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BATMAN BATTLE FOR THE COWL #2 (OF 3)


Price: $3.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 22.5%

Reviews

UserAddedSpoilers
flapjaxx04/09/09YesRead Review
JesTr04/09/09YesRead Review
0and1804/08/09NoRead Review
Templar04/08/09NoRead Review
CammyKnoxville04/08/09YesRead Review
akamuu04/08/09NoRead Review
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Avg Rating: 4.1
 
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Comments

  1. Avatar photo robbydzwonar says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    I saw the preview on IGN, this is going to be way better then issue one!  Is it Wednesday yet?!

  2. Avatar photo Garrett says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    I actually enjoyed the first issue. Dunno what all the bitchin’ and moanin’ was about.

  3. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:38 pm

    @Garrett-I don’t either.  It was a decent issue, just like how I expect this to be a decent one too.

  4. flapjaxx says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:55 pm

    The first issue was a decent amount of bonus-sized fun for $4. In my opinion it wasn’t meaningful enough to complain about; just some light comic book reading, fine for what it was. I think people were turned off by the fact that it reminded them of being 14 again and buying Spawn or something. I think of this series as more of a guilty pleasure that I don’t really feel guilty about. But I’m so confortable with usually being more of an intellectual…that I make no apologies. I’ll watch Human Wrecking Balls sometimes too.

  5. flapjaxx says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    P.S. Apparently I’m "usually more of an intellectual" who in the same sentence misspells "comfortable". 🙁

  6. Avatar photo Fvckstick says:
    April 6, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    i loved issue one and im excited for this more than anything else this week

  7. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 6, 2009 at 6:54 pm

    Well this ‘mystery’ sure is good isnt guys? I put mystery in quotes because some stupid website…(shakes fist at newsarama) spoiled who was also Batman at the end of this.

    Obviously I wont spoil who (or what) the reveal is….but I am going to enjoy this comic book none the less.

  8. MikeHaseloff says:
    April 6, 2009 at 8:14 pm

    @robbydzwonar That bar wasn’t exactly set terribly high.

  9. Avatar photo supertrackmonkey says:
    April 6, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    Well, I guess the rest of the characters fall into place now that I know who The New Batman is… I kind of figured who it was after I went back and reread the Origins and Omens stories. 

     

    I still want to see what happens between Dick and Tim. What kind of relationship they will have after BFTC. 

  10. Avatar photo Chris Rohling says:
    April 6, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    @TNC – That really was only a potential spoiler. I saw the same concept art (CBR posted it too.) and that’s all it was, concept art. Daniel has said that he had drawn up costumes for all the potential candidates and accidentally posted that one. It could also have been an incredibly well done red herring (a la the Marvel B0i conspiracy shenanigans before Secret Invasion). Either way, it doesn’t ruin this series for me. The end isn’t the point in a story, it’s the journey that matters. The "Hows" and "Whys" are far more entertaining than the "Whats."

    Although the first issue was far from perfect, it was a damn good first issue. It established a fun mystery and a cool setting. Even if this book isn’t perfect, it is getting it’s job done. It’s making me excited for the post Battle for the Cowl Bat-Universe.

  11. Avatar photo balsalm says:
    April 6, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    I’m just going to forget what I heard, saw and read these last couple of weeks and enjoy this issue.

  12. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 6, 2009 at 11:20 pm

    Oh I’m gonna try and enjoy this for what this is: A pretty good (so far) action story of how we get the new status quo.

    But I complained about this on the forums with the Blackest Night reveals lately…..What is DC thinking letting slip up some big plot points? The Blackest Night posters were to be shown to the public so that was a business decision. But showing Quitely’s pencils waay to early and now not noticing Daniel’s slip up online….It makes you wonder if DC really cares at all on trying to hold onto spoilers.

    Marvel seems to be much better at keeping major plot points on the down low…or at least for a longer time

  13. edward says:
    April 6, 2009 at 11:22 pm

    @TNC: shut up, man, don’t tell them that Nite-Owl II gets sucked though the multiverse and becames the new Batman….

  14. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    April 6, 2009 at 11:25 pm

    Just stay off the internet sites or don’t click on the articles if you’re so afraid of the potential spoilers.

  15. Avatar photo Chris Rohling says:
    April 6, 2009 at 11:27 pm

    @TNC – They definitely noticed Daniel’s slip up. It was quickly taken down. Like I said earlier, they could be in on it. The power of the fake spoiler is immense

    @Edward – Not gonna lie. I’d read that!

  16. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 6, 2009 at 11:29 pm

    @drake: It’s not that it’s people reading the spoilers the websites provide….it’s why DC let’s them get out in the first place.

