Customer Reviews

Batman: Battle for the Cowl

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Battle for the Cowl kindles so many questions, yet provides so few answers. Who is the new Black Mask? Why make Jason Todd an absolute sociopathic killer? Why was Tony Daniel, previously known primarily as an artist, chosen to write such a critical and much scrutinized series? And the most daunting question of all, why allegedly kill off and replace Bruce Wayne at arguably the commercial apex of his lengthy and legendary career? Regarding Black Mask's cryptic identity, Orpheus perhaps, although the logic behind that choice is admittedly dubious. As for Jason Todd, after his cleverly conceived depiction as a bitter yet believable anti-hero in the vastly underrated Under the Hood storyline, DC never did seem to know how to best utilize him, with his totally exaggerated and irrational characterization here being a prime example, which alas leaves no avenue for turning back. For some, this may not be a concern, for others it negates any future possibilities of employing him in a more judicious and coherent manner. His portrayal and most of the plot were seemingly editorially mandated, ultimately leaving the eventual writer with little room for creative maneuvering, enter Tony Daniel. Many people justifiably questioned the decision to use a relative writing novice to pen this important story. There certainly is no debating the quality of his illustrations, which are some of the finest of his career, but the real revelation is his remarkably sharp and engaging writing, all while constrained within the context of a preordained outline and outcome. And speaking of that outcome...after the monstrous popularity of the Dark Knight movie, one has to seriously question DC's judgment in choosing this particular time, or any time for that matter, to turn Batman, arguably the biggest comic personality in the history of the medium, into that dreadful bane of comicdom, a legacy character. All this does is divide and alienate an already fractured and dwindling fan base, a persistent pestilence that plagues followers of Green Lantern and more presently Flash. DC is going for short term gimmick driven sales spikes at the expense of long term foresight and fan unity. More significantly this ill advised approach sends the distressing message that almost any man can be Batman, therefore demeaning the personal significance of Bruce's achievements through rigorous physical resolve and emotional and intellectual perseverance. Batman is not a representation of everyman, but an incredible example of what one singularly extraordinary individual can attain via triumph of the human spirit to become an inspirational icon to millions. There is and will always ever be only one Batman, and his name is Bruce Wayne.

I loved this graphic novel--at least the first three chapters. (The last two are taken from a different perspective in the aftermath of Batman's "death" including Harvey Bullock and Vicki Vale--I didn't care for the artwork of those last two chapters and wasn't interested enough to do more than skim through the story.)

The Battle for the Cowl is a three issue story focusing on Dick Grayson. I disagreed with other reviewers. It was fun and action-packed and seemed to open up storylines for other Batman titles. SPOILER (if you haven't figured it out already): It does a great job of showing how Dick claims the mantle--and that he is the only one worthy of it.

I also loved the art. I have seen Daniel's work in Teen Titans, but this is even better. (Maybe because Dick Grayson is my favorite DC character.)

I borrowed this from the library but hope to purchase it soon--that's how good it is.

This volume reprints Batman: Battle for the Cowl issues #1-3, and Gotham Gazette: Batman Dead #1 and Gotham Gazette: Batman Alive #1.
This is an interesting episode in the latest Batman saga, providing you are following the storyline. It is not really a stand-alone volume though, so be warned. The Batman Family are trying to keep the peace in Gotham in Batman's absence, but not doing a great job of it. The Black Mask is stirring up trouble between the Penguin and Two-Face, and the heroes are caught in the middle, with the Red Hood out to seize the Cowl. Eventually, Dick Grayson is pushed into making the decision we have all been waiting for...

What to say about this book? I had the unique perspective of history on my side. History - when related to comic book readers - is somethings a good thing and sometimes a bad one. I read a study a few years ago that said the average comic book reader will actively buy and read comics for about seven years before moving on for whatever reason. That means that stories, characters, situations and whatnot can be rehashed about every so often without readers en masse revolting. Anyone familiar with the Batman mythos will remember that in 1993 Batman was replaced by John Paul Valley - Azrael - after Bane broke his back. In other words, we've seen this before. Other things that I've seen before - Gotham burning to the ground in some fashion. We had the guy who blew up a number of buildings in Gotham in order to highlight the more cyberpunkish buildings (1992), we had Ras Al Ghul release the Clench on Gotham, killing many of its inhabitants. We had Gotham suffer a massive earthquake and be basically cut off from the rest of the country and the world in No Man's Land (I actually liked that one). My point is... how many times can Gotham be basically shaken to its core by the criminal element and nature? Seriously. Watching Gotham burn is getting hella old. Who in Hades would actually choose to live there? And what is it with DC basically destroying entire cities (Bludhaven and Coast City)?!

But I digress... Battle for the Cowl follows Dick Grayson and Tim Drake as they try to stop Jason Todd from taking over the mantle of Batman and soiling its history - as Jason's methods are much more drastic and terminal than those of Bruce Wayne. I have to totally agree with a previous poster who questioned DC's decision to allow Tony Daniel to write this story. First, Damien, Bruce Wayne's son, is written as a spoiled teenager. I thought he was 10 years-old. I find the fact that Tim Drake would even consider taking on the mantle of Batman a bit... preposterous. I totally understand that time and aging don't make any sense in funny books, but Tim can't be older than 19 or so. The thought of a 19 year-old Batman is pretty silly. Understand that Tim RELUCTANLY takes the over as Batman when Dick won't. I get that.

