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Blood matters... Cassandra Cain, Batgirl, has always known her father was the deadly mercenary David Cain. But who was her mother? Her quest for the truth brings her face-to-face with two of the deadliest women master martial artists Lady Shiva and Nyssa, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Will Batgirl find answers, or will she regret taking this journey in the first place?
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2006
5 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Andersen Gabrych
70 books14 followersAndersen Gabrych is a Northern California native. He’s written Detective Comics, Batman, Batgirl, Catwoman, and Omega Men for DC Comics, and is the author of the original graphic novel, Fog Town.
As an actor he appeared most notably in the award-winning Edge of Seventeen and at HBO’s Aspen Comedy Festival. He currently lives in L.A. with his cat, Moses, and is the co-creator of Pyrasphere, “Hollywood’s fastest growing new religion,” and the subsequent documentary Bright Day! about this fictitious spiritual movement.
As an actor he appeared most notably in the award-winning Edge of Seventeen and at HBO’s Aspen Comedy Festival. He currently lives in L.A. with his cat, Moses, and is the co-creator of Pyrasphere, “Hollywood’s fastest growing new religion,” and the subsequent documentary Bright Day! about this fictitious spiritual movement.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 1, 2012
Who am I kidding? There is room in my heart for all the Batgirls, but Cass Cain is doing some serious work trying to win the coveted spot of Batgirl numero uno. But all my favorite ladies made an appearence in this book. You've got Babs, and the Birds of Prey, a little bit of Steph, and lots of kick ass Lady Shiva battle scenes.
This book would have gotten 5 stars if not for serious boob problems. There were just moments where I was like, what is she wearing for a bra? 2 soup bowls? They look so unnatural and distracting.
This book would have gotten 5 stars if not for serious boob problems. There were just moments where I was like, what is she wearing for a bra? 2 soup bowls? They look so unnatural and distracting.
September 15, 2021
Cass is on a mission to find her mother.
But we can already guess who Cass mother is. What we didn't know is how psycho she can truly be. This has some great moments for Cass, growing up, and learning what her mother is capable of. I will say it was a little rushed, the brother storyline was odd, and I didn't love all of Cass's inner thoughts. I still feel too much. But overall it was a solid ending to a great series.
A 3 out of 5.
But we can already guess who Cass mother is. What we didn't know is how psycho she can truly be. This has some great moments for Cass, growing up, and learning what her mother is capable of. I will say it was a little rushed, the brother storyline was odd, and I didn't love all of Cass's inner thoughts. I still feel too much. But overall it was a solid ending to a great series.
A 3 out of 5.
October 23, 2016
3.5
This is the one Cassandra Cain book I didn't love so it's a little hard to review it.
I adore Cass but this book didn't really seem like it was about her and her feelings; it seemed more about how others see her.
The beginning is confusing to follow. It's mostly her going on a date with a guy I don't remember reading much about before. Then there's a hog man that tries to assault her bc she doesn't want to be with him. The beginning is about her deciding to find out if Shiva is her mother so I get that this will be about her being more ruled by emotion but it's not really a gradual change at all.
Anyway, loved her beating up Cain as usual. Loved the scene where she told Bruce she was going to find her mother. Loved her scenes with Shiva. The Birds of Prey break was good. The bit of her working with the other League of Assassins members was interesting. I adored the hallucination (?) of Steph. I still ship them.
Anyway, it was just okay. I still love Cass but this is the weakest out of the books I've read with her.
This is the one Cassandra Cain book I didn't love so it's a little hard to review it.
I adore Cass but this book didn't really seem like it was about her and her feelings; it seemed more about how others see her.
The beginning is confusing to follow. It's mostly her going on a date with a guy I don't remember reading much about before. Then there's a hog man that tries to assault her bc she doesn't want to be with him. The beginning is about her deciding to find out if Shiva is her mother so I get that this will be about her being more ruled by emotion but it's not really a gradual change at all.
Anyway, loved her beating up Cain as usual. Loved the scene where she told Bruce she was going to find her mother. Loved her scenes with Shiva. The Birds of Prey break was good. The bit of her working with the other League of Assassins members was interesting. I adored the hallucination (?) of Steph. I still ship them.
Anyway, it was just okay. I still love Cass but this is the weakest out of the books I've read with her.
August 1, 2017
This series ended on a high note. Possibly higher than it started, but I'm not sure I'd go quite that far.
