Batman: Battle for the Cowl, who's in?

Perhaps the tenor of the question gives my answer away...

Can I have a fourth option: will pegleg all the issues and read some at random.

This does not look like it could possibly be good.

It's like Countdown: Arena all over again!

sorry to derail the thread but your name is excellent.

Next big DC crossover I read is gonna be Blackest Night. But I'm totally on board for that.

Hmmm. I haven't heard anything about Marvel's big summer thingie. They've got something planned presumably, right?

I think it's Dark Reign. As in Dark Reigning It In after too many years of too many tie-in miniseries.

I'm probably a bit more interested now than a few weeks back, but I guess I am kind of a 'Batzombie' if anything in comics. I'm not expecting comic book genius to come out of this stuff, but the lead in one-shot that came out this week was decent and it did stitch together some various story beats from Dini's 'Heart of Hush' and the Denny O'Neil 'Lad Days of Gotham'. There are also some items from Morrison run that are being picked up and used, which is something DC has been pretty bad about doing.

This is a pretty good overview and has quite a bit of upcoming artwork. I know there are not too many fans of Tony Daniel's artwork on the site, I think he is OK, but they are using a new colorist on the mini-series some of the pages do look pretty nice.

http://comics.ign.com/objects/143/14300052.html

They have already announced some of the books that are coming out of this series.

Batman & Robin - this is going to be the title that Grant Morrison is going to write and there will be two 3 issue arcs with Frank Quitely doing the artwork. Who exactly are going to be Batman and Robin is of course to be determined.

Streets of Gotham / Gotham City Sirens - Both of these series are going to be written by Paul Dini. The Streets of Gotham series I think is going to have a pretty decent premise, as it is going to be a Batman book told from the point of view of the criminals and cops of Gotham. That could be a pretty good way to do a book, at least for awhile. The Gotham City Sirens is going to center around Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. The title for that book is still not that good, but I could see Paul Dini doing an entertaining comic with those characters.

Detective - This one is going to be the JH Williams and Greg Rucka Batwoman title. It is kind of weird that Greg Rucka is going to be writing both Action and Detective and neither Superman or Batman will be anywhere to be found. That being said, the artwork previews I have seen are pretty lush. I'm not sure we need a Batwoman comic, but I figure a Greg Rucka and JH Williams comic will probably be worth reading. I think if they would be doing a Batman series it would sell by the truck load.

All that sounded pretty good then they said that Batman's writer was going to be Judd Winick with Tony Daniels presumably doing the artwork. Considering that Superman is not appearing in his own title and Winick is the writer, I figure this comic is going to be about Jason Todd for at least a few issues.

My theory how this might resolve is that in the end that 'no one' can really fill the cowl and that instead of one person being "Batman" you will see all three of the Robins take their place being Batman.

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/961/961044/batman-robin-20090310030958573.jpg

You have to dig seeing Robin in a pair of Doc Martens.

They really are sensible shoes and oil proof.

Okay, that's gonna make up for having to tolerate Tony Daniel's art for the last couple of years.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

predictable much, ILC?

Hey! I gave up on Morrison's Batman a long time ago...

That picture of Robin looks like Calvin.

I was planning on skipping it, but the first issue of the Azrael mini-series was interesting and much better read than the actual Battle of for the Cowl first issue. I thought Frazer Irving's artwork was really sharp and different in the Azrael series. The story both ties in with the Suit of Sorrows from early in the Moz run and the three Batmen story.

I love Frazer Irving so I might have to check out Azrael.

Sour grapes much? Winick returns to Batman. A rather interesting choice of both writer and artist (Ed Benes) on the flagship Batman series, considering that Winick has lately driven two DCU staples (Green Arrow and unTeen Titans) into Whocaresville and Benes is leaving a disastrous JLA relaunch.

Anyway, my post-BFTC predictions:

Batman: Dick Grayson, because it's the right thing to do, no?
Robin: Damian, because it's a kid, and Dick:Damian will be a good dynamic.
Red Robin: I want to say Tim Drake, but I've got to go with Jason Todd, because someone upstairs really, really believes in Jason Todd as a worthwhile character.

Weird thing about that JLA series is that they started it out that it was going to be about the big guns running the show and pretty much copped out immediately. I think they spent the first year of the series fighting in their headquarters. I don't know that I can really completely blame the writers for not delivering, as I think DC's editorial is mandating that every other story crossover into something else. The only thing they are left with is doing small stories to try and stitch things together. Either way the book is still selling, so I don't think DC seems to care.

If it was me, I'd be turning the JLA into the center book of their line and having it come out 3 or 4 times a month but no that would make too much sense.

I think the same DC editorial mandate is the one that pretty much screwed up the Jason Todd/Red Hood story with that stupid annual that now a few years removed looks even worse.

The only thing they are left with is doing small stories to try and stitch things together and even that is being hamstrung by editorial mandate and blahblahblah, with the new issue of JLA reacting to a series/miniseries/event that's been delayed.

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/967/967913/batman-battle-for-the-cowl-20090330033249894.jpg

I know quite a few of you around here don't like Tony Daniels, but I think this is a pretty nice page.

I'm not as down on him as some of you folk.

ha ha, I was scrolling past that thinking how it's obviously an Image artist page, designed completely to entertain the artist while drawing and then sell well as an original later

Is it me or is the Penguin as a gritty crime boss utterly unconvincing?

Still waiting on the main mini to pop up in my library, but I just read the Companion trade. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised! All the various side stories, new characters (especially that Arkham one by David Hine) were pretty fun - like this was a pretty deliberate throwback to the NML era. Dug the stuff with Man-Bat and Riddler too.

The actual Battle of the Cowl mini-series isn't as good as that Arkham or Azrael mini-series. It all might read better in a sitting though and it is way better than total crap that DC is doing with Superman or JLA.

That being said, I think the nu-Batman runs have been OK and they have followed up on most of the threads introduced in Battle of the Cowl.

I haven't read bunches that he is done, but I like what Fabian Nicieza is doing on Azrael. I read that Cable-Deadpool series in a couple of days front to back and thought it was pretty much self-contained fun, especially considering I knew bupkus on the characters. I got a bunch of his Thunderbolts out of the .50 cent bin and am going to read the whole thing once I fill a couple of holes.

Yeah, my impressions of Nicieza have really changed. I remembered him doing tons of hackish work for the X-books in the early '90s, but in the last few years I caught random low-profile stuff he did like Thunderbolts and Cable and Deadpool and was shocked that he had become a more than competent writer; both books a really pleasant surprise, like you say. Maybe his X-Force/X-Men stuff wasn't as bad as I remember (or maybe my impressions were hijacked by Rob Liefeld), but it's world of difference from the stuff he's been doing lately.