    Image, Dark Horse, and Marvel all seem to do a good job making sure not each issue gets spoiled or arc gets revealed on the interest. I dont think I’ve ever seen a spoiler article for Invincible or Walking Dead that like talks about potential story plots for next year. If those companies can be tight lid about their products, why cant DC?

  17. Avatar photo Conor Kilpatrick (@cskilpatrick) says:
    April 6, 2009 at 11:55 pm

    @TNC: It’s possible that DC think that the benefit of getting people talking about these books outweighs the mysteries in the books.

    I had the Batman reveals spoiled for me in an e-mail but it really wasn’t a big deal because there was nothing surprising, nothing we hadn’t all speculated on.  The Blackest Night reveals I’ve stayed away from for the most part, but  who the Black Lanterns are aren’t that big of a deal to me, what they do and where the story goes is the thing.

  18. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

    @conor: Well true DC might have that type of philosophy.

    But when you advertise so long about ‘Who is the new Batman?’ or ‘Battle for the Cowl will change the Bat-universe forever’….You gotta think they would be more careful with reveals and/or spoilers. I was all for the mystery of the next Batman and Robin. But by the time issue one came out we all knew who was Robin cause of Quitely’s pencils. Then a couple of days later Tony Daniel’s accidentally leaks who is Batman with his blog.

    That is just sheer stupidity with the latter. With DC’s marketing of Batman and Robin….couldnt that have waiting a bit longer to showcase them? There has to be some time between BFTC #3 and the new Batman books…They couldnt show the Quitely pencils around that time?

    Again I still want to enjoy this story and I did love the first issue (made it my POTW). But if your not gonna even try to keep your secrets then why make a mystery in the first place?

  19. Avatar photo Conor Kilpatrick (@cskilpatrick) says:
    April 7, 2009 at 12:05 am

    @TNC: You also have to keep in mind that the internet comic book community is but a fraction of the whole audience, so for a good portion of the comic book buying public, it’s all still a mystery.

  20. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 7, 2009 at 12:09 am

    @conor: Cant argue with that.

    Although I wished I lived in a time where the internet didnt ruin things for me….Now I am enraged with Wolverine: Origins….but that’s a whole other topic.

  21. Avatar photo Chris Rohling says:
    April 7, 2009 at 12:21 am

    @TNC – They released Quitely’s pencil’s as part of previews if I remember right. That does have a three month lead, so I don’t think you can totally blame them. That’s just how the bidness works. Apart from that, I’d say you probably spoiled yourself. The CBR article I read stated multiple times before the reveal that the spoiler was in the article. You had a choice not to look. Conor didn’t (which really is a shame) Sadly, I looked, but like I said earlier, I’m much more interested in the journey and the stories that come from it than the actual answer to who is under the cowl.

  22. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    April 7, 2009 at 12:34 am

    Yeah, if they are willing to spoil, somewhat, the reveals about Batman and some of the Black Lanterns, that makes me think that they are quite confident that the story is going to get people talking far more than the identities.

  23. Avatar photo PraxJarvin says:
    April 7, 2009 at 12:55 am

    @TNC Yeah, I agree with you. I’m iffy about the spoilers. On one hand, it’s nice to know I’ll be happy, on the other… WTH am I buying battle for the cowl for? Black Lanterns on the other hand…. It was spoiled pretty early that the Anti-Monitor would be involved in the Sinestro Corps War, so I’m not surprised we’re getting these covers. And they’re of characters that have been confirmed to be back. (Note: At NYCC, Johns refused to even say if the rings do bring people back to the dead. My friend asked and Johns was pretty dismissive. But he wrote "Watch the Skies" on his GL book, so who knows?) There’s been a lot of buzz on the ‘rama about the penciled cover to The Blackest Night #1 giving away a spoiler. I can’t say I saw it as a spoiler, but I like what that spoiler means.

    @drake I agree with you on that front.

    Excited for this, not exactly expecting great things. 

  24. edward says:
    April 7, 2009 at 1:20 am

    so we agree? spoilers suck. great. next!

  25. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 7, 2009 at 2:25 am

    Okay here’s something different: What is that THING on the bottom of the cover? With the cat mask….Is that a japanese hero or something?

  26. Avatar photo PraxJarvin says:
    April 7, 2009 at 2:44 am

    @TNC That’s… Lynx? I know nothing about her. She literally just started appearing in the Bat books I was reading. It was very odd. I knew more about Sasha Bourdeux after the .10 Cent Adventure then I know about Lynx right now.

  27. Avatar photo kwisdumb says:
    April 7, 2009 at 2:46 am

    Spoilings aside, I thought the first one was alright and I hope this one is better. I think it was a smart move by DC to make this a 3-issue long story.

