In this review of Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow’s Hand #1, we get the origin story of Cassandra Cain in this one-shot from the pages of Absolute Catwoman.
Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow’s Hand #1 main cover by Bengal (DC Comics)
ABSOLUTE CASSANDRA CAIN: THE SHADOW’S HAND #1
Written by CHE GRAYSON
Art by MATIAS BERGARA
Main Cover: BENGAL
Variant Covers: MATIAS BERGARA, INHYUK LEE, DERRICK CHEW
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 9/16/26
This review contains spoilers
Lady Shiva is running the League of Assassins and she takes in a new student. This student becomes her best assassin. By far the best . Until one day he asks Shiva for something and Shiva says “no”. The student snaps and becomes a monster and tears through the league. The student was the Absolute Joker.
This is the story that David Cain is telling Cassandra. He says there are only seven members of the League still around. And that she should not speak up like her mother.
Because of an explosion, Cass’s larynx is damaged and she can never speak again. Shiva says David has made her weak and he leaves. Shiva says she wished that she would one day become the new Demon’s Head but now she will become the Demon’s Hands.
After a Rocky style training montage, Shiva says they will find the others and that they are living in the shadows. Mother and daughter travel the world to rebuild the League. They find Ben Turner and others. At one point, Scandal Savage refuses and jumps off a mountain but Cass saves her. Cass starts to think that the more she pushes her, she is starting to resist her teachings.
The last person on the list is Tatsu Yamashiro. Shiva does not want her because she was caught by the Joker. Cass has something that Shiva does not have- compassion. So she decides to find Tasu herself. She tracks her to Ark D.
Shiva’s rule of the League of Assassins was absolute. (DC Comics)
Cass finds Tatsu who has the biggest hair ever committed to comics. Spawn’s cape is jealous of this flow. Tatsu says that the room they are in only opens from the outside so they are trapped. Then they fight some zombie skeletons.
Cass finds some magic swords and easily defeats the skeletons. Tatsu has Cass look into her soultaker sword to find out what happened to her and discovers that the explosion from Selina Kyle stole her voice.
As they attempt to leave, Shiva and her team arrive. Shiva commands her to come back with her. Cass refuses and a fight ensues. Nothing like seeing mother and daughter bond. Shiva is handling Cass but Cassandra blinds herself and dubs herself the Shadow. Now that she cannot see, her focus is even greater and then she defeats her mother.
We find out that the Joker asked for the league all those years ago and Shiva said no. However, now, Shiva takes the hand of her daughter and they now become the League of Shadows.
Analysis
Che Grayson had a lot of heavy lifting here. She has to give the full complete origin of not only Cassandra Cain but also give backstory to the League of Assassins. I think she handled it really well. Obviously with Cass you need to have her silent and I think Grayson wrote that backstory as well. At first it was a choice to not speak because of dad and then she physically couldn’t speak because of the accident. She attributes this because of her parents and their sins and how she is trying to overcome them.
The art by Bergara is great as well. There’s a softness to Cassandra that I think is captured really well. I also love the art technique when Cass went shadow mode. It was black and white and a credit to the artist and the colorist. The art also reminded me of Dan Mora which is a very high compliment.
Seeing Absolute Joker again was….. Something.
