Pick of the Week

April 8, 2009 – Batman: Battle For The Cowl #2

What did the
iFanboy
community think?

684
Pulls
Avg Rating: 4.1
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 22.5%
 
Users who pulled this comic:


Size: pages
Price: 3.99

More than anything else, the Batbooks are about family. Which makes sense when you think about it, because everything that Bruce Wayne has done since he was 8 years old was try to rebuild his shattered family. He has tried desperately to fill the hole in his heart that was caused by two bullets.

With the ever faithful Alfred Pennyworth at his side, Bruce Wayne has spent almost as much time fighting the criminals of Gotham City (and the world) as he has creating an extended family around him. Dick, Jim, Leslie, Lucius, Selena, Barbara, Jason, Harold, Tim, Helena, Cassandra, Stephanie, Damian… all of these people and more have been brought into Bruce Wayne’s surrogate family. At first glance this might seem strange for someone most consider to be a loner, but that’s just Batman’s image on the surface. He’s not a loner, he is someone is desperate need to have loved ones. To have a family again. He only retreats into the loner role when something bad happens to someone he loves. It’s his defense mechanism learned from childhood tragedy. He never stays the loner for long, though. He always returns to rebuild his family. There is a reason why the comics are referred to as the Batfamily.

So what happens with the patriarch of such an extended family “dies”?

There is something very operatic about Batman: Battle For the Cowl. It taps into the story that is as old as families themselves. The powerful father figure has died and now his sons battle it out to take his place. This kind of situation leads to a level of pathos that is inherently deeper than your standard good vs. evil fight. This isn’t Batman punching The Riddler and dragging him back to Arkham Asylum. This is brother against brother. Son against son. This is a family tearing itself apart.

In the first issue of Batman: Battle For the Cowl, we saw the chaos that erupted in a Gotham City that knew that their protector had left them. It showed the kind of manic chaos that can spontaneously erupt when people suddenly find themselves without supervision. In college, this resulted in a huge party breaking out in our freshman dorm when we realized that all of our RAs had accidentally gone away for the weekend at the same time. In Gotham City, the stakes are a bit deadlier.

As I said earlier, Batman: Battle For the Cowl is all about brothers fighting to take their father’s place. At the end of the first issue, two of the three decided to take action and donned their father’s costume. In Batman: Battle For the Cowl #2 we get the bloody repercussions of those actions.

I’ve made my distaste for Jason Todd well known since his return from the grave a few years ago. And I’ve received a lot of e-mails asking why I hated such a “cool” and “badass” character. Well, hopefully this issue puts that to bed. Jason Todd isn’t cool and you’re not supposed to like him. Jason is the disturbed, psychopathic black sheep of the Batfamily and as if his brutal and often murderous rampages of the past haven’t been enough to sway you, here we find out just how deep into depravity Jason has sunk. In his guise as a gun-toting Batman, Jason has been investigating the new reign of terror in Gotham City by shooting everyone he suspects is working for the Black Mask, and torturing the survivors. Sometimes he tortures them with some well-placed bullets, and sometimes he chains them up in his own private Batcave to slowly starve them to death.

As Batman, Jason Todd is a dark, twisted version of Bruce Wayne. A Batman with no humanity and no morals. A Batman as bad as any of the criminals that plague Gotham.

Clad in the classic yellow oval Batsuit, Tim Drake isn’t going to stand by and allow his evil older brother to sully the Batman name. He tracks down Jason’s personal Batcave and what ensues can only be described as one of the more brutal brother vs. brother fights that I’ve seen in a while. A fight that involves both a crowbar and razor sharp Batarangs used as knives. And in the end, Tim lays defeated and bleeding to death, one of Jason’s Batarangs embedded in his ribcage.

