Cassandra Cain Batgirl Gets Stunning Cover Art Ahead of New Stories
DC's Cassandra Cain, aka Batgirl, is celebrated in an amazing variant cover for the company's upcoming DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration. A 100-page anthology comic featuring stories about the Asian heroes of DC's past, present, and future, the issue has assembled a staggering array of talent in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, with the comic on sale May 11.
While the issue is packed with riches - including the introduction of new character Monkey Prince and the comics debut of Master of None writer Aniz Ansari - many fans will gravitate towards the promise of not one but two stories featuring Batman ally Cassandra Cain, aka Orphan, aka Black Bat, aka Batgirl. Despite being a fan favorite character and one of DC's most skilled hand-to-hand combatants, Cassandra has been badly treated by DC continuity, and even had her time as Batgirl written out of history for a long stretch of time - a decision only recently reversed.
Now restored to her rightful position as Batgirl, fans of Cassandra can look forward to not one but two Cain-focused stories in DC Festival of Heroes, "Sounds" and "What's in the Box?" The former focuses on Cassandra's struggle with verbal communication - caused by an abusive upbringing which also made her an expert in reading body language - while the latter will dive into a clash between Cassandra and Batman's former assassin son, Damian Wayne. Fans of Cassandra Cain will also have the option of a variant cover from Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau, depicting Cassandra mid-battle. Enjoy the cover and story synopses from DC Comics below:
"Sounds" – Detective Comics writer and Eisner Award winner Mariko Tamaki (Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass) and artist Marcus To team up to tell a story featuring Cassandra Cain, a.k.a. Batgirl. Batgirl struggles to understand words, but with her ability to read body language and uncanny fighting skills, she really doesn’t have to…until she meets someone and wishes that she had the right words—ANY words—to say to them!
"What’s in the Box?" – Cassandra Cain steps into the spotlight once more, but this time with Colin Wilkes, a.k.a. Abuse (who first appeared in Detective Comics #947, October 2008), courtesy of words and art by Dustin Nguyen. Abuse finds Batgirl sitting by a bridge, upset by a comment made by Damian Wayne.
The cover completes an unofficial trio of images from Artgerm, with Batgirl vol. 5 #31 depicting Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, and Batgirl vol. 3 #12 featuring Stephanie Brown's time in the role, but the issue's official cover from Jim Lee and Alex Sinclair also stars Cassandra front and center, leading the charge of the heroes who'll be starring in the other stories that make up the anthology, such as the Atom, Green Lantern Tai Pham, and Red Arrow.
Despite being one of the most enduringly popular of DC's Asian heroes, Cassandra has also come under fire for conforming to stereotypes, especially in regards to her pronounced combat prowess and connections to the "Silent Asian" trope. With Mariko Tamaki and Marcus To zeroing in on that aspect of Cassandra's character, it will be interesting to see where DC goes next with a character who has long boasted something of a cult fandom. Ultimately, it's great to see Cassandra finally back in the spotlight, especially with the possibility that these stories will plant the seeds for future developments, as well as recognizing Batgirl's reaffirmed importance among Gotham's protectors.
Source: DC Comics