moadore's review against another edition
3.0
As someone who actually has "Batgirl enthusiast" written in her Twitter bio, I'm a bit embarassed to admit that this is my first foray into the chronicles of Cassandra Cain. However, by the time I had finished Silent Knight I had cemented that lingering inkling that I'm more a Barbara Gordon enthusiast than anything else (who features heavily here as Oracle).
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a non-fan of Cassandra but she's a world removed from Babz who is considered ~default~ Batgirl. Raised as an assassin from birth her story is a lot darker, with even her outfit being creepy rather than fun. Her "father's" bizarre training methods means she can't communicate verbally, to the point where she even lacks inner monologue - making her a difficult character for comics writers to work with.
SO - slight spoiler ahead - they fix her. Instead of maybe trying to run with it and hire super-creative writers, they just decide to fix a disabled person with the help of a psychic who happens to stumble upon her (clearly an all night brainstorming session was needed for that story arc). The fact that Oracle, who is arguably one of the comic world's best representations of a disabled character, features premodinmently makes it a harder pill to swallow (obviously, I do know that later down the line DC gets a re-boot and Babs is miraculously cured too!).
All in all, this had potential but it just didn't get the proper development it needed.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a non-fan of Cassandra but she's a world removed from Babz who is considered ~default~ Batgirl. Raised as an assassin from birth her story is a lot darker, with even her outfit being creepy rather than fun. Her "father's" bizarre training methods means she can't communicate verbally, to the point where she even lacks inner monologue - making her a difficult character for comics writers to work with.
SO - slight spoiler ahead - they fix her. Instead of maybe trying to run with it and hire super-creative writers, they just decide to fix a disabled person with the help of a psychic who happens to stumble upon her (clearly an all night brainstorming session was needed for that story arc). The fact that Oracle, who is arguably one of the comic world's best representations of a disabled character, features premodinmently makes it a harder pill to swallow (obviously, I do know that later down the line DC gets a re-boot and Babs is miraculously cured too!).
All in all, this had potential but it just didn't get the proper development it needed.
geewhizabbygee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
tshepiso's review against another edition
4.5
4.5 stars
I've encountered Cassandra Cain stans on almost every place where comics fans congregate and I didn't believe the hype. Until now. This first handful of issues of her Batgirl run does a fantastic job at defining Cassandra as a unique and incredibly compelling protagonist. And I'm absolutely hooked to see more.
I've gone on record to say I love legacy heroes and Cassandra here represents so much about what I love about these stories. Cassandra's relationships with Batman and Oracle are some of my favourites and define her character in great ways. Her desire to prove herself
Cassandra is just also such a unique hero her struggles specifically with language are so well rendered in this regard.the give and take of her desire to communicate and the drawbacks it has on her instinctual fighting style was such a great conflict in the series and defines her motivations in such a unique way. seeing someone who's always found fighting easy have to learn and work for it for the first time in a long time was so fascinating. it makes her rimus and successes all the more satisfying
I also loved Cassandra's relationship with lady shiva. it's a great contrast to her mentorship with batman and oracle because of her moral ambiguity. her choice to sacrifice her life in favour of skill is such a great character-defining moment and this book is just filled with them. her guilt for her past murder is so well rendered. her adaptability and resilience in the face of new problems are fun to watch. there's this moment around issue 6 where she makes the choice to take a bullet because she doesn't want a goon behind her to die. and it's such a great moment.
finally, I'd like to gush about the art for a moment. [insert artist] captures a fantastic bold dynamism that renders the action that's so central to the series fantastically. I will say some of the layouts of the art is a tad too busy and cluttered
I've encountered Cassandra Cain stans on almost every place where comics fans congregate and I didn't believe the hype. Until now. This first handful of issues of her Batgirl run does a fantastic job at defining Cassandra as a unique and incredibly compelling protagonist. And I'm absolutely hooked to see more.
I've gone on record to say I love legacy heroes and Cassandra here represents so much about what I love about these stories. Cassandra's relationships with Batman and Oracle are some of my favourites and define her character in great ways. Her desire to prove herself
Cassandra is just also such a unique hero her struggles specifically with language are so well rendered in this regard.the give and take of her desire to communicate and the drawbacks it has on her instinctual fighting style was such a great conflict in the series and defines her motivations in such a unique way. seeing someone who's always found fighting easy have to learn and work for it for the first time in a long time was so fascinating. it makes her rimus and successes all the more satisfying
I also loved Cassandra's relationship with lady shiva. it's a great contrast to her mentorship with batman and oracle because of her moral ambiguity. her choice to sacrifice her life in favour of skill is such a great character-defining moment and this book is just filled with them. her guilt for her past murder is so well rendered. her adaptability and resilience in the face of new problems are fun to watch. there's this moment around issue 6 where she makes the choice to take a bullet because she doesn't want a goon behind her to die. and it's such a great moment.
finally, I'd like to gush about the art for a moment. [insert artist] captures a fantastic bold dynamism that renders the action that's so central to the series fantastically. I will say some of the layouts of the art is a tad too busy and cluttered
wydra's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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.
tmaluck's review against another edition
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
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.