This issue featured some great action punctuated by the bloody beatdown between Tim and Jason. But the real attraction in this issue is the underlying examination of Batman’s sons (and we’ll leave Damian out of this because he’s too new and has little-to-no history in the family, which is ironic as he’s Bruce’s only blood relative among them) and how his absence has effected them. At the heart of everything, all three of the boys want to become their father. It’s how they go about coming to terms with that fact that reveals a lot about them and makes for an interesting story.

Dick Grayson is the oldest and the one with the most responsibility. He is the one had to step into his father’s shoes once already and he knows how difficult that is to do. He is his own man now, and he has carved out his own life away from his father. But at the end of the day, he knows that his responsibility is to the family and to his father’s mission. We know he is going to get there eventually, but right now he has to struggle with the idea of stepping back into a role that he probably wasn’t ready for in the past. As the oldest son, and as someone who has had to step in to take on certain responsibilities that I may not have wanted or were ready for, I relate the most to Dick and his internal struggle.

Jason Todd is the hot-headed middle son who is filled with rage and resentment. He feels like he was never given his due. As Robin he never lived up to Dick and he was surpassed by Tim. In his mind he is the forgotten son. But in his mind not only was he the best Robin, but given the chance he would be an even better Batman than Bruce was. This rage and resentment has informed his every action since returning from the dead. He spent much of his time back trying to prove to Batman that he was better than him, that he was better than all of them. Now he has the chance to step in and prove it. And he’s doing it the only way he knows how, in the most brutal way possible.

Tim Drake (Wayne) is the youngest son who has seen and learned the most from watching his two older brothers. He is also the son most like the father. When Batman disappeared, he was the one who leapt into action to protect Gotham City and when he saw that what Gotham really needed was Batman, he didn’t hesitate to put on the cape and cowl. Of the three he is probably the smartest, and one day he will probably be the best out of all of them, but that day isn’t here yet. He’s not ready to take the reins of the family and be the protector Gotham City needs. But that hasn’t stopped him from stepping up to fill he void until Dick comes to terms with his new role in the family.

I enjoyed the first issue of Batman: Battle For the Cowl, but the second issue takes everything up a notch.  The art, the writing, the character examinations – it’s all improved from issue one. The smartest thing that writer/artist Tony Daniel has done is move it all along at a breakneck pace. Batman is gone and Gotham City is collapsing into chaos and everything is moving quickly, as it should.

Previous to this miniseries I was interested to see what DC had in store for the Batfamily, and intrigued by the possibilities inherent in this new Batstatus quo.

Now, I’m downright excited.

Conor Kilpatrick
For the love of God, someone cut Dick’s hair.
conor@ifanboy.com

Comments

  1. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Images in the POW review.  FANCY.  

  2. Is it Thursday? How is this up at 4:00? I am in awe.

  3. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    I suspect someone has a hot date tonight.  

  4. Great review.  I’m not reading this series, but I really enjoyed reading Conor’s take on all of the characters.  Thanks!

  5. Can’t wait to read my copy later today.  

  6. Love you Conor, thank you for releasing this so early.

  7. man that was fast! i can’t wait until tuesday so we can read it here in australia.

    i wonder what readers with older and younger brothers think of the story. i’m the youngest of 3 brother’s so i was pushing for tim

  8. @edward.  I’m the oldest of three brothers and I was pushing for Dick (that sounds weird).

    @Conor.  You really captured what I love about the Batfamily in this review.

     Do you think there are any ‘middle’ children out there that identify with Jason?……  My middle brother is a big time Tim Drake fan.

  9. seriously, fasted potw? it might be. excellent review sir, i think i’m gonna pick up the trade since my shop sold out of the first issue and this one. it looks like the kinda bridging story that will read very well over and over again

  10. Thanks for the review! I don’t think this will be my POW, but I felt largely the same way you did.

    Thanks again!

  11. i loved it! 