  28. Avatar photo WadeWilson says:
    April 7, 2009 at 3:28 am

    I don’t know about the spoilers for this OR for Blackest Night (& I’d like to keep it that way, thanks :P) so it IS possible to avoid these things. Just be careful what you click on comic news websites etc.

    Anyways, heres hoping this issue is a good one, & we get to find out story points where we are meant to — on the page of the comic.

     

     

  29. Avatar photo OttoBott says:
    April 7, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    It’d be hilarious if Bruce Wayne was the new Batman…

  30. edward says:
    April 7, 2009 at 5:13 pm

    maybe the Tony Daniel leak was intentional. To throw us, super-internet-spies/heavy-breathing-nerds, off the course 

  31. Avatar photo OttoBott says:
    April 7, 2009 at 5:22 pm

    …of Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is the new Batman. I’m calling it right here.

  32. Avatar photo Chris Rohling says:
    April 7, 2009 at 8:34 pm

    @edward. That’s what I’ve been saying.

  33. Avatar photo WadeWilson says:
    April 8, 2009 at 2:23 am

    Can’t wait for the Bruce Wayne come back storyline 😛 Batman Returns? … Hmm, maybe not that title …

  34. Avatar photo supertrackmonkey says:
    April 8, 2009 at 9:50 am

    I think it’s good that Bruce is gone as Batman. I would love to see him come back as a Black Lantern and see how Dick, TIm, and even Damein feel about a evil Bruce.

  35. Avatar photo OttoBott says:
    April 8, 2009 at 11:07 am

    @Wade – It could be called Year One (B.C.), Bruce2 : Electric Boogalu, or Jaws III.

  36. Avatar photo supertrackmonkey says:
    April 8, 2009 at 1:33 pm

    So what happened to Catwoman after that fight between Jason and Tim?

  37. Avatar photo supertrackmonkey says:
    April 8, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    So who is Red Robin going to be? Cause it looks like Tim will continue to be Robin from the cover art of Red Robin #2…

  38. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 8, 2009 at 2:38 pm

    You know when I got to my LCS I just thought about not picking this up anymore.

    Shame on me for reading the spoilers in the first place….but I just dont care where this goes considering I know where it’s going. So didnt decide to pick it up. Maybe in the future I’ll pick the trade up, but for now I’ll play the waiting game for ‘Batman and Robin’.

  39. Avatar photo supertrackmonkey says:
    April 8, 2009 at 2:52 pm

    The cover for Red Robin #2 has me puzzled, especially after this issue. 

  40. Avatar photo kwisdumb says:
    April 8, 2009 at 4:22 pm

    Really liked this issue, I’m glad to see such an improvement from the last one. This actually has me pretty pumped for where the BFTC storyline is going from here. 4/5

  41. doomwad says:
    April 8, 2009 at 5:30 pm

    First!

  42. edward says:
    April 8, 2009 at 5:30 pm

    @supertrackmonkey: bruce isn’t dead though, is he? how can he be a black lantern?

  43. Avatar photo LazarusBoy says:
    April 8, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    I have a theory.  The "Jason Todd" Batman in this issue isn’t Jason Todd, it’s Jean Paul Valley.  I know,  I know, he’s dead.  So was Jason though right?  Jason Todd is actually the tortured man in the mask chained up in the cave.  It makes much more sense based on what is being thought during his battle with Dick.  He might even be the guy calling himself the Black Mask.  It just seems way to obvious to have him be the gun carrying Batman. 

     

  44. Avatar photo Fvckstick says:
    April 8, 2009 at 8:27 pm

    great issue. I accidentally gave it a 4 star when i meant to give it a 5…BUT…regardless…awesome fight and amazing cliffhanger. 5

  45. Avatar photo Conor Kilpatrick (@cskilpatrick) says:
    April 8, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    @Fvckstick: You can unpull the book, re-pull it and rate it again.

  46. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    April 8, 2009 at 9:58 pm

    It was good.  I liked the use of some choice corny lines.  Not my POTW, but up there for surez.

  47. Avatar photo Spoons says:
    April 8, 2009 at 10:56 pm

    This book would have been a 4 had it not been for a odd and confusing panel progressions ( 3, 8). I wouldn’t normally expect from a book being written and drawn by the same guy.

    I did think it was funny to have Jason once again getting beaten up with a crowbar.

  48. Avatar photo supertrackmonkey says:
    April 8, 2009 at 11:16 pm

    It’s interesting that Tim was the one that helped Jason out of jail just a few months ago.

  49. Avatar photo PraxJarvin says:
    April 8, 2009 at 11:25 pm

    Well, don’t forget, the Gun-toting Batman has never identified himself as Jason Todd. Indeed, his internal dialogue is purposefully vague. How would Bruce know that Jason Todd would turn into a Villain? It’s not likely. However, that is plausible motive for JVP. I actually think Black Mask might be Jason Todd or the person chained up in the "other" Batcave. Also, in the pages of Robin, Jason saw a "video will" from Batman and seemed to be tasked with something that didn’t sound good to him.

    Overall I liked the issue, a step up from last issue and despite seeing where this plot is going, some interesting questions popping up. Daniels art has an exceedingly Jim Lee-esque feeling to it then I’ve noticed before. 

  50. Avatar photo NealAppeal says:
    April 8, 2009 at 11:49 pm

    It’s time to kill Jason Todd…again.

  51. Avatar photo JesTr says:
    April 9, 2009 at 9:16 am

    I like this mini so far it’s short, sweet and to the point. Daniels is doing a great job.

  52. Avatar photo JesTr says:
    April 9, 2009 at 9:17 am

    Also, anybody think that the Black Mask could be Hush?

  53. Avatar photo thescimitar says:
    April 9, 2009 at 10:16 am

    I am a fan of any crowbar beatdown of Jason Todd.  It was reminiscent of his beatdown by the Joker in Death in a Family, especially with Jason’s joker-like "HAHAHA".

  54. Avatar photo robbydzwonar says:
    April 9, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    So is Tim Drake going to die? Or you think Catwoman will get him over to Alfred in time to save him?  I hope he dies.  He is the corniest Robin.  I like Damian better.

  55. Avatar photo micahmyers says:
    April 9, 2009 at 7:34 pm

    @jesTr- yeah i wrote that in the comments of the first issue.

     

    after seeing the cover for red robin #2, i am beginning to think that red robin will be jason todd and tim will still be robin.  Plus the solicit for issue #1 says "Whoever he is, he’s not alone in his search!"

  56. Avatar photo peterporker says:
    April 9, 2009 at 11:13 pm

    ehh this was ok

  57. Avatar photo supertrackmonkey says:
    April 9, 2009 at 11:16 pm

    @robbydzwonar: Tim has by far been the best Robin. After he became Robin, he has lost his mom, dad, multiple girlfriends, and now his adoptive father. Oh, and he has to fight his step-brother who is tainting the Batman legacy. 

  58. Avatar photo supertrackmonkey says:
    April 9, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    POSSIBLE SPOILER!!!

     

     

    So I just saw some preview art of Robin #2 in full color. No wonder they decided to show the sketch version, the full-color version shows Robin and Spoiler in the daylight, then Red Robin fighting ninjas in the night. 

  59. Avatar photo WadeWilson says:
    April 10, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    *averts eyes from above spoilers*

    I’m with Prax, we don’t know for sure that it’s Jason Todd yet, because he hasn’t said it’s him … but I guess Nightwing & Robin would know his voice, so if it’s not him, I dunno how they will explain that …

    I read someone else say (I don’t remember who or where) that the problem with this mini is there isn’t too much originality, & even though I agree it’s recycling a lot of ideas from past Batman stories, it’s still entertaining with some great art. I’m way too much of a Bat-Junkie to not like it. It’s good fun.

  60. Avatar photo jamesschneider says:
    April 11, 2009 at 2:49 pm

    This book had many, many dramatic pauses before full names were spoken. I found it amusing, then trifling, then back to amusing.

  61. Avatar photo rayclark says:
    April 12, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    this was very good but its predictable who is gonna be who but it was still good finding out how

  62. Avatar photo CaptainSweatpants says:
    April 19, 2009 at 6:38 am

    I’m still stuck on the concept that tere would be a battle for the cowl. Given the nature of Dick’s journey to becoming Nightwing and Tim’s love of Bruce it all seems out of character. It would be like Peter and the other Apostles all fighting for Jesus’ sandals with the notion they would be thinking, "yeah, I can fill these". A logical outcome of Bruce’s passing would be every ally he had going at crime 200% to honor his memory. But that wouldn’t sell and generate hype so we get this uncoordinated Bat-Family Survivor Series. Anyway as to issue #2, at this point if that is Jason Todd causing all the havoc I vote him. If we are going to have a new Batman having a anti-Bruce running rampant could be fun until the real-deal comes back and we get Battle for the Cowl 2; Electric Boogaloo!

  63. Avatar photo PhantomPhrenemy says:
    April 22, 2009 at 1:03 am

    This is the reason I read comics!  The art is stunning, the action intense, the writing is clever, Tony Daniel has a firm grasp on the separate personalities of all the former (and future) Robins.

    Solid, solid, solid! 

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