Batman and the Outsiders #9

[parsimonia.insanejournal.com]

This is a repost from the old community.

I'm kind of iffy on the art here, and I could nit-pick the dialogue, but I really liked having Cass on Outsiders. I liked that she was interacting with people like Katana and Metamorpho who weren't strictly Bat-people, widening her network, you might say. If DC decides to break my heart and kick Cass out of the Batgirl cowl, then I sincerely hope they do something with her, as I'd hate to have her relegated to obscurity.

Comments

[unknownscribler.insanejournal.com]

Teaming Cass and Jason could be fun...

[parsimonia.insanejournal.com]

HAHAHA YES!

[goblinthebamf.insanejournal.com]

motto, although I'd still be disappointed that the title wouldn't be "Batgirl and Red Robin".

[islwyn.insanejournal.com]

We'd just need to give Tim the Flamebird gear.

[toasty_fresh.insanejournal.com]

He'd be crazy, she'd wonder what the heck was wrong with him . . . it'd be great!

[parsimonia.insanejournal.com]

She might even be able to get to the bottom of whatever's wrong with him, seeing as she can read body language, has a shady past and had a crappy childhood.

[parsimonia.insanejournal.com]

That is, I can see her being able to sympathize with him (a little), but at the same time being able to cut through his defenses. Also, there'd probably be an entertaining fight scene.

[toasty_fresh.insanejournal.com]

Okay, this team-up has to happen so bad right now . . .

[runespoor7.insanejournal.com]

Fact: Cass should get to interact with more Bat people. (And more non Bat people as well.)

Fact: Jason should get to interact with more Bat people.

Except for future retcons, Jason hadn't met or talked with any of the girls - Babs, Steph, Cass, Helena - any of the supporting cast - Alfred, Leslie, Jim - or any of the people whose retconned existence into the family would only make sense thematically for him to meet (Damian). And that needs to happen. My god, but does he think about all this? I can't imagine Winick's Jason never found out about Steph being Robin, even if he didn't know in UtH. Is there any reason at all except the no-mentioning-the-Bat-females policy in practice at DC for Jason to not think anything about Steph? Or Cass? He was mad that Bruce replaced him with a new Robin that Jason feared was better than he was, what the hell did he think of Bruce apparently replacing Babs with Cass?

And while we're at it, is there any place where Babs mentions Jason's return at all? What does Babs think of Jason playing the victim unavenged by Batman? (I think she should kick his ass, it can't be just me, right?)

Fact: Jason + Cass meeting = YES DO WANT. Just give me a writer that'll do them justice.

[octopussoir.insanejournal.com]

If I recall correctly, Jason and Cass cameod on the same episode of JL. 'The Savage Time' pt. 3.

[runespoor7.insanejournal.com]

That was Toon Tim. So yeah, Jason for a good part. Oh man, how I squeed when I saw Cass.

[(Anonymous)]

Hey, guys. Guys!

I found Waldo.

[psychop_rex.insanejournal.com]

I can't believe I didn't catch that. I used to love those books.

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

Is it wrong for me to hope beyond hope that Tomasi will eventually have Cass appear in Outsiders again to visit Katana?

[parsimonia.insanejournal.com]

No, it's not wrong. That's a beautiful idea.

[mysteryfan.insanejournal.com]

I'd love to read that!

[ulf_boehnke.insanejournal.com]

Where's Metamorpho in the lower half of the second page? I can't find him!

[ladymirth.insanejournal.com]

Apart from Cass's face, I love the art. And the colors!

[mullon.insanejournal.com]

I wish we could this run of Batman and the Outsiders back, even if Cass's face looks like crap.

[sistermagpie.insanejournal.com]

I love that picture of Cass where her cloak is all around her in little spikes on the ground.

[runespoor7.insanejournal.com]

Bat-tentacles? Bat-god-swallowing-the-man/girl? Bat-being-one-with-the-city?

[parsimonia.insanejournal.com]

I know! It's a pose that only Cass and Bruce can ever really pull off well, IMO.

[(Anonymous)]

The art seems okay right up until that last, terrible panel.

[runespoor7.insanejournal.com]

Since Beechen, has Cass always been shown as talking as well as she does here? Because she never was big on the sentences with more than one clause in her own series. Too articulate.

And I don't think Cass should talk so easily of her family to people she doesn't know well. And the shot in the last panel is remarkably grimdark for a girl who when she's decently written is nowhere near bitter.

I liked Waldo and the 'no class'.

[parsimonia.insanejournal.com]

Her speech patterns vary with every writer, I find. Some have her talk like she's Commander Data or Seven of Nine, as if she were someone with a huge vocabulary, but lacking in some cultural/social context to use contractions and slang and whatnot.

And I don't think Cass should talk so easily of her family to people she doesn't know well.

Well, I tend to think Cass must be a good judge of character, and be able to decide fairly quickly whether or not she thinks someone is trustworthy. Plus she's being fairly vague here.

[runespoor7.insanejournal.com]

IIRC, the only people she did talk about her family to were Babs (and Jim after she'd saved him in her introductory scene, to explain who she was to Cain), occasionally Batman, and Steph. Only with Steph was it casual, the other cases were always deeply meaningful, and I'm not sure she ever was the one who started the subject with Babs.

Maybe she can adapt her talking about family to how she perceives the people she's talking to feel about family, that'd explain why it was such an important subject when she was with Batman even if they rarely spoke directly about it, or maybe she changed her views since then. I'm not inclined to giving this the benefit of the doubt.

Why would she tell Katana about something like this?

[(Anonymous)]

So...what the heck is Cass's status right now? We know she likely won't be the next (only?) active batgirl, but...where has she ended up?

[parsimonia.insanejournal.com]

She was in Outsiders, then left/was kicked out once Batman died, she had a crappy mini-series, had a tiny role in Battle for the Cowl, and I haven't a clue what she's up to at the moment, and I suspect DC doesn't either.

[psychop_rex.insanejournal.com]

Why exactly does Rex have those weird swirls/tattoos all over him? Is it just an art choice, or what?

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

Considering that this was right before her mini that we dare not mention. When you think about it in the context of Cain and Shiva then I kinda like the final words she has with Katana. This is during her need of someone and a family which she got again at the end of mini we dare not post. Remember she still didn't know Steph was alive. All she had really was Tim and Alfred.

[parsimonia.insanejournal.com]

I don't think that's entirely correct, though. At this point, she's been back in the Bat-world for a little while, which presumably means she's had regular contact with Bruce, Alfred, Babs and Tim. (Bruce, Alfred and Tim because she's working with Batman on the Outsiders, and she was staying at Wayne Manor at the start of her mini, and Barbara because although there's no mention of it in Outsiders at this point, there's no way Babs wouldn't get in touch.) So her Bat-family is sort of okay, albeit it's got to be weird being back after her absence.

But given her history with Cain and Shiva, yeah, she would definitely want to keep Cain and Shiva away. Also, I could be mistaken, but I think this issue may have come out during the run of the Batgirl mini.

Oh, an we can mention/post the mini. It just makes me cry tears of frustration, is all. =(

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

Yeah I really took it at her talking about Cain and Shiva not the Bat-Family given all the antics the two parents have done to try and make her into a killer like them.

And you're not the only one to have tears of frustation with that mini as well :(