Shadow of the Batgirl (2020)

Cassandra Cain was raised to be an assassin and knows no other life. But maybe there’s another way for her to be? She starts observing others around her, including library staffer Barbara Gordon who talks a lot about the now retired Batgirl. This leaves Cassandra wondering if she could maybe, just maybe, become a hero herself.

Origin stories are a lot of fun, especially when authors really run with them to create new characters and situations for our beloved superheroes. Cassandra’s murky background makes her doubt herself, but she keeps pushing for better – a lesson we can all use to remember. While there are certainly dark and serious scenes in this book, there’s also light romance and moments of humor. I got a good chuckle when Cassandra’s first attempt at superhero-ing was to give those who leave food garbage around the library a well-deserved comeuppance. Litterers beware: Batgirl will make sure you clean up! ( )

This book is meant to usher in a new era of batgirl mainly Cassandra Cain. It starts off a little odd because Cassandra has no speaking ability. she doesn’t appear to understand words very well. It just kind of makes no sense she was raised to be a killer ,to be an assassin, but she doesn’t talk and has no life skills but yet is a teenager. She ends up seeking shelter in the Gotham public library where she meets Barbara Gordon and another lady of Asian dissent. The story goes on from there it’s a nice kick off to an old character’s new life. I’d like to see them take this character further and see how Cassandra Cain does as as batgirl. ( )

Shadow of the Batgirl is about Cassandra Cain, the daughter of a super-villain, who was trained from birth to be the ultimate assassin. After running away to the Gotham library, Cassandra finds out about Batgirl, a hero who hasn't been seen in awhile, and wants to find out everything about her. With the help of Jackie and Barbra, Cassandra tries to fight against the voice in her head telling her she can't be good.

I'm not usually into DC Comics, but my boss actually talked about this book so highly that I went ahead and gave it a shot. I'm glad I did.

Not knowing much about the DC world (besides what I'm sure is the very basics of Batman) this is a good introduction to the character. I liked the artwork and narrative. It did start off a bit slow, but I liked that because again, as a new reader to this world, it was a nice submersion into it. ( )

This was fun! It's part of DC's YA book line which provides a complete story arc around one of the characters. I'm not sure how or if this ties into current continuity (I don't think it does) but I still enjoyed the ride. I could have used a bit more depth to Cass's character, and while I was fine with it, most will need more explanation of Barbara. ( )

Cassandra's limited speech and reliance on body language make her narrative equally awkward and unique. Although Erik is a cutie-pie, their initial attraction felt very quick. Overall, I thought this was nice with a few highlights. ( )