Shadow of the Batgirl (GN)

Graphic novel title: Shadow of the Batgirl
Author: Sarah Kuhn
Illustrator: Nicole Goux
Colorist: Chris Peter
Letterers: Janice Chiang with Saida Temofonte
Publisher: DC Comics
Age group: Young Adults
Cost: $16.99
ISBN: 978-1-4012-8978-2
Publication date: 2020
Reviewed by: Allen Klingelhoets

First: Batgirl is based on characters created by Bob Kane and Bill Fingers.

The story “Shadow of the Batgirl” is set in time period years after Barbara Gordon was crippled and could no longer be Batgirl.

This is about time Barbara was creating Oracle that would soon help with crime fighting to her protégé Cassandra Cain.

The graphic novel moved very quickly. I learned that Cassandra was at first murderer taught by her father. She fell into the world of Barbara Gordon. Barbara taught Casandra many things about crime fighting. Casandra also was tutored by older white-haired lady named Jacqueline Fujikawe Yoneyama also known as Jackie. Cassandra had to fight demons of past when her father taught her to be assassin. The setting for story is Gotham.

Barbara, Cassandra and Jackie form team to fight crime in Gotham. It was also revealed that Cassandra had amazing gift of intuition. She was able to see subtle hints about people just by looking at way they acted. Barbara Gordon noticed this in early stages of training Cassandra. This is a rare ability shown by characters like Sherlock Holmes, and other great detectives. She had foundation that would be helpful if chose to be Batgirl. I thought amazing story. It made me hungry for another Batgirl graphic novel. The next one I am going to read is “The Oracle Code”. Batgirl is considered a hero. The story of “Shadow of the Batgirl gives foundation for how Cassandra could be become new Batgirl for Gotham.

The Back cover says about “Shadow of the Batgirl”:

Cassandra Cain, teenage assassin, isn’t exactly Batgirl material....yet. Will she step out of the shadows and overcome her greatest obstacle- the voice inside her head telling her she can never be a hero?

Luckily for Cass, she won’t have to defy her destiny alone. With the help of her new mentors, noodle shop owner Jackie Fujikawa Yoneyama and a librarian known as Barbara Gorgon, she’ll attempt to answer the only way she knows how: learning everything about her favorite hero. The only problem is that Batgirl hasn’t been seen in Gotham for years...can Cass find Batgirl before her father destroys the world she has grown to love? Or will she take on a heroic mantle of her very own?

Accompanied by the edgy art style of Nicole Goux, Sarah Kuhn, author of Heroine Complex and I Love You so Mochi, tells the harrowing story of a girl who overcomes the odds to find her unique identity.


Reviewed by: Allen Klingelhoets