Her Name Is Cassandra Cain

When I was a young lad, I was quite the avid comics reader. I loved the stories of heroes taking on enormous challenges and being pushed to the very edge of their abilities, all to stand up for a principle or to protect those who might not be able to protect themselves.

I especially gravitated towards Batman. He wasn’t an alien, with powers gifted to him by the color of our sun. Nor was he bitten by a genetically engineered spider or exposed to gamma radiation that caused his strength to increase exponentially. Granted, Batman does have the advantage of being a billionaire, but his powers are intellect, martial arts acumen, and, most important, sheer, indomitable will and determination.

I didn’t actively collect comics throughout much of my adulthood. I would occasionally stop by one of the comic book stores in my city and I would certainly catch all of the big superhero movies as they opened.

I got back into regular comic collecting a couple of years ago. I mainly focus on Batman, Nightwing, and Detective Comics. It was during a big story arc in Detective Comics that I discovered a character that I like even more than Batman.

Her name is Cassandra Cain.

Briefly, her history:

Her parents, David Cain and Lady Shiva, are notable assassins. Cassandra was raised by David to be a world-class assassin herself. He didn’t teach her to speak, write, or even read as a child. He thought that it all might detract from Cassandra’s focus on the killing arts.

David took Cass to make her first kill at the age of eight. She watched the man’s life drain from his body and she realized that deep down, she wasn’t actually the killer she was meant to be. She escaped from her father’s clutches and made her way across the world until she, of course, ended up in Gotham City and became part of Batman’s family. Her character has gone through a variety of iterations over the years… she has served as Batgirl, been known as Black Bat, and now goes by the code name of Orphan.

Cass is a world-class martial artist (in fact, even Batman himself admits that she could best him in hand-to-hand combat). She has an innate understanding of body language and physical cues, giving her the ability to anticipate an opponent’s moves. She is, essentially a killing machine.

One that refuses to kill.



What makes Cass my favorite is that she is all heart. She befriended Basil Karlo, AKA Clayface, as he tried to achieve some redemption after his stint as a supervillain. Cass, of course, sees herself as on a redemption path of her own, so she and Basil forged a close friendship during his time serving on Batman’s team.

When Cass’ mother, Lady Shiva, launched an all-out assault on Gotham, the two ended up in combat. Having fought her mother to within an inch of her life, Cass felt broken emotionally. The dichotomy of such a powerful warrior feeling broken really struck me to the core emotionally.

Cass refuses to be what others made her to be. She lives by her principles. She wields her not inconsiderable abilities for good, rather than evil… for life, rather than death. She may have the most dysfunctional parents imaginable and sometimes can’t even communicate well, but she still manages to be a great friend and team member. Cass is always trying to better herself and do right by the world. That’s what makes her a great character and someone that I think we can all identify with in at least some small way.

Cass has a large and passionate fan base, many of whom I have gotten to know via the magic of Twitter. I think we all appreciate her in different ways and for different reasons, but it seems that most of us agree that she is drastically underused and under-appreciated. Fortunately, the character of Cassandra Cain is starting to experience something of a renaissance. She is going to be a major part of a new DC Comics series, Batman and the Outsiders, which will be published sometime in the next few months. She has just appeared in the new animated series, Young Justice: Outsiders. Cass will also make her live action, big screen debut in the new Birds of Prey film (actual title: Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), which is due out on February 7th, 2020. There will even be a new graphic novel starring Cass, from the new DC Ink young adult imprint.

When I first became a Cassandra Cain fan, I did a little research. I was curious about her character, how she came to be, and what books in which she’s appeared. One thing I learned (according to DC Comics canon, anyway) is that her birthday is January 26th. That’s today, by the way… so happy birthday to this badass, world-class martial artist and superhero who, in a lot of ways, is just like you and me.

Rebirth

Like many of you, I had a pretty sizable comic book collection in my younger years. And like many of you, I have absolutely no idea what happened to it. I remember some of the books I had. This one, pictured below, is said to be worth $75.00 to $100.00 these days.

Another comic I remember, the circa 1977 debut issue of the new hero Black Lightning, is currently going for up to $285.00.

So I might not have been able to pay for college had I sold off some of those books, but I think that I had a pretty respectable collection. It would have been nice to still have all those books, but they are now… who knows where. They are likely dust in the wind at this point.

Cut to many years later. My own children are now older than when I bought the aforementioned comics. We would sometimes go to one of the comic shops near my home. We usually treated ourselves to a theater trip when one of the big new superhero movies came out. In short: casual fans.

We were all out and about one day when we ventured into one of the aforementioned shops. The friendly proprietor informed us that the next Saturday would be “Batman Day” (I’m of the school of thought that every day is Batman Day, but whatever). He would have some grab bags for sale. $25.00 for around $70.00 worth of comics, graphic novels, and other merchandise.

SOLD.

I bought one, as did each of my twins. The shop owner wasn’t kidding when said that there would be north of $70.00 of value in that bag.  I found a couple of hardcover graphic novels, a paperback edition of Frank Miller’s classic, The Dark Knight Returns, along with a number of comics and other items. One of the comics in my grab bag was this one:

I have long been a huge Batman fan, so I read this one right away. The issue ended on a rather intriguing cliffhanger, so I soon acquired the next issue. And the one after that. And the one after-- (okay, as of this writing we are up to issue #14). I soon started buying All-Star Batman, Detective Comics, Batman Beyond, and Nightwing.