Any true Cassandra Cain fan should at least read this last volume. The final two arcs are something special that help define the character moving forward.
Any true Cassandra Cain fan should at least read this last volume. The final two arcs are something special that help define the character moving forward.
April 2, 2019
Batgirl: Destruction's Daughter picks up where the previous volume left off, collecting the last nine issues (Batgirl #65–73) of the 2000 on-going series. The trade paperback covers three storylines: "A Mother of a Father's Day", "Destruction's Daughter", and "Blood Matters".
"A Mother of a Father's Day" is a one-issue storyline (Batgirl #65), which has Cassandra Cain pondering about her biological mother on this Father's Day issue. Batman theorizes that Lady Shiva might be her mother, but to find out for sure, she pays her father, David Cain, a visit in prison to find out.
"Destruction's Daughter" is a five-issue storyline (Batgirl #66–70), which has Cassandra Cain as Batgirl proactively trying to find the truth behind her parentage and to find out whether Lady Shiva is really her mother and goes on a road trip to investigate, but it is easier said the done. Receiving no answers, Cassandra Cain is sent to Montenegro, home base of the new League of Assassins.
"Blood Matters" is a three-issue storyline (Batgirl #71–73), which has Cassandra Cain as Batgirl on the run from a team of assassins led by Lady Shiva, her mother. It is a life and death battle that would conclude this epic run.
Andersen Gabrych penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well. Cassandra Cain has known her father was the deadly mercenary David Cain, but her biological mother remains a mystery. In this trade paperback, she tries to find out who her mother was. Her quest for truth brings her face-to-face with Lady Shiva and Nyssa al Ghul – the new head of the League of Assassins.
Pop Mhan (Batgirl #65, 68–71, 73), Alé Garza (Batgirl #67–68), Andy Kuhn, and Francisco Rodriguez de le Fuente (Batgril #67 and 72 respectively) are the pencilers for the trade paperback. For the most part the penciling style meshed together rather well, albeit rather distinctive from each other, which made the artistic flow of the trade paperback slightly jarring as when a new penciler was introduced mid-story arc was slightly jarring.
Overall, this Batgirl series is rather well constructed and ended somewhat well. Unfortunately, the entire series wasn't represented in trade paperbacks as about thirty issues remain uncollected. Instead, the publishers concentrated on the relationship between Cassandra Cain, David Cain, and Lady Shiva, which I think those thirty issues weren’t centered on. Still, it would have been nice to read the adventures of Cassandra Cain as Batgirl during those issues, because a lot of growth could have happened between those pages.
All in all, Batgirl: Destruction's Daughters is a wonderful conclusion to equally wonderful series.
"A Mother of a Father's Day" is a one-issue storyline (Batgirl #65), which has Cassandra Cain pondering about her biological mother on this Father's Day issue. Batman theorizes that Lady Shiva might be her mother, but to find out for sure, she pays her father, David Cain, a visit in prison to find out.
"Destruction's Daughter" is a five-issue storyline (Batgirl #66–70), which has Cassandra Cain as Batgirl proactively trying to find the truth behind her parentage and to find out whether Lady Shiva is really her mother and goes on a road trip to investigate, but it is easier said the done. Receiving no answers, Cassandra Cain is sent to Montenegro, home base of the new League of Assassins.
"Blood Matters" is a three-issue storyline (Batgirl #71–73), which has Cassandra Cain as Batgirl on the run from a team of assassins led by Lady Shiva, her mother. It is a life and death battle that would conclude this epic run.
Andersen Gabrych penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well. Cassandra Cain has known her father was the deadly mercenary David Cain, but her biological mother remains a mystery. In this trade paperback, she tries to find out who her mother was. Her quest for truth brings her face-to-face with Lady Shiva and Nyssa al Ghul – the new head of the League of Assassins.
Pop Mhan (Batgirl #65, 68–71, 73), Alé Garza (Batgirl #67–68), Andy Kuhn, and Francisco Rodriguez de le Fuente (Batgril #67 and 72 respectively) are the pencilers for the trade paperback. For the most part the penciling style meshed together rather well, albeit rather distinctive from each other, which made the artistic flow of the trade paperback slightly jarring as when a new penciler was introduced mid-story arc was slightly jarring.
