schizoauthoress:

Cards for Cass

The Problem
Cassandra Cain, a popular member of the Batfamily and a woman of color with a compelling storyline, was sidelined in favor of passing the Batgirl mantle on to another young woman.  Cassandra Cain, the first Batgirl to get her own ongoing title — and the one who had the longest run in her own title — has been written out or written poorly for years now.

She became part of the League of Assassins and a member of the villainous Titans East under the influence of Deathstroke and his drugs.  She killed people with impunity, despite her previous characterization (she was committed to making sure that no one got hurt on her watch, and “no one” included the villains and thugs she fought against as Batgirl). 

After Bruce’s supposed death during Final Crisis, she was written as giving up the Batgirl mantle, despite previously professing devotion to the Bat symbol above Bruce himself.  This was done to clear a path for Stephanie Brown to become Batgirl… at the cost of Cassandra’s place among the Batfamily.

When Cass was returned to the comic pages as Black Bat, part of Batman Incorporated, it seemed like her characterization was back on the right track.  But the hopes of her fans were once again squashed by the 2011 reboot, when Cass Cain was benched and denied a place in the New 52.

The Proposal
I propose a mail-in campaign to (hopefully) bring attention to just how many fans that Cass Cain has.

As you can see from this scan — Gotham Knights 42 (page 10) — Cassandra purchases a blank card for Alfred, who is sick, and writes him a message.

1. Buy a blank card.  Something similar to the one pictured, with a cat on the front, might be nice.
2. Address the card itself to Cassandra. I personally like the idea of acting like she’s sick. Try to include the phrase “I will feel sad until you are better/on the comic pages again.”
3. You can also include an enclosed letter addressed to a member of DC editorial. While writing your letter, remain diplomatic and courteous at all times. No matter how justified your complaint may be, do not allow your letter to become angry, sarcastic, or threatening.  Tell them that Cass will get you buying their products again, if you’ve stopped! 
   Some suggestions for recipients:
   
   • Diane Nelson, President.  According to the DC Comics website “Nelson is charged with leading the company’s efforts to fully realize the power and value of DC Entertainment’s brands and characters across all media and platforms”
   • Dan Didio, Co-Publisher of DC Entertainment
   • Jim Lee, Co-Publisher of DC Entertainment
   • Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer
4. Send your card and letter on January 26th (Cass’s birthday) to:

Cassandra Cain c/o ___ (whoever the letter is addressed to)
DC Comics
1700 Broadway, 7th Fl.
New York, NY 10019-5905

Do not mention Stephanie Brown.  I know that many fans of Cassandra are also Steph fans, but please remained focused on our cause.  Cass should have her own support campaign, and not just act as a footnote to “we want Steph back”. (If you like this idea, feel free to organize a “Cards for Steph” campaign.  Pick another date to mail your cards off, and we’re good!)

Seriously the way Mary Marvel (and in a way her brother or “Captain Whitebread” as Guy Gardner called him) was treated by other characters in the DC Universe was digusting and obnoxious. And during Final Countdown and Countdown (where she was given moral lectures to by The Riddler, used as a drudge by Harley Quin and Catwoman’s sidekick, Holly and kicked out of Zatanna’s house for losing control of her magic - all right after she got out of a coma - where no DC hero visited her in the hospital) DC amped it up to eleven in Mary’s case.

And I don’t care that most of the “heroes” didn’t know the Batson siblings were really underage. How is that an excuse for being rude and boorish?

Are we (the reader) supposed to find THIS funny? Part of me really thinks Giffen/DeMatteis wanted us to. 

fyeahlilbitoeverything:

This graphic will never not be accurate, LOL.

By Didio’s logic (their characters mirror society) white blonde teenage girls are (or at least pre-reboot) DC’s core demographic. The fact a company benched (aka threw away) their most successful woman of color heroine in its history (Cass Cain, bi-racial, carried a solo title for 6+ years) for yet another blonde white girl to headline a DC title, when they already had Supergirl (white blonde girl), Wonder Girl (white blonde girl), Power Girl (white blonde girl), Stargirl (white blonde girl), Saturn Girl (white blonde girl), Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk in BoP (both white blonde girls - albeit one dyed) speaks volumes. Not about Stephanie Brown as a character but about what DC really think about diversity in their comics in an increasingly diverse world.