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The Official Batman: Battle for the Cowl Thread

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According to a new interview with Tony Daniel at IGN Comics, gun-toting Batman actually is Jason Todd. So all the conspiracy theories are just that. Tony says that Jason is beyond the point of no return, and will no longer be one of those "gray-area" anti-heroes. He's fallen on the "bad" side and there's no coming back. Where his fate lies though...Who knows what will happen at the end of Battle for the Cowl #3 and forward.
 
ToyMachine228 said:
According to a new interview with Tony Daniel at IGN Comics, gun-toting Batman actually is Jason Todd. So all the conspiracy theories are just that. Tony says that Jason is beyond the point of no return, and will no longer be one of those "gray-area" anti-heroes. He's fallen on the "bad" side and there's no coming back. Where his fate lies though...Who knows what will happen at the end of Battle for the Cowl #3 and forward.
Click to expand...

I read that too. It seems like an odd jump considering his last appearance before BFTC. Did they ever show what was in the video Bruce left for him?
 
I was actually hoping that it wasnt Jason Todd. I hate the character, but it was way too obvious to actually be Jason,oh well. I thought it would make Battle For The Cowl have more depth.
 
Forgotten_Taco said:
I read that too. It seems like an odd jump considering his last appearance before BFTC. Did they ever show what was in the video Bruce left for him?
Click to expand...

No, I don't believe so. I don't think they've showed what any of them saw. Them being Tim, Dick and Jason. While I'm glad they're making a move to give Jason a more permanent persona, it kind of sucks that he's going to be on the wrong side of things. He may just be that new "super-villain" that Dan Didio was talking about coming into play in the new Batman & Robin series.
 
Lttp and I haven't followed DC in quite a while, but if Barbara
comes back as batgirl
...Holy fuck, I'm game. :D
 
ReconYoda said:
I was actually hoping that it wasnt Jason Todd. I hate the character, but it was way too obvious to actually be Jason,oh well. I thought it would make Battle For The Cowl have more depth.
Click to expand...

This is Tony Daniel's first shot at writing, so keep your expectations low as far as depth and plot twists go.

If nothing else, the design for Jason Todd's Batman is pretty slick.
 
Oracle #2 is hitting this week for all of you interested. There seem to be a lot of people who are and want her to become Batgirl at the end of Battle for the Cowl so I thought I'd mention it. Personally, I don't give a damn about Batgirl:lol
 
Even though there are so many theories flying around judging by what Didio said and the Red Robin #2 solicitation, I'm positive that Red Robin is
Tim Drake
which was my initial prediction anyway.

Shipping this coming week in the Battle for the Cowl realm is...

Azrael #2
Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum
 
So Azael #2, Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum and Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader #2 by Gaiman all hit the stands today.

Azrael #2 was about as good as the first. I kind of like the tone because it's so much different than normal Batman books. With the religious themes and all. And the last page was pretty cool as well. Will be interesting to see where #3 goes to see if it ties into Battle for the Cowl, or if DC is just doing it because they thought it'd make a good story.
 
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader #2 was definitely better than the first I though. Worth the purchase.

Anyone out there get Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum? Let me know how it was.
 
Battle for the Cowl: The Underground is shipping tomorrow. It may be one of the most interesting BftC tie-ins yet. It's written by Chris Yost who is the author of the upcoming Red Robin series, and it's all about the villains of Gotham including Two-Face, Penguin, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Ra's Al Ghul. Check it out tomorrow.
 
There's a 5-page preview of Battle for the Cowl: The Underground up and it looks really good. The main plot seems to be The Riddler investigating Black Mask to find out who he really is. Should definitely be a good one to pick up.
 
ToyMachine228 said:
There's a 5-page preview of Battle for the Cowl: The Underground up and it looks really good. The main plot seems to be The Riddler investigating Black Mask to find out who he really is. Should definitely be a good one to pick up.
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No link to the preview? :(
 
Battle for the Cowl: The Underground wasn't bad. I definitely like Chris Yost's writing. This is the first thing I've read from him. So definitely looking forward to his Red Robin series. Nothing amazing actually happens in The Underground, it's just a one-shot showing some entertaining stuff. Jason Todd and Catwoman face off, and The Riddler is investigating to try to find the identity of the Black Mask. Might come into play in Battle for the Cowl #3.

Next week is Battle for the Cowl: The Network. Starring Batgirl, Misfit, Ragman, Manhunter and some others. Might skip this one. Not sure yet.
 
Have to say with lack of twists this story has fallen pretty flat. They had some nice setups for some surprises but went pretty vanilla on the whole thing.

So far the most interesting thing for me at least was the Arkham Asylum one shot. Hopefully they will do some stuff with that. Other then that pretty meh.
 
Ponn01 said:
Have to say with lack of twists this story has fallen pretty flat. They had some nice setups for some surprises but went pretty vanilla on the whole thing.