  12. It was alright.  I did not like the dialogue between Adam Bomb and Firefly.  Talk about hammy.

  13. Wow that was fast. Although I believe Josh was faster (that’s what she said) with a pick one time.

    Dropped it cause the entire mystery was lost when I accidentally hit a link for spoilage. Shame on me for doing that, but shame on DC too for letting big leaks like that happen. Still I have no doubt this would’ve been POTW worthy if I picked it up. (#1 was my pick last time)

    (Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk was my pick btw)

  14. I was expecting a late april fools joke when I saw it was already up.  I haven’t even read through my books yet. 

    I think we need an offical ruling on who has had the quickest POW post.

  15. @edward: Tuesday? You serious or joking? We get new comics here in sunny Melbourne on Thursdays (which is Wednesday night US time) … so, you need a new comic shop, or … you were joking & I am an idiot.

    I didn’t read the review (yet, to avoid spoilers) as I’m about to go pick up my new comics right now, but Batman BFTC making Conor’s POTW makes me more excited for it!

  16. cant wait for dick to be fighting jason and he goes "No, Im Batman"

  17. @wade: no joke. You know, canberra, there are some forms that need to be filled out in tripliate before we can get them. maybe i should make the 13 hour round trip to Minotour Books

  18. At times reading this I found myself thinking it was just awful.  Then a page or two later I’d find myself immensely entertained by what was going on.  I guess I just love these characters so much that this book is a real "guilty pleasure."  Without spoiling anything, let’s just say I look forward to one character hopefully beating the ever-lovin’-s**t out of another character in the final issue.

    By the way, anybody else find it weird that Bruce Wayne has had a history of collecting you, good looking, athletic boys with black hair?

  19. @TheNextChampion – Isn’t it the telling of the story that makes a work well done and fascinating, not the outcome?

  20. @brainmaru: Yeah, it’s not really a big secret (even without the "spoilers") as to what the outcome is going to be – what’s interesting is seeing how it’s going to get there.

  21. @jim: nope. nobody has ever noticed that before. Especially not in 1954 when Fredric Wertham wrote the Seduction of the Innocent

  22. Holy well placed crowbar Batman! The ending of this issue had me shouting out. I was stunned. Bloody brilliant stuff.

  23. Although I really enjoyed your review, Connor, I thought this was pretty awful. When did the Penguin become so drab and inarticulate? Wasn’t there already a battle for the cowl in the mid-ninties? Didn’t all the inmates break out of Arkham then too? Is there a single aspect of originality to this story? Can superhero art get any more boring?

    Here’s hoping that some inspired writer can clean all this crap up and start writing good Batman again. (Dini!)

  24. @brian/conor: Your right it is about the adventure and not the prize…..But I just dont think it’s worth it considering I know where this is going. Though this being the pick I wish I knew beforehand cause then I would’ve picked it up. It was a very close decision to pick it up or not, and so the coin flipped on the no side

  25. Wow. You’ve almost got me wanting to read Batman.

     

    Almost.

     

  26. Excellent review Conor!

  27. YES!

    BTW: is "wherewithal" a word? kinda too wordy for me tony daniels.

    Plus IF I READ ANOTHER POWERGIRL preview in a premium book…

  28. @smeeeeee: If they took the preview out the privce wouldn’t change. And you can just not read it.

  29. @conor: yea i skipped it cause i already read it in flash.

  30. so what your point?

  31. This was a great issue, and far surpassed the first.  I thought Daniels really brought it with the story and the art, and I’m so glad that this is moving along so quickly.  The story telling was quick paced but easy to understand, and the art was simply stunning.  I was talking to some guys at my shop today and all of us were saying just how excited we were for the new Bat books.  The quality of this book only drives that point home.  Great stuff.

    I’m not sure what my PTW is though because this was the first book I read.  More on that later. 

  32. I thinking this gun-toting batman is not jason todd. He sounds too much like azrael. He says that batman took him under his wing to prevent him from becoming his enemy. Thats exactly what happened to azrael. Seems suspicious.

  33. The previews for this got my interest. I guess I will have to pick it up. It will be the first DC book I have picked up in like 15 years.

  34. This issue was pretty good.  Not my pick, but a solid issue for sure.  I loved some of the cheesy lines that were used, and I almost yelped when Tim was reaching for the crowbar ^_^

    This is turning out to be a great little mini.  I’m more excited for where it’s going, but I’m quite enjoying the ride.

  35. Great issue…great review. I wonder what’s going to happen once Bruce Wayne does return. I hope he doesn’t just say "thanks for covering for me kid." Anyway, I guess i wont worry about that just yet. I’m liking this story a lot.

  36. Great review Conor. At a time when a lot of readers in my circles are "giving up" on these books until Bruce inevitably comes back, I’m glad I’m sticking around for this. BftC has been extremely entertaining so far, and I think that the best of what Tony Daniel has done here is showing exactly how bad Gotham can get with out Batman. Even with all the extra help called in, things chould shape up to be the worst they’ve been in Gotham since Cataclysm and Daniel is really showing that in a great way.

  37. I thought this issue was very average, I mean granted it was better than the first one which was terrible. I mean seriously, Tony Daniel, while a great artist, shouldnt write. Or he should atleast learn who these characters are, Damian goes from a little psychopath into a crying coward? Tim goes from being a genius to an idiot who cant figure out that the new Batman was Jason(I mean, seriously Tim?)

    Also, I totally disagree with Conor about Jason Todd. I loved Jason Todd before he died and I thought Judd Winnick had a REALLY interesting take when he brought him back but I think you might be confused why some of us like him. I dont like him because he is some sort of badass, in fact I dont like anti heroes(i hate Punisher) but I like how he bounces off other characters and how he represents Bruce’s greatest failure returning to haunt him. Plus if I wasnt a comic reader and someone told me that "this new psychotic villain, yeah, he used to be Robin", I would probably think thats a pretty bad ass move

  38. If anything, this issue made me like Jason Todd even more. I can understand why he can’t be "The Batman", what with the killing and torturing, but I’d be willing to follow along if he was given another city to run rampant in.

  39. I agree with eagle6002; gun-toting bats isn’t Jason Todd. There’s a reason he’s never clearly identified himself in his narration and we’ve never seen his face. Jean-Paul Valley would fit, but would also be incredibly lame.

  40. Wow, wasn’t really keen to read this but this review has raised my enthusiasm level.  Unfortunately I was viewing it as one of those things that you HAVE to read because of it’s over reaching importance, but I have faith in Conor’s opinion as the resident ifanboy Batfan.  (Still, I’m mostly geared up for those June releases – can’t wait!)

  41. Isn’t the gun toting "Batman" simply one of the three "fake" Batmen from Grant Morrison’s run?  Isn’t he the primary villain from Batman 666?  That is who I assumed it would be.  Did he die and I missed it?  That is his costume, right?

  42. The best review I’ve read so far Conor. It reminds me why I love the Batman family so much.

     The problem is that I feel more from reading your review than from reading the actual book. I think Tony Daniel has good ideas, but decent ideas doesn’t make you a great writer. It’s all about the details.

      This story could be done so much better. It could be done so I could really wonder every minute who is going to be Batman, and how’s that going to affect Gotham.

      This story could be a masterpiece we could remember for a long time. Sadly, it isn’t. It is a good story, but I need more. I need big scenes, I need suspense, I feel like everything about this story should be polished. 

  43. this has been very good. but alas my pick was…Ignition City. i love the concept and the artwork is spectacular. but this battle for the cowl issue has kept me on the edge of my seat!!

  44. great review conor!  i read this with glee and can’t wait for the next piece of the story…  this went by so fast that when i got to the last page, i actually thought i might have skipped a page.  loved it!

  45. I didn’t really like anything this week.  Green Lantern has gotten silly and Captain Britain wasn’t up to the usual standards  ( a little talky, IMO).  In a fit of nostalgia, which I’m often prone to, I bought Warlord but wasn’t taken with it.  I guess my POW is Young Liars, which is starting to either make more sense or less sense.  Haven’t figured out which yet.

  46. Got through my books (not very many).  I enjoyed Echo and Punisher MAX, but I loved Exiles #1.  It’s not going to change the world, but it was sharp and funny and nice to look at.  Awesome work by Jeff Parker & Salva Espin.

  47. The only thing that pisses me off about Battle For The Cowl is that we only get one issue a month (not including crappy tie-ins)!

  48. This is one of the best reviews I’ve read on this site. Great job Conor!

  49. Conor, you really make this issue SOUND good.  And if I was describing it to someone else, it would sound really cool.  But to me, it really seems like that’s all it is: a collection of cool moments.  I’m not usually one who is picky about writing, but I don’t think Tony Daniel is doing such a great job.  The art is fantastic, and the story beats all hit the way they’re supposed to.  But it’s like he’s a good outliner, just not a good story-teller.  Certainly not awful, but I didn’t think this issue held up next to Green Lantern or World of New Krypton.

  50. RE:  That second B:BftC page posted above

    If I were trying to have a serious talk with somebody and the person walked up a ramp and posed on top of a rock I would have no choice but to roll my eyes.

  51. I agree with pretty much everything you wrote here, especially your views of the batfamily.  🙂 Excellent review.

  52. Good review, this was easily a better issue than the first.

    There’s the Black Mask situation, Jason Todd still running rampant, Damian and Gordon with gunshot wounds, Penguin and Two-Face making moves; there’s alot coming to a head.

    The final pages to the issue where brutal, between Jason Todd and Tim Drake.

  53. Awesome review Conor! I agree 100%!

  54. im starting to think JT isnt the batman also. its too much of a 180 from what fabian was depicting jason in the Robin issues. I think the gun toting batman is someone else becuase he never said he was jason. plus why would the 3rd cover not be jason todd in jason todd clothes instead of the gun batman in the cover? its cause its prolly not JT. just a guess

  55. I’m another who reckons the review is better than the comic, though the second issue was an improvement on the first. I suppose the basic fact of Jason Todd is harder for me to get over – I liked the kid when he was a red-headed Dick, then he was retroed as a black haired dick, then he came back from the dead as a far worse person than he ever was previously and now, if the narration really is Jason, he has either seriously warped memories of his time with Bruce (yeah, there was the falling rapist business, and some impudence, but he was never a total git) or the past has changed again.

    A minor point – wasn’t Bruce’s heart broken by one bullet and one heart failure?

  56. I really felt in this issue that the Gun Toting Batman is not Jason Todd.  Unless Bruce’s death mad him totally unhinged he hasn’t acted this way.  If Tony Daniel is brilliant all of the references to the Crow Bar and everything else are Red Harrings.

    But in the end I really don’t care I just want to read the 3rd issue.  I have not been more excited for Batman books in a long time, since I stopped reading when Morrison came on.

    Also fantastic review Conor.  I really like the comparison of the three sons.

  57. Great review.

  58. Gee, Conor picked a Batman book for pick of the week.  Suprise, surprise, surprise… <eye roll>

  59. @WonderMAnFan: I’d like you to guess the last time one was chosen.

  60. i’m going to read all of WonderManFan’s posts in a heavy napoleon dynamite voice from now on

  61. @Conor.  Well, In the last 5 months, you’ve picked Nightwing 151, Robin 180, and Battle for the Cowl 2 (unless I’m missing more Batman books.)  In fact, I think that means that 3 of your last 7 picks have been Batman books.  I’m not saying it’s a bad thing for you to pick a Batman book, I just think it’s a little … typical.  No shame in being a self-admitted Batman fan who picks Batman books though. 

  62. @WonderManFan: Why stop at 7?  I’ve also picked a Batman book 3 times out of the last 23.

  63. Geez, some people take everything personally.  It was a joke, man.

  64. @WonderManFan:

    *pats shoulder* That’ll do Wonderman, That’ll do.

Leave a Comment