Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow’s Hand #1 Review
The Absolute Universe often poses an interesting question, “How much can you change a character while still preserving the core of who they are?”, “What can be stripped away?” Each book has taken that question to different degrees as key aspects are ripped from each character, and with Cassandra Cain, no aspect is more key than the relationships within which she found a home, Batman and Barbara Gordon. Who is Cassandra without Batgirl, without the purpose she found to atone for her original sin? That is what Che Grayson and Matías Bergara’s Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow’s Hand looks to explore
This issue digs into the League of Assassins, a group not dissimilar from its regular counterpart, but here led by Lady Shiva. When the Joker joins the League and becomes their greatest pupil, he attempts to take over, and when the League refuses, he tears them apart, leaving the handful of survivors scattered. While we see only glimpses of the early relationships between Shiva, David Cain, and their daughter Cassandra, it’s clear that there’s a lot more compassion there, especially from Cain towards his daughter. All of that changes when we catch up to the flashbacks seen in Absolute Catwoman however, as Cassandra Cain loses her voice in the explosion caused by Selina Kyle, and her mother returns to her to begin her training and reassemble the League.
Matías Bergara is the real star of Absolute Cassandra Cain. There’s a particular sequence that I haven’t stopped thinking about since I read it, where Cass covers her eyes while fighting an opponent and the scene fades away to darkness. The scene is rendered with Cass as a white outline, her opponent nothing but mist. The linework on Cass is bold and defined as she finds her purpose for the first time. Each blow Cassandra blocks and lands on her opponent further defines them as Cass strips away their exterior armor and strength, leaving nothing but the human underneath. This is just one sequence of many in which Bergara’s talent shines.
Mike Spicers colours are incredible too, throughout the issue a deep red is used as a symbol of power, both the darker red of rage and a lighter red of compassion. We see it in Shiva’s colour scheme, in her words before her defeat at the Joker and later staining his claws. We see it gradually fading into Cassandra in a stunning splash page showing her training under Shiva, the red becoming more prominent down the page, at its strongest in the cuts that shape a young Cass into a weapon, the Demons Hand. Later, as Cassandra finds herself overwhelmed and outnumbered in a battle, the red begins to bleed into the background, overwhelming her, until Cassandra realises her purpose and takes it for herself. Cassandra becomes a silhouette in red, fierce and determined, finally fully realised. Once her enemies are defeated she pushes the red, the anger aside, no longer needing it. We see her past again, washed in that same red, but Cass no longer lets it define her. The limited palette makes these stunning reds stand out beautifully.
Throughout the issue, Che Grayson symbolises Cassandra’s growth in two main ways. From the first page we see Shiva shout “FALL IN”, showing both the importance of voice to command, something Cassandra will soon lack, and also foreshadowing Shiva’s eventual cowardice after her defeat by the Joker and her reluctance to fight back, or “speak out”. This phrase, “speak out” is used throughout the issue, to mirror Cass inability to speak with her struggle to break from her mothers own choices and make her own path, culminating in this group of stragglers being reliant in the character without a voice forcing them to speak out once more as she frees their last remaining ally from the Jokers forces.
The other way to see Cass’ growth is through the duality of a closed fist vs an open hand. After her injuries, Shiva declares that Cass can never be the Demons Head, and instead will be the Demons Fist. This hand motif is present throughout the issue both in Bergara’s art and Cassandra’s action as she constantly chooses the empathetic option, culminating in the final fight in which Cassandra again finds balance between the two, fighting for what she believes in but ready to offer an open hand to her enemies.
It could be easy to see that despite her debut in Absolute Catwoman, this issue brings Cass a lot closer to a more traditional version, but I think that’s the beauty of it. Ultimately, Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow’s Hand shows the kindness and compassion of Cassandra Cain, and that no matter what changes, she will never just be a weapon for someone else to wield. With some of the most stunning art I’ve ever seen this issue is a must read for any Cassandra Cain fan, and I hope it’s Batman connections will convert a few more.
View on Kindle Store
Buy from Third Eye
This post contains affiliate links. We receive a small commission if you buy through this link.