Overall, this Batgirl series is rather well constructed and ended somewhat well. Unfortunately, the entire series wasn't represented in trade paperbacks as about thirty issues remain uncollected. Instead, the publishers concentrated on the relationship between Cassandra Cain, David Cain, and Lady Shiva, which I think those thirty issues weren’t centered on. Still, it would have been nice to read the adventures of Cassandra Cain as Batgirl during those issues, because a lot of growth could have happened between those pages.
All in all, Batgirl: Destruction's Daughters is a wonderful conclusion to equally wonderful series.
January 27, 2020
Since Cassandra is a big player in the next part of my Robin read-through, I decided to skim through these issues to refresh my memory. Pretty quickly I wasn't just skimming, I was reading a whole issue, and then the next, and the next. The book is very readable in a popcorn reading kind of way, putting Cassandra on a quest where I was as eager as she was to find out the answers. And the question of her true heritage was definitely satisfactorily answered.
But I'm also a little torn on the overall direction for the character. I'm the type who prefers my Cassandra to be monosyllabic yet high-emotion, and nobody had nailed that balance since the original creative team of this series. This volume pushed her further away from that, and all these years later I still don't know how to feel about the final few twists. Is this a bold direction, or is all of her growth undermined? Then again, how much longer could the character have developed past her original concept before she became "just another costumed hero"? At the very least, I understand the direction things ended up taking.
Next up: "Robin: Wanted"!
But I'm also a little torn on the overall direction for the character. I'm the type who prefers my Cassandra to be monosyllabic yet high-emotion, and nobody had nailed that balance since the original creative team of this series. This volume pushed her further away from that, and all these years later I still don't know how to feel about the final few twists. Is this a bold direction, or is all of her growth undermined? Then again, how much longer could the character have developed past her original concept before she became "just another costumed hero"? At the very least, I understand the direction things ended up taking.
Next up: "Robin: Wanted"!
September 1, 2017
I don't know what was going on behind the scenes at DC during this time, so I have no idea why Kelley Puckett stopped writing Batgirl, but Cass deserved SO much better than Andersen Gabrych.
Her last two volumes were a total disaster. Gabrych didn't have her voice or anyone else's for that matter, from Babs all the way down to the bizarre and stereotype characters he created. Nothing gets explained properly, there is no continuity or consistency, and don't get me started on the fucking ending.
I don't think I've ever read a graphic novel that's pissed me off more. Its so bad its insulting. Not just to readers but to a great character who had enormous potential.
Her last two volumes were a total disaster. Gabrych didn't have her voice or anyone else's for that matter, from Babs all the way down to the bizarre and stereotype characters he created. Nothing gets explained properly, there is no continuity or consistency, and don't get me started on the fucking ending.
I don't think I've ever read a graphic novel that's pissed me off more. Its so bad its insulting. Not just to readers but to a great character who had enormous potential.
March 29, 2025
Really solid read. Nothing groundbreaking here, but the action sequences were not pointless: they advanced the story. The art was good, and there was a good plot. Cassandra sets out to find out who her mother is, and ends up tangled up with the League of Assassins. There's some really good characterization of Cassandra, and I like the way Gabrych writes how she is still learning spoken language. It's not an amazing work, but it's readable and advances Cassandra's story. Would recommend to Bat Family and Batgirl fans.
May 26, 2021
A great sort of conclusion to this run. It was nice to see Cass going on a self reflective journey to find out who her mother is (Lady Shiva) and the family she had. Great moments with Cass and Barbara and some good action with Cass, the Nyssa lead League of assassins, and Lady Shiva for one last time.
October 12, 2023
Okay this wasn’t the best but that ending was good.
May 5, 2024
⭐️3.5
Read
June 28, 2025I adore this entire series but this volume was a pretty disappointing end
October 27, 2025
The last fight between Cass and Shiva MY HEART BROKE
November 14, 2025
just finished reading this batgirl run. cass i would take a bullet for you
November 29, 2022
I am now officially a Batgirl fanboy.
November 27, 2012
This final conclusion before Infinite Crisis finds Cassandra trying to find out who her mother is.
The volume starts out quite nicely, with her having a 'talk' with her father in prison. He swore to secrecy so Cassandra must reunite with some old friends and face some new threats.
I feel the story gets a bit rushed. One moment Cassandra is fighting bikers and OMACs, then she's battling Nyssa Al Ghul, her mother, other talented fighters, and then zombies.