So far the most interesting thing for me at least was the Arkham Asylum one shot. Hopefully they will do some stuff with that. Other then that pretty meh.
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Have to agree. The Arkham one and the end of Underground were the only things to trip my trigger so far. Then again I have no use for Jason Todd.
 
Battle for the Cowl: The Network is shipping tomorrow. It's about Batgirl and the team of heroes that she's recruited to help in Gotham without Batman. The Outsiders are part of the team. I'm not sure if I'm biting on this one. Written by Fabian Nicieza.

Next week is the conclusion to Azrael and the week after that is the conclusion to Battle for the Cowl altogether.

Yeah, so far Battle for the Cowl has lacked surprises. I'm loving Jason Todd's Batman but I'm a Jason Todd fan so...Azrael has been decent, but they haven't really given a reason for bringing him back yet. Hopefully Azrael #3 shines some light on it. And hopefully Battle for the Cowl #3 does end in a big way. Obviously
Dick is going to become Batman
but there's other things that could be big events in the conclusion such as...
Jason dying again? For good?
 
The conclusion to Azrael hits this week. Definitely liked the first issue, the second was all right...Hopefully the third is the best one. It's going to start with Azrael and Nightwing sword-dueling it out so hopefully it's a good conclusion and puts some perspective on why Azrael is a part of Battle for the Cowl instead of just DC capitalizing on the Battle for the Cowl concept. We'll see. Should be interesting either way.
 
I forgot to mention the most interesting thing from the preview...
Bruce told Dick in his final message to him that he didn't want Dick to don the cowl.
Pretty interesting twist.
 
Penguin said:
That's a rather interesting twist.

Wonder why he did it.
Click to expand...

Dick mentioning in the preview that "something set Jason off" makes me wonder...
Did Bruce tell Jason he wanted him to become Batman? And if so, did he do so meaningly, or did he do so to push Dick and Tim to their limits to become "better".
It should be interesting.
 
ToyMachine228 said:
The conclusion to Azrael hits this week. Definitely liked the first issue, the second was all right...Hopefully the third is the best one. It's going to start with Azrael and Nightwing sword-dueling it out so hopefully it's a good conclusion and puts some perspective on why Azrael is a part of Battle for the Cowl instead of just DC capitalizing on the Battle for the Cowl concept. We'll see. Should be interesting either way.
Click to expand...


Azreal part three was definitely the best.

edit:

ToyMachine228 said:
I forgot to mention the most interesting thing from the preview...
Bruce told Dick in his final message to him that he didn't want Dick to don the cowl.
Pretty interesting twist.
Click to expand...
Nice preview. Can't wait.
ToyMachine228 said:
Dick mentioning in the preview that "something set Jason off" makes me wonder...
Did Bruce tell Jason he wanted him to become Batman? And if so, did he do so meaningly, or did he do so to push Dick and Tim to their limits to become "better".
It should be interesting.
Click to expand...
Most Interesting indeed. Time to re-read! :lol
 
ToyMachine228 said:
Dick mentioning in the preview that "something set Jason off" makes me wonder...
Did Bruce tell Jason he wanted him to become Batman? And if so, did he do so meaningly, or did he do so to push Dick and Tim to their limits to become "better".
It should be interesting.
Click to expand...

Probably told Jason the exact same thing actually, he just took it differently.
 
according to some solicits IGN put up, Blackest Nigh:Batman deal with a certain
family of black lanters, The Flying Graysons
 
Question about Azrael #3:

Who was the guy in the Third Batman costume landing on the car? We know it's not Michael Lane, and Lane also says something about someone else finding his costume. I can't tell if this is a new or recurring plot point from another Bat book.
 
wackojackosnose said:
Question about Azrael #3:

Who was the guy in the Third Batman costume landing on the car? We know it's not Michael Lane, and Lane also says something about someone else finding his costume. I can't tell if this is a new or recurring plot point from another Bat book.
Click to expand...

Lane was the original "3rd Batman", but he tossed his costume, and Jason Todd winds up with it.
 
Are you sure about that?

We know Jason is Gatman (according to the writer and he's already in BFTC) so why would he also dress up in the 3rd Bats costume as well as his current Gun-Bats?
 
wackojackosnose said:
Are you sure about that?

We know Jason is Gatman (according to the writer and he's already in BFTC) so why would he also dress up in the 3rd Bats costume as well as his current Gun-Bats?
Click to expand...

Jasons Batman costume is the same one lane wore, just altered a bit. Both have that metal mask/plate around the mouth.
 
Battle for the Cowl #3 ships tomorrow! Remember to use this thread to discuss the conclusion to the series and your thoughts on the new Batman!
 
Just read it...... Quick thoughts. Spoilers, obviously.

