 Why? |
| Review Date: November 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: AeroRep, Los Angeles, CA |
| 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. |
Tony Daniel Does Good by the Dark Knight
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| Review Date: February 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Parker, At Large |
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 orevious work, on The "Resurrection of Ra's Al-Ghul" and the "Black Glove" stories, 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. |
Hate deceptive covers. (SPOILERS)
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| Review Date: January 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Invincible read, Barrington, New Jersey, USA |
| All in all the book is a fairly decent read. I like that we get to see Jason Todd again. However where I was really disappointed was what they did with Batwoman. I really like the black and red look with the bat costumes (not to mention my fetish for red heads ) so I was looking forward to seeing her in the book. Needless to say she was only in 1 panel. Big dissapointment to me. I may have enjoyed the book more had I not had high hopes of seeing batwoman. Her current sstory line is not too bad, but it just doesn't have the same feel as her interactions with Montoya did. |
ALL ACTION AND NO SUSPENSE MAKES TONY A BAD WRITER
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| Review Date: November 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Dusty Bottoms, Redding, CA USA |
Tony Daniel didn't exactly have creative freedom when writing 'Battle for the Cowl'. It was already predetermined who would become the next Batman, before he was even chosen for the project. However, excuses aren't enough to make up for this over-ambitious and lackluster story arc.
It's silly for DC to have ever thought they could surprise readers with Batman's replacement. It's incredibly obvious who Bruce's #1 protege is, and besides Daniel spilled the beans during the mini-event in a blog. Daniel attempts to make 'Battle for the Cowl' as epic as possible, but the plot is messy and too big for a fairly untalented writer to take-on. The story should have either been handed over to a more qualified author, or it should have been stripped down to it's basic elements.
I don't like to give away too many spoilers.. so here's a vague description of what to expect:
Almost every superhero in the extended Bat-family is in Gotham City, and almost every villain is on the loose. Gotham declares a state of emergency and is in self-preservation mode, barely hanging on. Arkham Asylum is destroyed, and Penguin and Two-face are in a power-struggle, while being manipulated by a returning baddie. Grayson and Drake are hunting down an imposter Batman on a murderous rampage. The imposter's identity doesn't stay secret for long, and is pretty predictable. The ending is predictable as well. Damian and Grayson end up saving one another's lives. This is supposed to suffice as a bonding experience, but Damian is too angsty and disresprectful to show any readiness or appreciation for teamwork.
There's too much going on in 'Battle for the Cowl' for a three issue mini-series. In attempt to set up new directions for the Batman series and it's characters, it raises more questions than it answers, and it over-stuffs the story with more than it can handle. The companion tradeback doesn't provide a whole lot of answers either.
Daniel's writing style is too serious, and there's too much action without building real suspense. Most of the characters are dwindled down to their generic profiles, and much of what happens is horribly unoriginal. I mean, how many times is DC going to publish a comic, in which the bad guy falls into a river, and is assumed to be dead, even though the body is never found and we all know they'll be back?
The artwork is pretty snazzy, but it has a few nagging issues. Daniel's figures are anatomical and realistic; however, there's an annoyingly disproportionate amount of posing. He's a wannabe Jim Lee, but that isn't to say, he's not talented. His pencils are fluid and smooth, which contrasts nicely with the somewhat erratic and untamed boxy panel layout, which Daniels uses almost every trick in the book to design. There's not much flow to it, due to it's lack of organization.
'Battle for the Cowl' isn't all that important to Batman continuity. Since it's no surprise who the new Batman is, it's pretty easy to skip this title and move on to Morrison's 'Batman and Robin', but if over-ambitious plots coupled with mediocre storytelling is your thing, this might be just right for you. It's not the worst Batman story arc, but it certainly didn't rise to the occasion. It's not everyday Batman get's replaced; this should have been written by someone who understands character development and story structure. I applaud Tony Daniel for trying something new, but his writing style is weak and without emotional resonance. The story tries to reach too high, while falling flat at the same time.
I think the price ought to tell you it's not worth much. |
Really missing Bruce!
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| Review Date: February 25, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Poet D, GA |
| This book is ok for an in between while we await DC's revival of Bruce Wayne. If suspense and nail-biting from page to page is what you are looking for, then save your money and time for Grant Morrison's revival of the infamous Dark Knight! Battle for the Cowl gets a 3 star. Here is a link for info on the Return of Bruce [...]:_The_Return_of_Bruce_Wayne and as always you can pre-order when available on Amazon! Later! |
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