The Eisner Award winning dynamic duo of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely take on the original dynamic duo in their new series Batman and Robin.  Hoping for a repeat performance with their successful All-Star Superman, Morrison and Quitely have the talent to hit this one out of the park.  The big question is did they accomplish this with issue number one?  The answer…. holy frickin’ yes they did!

Quitely has created a gorgeous book.  He draws with a master’s level of texture and warmth.  His pages are painstakingly meticulous in details.  His panels are a confident balance of exposition and action.  When Batman (Nightwing) and Robin (Damien) clock a villain with a simultaneous punch, I wanted to cheer.  The full-page panel of Batman and Robin descending from the sky onto Gotham’s streets is a print I would buy and hang on my living room wall.  I can’t believe how realistic and unlike anyone else Quietly can even draw their capes!

Grant Morrison wastes no time in pulling the reader into his recreation of these icons.  These characters are written with gusto and no hesitation.  For a first issue, he accomplishes a lot.  Not only has Morrison effectively given the DC Universe the new Batman and Robin, but presents a first glimpse into an intriguing story arc.  Why are criminals being paid in dominoes?  Sounds weird, but that’s what the dynamic duo discover.  Two new villains are introduced, Toad and the sadistic Pyg; who these two are and why they are in Gotham is yet to be revealed, but I am already excited.  Pyg, a masked faced butcher, shows what a bad ass he is on the last two pages.  We get formidable new foes for the new team.

Most importantly, the new Batman and Robin work.  This issue harkened to the good old days, yet embraced the new incarnations of Batman and Robin.  Morrison doesn’t get stuck in either extreme – pretending like nothing happened nor continuing to bemoan Wayne’s death.  Bruce Wayne is gone; Gotham needs her heroes; suit up and deal with it.

Morrison nails the interplay between Alfred, Nightwing (guess I have to call him Batman now) and Damien (I mean Robin).  Alfred is protective of the new team and his dry English wit had returned.  It’s nice to see him truly back after Bruce Wayne’s death.  Damien is an arrogant kid who wants to drive and not ride shotgun to Grayson.  However, his mouth is bigger than his actions.  Morrison conveys a silent understanding that Damien is aware that he needs Alfred and Dick Grayson.  He’s still a little turd that would never admit to this.  But I like that.  Dick Grayson is a good Batman thanks to Grant Morrison.  A balance is achieved between being a strong Batman while still feeling the weight of the cowl.  The emotion is believable without melodrama.  The tissues are put away and Gotham’s criminals should be afraid.

I did not want this issue to end and I’m happy this title is so good.  Batman fans deserve better than they have received recently.  It certainly is fitting that Grant Morrison is the man to put a smile on their faces.  Frank Quietly achieves perfection.  The sun is shining on Gotham.

5 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

 

In Superman’s absence, the new Nightwing and Flamebird are trying to fill his shoes.  They certainly don’t have Superman’s chin as bad girl Kryptonian, Ursa beats their asses into bloody stumps this issue.  If you want to see these two morons get pounded and broken, pick up this issue because that’s about all that happens.

I can’t say that this issue and current storyline is terrible, but it’s not anything special.  Greg Rucka has the difficult job of writing Action Comics without Superman.  To give Rucka credit, he is doing an okay job.  I just don’t care about these characters so it’s difficult to get excited about them.  The art is engaging for the fight scenes and average overall.

Something about this book enjoyable.  I guess having the Kryptonians around is a lot of fun. Everything in me says I should drop this title until Superman returns, but each month I buy and read it.  I do want to see what happens next, so I guess that’s a good thing.

2.5 of 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

 

The Nightwing title draws to a close. Dick Grayson, the original Robin-turned-Nightwing, leaves New York and returns to a Batman-less Gotham CityHe is drawn back by a sense of duty to protect a city that needs a hero.  He also returns to grieve.  I had a feeling this would be a sappy issue. There were tears, but they worked.

Peter J. Tomasi uses a great technique to bring this story to a close:  Nightwing returns to the place where Bruce Wayne witnessed his parents’ murder.  Dick mourns not only the death (yeah, right) of his mentor and friend, but he laments Bruce’s transformation into Batman.  Penciller Don Kramer passionately parallels Dick’s and Bruce’s similar loses.  The art and narrative give us a look into Dick Grayson as he prepares for a world without Batman.  It’s a satisfying ending and points toward the next chapter.

3.5 out of 5