In the wake of Final Crisis and Batman RIP, the DC universe is both confused and without Batman.  No place is suffering more than Gotham city.  What happens in a Batman-less Gotham?  Battle for the Cowl’s author and artist Tony Daniel tries to answer this question.

A slew of heroes connected to Batman, including Nightwing, Robin, and Damien, fight to restore the streets of Gotham.  A war between the Penguin and Two-Face is raging (although not in this issue).  The Black Hand has assembled a gang of bad guys to take over the city.  Also added in the mix is a masked Batman with guns a-blazing claiming to be the real Dark Knight.  The story is action-packed and offers solid insights to the many prospective cowl bearers.  Daniel’s art is detailed and crisp, providing the finishing touch for a strong start in this series.

I’m concerned that this is only a three part series.  There are a lot of characters and much ground that needs to be covered.  I hope Daniel can deliver a story with a focused plot and ending.  I can’t suffer at the hands of Grant Morrison anymore. If I want to study metaphysics, I’ll take a class.  I want a good comic with one of the best characters ever created. Batman and his fans deserve a great story, a discernable conclusion, and satisfying answers.

With the recent track record for Batman tales, I wasn’t optimistic going into this one. I am very glad to be pleasantly surprised by Tony Daniel.  He’s got a lot of work to do in the next two issues, but we’re off to a great start.

3.5 out of 5

 

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