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The Cover Files
Bridget Haines
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| March 15, 2002 |
February's comics were pretty slim on the
Sasha, and that trend seems to be growing
as we ease into the March issues as well.
I'm not taking it as a very good sign, as
our girl is beginning to feel like a loose
end in the Batverse, and we all know that
usually means she'll either be written out
or killed off. Here's to hoping that Greg
Rucka has more pride in his creation than
that, and that Ed Brubaker will show her
the same love and respect Rucka and the fans
have.
Sasha is distincly absent without even the
smallest mention this month in Birds of Prey,
Gotham Knights, and Batman, all issues she
played a role in last month. Instead the
only comic she shows up in at this time around
is Detective Comics #767, and she is given
a brief mention in Nightwing #66. This is
a wee bit disturbing to me, because as she
was the last person Bruce was with before
his arrest, and was arrested as his accomplice,
one would think the Batfamily would be taking
a very serious interest in figuring out who
she is, how much she knows, and whether or
not she will crack and blab the secret of
Batman's identity to gain her freedom. This
near complete overlooking of the character
by everyone investigating the murder on Bruce's
behalf is careless on the part of the writers
and seems to be a point they lacked story
coordination on. If they are doing so "off
camera" their findings would at the
very least warrant a mention. Granted Sasha
is not a major player in the other books,
'TEC is her homebase, but they made her an
important part in the life of Bruce Wayne
and in his arrest, that shouldn't be ignored.
I mean, why not utlize that hysterical sniping
between Sasha and the Huntress as a means
for Nightwing, Black Canary, or Robin to
learn Sasha was running the rooftops with
the Dark Knight? There's a great potential
for confusion between Sasha and Spoiler.
Both are blondes in purple costumes sidekicking
for Batman. There's plenty of story potential
there and having the Huntress pop up always
makes for great Babs and Nightwing tensions
as well. Anyway, enough of my rant, on to
her appearances for the month.
Sasha is the spotlight in Detective Comics
#767, which was a great insight into her
character and what she is going through locked
up in Blackgate awaiting trial. If you want
to get a full synopsis and read my overall
opinion on the book, check out my Review of it. We are swept up in the terrible doubts
inside of Sasha, and bolstered by her continuing
solid defense of Bruce outwardly. Her strength
of will is impressive. In spite of self doubt,
and a slowly creeping doubt in Bruce, she
is completely loyal to him, to her own detriment.
Despite being physically threatened by another
inmate, plagued by nightmares, and the constant
urging of the DA and her own attorney to
turn State's evidence, she keeps her mouth
shut about what went on that night, and where
she and Bruce were.
I was heartened by Bruce's acknowledgement
of her in the issue, but I was leveled by
her complete absence from Batman #600, where
he reflected on his failed relationships
with everyone from Vesper and Silver St.
Cloud, to Jason Todd, Jim Gordon, and Dick
Grayson. You'd think Sasha would be in there
somewhere, if for nothing else, for the fact
that she is rotting in jail while he is on
the lam and dismissing Bruce Wayne forever
from his life. If he persists in no longer
being Bruce Wayne, this of course means Sasha
becomes jobless by day, and she may very
well fry in his place when she goes on trial.
The trial was mentioned in `TEC as being
8 weeks away, hers scheduled before Bruce's
as a means to intimidate her into turning
on him.
In Nightwing #66 she is mentioned briefly
by Dick and Barbara as the two of them debate
just who she is and what she knows. Barbara
indicates she must be more than a bodyguard,
Dick inquires if she means romantic involvement,
but Barbara backs that up to a suspicion
that Sasha knows he is Batman. Then she's
dropped totally as the argument about Bruce
possibly being guilty crops up between them.
Sasha was sorely missed this month in other
books. The crossover gave me a lot of hope
that she might be able to seep into some
of the other titles and become a more recognized
part of the Batbooks. I'm sincerely hoping
that when Rucka ties up his "loose ends"
at the end of the Bruce Wayne" Fugitive
arc, before he moves out of the driver's
seat of 'TEC, he doesnt strangle Sasha to
death or obscurity with the ties. She is
such a wonderful character, that would truly
make me sad.
~B.
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