My letter to DC.
Dear DC:
My favorite character is Cassandra Cain. I’ve read and enjoyed all of her original series. I kept up with the character even during her most disappointing years, when she was written as a villain, stripped of all her most unique characteristics (her difficulty speaking and writing and one-of-a-kind relationship with her father), and finally forced from her role as Batgirl. Recently, it seemed like things were looking up for her. She’d returned as part of Batman, Inc. with a new identity and had finally returned to her home to work alongside her family in Gates of Gotham. I thought big things were on the horizon for her.
When I heard about the relaunch occurring in September, I was cautiously optimistic. What better time for Cass to regain her status as an important and prominent member of the Bat-world? But as the days went on and more books were revealed, I was more and more disappointed to see that Cass had been forgotten once again. With Stephanie Brown being ousted from her role as Batgirl in favor of Barbara Gordon, it seemed that both characters had been thrown into limbo. I was especially disappointed to see that Batwing from Batman, Inc. was deemed the member most deserving of his own book, despite only being around for one issue and having no dialogue. Meanwhile, Cass has a proven record, holding her own ongoing book for 73 issues, and is also a person of color worthy of promoting. A Blackbat series seemed like an obvious choice to me.
I really hope there are plans for Cassandra in the new DC. My dream book would be an ongoing title starring both her and her best friend Stephanie Brown. At the very least, I hope Cass can one day get an ongoing as Blackbat. She’s a character that has a lot of history and deserves a lot better than just appearing a few times a year.
I know a lot is still unknown about the new DCU, but I really wanted to write in and express my concerns about my favorite character. Things were just starting to improve for her, and I hope the relaunch doesn’t result in her vanishing from DC titles for another year.
Sincerely,
Nat