The story doesn't have a chance to breathe, but the flashbacks finally reveal what I already knew. (from future story lines)
Cassandra decides to end her reign as Batgirl and then becomes a wanderer in this sort of unsatisfying conclusion to her series.
(I hope Batgirl: Redemption is good)
The volume starts out quite nicely, with her having a 'talk' with her father in prison. He swore to secrecy so Cassandra must reunite with some old friends and face some new threats.
I feel the story gets a bit rushed. One moment Cassandra is fighting bikers and OMACs, then she's battling Nyssa Al Ghul, her mother, other talented fighters, and then zombies.
The story doesn't have a chance to breathe, but the flashbacks finally reveal what I already knew. (from future story lines)
Cassandra decides to end her reign as Batgirl and then becomes a wanderer in this sort of unsatisfying conclusion to her series.
(I hope Batgirl: Redemption is good)
November 11, 2014
This was everything I'd been hoping for in the previous volume. Cassandra is much more believable and easier to sympathize with. The Birds of Prey meet-up is as fascinating as it is delightful, and Lady Shiva is humanized well. There's more emphasis on interactions between characters, which is exactly what there wasn't enough of previously. The dialogue is less choppy while maintaining Cass's conscious work to verbalize her thoughts. "Destruction's Daughter" is a really good read. My only complaint is the art in fight/action scenes can be hard to follow. I couldn't tell what moves the characters were supposedly pulling at such strange angles. Other than that, this comic is something I'd recommend to any Batgirl fan.
August 22, 2009
so, i like cassie a lot. i want more of cassie's relationship with oracle, and stephanie, but i assume those are in other volumes?
here we see batgirl go toe to toe with lady shiva and the daughter of ras-a-ghul, and figure out what blood lines mean and what they don't.
the art wasn't great, but it was okay. not a fantastic story, but i think i've been spoiled by Gail Simone. i am glad i know more about cassie, but i think i need to start earlier to get a real grasp on her.
anyone know where i can find out more about the cassie/steph relationship? or cassie/oracle?
here we see batgirl go toe to toe with lady shiva and the daughter of ras-a-ghul, and figure out what blood lines mean and what they don't.
the art wasn't great, but it was okay. not a fantastic story, but i think i've been spoiled by Gail Simone. i am glad i know more about cassie, but i think i need to start earlier to get a real grasp on her.
anyone know where i can find out more about the cassie/steph relationship? or cassie/oracle?
August 13, 2015
While the character of Cassandra Cain has gone through a lot of ups and downs, this big collection is mostly very good. While involving Lady Shiva again is repetitive, its also the best character to play off of Batgirl. Her overwhelming desire to find out about her mother and make sure she doesn't end up like her father are powerful motivations. There were a couple of hiccups (Road Hog, OMAC, & a villain's spouse) but overall it was really good. The art was dynamic and the fight scenes were well choreographed. My only complaint was the coloring was too dark at times and too many of the female characters looked too similar. Overall, a very fun read!
May 31, 2015
Part of my massive Barbara Gordon Re-read which I had a glorious amazing time with. The art in the early Batgirl stuff was very touch and go to me, which made me wince a while reading through it, but I definitely appreciated the beginning of Cass' story, and Bab's involvement in that with Cass and with/against Bruce.
April 17, 2015
Very engaging as well as being action driven. A Cassandra Cain is a worthy successor to the Batgirl name. I actually like the fact that the mouth and eyes are revealed. I wish this becomes permanent. It makes her look less wicked and more human. B-
May 4, 2008
OK, maar ik vond Batgirl, Vol 1: Silent Running toch wel heel wat beter.
Read
April 28, 2009During Infinite Crisis
February 19, 2012
This was a great conclusion to the Cassandra Cain run as Batgirl.
We get some brilliant revelations and some cathartic moments. She still doesn't touch Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, though.
We get some brilliant revelations and some cathartic moments. She still doesn't touch Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, though.
December 11, 2012
Read my review over at DenofGeek.com!
http://www.denofgeek.us/books-comics/...
http://www.denofgeek.us/books-comics/...
February 1, 2013
hey, now i know who cass is! i really want to read more from her run (and steph's run as robin, and babs's run as oracle) buttttt it looks like this is the last batgirl book my library has. sadtimes.
December 10, 2015
The writing was a bit odd, some plot elements appear very suddenly, but I really like Cassandra and there was a good balance of action and introspection.
January 1, 2023
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews