never live down for the smack he said to Cass, and Mr. Todd. Bad enough we have so much random shipping between Todd/Cass when they rarely if ever interacted only because some artists, that don't read the comics, think that they looked cute together and they have "dark pasts".

The only thing dark about Todd's past is that he got killed by a mad man and came back. His life has nothing compared to how messed up Cass's was before she became part of the Bat Crew.

[Punisher007]

I actually think that the new Grayson book would be a pretty good place to reintroduce Cass. Given who her parents are (or at least were pre-reboot) an espionage book would be acceptable for her debut. Oh and as for Jason, yeah he had it so peachy. What with his criminal father, absentee mother (who end ups betraying him to the Joker), living on the street for years, and oh yeah, being horrifically tortured and murdered by the freaking Joker. Yeah, totally no dark past there, please don't make me laugh.

[Sardorim]

I actually think that the new Grayson book would be a pretty good place to reintroduce Cass. Given who her parents are (or at least were pre-reboot) an espionage book would be acceptable for her debut. Oh and as for Jason, yeah he had it so peachy. What with his criminal father, absentee mother (who end ups betraying him to the Joker), living on the street for years, and oh yeah, being horrifically tortured and murdered by the freaking Joker. Yeah, totally no dark past there, please don't make me laugh.

Must Dick steal Cass from Bruce, Steph and Tim even though he treated her like trash for a very long time before the reboot?

[catbatfan]

I definitely think there is a role for Cassandra Cain in the New 52. She is Bruce Wayne's daughter after all. My hope is that she'll be introduced towards the end of Batman Eternal and hopefully spin off into a co-headlining book with Stephanie. Maybe even launch a Batman Family ongoing and give her a role in it.

[ceroxide]

Part2: do you have a headcanon for how cass could be introduced to the new 52?

I have one way that of course only I like. It follows the recent events of Dick becoming an agent of Spyral.
One of his missions takes him to Hong Kong where he follows a thread of assassinations that all link back to David Cain. Dick meets with Sandra Wu-San who eventually tells Dick the truth and tells him the reason she can't run away is because 17 years ago they had a daughter, whom David took to the League of Assassins amongst many other places to train the perfect killer. Once a year she comes back to the house and they spend a lot of time together, during this time she is mostly learning everything she missed from school and her mother babies her, so she hasn't grown completely desensitized.

Sandra begs Dick to save her from David and as the arc runs the eventual culmination occurs as Dick successfully brings down Cain's empire. Gaining a mortal enemy all the while cementing himself as a badass. However as the empire burns Sandra tries to escape with her daughter, Cassandra, but is caught by a badly wounded David, claiming that it's all Sandra's fault and he'll see her dead before he himself bites the dust, a fight breaks out, as Cassandra makes a final lunge to kill David he uses Sandra as a shield making Cassandra kill her own mother in her blind rage. When Dick arrives he finds Cassandra hugging and crying over her now dead mother, David is nowhere to be seen. She tells Dick that she just lost everything and worst of all she herself took the one person who ever loved her from herself. Dick tells her that there's a man that can still help her and keep her safe. The arc ends as we see Dick dropping off Cassandra at wayne Manor.

this way I believe not only do we establish a cool new villain for the Grayson series that can spin multiple villains as different business partners of David Cain now see Spyral as a threat to their business but also tells us the past and introduces to Gotham Cassandra Cain. Her young age could make her perfect to be furthered featured in Gotham High where she meets Stephanie Brown (Spoiler) and although the series doesn't focus on her it can help further develop her character until she eventually becomes the Black Bat... because to be honest I REALLY like Barbara as Batgirl

[Badou]

Well Dick is staying at the St. Hadrian's Finishing School for Girls in Grayson. So I guess they could introduce Cass as a student there as one possible way to reintroduce her.

[catbatfan]

Very sad day to be a Cass fan. I wish whoever made up that BoP rumour hadn't. :-(

[ABH]

Very sad day to be a Cass fan. I wish whoever made up that BoP rumour hadn't. :-(

Doyle and Co. have been creating some Bat-miracles, lately, so don't lose hope that maybe Cass will return.

[catbatfan]

I'm not sure what Doyle has done, at least in terms of pleasing me. Isn't Mike Marts the (former) editor responsible for bringing back Stephanie Brown?

[Blight]

Doyle and Co. have been creating some Bat-miracles, lately, so don't lose hope that maybe Cass will return.

Now I might be thinking about a Stephanie Brown fan, but I seem to recall a Cassandra Cain fan asking Dan Didio if she'd ever return and he said wait until summer. I'm guessing it had to be Steph but a part of me could sworn it was a fan of Cass.

Also this rumor had me dangling for hope. Damn you hope! I want to see the idea happen. A Birds of Prey team of Cass, Stephanie, and Harper with an elder Bat (be it Kathy or Kate) I'd throw money at every variant. Still, a lighter hearted Batgirl with Babs? I'm all for that. What the book should have been to begin with.

[catbatfan]

How do you think we could mobilize to let DC know we want Cass back? I tweet at them and have contacted them through their webpage. Short of showing up at a con dressed in Cassandra Cain cosplay drag, I don't know what else will get their attention.

[The Cool Thatguy]

How do you think we could mobilize to let DC know we want Cass back? I tweet at them and have contacted them through their webpage. Short of showing up at a con dressed in Cassandra Cain cosplay drag, I don't know what else will get their attention.

The problem is two fold.

First, DC knows the fans want Cass back.

Second, DC doesn't want her back. The inmates are running the asylum at DC, and they're not fans of Cass (or hell, a good deal of modern canon after 1986). So no matter what is done, they'll just keep thumbing their nose at Cass fans. Until this regime is out, we're unlikely to see Cass and that frankly, might be the best option.

[Punisher007]

There's a new Bat-editor who's making some pretty big changes and they've already brought back Stephanie, so I'm not as pessimistic as others. I think that it's now more a question of "when" not "if."

[gwangung]

The problem is two fold.

First, DC knows the fans want Cass back.

Second, DC doesn't want her back. The inmates are running the asylum at DC, and they're not fans of Cass (or hell, a good deal of modern canon after 1986). So no matter what is done, they'll just keep thumbing their nose at Cass fans. Until this regime is out, we're unlikely to see Cass and that frankly, might be the best option.

No, the problem is

1) There are fans that want Cass back.

2) DC thinks THAT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH TO KEEP A BOOK AFLOAT. And DC is probably right. They need more than reflex buyers with Cass' character slapped on the cover. They need a hook to bring not only loyal buyers but enough casual fans in to convert to loyal fans.

3) This hook needs to be unique, and not duplicative of other books.

It's a shame that she can't be the next Robin. There's a few hooks there...Batman teaching a daughter, instead of a son. Teaching her to be a human instead of a fighter. Taking on someone that's arguably both more broken, yet stronger than him.