I'm Worried About Batgirl

I'm worried about Batgirl.

Now don't get me wrong; I've fought alongside Cassandra. I know that she can take care of herself in a fight (heck, she could probably take me). I'm not concerned for her physical well being. I'm worried about her soul.

I know, I know... You're all sighing with contempt. "There goes wacky religious nut Azrael again," you're saying. But know that I'm serious here. From what I've seen Cassandra is sliding down a dangerous slope. And I know what's at the bottom -- because I've been there.

It's no secret that I've had my ups and downs. Extreme downs. And when you sink to the bottom and cast off all the things you believe in, it's hard to pull yourself back up. And if you do, it's real easy to slide back down again while you're trying to get out of the hole (see the last dozen or so issues of my solo series for concrete proof of that).

Cassandra is one of the nicest girls I've ever met. And she had convictions. She could have used her skills for a lot of different things, but chose to use them for justice. We all knew what she'd done, but that only made her dedication to never do it again all the more admirable.

So it scares me a little to see her hooking up with a shadowy organization with no compunctions about killing. Because I've been there too. And that never ends well either.

What I'm trying to say is that I care about Cassandra. I'll admit that I even had a crush on her for awhile there. Even though nothing came of it (that thing during "No Man's Land" not withstanding) I still care about her. And I don't want her to end up as an unhinged, obsessed vigilante like me.