Battle for the Cowl: *****
What can I say, this was a fabulous read. As an aspiring artist I'm going to go ahead and start by raving about the artwork. Can you say awesome? Tony Daniel is like a comic book deity. First of all, to those of you who do not know, Tony Daniel did all of the writing and the penciling for B.f.t.C., which basically means he is the reason I loved it. Now on to the actual story. Going into B.f.t.C. I couldn't possibly imagine how anyone other than Dick or Tim could even make a claim for the Cowl, and to be even more honest it was my opinion that it could only be Dick. Dick is pretty much, in my opinion, the heir of the Batman Legacy for a multitude of reasons: He was the original Robin, he continued to follow Bruce's teachings as Nightwing, he was the closest to Bruce (even through all of the problems they had), he's Bruce's son in all the ways that count, it just had to be. B.f.t.C. did a great job in telling this story, showing both Dick's struggle with Bruce's wishes and the needs of Gotham. Ever since Infinite Crisis we've seen some major changes in Tim, the biggest shock was probably when he gave being Robin. However, since then there has been a drastic change within him, that I feel plateaued here. During the early stages of being Robin, Tim always insisted that his crime fighting days would be a short time thing and that eventually he would move on and get a stable job. In B.f.t.C. Tim is the one who is insistent on keeping the Batman alive, even if he was the one to take up the cowl. I welcomed and hoped for this change in him (mostly because I did not want to see him leave.) Nightwing's "Network" was a great touch. The biggest difference between Bruce and Dick was their willingness to befriend and remain in contact with others and the Network showed us this. Dick is by far the most liked character in the DC world (by the other characters), and their willingness to help him out exemplifies this. As a side note to it all, I want to like Jason Todd (if he weren't so damn crazy,) and getting some insight into his personality was a nice touch. Catwoman, I love that she cares about Bruce and is loyal to him even after his departure. Damien is annoying.
Basically, all of you should read this. It's pretty much a great read, has great art, and makes me feel good. Know this though, Battle for the Cowl really ends in Batman #687.
Batman 687-693
:As I just mentioned Batman #687 is really the conclusion to Battle for the Cowl. I know that we have star ratings here at Phoenix Lantern Corps, but since there are so many issues I don't think that that would work out so well. I can say that #687 is definitely a 5 star read, so pick it up right after Battle for the Cowl. Batman follows the trials of Richard Grayson [Wayne] in his attempt to take on the Cowl. He faces all the usual problems that seem to gravitate towards Gotham. Two-Face and Penguin are still fighting, Black Mask is still gaining leverage, and Arkham has been rebuilt. Dick also now has to face the problems that arise from his taking on the mantle: fighting with a cape again, the physical differences between Bruce and him and the way they moved, fought, etc, Dick also has to deal with all of the new pressure that falls on him because he is now Batman. In case it hasn't been apparent, this arc tends to focus on Dick's acceptance of the role as well as everyone else's acceptance. Nobody knows that Bruce has died or that the original Batman has died, but people do have their suspicions that something is up. The writing has been pretty good with Judd Winick at the helm and nice art with Mark Bagley. Tony Daniel has even made a return to writing and doing the artwork starting on number 692.
Batman and Robin 1-6:
Grant Morrison is a great writer, regardless of the flack he received for Final Crisis. Batman and Robin has some great writing, nice one-liners, and is just a great read in general. Starting up from Battle for the Cowl, Dick is now Batman and Damien is now Robin. This arc follows the struggles that Dick and Damien go through now that they have teamed up together. Dick is struggle with his new role as the leader, Damien still believes he should be Batman, and Alfred is pretty much amused with the whole situation. The story is bound to give some of readers the creeps, what with a gang of pig-faced criminals that replace your face with a monsterous or Flamingo, a crazed freak who eats people's faces, literally. Jason Todd returns, and I've got to say that I am still rooting for him to turn good some time in the future (although I know this to be unlikely.) All in all I have been greatly impressed with the writing, but unfortunately not so much with the artwork. Frank Quitely is fairly renowned for his artwork, but it doesn't as much for me. Personally, I prefer Philip Tan's artwork, which started with the fourth issue. This is a definite must read, I've even got Matt to give it a chance.
