With the new Batman taking on a new Robin, Tim Drake is out of a job and costume.  Donning the Red Robin tights, cape and mask, Drake commences a personal quests on the means streets of Paris.  He is convinced Bruce Wayne is still alive and vows to find him.  He must be reading message boards.

Author Chris Yost gives us this inaugural issue of Drake and his life after “Battle for the Cowl.”  I didn’t like the random action sequences thrown into the plot.  They seemed like cheap tricks to give Red Robin a reason to fight and show he’s bad ass.  The scene in the Batcave with Damien and Dick Grayson was very well written. I felt a little bad for poor Tim, getting the boot.  Damien needs his ass kicked and I hope Tim Drake gets the chance to do it.  Yost points the story in an exciting direction, the search for Bruce Wayne.

Roman Bachs’ art was hit or miss.  Opening splash pages were exceptional yet others seemed like an afterthought.  The reveal on the final page lost its impact, lager because the art was lazy and unrefined.  There were nice moments, but overall average.

I think this story has huge potential.  Both plot and art just need a bit of tightening up for this to go from good to great.

3 out of 5

This battle left me with a scowl.  Sorry, couldn’t resist.  Tony Daniel concludes the Batman royal rumble in this 3rd issue of Battle for the Cowl.  Considering some of the recent marathon events in both DC and Marvel, I can’t believe that I am about to write this – it should have been longer.

Batman is missing (thought to be dead).  From relentless narration, we are painfully aware that Gotham needs Batman, no just a bunch of well-intentioned heroes.  Batman’s cowl must be worn and visible to the underworld of Gotham.  Who will it be, Mr. Daniel?  I wondered how this would be resolved in three issues.  I mean this is kind of a big deal.  Sadly, this story rushed to a conclusion too quickly.  Money and superfluous information was wasted on the one-shots carrying the same “Battle” banner.  Less one-shots and focus more on the main story.

The drama plays out between Damien (Batman’s son), Nightwing, the current Robin (Tim Drake) and the former-Robin-gone-crazy-now-a-gun-slinging-Batman Jason Todd.  These tensions and characters could have been fleshed out with more depth and exposition.  The weightiness of the struggle was lacking because it zipped to the finish line too early.  How Gotham has fallen apart is left to cheap dialogue mentions, never permitting the reader to feel what a Batman-less Gotham is like.

Daniel’s art is the highpoint of this issue.  The cast is vast and attention to each is conveyed through precise details.  The panels for the last three pages are masterful in its conclusion.

The final showdown for the cowl was disappointing.  Nightwing and Jason Todd’s duel was awkwardly depicted.  I had difficulty grasping the various angles and the sequencing was bumpy.  The two-page splash panel, the turning point was of match, was comical.  Here are are the great dialogue choices of the panel – Nightwing screams “No” as he delivers a Judo kick.  Todd eats his size 12 in the face and grunts, “UGGH!”  Not my idea of a blockbuster melée.

However, it reaches a conclusion that is satisfying.  The heroes all have their roles by the last page.  It is satisfying in the fact that it delivered what it promised, a new Batman.  Tony Daniel’s set Gotham aright as we launch into the new titles.

3 out of 5

Related:
Battle for the Cowl #1 review
Battle for the Cowl #1 was discussed in podcast Episode #5
Battle for the Cowl: Man-Bat One Shot review

 

Serves me right.  I thought this was going to suck and it did.  Now, I am three dollars poorer.  Being pleasantly surprised with The Battle for the Cowl mini-series, I thought I’d give this one-shot a shot.  It’s brought me nothing but tears.

Dr. Kirk Langstrom, the Man-Bat, is sulking that he’s not respected as a superhero.  So he throws his pointy ears in the ring and tries to help out Gotham.  This book is a cheap attempt to milk a story that could have been told in four panels of another Bat-title.

It seems like artist Jim Calafiore knows he’s drawing a shitty book.  Considering his talent, he’s holding back.  I don’t blame him.  Save your artistic stength for something worthy of you skills.

The issue ends with Man-Bat running away from Alfred and the Outsiders.  Please Dr. Langstrom, keep running and don’t look back!

.5 out of 5

 

 

Barbara Gordon is back in Gotham, but who cares?  Oracle, this three-part miniseries, is subtitled, The Cure.  Unless Babs gets clymidia in the next issue, it’s a safe guess that her paralysis will be cured.

With the Birds of Prey disbanded, Barbara rents a rundown apartment in Gotham.  Final Crisis just can’t die, as its snaking plot finds its way into this tale.  She sets up her computer and starts looking for the Anti-Life equation tale.  Gordon enlists the help of an expert hacker who has cannon folder tattooed on her forehead.  By the end of the issue, she dies.  You could predict this from the first panel she was introduced and hope for it in the next.  She was a shitty throw away chracter.

Calculator is the nemesis and once again, nothing but predictable.  It’s getting a little old to have Oracle constantly fight bad guys over the Internet.  I know she is limited, but a good writer would find a way to give this interesting character some new life.

She will be Batgirl again.  This miniseries is a cheap formula to get us from point A to B.  The last panel sums it up, Barbara Gordon holding her face in her hands, overcome with sorrow and disbelief.  She’s probably hoping it just all goes away.  Me too, Babs.  Me too.

1.5 out of 5

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