wydra's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
yaela's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
serenedancer's review
4.0
I really liked these stories, it was a good introduction to Cassandra Cain. Barbara and Bruce were kind of assholes but it was still interesting. I like how they looked at Cassandra's relationship with language, so that was interesting.
ivyclad_ideas's review against another edition
3.0
Batgirl/Cassandra: "I can be mediocre for a lifetime, or perfect for a year." - Kelley Puckett, Batgirl: Cassandra Cain #9
The first point I feel I have to make is that the above rating is not a reflection on Cass as a character. I knocked off a whole star for the art in places (dear God, women's body's do not look like this) and another because I personally feel like it took until Lady Shiva came in for this comic to become really compelling. Once I hit that point, I was hooked.
The line from this comic (and for Cass in general) that tends to get quoted is "I don't kill, but I don't lose either". It's obvious to see why. For one, it's just a cool line. For two, it sums up Cass as a character. As a child, she was trained as an assassin by David Cain. She feels immense guilt for the one assassination she ever carried out and follows thou shalt not kill to a point that is - bluntly - concerning. Cass will flat-out throw herself in front of bullets if she thinks it will save someone else's life. For me though, as a perfectionist, the line that resonated most is the one I quoted at the top of this post:
"I can be mediocre for a lifetime, or perfect for a year."
Roughly halfway through this book, something horrible happens to Cass. Whilst she's obviously very cut up about it, I don't think any of the other characters treat it with the weight it deserves. Cass' "thing" is that body language is her first and, originally, only language. Another character, who is telepathic (sort of?), essentially rewires her brain so that he can communicate with her. He's in a life or death situation at the time, but he still forcefully robs her of everything she understands. She's no longer fluent in body language. Bruce is trying to help her relearn how to read people in combat, but Cass never had to learn like this - it came naturally to her. She was better than him at it and, suddenly, she could be as good as him in ten years. I will - grudgingly - give Batman his due in that he obviously cares about her a lot, but, dear God, he is not equipped to deal with this. Cass is so used to being perfect when it comes to reading people in combat that she can't cope with it being ripped away and she makes a stupid deal. But, you know what? I get it. The decision makes sense, not only from a perfectionist perspective, but also from a human perspective. If you suddenly lost the ability to speak your mother-tongue, what would you not do to get that ability back? Ultimately, I think that what makes Cass easy to sympathise with is that - for all her combat abilities - she comes across as very vulnerable. It's clear that the incident with the telepath is traumatic for her, even if the other characters don't seem to fully understand that.
The first point I feel I have to make is that the above rating is not a reflection on Cass as a character. I knocked off a whole star for the art in places (dear God, women's body's do not look like this) and another because I personally feel like it took until Lady Shiva came in for this comic to become really compelling. Once I hit that point, I was hooked.
The line from this comic (and for Cass in general) that tends to get quoted is "I don't kill, but I don't lose either". It's obvious to see why. For one, it's just a cool line. For two, it sums up Cass as a character. As a child, she was trained as an assassin by David Cain. She feels immense guilt for the one assassination she ever carried out and follows thou shalt not kill to a point that is - bluntly - concerning. Cass will flat-out throw herself in front of bullets if she thinks it will save someone else's life. For me though, as a perfectionist, the line that resonated most is the one I quoted at the top of this post:
"I can be mediocre for a lifetime, or perfect for a year."
Roughly halfway through this book, something horrible happens to Cass. Whilst she's obviously very cut up about it, I don't think any of the other characters treat it with the weight it deserves. Cass' "thing" is that body language is her first and, originally, only language. Another character, who is telepathic (sort of?), essentially rewires her brain so that he can communicate with her. He's in a life or death situation at the time, but he still forcefully robs her of everything she understands. She's no longer fluent in body language. Bruce is trying to help her relearn how to read people in combat, but Cass never had to learn like this - it came naturally to her. She was better than him at it and, suddenly, she could be as good as him in ten years. I will - grudgingly - give Batman his due in that he obviously cares about her a lot, but, dear God, he is not equipped to deal with this. Cass is so used to being perfect when it comes to reading people in combat that she can't cope with it being ripped away and she makes a stupid deal. But, you know what? I get it. The decision makes sense, not only from a perfectionist perspective, but also from a human perspective. If you suddenly lost the ability to speak your mother-tongue, what would you not do to get that ability back? Ultimately, I think that what makes Cass easy to sympathise with is that - for all her combat abilities - she comes across as very vulnerable. It's clear that the incident with the telepath is traumatic for her, even if the other characters don't seem to fully understand that.
tmaluck's review
4.0
A one-stop shop for caring about who Cassandra Cain is and being okay with the mantle of Batgirl getting passed along.
haunted_air's review against another edition
3.0
I love Cass but the art makes me want to cry. Plus she also looks waaay too old. I suspect it's because sexualizing a teenager is fine if they don't look like a teenager? Except it's wrong at all times, stop it.
Batman really sucks in this story. The way he treats Cass is terrible and his whinging about Cass possibly killing people in the past is insufferable. He gets too much page-time considering is not his book. So does Babs but she's a good person and tries her best to help Cassandra , so she's allowed.
Batman really sucks in this story. The way he treats Cass is terrible and his whinging about Cass possibly killing people in the past is insufferable. He gets too much page-time considering is not his book. So does Babs but she's a good person and tries her best to help Cassandra , so she's allowed.
lmatakas's review against another edition
5.0
I just really really REALLY LOVE CASSANDRA CAIN SO MUCH AND THE ORACLE AH DANG.
Also Bruce Wayne looks likes Tom Cruise in this run. I loved it.
Also Bruce Wayne looks likes Tom Cruise in this run. I loved it.
briarcrawford's review against another edition
4.0
Cassandra Cain is unique in several ways; she not only starts off completely mute, but also illiterate. This does not stop her from kicking butt, though.
She has a great father-daughter relationship with batman, and an almost mother-daughter one with Oracle.
She is by far my favourite Batgirl, but this fell one star short because of the storytelling being so choppy. This book is a compilation of all the comics, and it seems like all the comics were written so that if you missed one, it would not matter much. This might just be me, but I like a longer storyline.
She has a great father-daughter relationship with batman, and an almost mother-daughter one with Oracle.
She is by far my favourite Batgirl, but this fell one star short because of the storytelling being so choppy. This book is a compilation of all the comics, and it seems like all the comics were written so that if you missed one, it would not matter much. This might just be me, but I like a longer storyline.
kpeninger's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I really love Cassandra Cain.