Batgirls are back in the DC comics!
Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown are both Batgirl again.
This development has been around for a long time, but was consolidated last week in Batman: Urban Legends # 5. Issue 5 features the final chapters of an ongoing Jason Todd story that really gets to the heart of his relationship with Batman, a Tim Drake story where Boy Wonder finds himself at a personal crossroads, and a Grifter story that begins. All of those comics were great, but the icing on the cake this month was "Wildcard," a fun adventure featuring Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon and a surprise guest.
“Wildcard” is written by Marguerite Bennett, illustrated by Sweeney Boo, and features some great lines between Steph and Cass. Stephanie makes fun of Cassandra about her detached nature, while Cassandra makes fun of Stephanie's habit of "ruining" things. I love watching Bat-Family football, but sometimes it's fun to watch them beat each other up like typical families do.
Cass and Steph's fun is interrupted when Barbara contacts them about a case. When he does, Babs refers to heroes as "Batgirls," which is huge. To recap, since Rebirth in 2016, Stephanie Brown has operated as a Spoiler, while Cassandra Cain has called herself Orphan
In Detective Comics # 980, an OMAC reminded Stephanie and Cassandra of their forgotten Batgirl careers, hoping it would break the two heroes, but instead helped them figure out how high they could fly. then in Batman: Joker War Zone # 1, Steph and Cass realized that a city in crisis needed a symbol of hope, so they redesigned their costumes to include the bat symbol. “We haven't exactly gotten permission. We should wait, ”Stephanie wondered. "Nobody gave Batman permission," he concluded.
Di Batman # 104, Stephanie began campaigning for Barbara to recognize her and Cassandra as Batgirls. “I don't think we had this Spoiler conversation,” said Barbara. “Hey, if there can be a billion Robin, I don't see why there can't be three Batgirls,” Stephanie replied.
Infine in Infinite Frontier # 0, Stephanie got a little more aggressive. “Please, you'll make Cass so happy if you say it,” Stephanie pleaded. The guilt was enough to convince Barbara to reply: "Batgirls, on my signal ... go!"
These earlier moments could have been written off as funny jokes, but Batman: Urban Legends # 5 put the problem to bed. Not only does Barbara refer to Cass and Steph as Batgirl multiple times, but the index and cover label them the same way. Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain are both Batgirl again and is officially canon.
So, can Gotham handle multiple Batgirls? Tim Drake and Damian Wayne currently share Robin's identity, and Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson both operated as the Dark Knight during the batman inc. era. Don't forget that Jay Garrick, Barry Allen and Wally West all share the Flash cloak and we have an entire Green Lantern Corps. When you put it this way, having three Batgirls in Gotham doesn't seem all that unusual.
The story also had another exciting development: the reintroduction of Ryan Wilder! Ryan made his first comic appearance last year Batgirl # 50, and makes a stunning comeback by successfully holding up in a sparring match against Stephanie and Cassandra. There are some interesting references to the Batwoman Also the TV show in this story, including Ryan's van and the Desert Rose.