Not to harp on the writing, but Jason Todd is also written quite poorly. I enjoyed when Jason Todd was reintroduced into the DC universe. It had been more than 20 years after his death. Daniel's writing of Todd in this book is a bit off for me. Dick Grayson is the only character that Daniel seems to have a firm grasp of in the story. Fortunately for him, Grayson is the key compenent of the story.

The art is good, but the additional two stories that fill out the book are average at best.

Well, I have made my feelings clear in other reviews about Tony Daniel's work on Batman so far; but this volume proves he is a talented artist with the potential to do good things with the Dark Knight.

His previous work, seen in the collections of The "Resurrection of Ra's Al-Ghul" and the "Black Glove" stories, is a bit of a mess; either due to rushed deadlines or being paired with the wrong inker; it was sloppy and felt rushed. He improved greatly with "Batman: RIP", either because he finally gelled with inker Sandu Florea or because he was given enough of a deadline to do a good job.

Anyway, this latest volume in the ongoing saga to replace Batman after his disappearance in "RIP" and then later in "Final Crisis" (Did he meet his end twice?) is ably handled my Mr. Daniel, and while it is strictly an action story, it makes a change from Grant Morrison's good but mind bending run of the last two years. So if you are looking for the comic book equivalent of a summer blockbuster, then look no further.

I do have a few criticisms though; the first is the notion that with Batman gone, Gotham City descend into chaos as the Gotham mobs feel they have a free hand to wreak havoc on the people of Gotham. One would think that after almost two decades of being Batman, Bruce Wayne would have cleaned the City enough so it would not devolve into Anarchy the moment he disappeared. There is also no explanation of why it's common knowledge that he's gone. Did some post something on Batman's twitter page?

My other critics would be casting Two-Face as a mob boss. Historically, Two-Face has been more of a heist man, using his gang to rob banks and such, so he is twisted here to suit the story where another villain may have been better suited as arrival to the Penguin, who was long ago established as a major crime boss in the City.

This is a worthy read wrapped in a nice hardcover addition, well worth your money.

The artwork is amazing throughout and this is a very original story for Batman. It calls in the full roster of Batman related heroes and villains but never feels forced or over saturated. This book leads perfectly into the 2009 series of Batman and Robin.

So I'm not a big Batman fan, but I can respect what a good character he is and how well written the saga is. But this was just plain boring!

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS***

This story is mainly the different people in Gotham City who are trying to decide if they want to take up the mantle of Batman now that Bruce Wayne is dead. Every character in the story is a whiny punk who just cries about how they don't want to be Batman cuz it's too hard and too much responsibility.

The only good part is Jason Todd. He's the only one with the guts to be Batman and actually do what has to be done to stop these hardened criminals and take off his kid gloves. Everyone else is just whiny and lame. The fights are good and the artwork is awesome, but I just can't get over what a whiny punk Robin and Nightwing are. It's like I'm reading the inner monologue of a whiny emo 15 yr old.

***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS***

So this is not really what I expected from a story about Batman, this was just lame and only had like 20 pages of good comic book action. Don't waste your money.

Not many comic artists can successfully transition to the job of comic book writer, but with this story, Tony Daniel proves that he has what it takes. While I have been familiar with Daniel's work as artist on different prominent comic titles (such as Teen Titans and Batman), this is the first book I've read that he actually penned (as well as pencilled). Overall, I'm pretty surprised at the quality of the writing.

The whole "Death of Batman" was pretty confusing, a little bit interesting, and wholly uninspired. Not a soul on earth believes that Dc would put him in the ground for good, and these famous character deaths and re-appearances can get pretty tiresome. Now that Batman is gone, however, there can be some fun stories made about how Gotham and its residents get along without their most famous protector. This is oe of the first of those stories, and focuses on who will take up the mantle of the caped crusader and pick up the fight where he left off.

Featuring a colorful cast of Gotham City's most popular heroes and villains and fisticuffs galore, the book is a fun ride of non-stop action and great artwork. It's a great Batman story, and I highly recommend it to all Batman fans or fans of Tony Daniel. I look forward to more stories by daniel to see if his writing continues to impress and improve or if he falters in the running.

This is a well done graphic novel featuring Batman. The illustrations are well done and detailed. The story flows well and with the illustrations - comes off the page.

Following the events of Batman RIP, Gotham is thrown into chaos as the Black Mask returns to wreak havoc upon the city and free the cavalcade of villains from Blackgate and Arkham that Batman put away. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson refuses to put on the cowl while a new Batman in the form of Jason Todd appears in Gotham, guns blazing. As the Robins, Grayson, Tim Drake, Jason Todd and Damian converge, along with other assorted superheroes, the battle for the cowl begins...

Tony Daniel's artwork throughout is fantastic and he writes a decent script that props up Grant Morrison's epic storyline, letting fans know what's going on while Bruce is travelling through time. Though it does seem inevitable, Grayson does become the new Batman of Gotham through some great fight scenes with the crazy Jason Todd (whose alternative Batman outfit was pretty cool) and the book is worth reading just for that.

There are extras included at the back focusing on the smaller characters in Gotham, Bullock in the GCPD, Stephanie Brown (Tim Drake's ex and fellow superhero), Vicki Vale (sometime girlfriend of Bruce Wayne and Gotham's answer to Lois Lane), and a few others. These were less interesting stories and the art varied from ok to poor and dragged the book down a bit.

Overall though not a bad read and essential for those following this massive storyline point to point.