You may have noticed the DC Comics Rebirth banner atop the Batman cover. The DC Rebirth is a reboot/ reset/ initiative for the bulk of the DC Comics line. This reboot was about more than just book numbering… it was a rebirth of, as the powers that be at DC put it, ”optimism and legacy”.

The Rebirth branding also had some resonance for me personally. It was, obviously, a rebirth of my comic collecting hobby. I always had some comics around, odds and ends that I picked up here and there. I began frequenting my nearby shops, particularly on new release day. I started bagging and boarding my collection, and organized my books as well.

Collecting comics seems at once familiar and new. My inner pre-teen self is thrilled, while my adult side appreciates the opportunity to explore something new (ish). In addition, it certainly doesn’t hurt that my fifteen year old twins have also started collecting (anytime you can find an activity or interest you can share with your teenagers, YOU DO IT).

The storylines have been excellent as well. The multi-part “Night of the Monster Men” arc, played out over issues of Batman, Detective Comics, and Nightwing, was dramatic and action-packed. It had a great ending that solidified Batman’s place as my favorite hero.

“Night of the Monster Men” was followed up with “I Am Suicide”, another intense, multi-part storyline that took a deep (and dark) dive into Batman’s psychology.

All of the books that I have read so far have been compelling, well-written, and a lot of fun. Much of the art is spectacular too, as evidenced by this suitable for framing cover art…

So, of course, I’m thoroughly enjoying the stories and characters that I have been following. It’s also fun to stop in to the various comic book shops to pick up new issues and search for the pieces to fill the gaps in my collection. I am fortunate in that live within mere blocks of three different shops. Each one is different, and each one has its own charms. My kids and I frequent them all. It’s very easy to stop in to one or the other on the way to somewhere else, or walk to one on an otherwise lazy Saturday afternoon.

I couldn’t be happier that the DC Universe Rebirth initiative parallels my own rebirth of sorts as a comic collector. I can’t say exactly why I drifted away from comics, but I’m glad to be back.

Rise

I’ve been waiting to see “The Dark Knight Rises” since... well, since I saw “The Dark Knight” back in 2008.  The Batman has long been my favorite superhero.  “Batman Begins” has been one of my favorite films since its debut in 2005.  Here’s a character that used the unimaginable pain of losing his parents and turned it into something heroic.  He honed himself mentally and physically until he became The Batman.

When the title for Christopher Nolan’s third and final Batman film was announced, I smiled.  “The Dark Knight Rises”.  Perfect.  The Batman rises from the ashes and once again saves Gotham.  I kept track of the film as it progressed... casting announcements, production stories, trailers, you name it.

The day of the premiere drew closer and anticipation built.  Reviews came trickling, then flooding in, from all corners of the internet.  Despite a few naysayers (mostly those who felt “The Dark Knight” was still a bit better)  the consensus was that “The Dark Knight Rises” was a spectacular, stirring and emotional climax to Nolan’s trilogy.

My good friend (and fitness trainer extraordinaire), William Appelquist, informed me that he was going to a marathon of all three films; leading up to, of course, the midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises”.  Yes, I seethed with jealousy, but the vagaries of fatherhood and authorhood conspired to keep me away.  Oh well.  I have the first two on DVD anyway.

I got up this morning to be greeted with a horrific story out of Aurora, Colorado.  A lone gunman, armed and armored, opened fire during a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises”.  The death toll as I type this stands at 12, with 38 injured.  The alleged gunman, James Holmes, entered the theater about 30 minutes into the movie and opened fire.

A couple dear friends of mine live in Colorado and posted updates about the shooting throughout the morning.  One was a picture of James Holmes... young, smiling, clean cut... not the sullen, crazed loner I had expected.  This was the face of the boy next door.  Chilling.

The story that so far has affected me the most was that of Jessica Redfield. She narrowly missed being a victim in Toronto mall shooting just weeks ago.  She wrote eloquently of this experience on her blog...

"I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders’ faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath. For one man, it was in the middle of a busy food court on a Saturday evening.

I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing. So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given."

http://jessicaredfield.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/late-night-thoughts-on-the-eaton-center-shooting/

Jessica was one of those who died in the shooting last night.

So we mourn.  We get angry that someone would end the lives of so many in such a cruel fashion.  We’ll talk about this senseless tragedy for the next few days, shake our collective fist at this psychopath with his guns, smoke bombs and body armor.  Then what?  We’ll move on.  We’ll watch the recap a year from today, bow our heads and once again go back to our lives.  

Those lives will still be lost.  The gifts those people could have given the world, wiped out in a hail of gunfire.  Sounds like the bad guy won, doesn’t it?

Not if you and I have anything to say about it.

Let’s do this over the next few days... Live your life 100%, full-throttle.  Do it for Jessica, who was just at the start of her dream career.  Do it for all those people who were killed, all of whom I’m sure harbored dreams that will never be realized.

A few suggestions, if I may...

Chase that dream.  With a vengeance.

Hug your kids.

Stand up for yourself.

Workout like a warrior.

Fix that relationship that needs fixing.

Write that book.

Apply for that job.

Walk away from the people that bring you down.

Sign up for that class.

Don’t give up.

The Batman rose from one of the worst personal tragedies imaginable and made himself a better man from it... a hero, in fact.  We can also get something out of this tragedy.  We can, in our own small ways, ensure that the bad guy doesn’t win this time.

We can be heroes.

We can RISE.