Batman: Battle for the Cowl Paperback – November 9, 2010

As many of us did, I wondered what on Earth DC was thinking when Batman was 'killed' at the end of Final Crisis, which was an EXTRAORDINARY event series. ( Final Crisis ) Although, a great deal of us correctly guessed from the final frames what might have actually happened, which I will not spoil here for those of you who haven't read it yet. (Go do so! LOL) But the inevitable question was, who, if anyone, can replace Bruce Wayne as Batman? The correct answer is both no one, and ONLY Dick Grayson. As Alfred says in the story, there is only one man who might be able to continue his legacy. Dick Grayson was the first Robin, and later the EXTREMELY popular character Nightwing, who had his own GREAT series for a good long while. ( Nightwing Vol. 1: A Knight in Bludhaven ) This story depicts the many facets of the Batman family as they decide what needs to be done. Throw in a multi-front gangwar, and the darn near psychopathic Jason Todd, and you've got a nail biting story that is told with keen writing and BRILLIANT artwork. All in all, this is one of the best Batman stories I've yet read, though I am admittedly a huge Nightwing fan. It really has everything, and I strongly recommend it for fans of the larger framework that is the Bat family. I give it an easy 5 stars, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. Thanks so much for your time folks. Sincerely, R.A. McDowell

This was an amazing story, and the title is a good fit. It was the battle for the cowl, but it was only really about the cowl for Tim Drake and Jason Todd. The actual heir to the cowl doesn't take up the mantel of the bat until the smoke clears. The story was really just the road to how we got from Bruce Wayne "dying" and Nightwing picking it up, but wow, what a story. Jason Todd has went clear off his rocker and why, why doesn't Dick Grayson want the cowl, who is the master mind to this third party gang war on Two Face and the Penguin, and who will Gotham look to for her protector? These questions will only be answered within these pages. The artwork alone is worth picking up this book, but the story will draw you in.

I mean it is alright. Felt like Jason was forced to play the bad guy. The art is good. You can skip it if you are reading the Morrison/Dini run.

Bought it for my husband’s birthday. He enjoyed reading it. Thank you

it was a nice and fun story to read with great art

What to say about this book? I had the unique perspective of history on my side. History - when related to comic book readers - is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad one. I read a study a few years ago that said the average comic book reader will actively buy and read comics for about seven years before moving on for whatever reason. That means that stories, characters, situations and whatnot can be rehashed about every so often without readers en masse revolting. Anyone familiar with the Batman mythos will remember that in 1993 Batman was replaced by John Paul Valley - Azrael - after Bane broke his back. In other words, we've seen this before. Other things that I've seen before - Gotham burning to the ground in some fashion. We had the guy who blew up a number of buildings in Gotham in order to highlight the more cyberpunkish buildings (1992), we had Ras Al Ghul release the Clench on Gotham, killing many of its inhabitants. We had Gotham suffer a massive earthquake and be basically cut off from the rest of the country and the world in No Man's Land (I actually liked that one). My point is... how many times can Gotham be basically shaken to its core by the criminal element and nature? Seriously. Watching Gotham burn is getting hella old. Who in Hades would actually choose to live there? And what is it with DC basically destroying entire cities (Bludhaven and Coast City)?!But I digress... Battle for the Cowl follows Dick Grayson and Tim Drake as they try to stop Jason Todd from taking over the mantle of Batman and soiling its history - as Jason's methods are much more drastic and terminal than those of Bruce Wayne. I have to totally agree with a previous poster who questioned DC's decision to allow Tony Daniel to write this story. First, Damien, Bruce Wayne's son, is written as a spoiled teenager. I thought he was 10 years-old. I find the fact that Tim Drake would even consider taking on the mantle of Batman a bit... preposterous. I totally understand that time and aging don't make any sense in funny books, but Tim can't be older than 19 or so. The thought of a 19 year-old Batman is pretty silly. Understand that Tim RELUCTANLY takes the over as Batman when Dick won't. I get that.Not to harp on the writing, but Jason Todd is also written quite poorly. I enjoyed when Jason Todd was reintroduced into the DC universe. It had been more than 20 years after his death. Daniel's writing of Todd in this book is a bit off for me. Dick Grayson is the only character that Daniel seems to have a firm grasp of in the story. Fortunately for him, Grayson is the key compenent of the story.The art is good, but the additional two stories that fill out the book are average at best.

Battle for the Cowl was a deep dive into the motivations of Batman and what it means to take up the mantle. Dick Grayson's evolution into that role has been one of my favorite developments for the character in a very long time. I wish that DC stuff with the Batman Incorporated plot line. I think Grayson's and Damian's roles as the dynamic duo was a very fresh take on a franchise that has had its ups and downs.

I really enjoyed this title. Picks up where the events of Final Crisis leaves off. Should really read the whole "Batman R.I.P." story arc too (with Batman & Son/The Black Glove setup)*Spoilers ahead -- you've been warned**With Batman presumed dead, his allies are working to keep Gotham safe amid growing new threats who realize Batman isn't around.This story centers around members of the Bat family realizing that even in the absence of Bruce Wayne, Gotham needs Batman as a symbol. Really interesting to see how characters like Tim Drake and Dick Grayson deal with the realization that their personas alone may not be enough to get Gotham back on track.

Love this story after Final Crisis. It appears Batman has fallen and Nightwing assumes the mantle. Interesting storyline on dealing with grief and the necessity to move on and to inspire hope to a city in need.

A pesar de que la calidad argumental de Tony S. Daniel no es la misma que la de Morrison, esta historia cumple satisfactoriamente. Por su parte, el envío y la calidad del producto fue impecable.

I'm not going to write about the contents of the comic because I know many feel this one's out of character (especially for Nightwing, which I agree with) but instead I'll focus on the quality it came in. It was PRISTINE I'm talking 0 scratches, it was glossy, all of the pages were intact. Mmm. Much different from me going to the store and the books being placed on the shelves carelessly with a million scratches. I like the experience of going in person, but if you want something that's in great condition, buy off of Amazon.

A great story filled with action and heart...A great book for Dick Grayson Nightwing fans who wants to see the authoratitive and inspiring side of the character. Both the art and the story is really good from Tony Daniel and it's a must read for any Batman fan

Uma importante história, não tem roteiro, arte e cores realmente bons, muito menos marcantes, mas é uma história que vale a pena ler como prelúdio ao Batman & Robin do Morrison.