Red Robin 1-6:
This definitely a must read for fans of Timothy Drake Wayne (and who isn't right?) So Red Robin starts of with "The Grail", which is basically Tim's journey to prove that Bruce is still alive, even though everyone seems to disagree with him. I think the biggest problem I have, and it's more of a personal thing, is that Tim and Dick are having problems. Tim is mad that Dick made Damien the new Robin even though Dick explains that he doesn't see Tim as a sidekick but as an equal. Tim's decision to isolate himself from his family and friends is pretty much just another emulation of Bruce, which is not a bad thing mind you, it can just get tricky in the future. I don't know how I feel about Tim shacking up with Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Assassins, even if he says it's about taking them down. I love the cover artwork done by Francis Manapul, the writing by Chris Yost has been pretty good (even if I question the direction it is going) and I preferred the original artist, Ramon Bachs, to the new artist Marcus To, who took over starting issue 6. If you are a hardcore fan of Tim's definitely pick this up and read it. If you aren't a hardcore fan, you will probably want to catch up on the rest of the Bat-verse first.
Streets of Gotham 1-6:
Streets of Gotham ties most closely with Gotham City Sirens. Paul Dini takes the reigns in writing for both Streets of Gotham and Gotham City Sirens, which would explain the fact that they are so closely related. This story arc follows pretty much follows Gotham City and everything that goes along with it. Hush has broken out of his prison and is now galavanting around Gotham pretending to be the Bruce Wayne and has promised Gotham billions of dollars, Bruce's dollars. Black Mask is still terrorizing Gotham. Streets of Gotham also has more guest stars, including Huntress and Man Bat. Dustin Nguyen does the cover art as well as the pencil art, and let me tell you, the cover art is just beautiful and the artwork inside is great as well. In fact, Streets of Gotham has the best looking Damien out of all of the arcs. If you've read the others, you should definitely pick this one up. It has great tidbits of what goes on in Gotham when the Bat and the new boy wonder aren't watching.
Gotham City Sire
ns 1-6:What a great idea this was. This follows the story of Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn as they have now decided to live with each other. First, let me just get this out of the way and say, Goddamn that's some great art. Guillem March, man can he make a guy want to be with Catwoman. Paul Dini is doing great work with the Sirens as well as the Streets, but there is just a whole 'nother level of awesome brought by Guillem's artwork. I loved the second issue which surrounded Ivy and Harley's desire to get Batman's true identity out of Catwoman, with the use of some of truth serum. It is revealed that Talia came to Catwoman for this very reason. Talia taught Catwoman some secret techniques to push her knowledge to the deep recesses of her mind, where it would remain untouched by everyone else. Love it. The Riddler has also made appearances throughout (even had a single issue revolving around him) and I reckon we haven't seen the last of him. I thought the return of Gagsworth A. Gagsworthy aka Gaggy was also a nice touch. Overall, this has been a great read, definitely need to check this out. Of course, it helps if you actually care about these three characters.
Batgirl 1-4:
So I really just started reading this series in honor of my favorite Comic Female, Barbara Gordon. I've gotta say that I'm less than impressed with Stephanie Brown, who I just don't like in general. The artwork isn't so bad, some parts better than others. I'm not too sure if Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott switch off, or how that works, but it's overall ok. Sometimes they look weird, sometimes they don't. The writing isn't too bad either. My favorite parts are when Barbara is on (not that this is TV.) I love the Barbara and the Commissioner's scenes and the parallels that exist there. I also am loving Barbara's role as a leader, she's kinda the Batman to Batgirl's Robin. I love Barb, now if only she and Dick would get it together.
***Just in case. I obviously own nor claim any rights to these images (I wish I were that great.) Anyway, all artwork is done by and owned, I presume, by those that I have mentioned in the pertaining reviews.
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