Battle for the Cowl

Battle for the Cowl has -- somewhat unsurprisingly -- left us with more questions that answers. To top it off, the answers it gave us were pretty much expected. Dick Grayson will be Batman, Damien will be Robin, and Jason will be completely insane.

But if the answers are a bit predictable, the questions are far more intriguing. There aren't many of them, but that doesn't stop them from being somewhat important. Let us consider them each in turn.

#1 - Jason's Mysterious Past? Uh oh. Looks like Jason's been retconned a particularly trouble past. And I'm talking one beyond even his delinquent life on the street. Batman's message clearly insinuates that Jason's insanity isn't just the result of a botched resurrection. Something bad happened to him before he came under Batman's care.

What was it? Abuse is probably the most likely. Was Jason abused physically? Sexually? Whether it was abuse or something else it drove Jason to act out violently in later years. There's no question that this will be addressed down the line.

#2 - Where is Batman? This is a question that has a halfway answer. We know that Batman's in the past. But how far, exactly? Where? Though we readers are the only ones who definitively know that Batman's alive clearly Tim suspects. It'll drive him to be Red Robin.

I for one would like to see a miniseries about Batman's adventures in the past. I want to him team up with Anthro and fight Vandal Savage in the Ice Age. How awesome would that be?

#3 - Whose Body? This one goes along with the previous question. If Batman is alive -- and we know he is -- then whose body is that in Bruce Wayne's grave? It's not a construct or an imaginary story. It's a real corpse in a Batman costume. It belonged to somebody.

#4 - Who is Black Mask? This is the most interesting question to me. Some of that has to do with my macabre fascination with Black Mask. But some of it has to do with the fact that it's the one real mystery we got in Battle for the Cowl. The other mysteries were either irrelevant or predictable. Not this one.

So who is the new Black Mask? We know that it's not Roman Sionis. It's made clear that Catwoman killed him, and he hasn't come back. It was indicated that Jason knows. There's even some hint that Jason could be Black Mask. But I think that unlikely. Jason wanted to be Batman. He would have gained nothing from the dual roles.

Whoever Black Mask is, he (or even she!) is someone with the requisite knowledge of Gotham City to engineer a takeover after everything falls apart (that seems to have become Black Mask's modus operandi as a Bat-villain). It's someone who benefits from the chaos of it all. It'll probably be obvious in the end, but right now... I have no idea.

So those are the questions I took away from Battle for the Cowl Do you have any of the answers?

Here's Hoping

That "Azrael" series came out a couple of weeks ago. I haven't gotten around to reading it for... Obvious reasons. Has anyone else seen it? What did you think?

Part of me hopes it doesn't do well. After all, it's supposed to be my comic. Not some other guy's. But Saint Dumas knows I can't really feel that way. It's not in my nature. I guess I want anyone who has to follow in my terrible shoes to succeed.

I hope he doesn't go completely crazy like most Azraels.

Batman Predictions

I understand that the identity of the new Batman may have been revealed. I have no interest in spoilers, so I haven't taken a look yet. But before the whole thing accidentally breaks lose and someone ruins it for me I though that I should probably go ahead and give my predictions for the end of Battle for the Cowl.

At the end of it all we'll have the books Batman and Robin, Batman, and Red Robin. I think it's pretty obvious that Red Robin will be Tim Drake. It's true that Jason Todd once wore that mantle, but the most recent person to carry it was Tim Drake. And the solicitation description describes a character who is acting far more like Tim Drake than Jason Todd.

Batman and Robin is Grant Morrison's baby. So I think the identity of that "Robin" will probably be Damien. There's really nobody else young enough to take that role if Tim Drake isn't having it. And that's definitely not Tim Drake on the cover. Who will be Batman in Batman and Robin? It's got to be Dick Grayson. We're not seeing him anywhere else, after all. He's the only person who really makes sense. I don't care if he doesn't want it; he's going to get it anyway.

That leaves us with Batman. Surely that means more "solo" adventures for Dick Grayson as Batman. I think not. I don't think there's any reason to assume that there will be only one Batman at the end of this. Obviously this status quo won't last for ever. So why not shake it up a bit? Why not have two Batmen? Seeing as the writing of Batman is Judd Winick, I'm pretty sure that in that book we'll be seeing the adventures of Jason Todd as Batman.

So in summary: three books, four characters, two Batmen. Let's see if I'm right.

Moving On

Well, this is the week. The week I officially get replaced.

I don't really know how to feel about this.

I suppose I should be happy to know that somebody is out there wreaking crazed vengeance on deserving sinners. The flaming sword thing just doesn't get the play it used to. Back in the 90's it seemed like everybody had a flaming sword. I had one and extendable flaming gauntlets...

But St. Dumas knows that sometimes I'm a bit weak. And I'll admit that I'm feeling some envy. I know that's not particuarly Christian, but I'd really like for it to be me out there doing the crazed vigilante thing. And you know it's crazed. They even use the word "crazed" in the solicitation.

I'm just going to have to accept that somebody else is getting my old job. I hope at the very least I get a mention. I had a hundred issues of vigilantism. The least they could do is mention me.

But more than anything I hope this helps the poor, lost soul who's taking on the mantle of "Azrael." I know it always gave me great comfort to break ribs and shatter skulls. I miss the good old days...

Battle for the Cowl

There's something I've been wondering about when it comes to this Battle for the Cowl thing. Writers and editors have been talking about how (and I'm paraphrasing here) "when criminals discover Batman is gone things go to hell."

Basically I think they're saying that Batman serves as a deterrent to crime more than anything. There are plenty of costumed heroes running around Gotham, but it's Batman that really makes the baddies stay in at night.

The question then becomes: what about the year of 52? Batman was gone for a whole year. Heck, not only Batman but Nightwing and Robin. And I don't think Batgirl was around either. Basically the only people there were Batwoman and Harvey Dent.

But as far as I can tell the crime rate didn't shoot entirely through the roof. At least no more than usual. Apparently Harvey Dent (Harvey Dent?) did a decent enough job of keeping things running smoothly with the help of Kathy Kane.

What I'm asking is: do they really expect us to buy the fact that everything is going to fall apart now? Or is this different? Is it a matter of the 52 period being "Batman's gone but watch yourself because he's coming back" while Battle for the Cowl is "Batman's dead, feel free to go crazy"?