Absolute Cassandra Cain Series Drops Early, Explores Joker's League of Assassins Past

Surprise! DC Comics just announced Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow's Hand #1, arriving September 9th. This wasn't on anyone's radar so soon, despite Scott Snyder's hints about Cassandra Cain joining the Absolute Universe. It's a significant, fast-tracked move.

This new series dives into the Absolute Universe's origin of its most formidable assassin, Cassandra Cain. It promises to connect her story directly to Selina Kyle, the Absolute Catwoman. The reveal includes a bombshell: The Joker, pre-Absolute chaos, trained with the League of Assassins. He then massacred them all, leaving Lady Shiva and Cassandra Cain to rise from the wreckage. Talk about a twisted family tree.

Absolute Catwoman #1, written by Che Grayson, Scott Snyder, and Bengal, just hit shelves, introducing a Selina Kyle who's a far cry from her street-level roots. This Absolute Selina is a globe-trotting millionaire, complete with private helicopters and multiple lavish hideouts. She's living the high life a decade after vanishing from Bruce Wayne's early life, only to return as the Absolute Catwoman. This issue sees her under attack, facing a lightsaber-wielding foe who deploys alternate Catwomen and kidnaps her friend, Holly.

Now, Absolute Catwoman takes a brief hiatus, returning in October with issue #4. This gives Absolute Cassandra Cain a chance to establish its own narrative, intertwining with the larger Absolute Universe and characters like Jack Grimm and the Absolute Joker. It's clear DC is building out this dark, alternate reality fast.