Metropolis

Sorry I’ve been away for awhile.  Life catches up with you sometimes and kicks you with a four inch heel to the groin.  His ways are a mystery, I tell ya!
 
—BATTLE FOR THE COWL: SPECIAL EDITION—

 
BATTLE FOR THE COWL 1 (of 3) – I didn’t entirely hate this.  Color me surprised, but my fanboy sensibilities weren’t as insulted as I thought they would be.  I still don’t understand DC’s decision for handing such an important event book over to the guy who used to write THE TENTH, but I have to admit – it wasn’t entirely all bad. 

That isn’t really a knock against Daniel’s writing abilities, I just think that someone of a higher caliber should have been tapped to churn out such a pivotal moment in the life of Gotham City’s caped protectors.  Someone with more on their resume than a mediocre IMAGE book from the 90s was probably called for in this situation.  (Huh?  I guess that was a crack on Daniel’s writing abilities. Oops.)  I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed some of it. It read a little sophomoric in places and could have definitely used a more seasoned writer for the emotional punches, but the action scenes – a hallmark of any good Batman comic book – were pretty fun.  I think a stronger editorial presence could have helped this immensely, but looking for a strong editorial presence at DC right now is like looking for a non-biased story on FOX NEWS.  I’m looking forward to seeing the various Batman analogues that pop up – and I hope their true identities aren’t as totally predictable as I think they will be, but if the spoilers going around on the message boards are true…  OKAY.
 
BATTLE FOR THE COWL: AZREAL 1 (of 3) – I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.  I was always a sucker for Dennis O’Neil’s AZREAL (when he had his own book. As a part of Knightfall I wanted him dead!), because the way O’Neil wrote him was really a lesson in shaping a character on the printed page.  He started out with this guy that DC editorial had groomed the audience to hate from pretty much the get-go, and had the unenviable task of turning him into the hero of his own book.  The results are debatable, but it went on to run for 100 issues before the lead character died.  Without going into the convoluted details of his origin, which are touched on in this book, it shouldn’t go without saying that this is a new character inside the suit. The thing that appealed to me so much was that the lead is essentially as low as he can go. He has no family, friends or purpose – and when presented with a purpose and goals he really steps up.  I’m looking forward to seeing more of this guy.  GOOD STUFF.
 
BATTLE FOR THE COWL: GOTHAM GAZETTE 1 (of 1 ) – Not really much more than an anthology sampler of Gotham in her darkest hours.  And as a sampler it really doesn’t give you much to chew on. There were two or three stories in this one-shot, which served to kick off the BftC event, and they were all so forgettable and non-consequential that….I can’t really remember much about them, which is very telling in the impact they have on the events.  EH. 
 
BATTLE FOR THE COWL: COMMISSIONER GORDON 1 (of 1) – This one shot attempts to turn Jim Gordon, Gotham’s greatest cop, into John Maclaine from DIE HARD.  Gordon has to fight Mr. Freeze all by his lonesome and (predictably) does just fine. If you like the Bat-Family as much as me you’ll enjoy it.  If you’re just here for the BftC event – this one isn’t really necessary.  EH.
 
BATTLE FOR THE COWL: ORACLE 1 (of 3) – I found it terribly ironic that I read this on the day that the story broke about a mother in Nebraska who complained about sexuality in a Spider-Man comic (http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/03/30/sexy-spidey-outrages-mom/).  Within the first few pages we get to see the most artistically tastefully done shot of a naked Barbara Gordon slipping out of her panties, and her wheelchair, and crawling into her shower.  That was sarcasm, for those of you who are sarcasm impaired.  Did we really (REALLY?!!?!!) need to see her panties sliding over her knees or the strategically placed wheel of her chair covering her unmentionables as she showers?  GAH!!!  This is why they hate us!  But anyway…this was actually a pretty decent Oracle story, setting up her new status quo as she moves back to Gotham City just in time for Batman to die and send the underworld spiraling into a fiery chaos. Good timing, Babs!  The thrust of the story is that Babs has been trying to locate the Anti-Life equation (on the Internet) and the villainous Calculator is also looking for it.  Oh.  And some chick’s head explodes.  GOOD STUFF.