Part of me wished that they really did
kill off Tim.
Don't get me wrong, I love the character, but I think it would have been better for the book if it did. Granted, BoTC was never hyped up to be something really huge like say Knightfall or Hush or something.

Kind of annoyed that
"Black Mask's" identity wasn't' revealed.
I'll admit, at one point, part of me wondered if it was Jason. :lol


More importantly. I know it seems like
good old Nightwing is the new bats (woot!).
But the fact we didn't get to see his face makes me wonder if it's
Tim
instead. :/


Call me paranoid. But there's something about the hair.
 
I haven't had a chance to read Battle for the Cowl #3 yet as I'm at work but I did pick a copy up and glance through the pages. So it looks like...

Dick is Batman. Surprise. And Jason Todd either dies AGAIN, or just ambiguously falls and will come back as a perma-villain. Kind of surprising how they ended it because they didn't show Dick really wearing the cowl, or Tim becoming Red Robin or anything which is expected and starts next month so...Just kind didn't really come out with the solid conclusions as well as it could have. I haven't read the whole issue yet though.
More when I get home obviously.
 
So here are the official results from Battle for the Cowl...Spoilers below obviously.

Dick Grayson/Nighwing is Batman.
Damian Wayne is Robin.
Tim Drake is Red Robin.
Jason Todd falls off a train into water.
Black Mask's identity is still unknown.
Penguin is arrested and Two-Face flees Gotham.
Nothing on the new Batgirl.

Overall I felt Battle for the Cowl was an enjoyable ride, but it definitely could have been better. I mean we never see the new Batgirl or Red Robin once, yet their series are starting next month out of no where. They obviously left Black Mask' identity a secret on purpose for exploration in the new series which is fine. And according to Tony Daniel' Jason Todd will be back. I also think they could have handled the new Batman better instead of just showing it for one panel at the end. They could have done something more symbolic.

Anyway...Discuss the results, what you thought was good, and what you thought could have been better.
 
It was fun.

Not the greatest Batman story I've read, but it was definately fun. Definately a lot better than the train wreck I was expecting from the artist doing the writing (I was getting shades of Tom Lyle and the wreckage of Maximum Clonage #6). It was also a lot better than Final Crisis.

Where did they say Tim Drake = Red Robin though?
 
wackojackosnose said:
Where did they say Tim Drake = Red Robin though?
Click to expand...

Battle for the Cowl didn't. Which was one of it's flaws I think. But Tony Daniel has confirmed that Tim is Red Robin in interviews however. And just judging from the description of what Red Robin is doing...Searching for the answers to Bruce Wayne's whereabouts obviously screams Tim, since he is basically the biggest detective amongst the Batman family.
 
I liked the outcome, it just seemed anti-climatic in the very first several pages as you could kind of see where the book was going.

I cannot wait for the new series though, I think it will breathe some fresh ideas into the Batman universe.
 
TD: Thanks – well, I wanted us to view what Dick was viewing, be Dick, for that moment. Going through the mansion, down to the cave. Putting up the cowl. Yes, his hair is shorter.
Click to expand...

So I'm not crazy after all. :lol


hmm. Thoughts on an ongoing Batman thread?
 
Sorry to bump the thread but I didn't want to make my own if there was already a BotC thread. Anyway here are my thoughts:

1. I realized I really don't care about some (most?) of Batman's allies. Catwoman, huntress, black canary. Bleh, their BotC segments were mediocre at best. The fact that there were different writers for the different segments of BotC really showed.

Anything involving Damian, Tim, Dick, Jason, or Azreal was decently written and had some kind of tension. Oracle's and the other's stuff was gimmicky and driven by what the authors thought was appropriate for that character, not appropriate for the BotC timeline. "Barbara Gordon sometimes feels pain in her legs even though the nerves are gone". "Sometime they hurt". I think that phrase was repeated maybe 6 times? Pretty gimmicky and who cares because WE KNOW SHE HAS PROBLEMS WITH BEING DISABLED.

2. WTF happened to Jason Todd. His character from Crisis and the trades that I had read was much more...controlled than he was now. And I understand why they made him go over the edge, but Jason Todd didn't have that kind of hatred in him before. Or at least I didn't think Bruce's death would make him go off the deep end. I hope there is either redemption in the cards for him or make him Batman's antithesis. Kills ruthlessly, smart, a detective, with a gimmick of his own. So either make him something like he was before, or make him into a very powerful enemy of the Batman/JLA.

3. I fully realize that certain kinds of art directions turn me off unless I am really in the mood for them. Case in point, Azreal's sections. I hate that weird kind of realistic water color approach. Puts a damper on the "traditional comic book" feel that I expect in my Batman stories.

4. I love Dick and I really hope they continue the stories on how he struggles to be the Bat. LOVE DICK. GO DICK.
 
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