Gotham City Sirens a Slow Build
Batman’s death in the pages of both Batman and Final Crisis was a major shake-up in the Bat family and its collected titles. With the cancellation of Birds of Prey, Nightwing and Robin, the expected relaunch and uncertain direction of the Batman universe was watched with anticipation, nerves and hope. Now that the battle for the cowl has ended, and Dick Grayson, the original Robin, is wearing the bat symbol, the entire franchise has seen a title relaunch with several new series. One of those to come out of the sweeping change has been Gotham City Sirens, a title focusing, so far, on Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn and Catwoman, all three major female forces in the life of Batman and Bruce Wayne. Read more
New Batman Ongoing Series “Streets of Gotham” Hits Stores!
One of the newest ongoing series that spun out of the events of Battle for the Cowl, Batman: Streets of Gotham, drops onto comic book store shelves today. It’s a new day in Gotham City, with a new Batman and, perhaps surprisingly, a new Robin patrolling the rooftops. The team of Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen launches with a recurring backup feature focusing on Manhunter, one of the more mysterious figures of the DC Universe. A new adversary for this Batman emerges in this series, and many questions are raised by the police regarding their relationship with the new man behind the cowl.
Writer Marc Andreyko, known for his work with the character Manhunter, will write the backup feature, with noted Buffy the Vampire Slayer illustrator Georges Jeanty providing the artwork. Another feature to not with this series will be its cover price of $3.99, an increase supposedly mirrored by added pages to this series, 40 instead of the standard 32. The creative power behind this series promises to make it one of the hot new titles of the year for DC!
Gail Simone’s Magic Touch
Some people would consider themselves skeptical when it comes to practices such as faith healing or the laying on of hands as a cure for ailments or to improve a person’s general health. For years there have been cries of doubt and suspicion whenever it seems that someone is able to perform miracles, bend spoons, or summon the dead, practices that some place in the same camp as those mentioned earlier. Can the same be said for writers?
In the case of Gail Simone, it seems obvious that she is indeed the genuine article. For years, Simone has been one of the most respected and regarded writers in comics, male or female, and no matter the project it seems to turn to gold under her touch. Coming off her long-running work with the recently cancelled Birds of Prey, which flourished and deepened its content and characters under her run, she has taken up writing responsibilities for two DC Comics titles, one a tradition, the other an up and comer.
Battle for the Cowl #2: The Search for Batman Continues
In our review of Battle for the Cowl #1, several things became readily clear: 1. It appeared that Gotham City was crying out for a savior as gangs of criminals ran rampant. 2. Every costumed avenger in Gotham, and even some beyond, were doing all they could to help avoid chaos. 3. Dick Grayson made very clear the fact that the only person fit to wear the cape and cowl of Bruce Wayne was Bruce Wayne.
Would he feel the same way in this issue?
SPOILER ALERT. SPOILERS ABOUND IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS.
Now that Black Mask has returned from the supposed dead, setting loose all the Arkham Asylum alumni in the process, we open with Two Face thinking that all this increased madness, and the destruction of his “merchandise”, has to be caused by his chief rival, The Penguin, instead of Black Mask. A more important matter emerges quickly after this scene. Is the Batman who burst onto the scene in issue one, guns blazing, criminals dying, really Jason Todd? Signs quickly point to yes, as he refers to Nightwing by name, possesses superior fighting skills and mentions several things about vengeance and justice that echo Todd’s thoughts on the way the world of vigilantism should work. Even the narration, told from the point of view of this Batman point in that direction, but it’s inconclusive.
Barbara Gordon, Oracle or Batgirl: Who Will Emerge?
While it’s no secret that DC Comics is planning something with Barbara Gordon, until recently head of the crimefighting Birds of Prey, what that plan exactly is remains a bit of a mystery. The last pages of Birds of Prey’s final issue showed Barbara in an old storehouse, staring up at her old Batgirl costume in a glass case. The back-up feature ends with her staring at that same costume, now lying flat on a bed.
Hmmm…what might this mean?
Any reader who has any knowledge of Birds of Prey knew that Barbara’s role as Batgirl, even though she had “retired”, was forever ended when the Joker shot her in the spine in the one-shot The Killing Joke, part of an attempt to drive Commissioner Gordon insane. It almost worked. After a time of recuperation, she retrained herself into the super-hacker Oracle. She became an often-called upon resource for DC heroes due to her skills, and even proved herself in hand-to-hand combat when the time called for it. One recurring element though for part of the series, mostly after the departure of writer Gail Simone, was Oracle being shown in a state of doubt and regret about her role as Oracle; it became a constant theme during the last several issues, perhaps to set up Oracle: The Cure, DC’s three issue limited series featuring her.
Battle for the Cowl: Who Will Be The Next Batman?
Now that Battle for the Cowl #1 has hit the comic book shops and the subsequent tie-ins are certainly on their way, let the speculation as to who will inherit said cowl commence. If the first issue of this intriguing storyline has told us anything, it’s that the future of Gotham City is truly what’s at stake here. With Arkham freshly emptied by an (alive?) Black Mask, a desperate Bat-Family and a pretender to Batman’s name all working overtime, who, at the end, will be left standing to lead Gotham into, hopefully, a time of peace? Below, some odds on who it might be.
Catwoman: 250 to 1: Even though she has emerged as a champion, of sorts, for Gotham City in the recent past, and has become an intimate part of Bruce Wayne’s life, the disconnect in different parts of their moral codes keeps the good Ms. Kyle from ever really being able to inherit the cape and symbol. Will she still be an effective part of the extended Bat-Family after BFTC ends? Probably, but Batman, she’s not. Her interest in the East End mostly also may hinder this.
A Review Of Battle For The Cowl #1
All of the buildup and hype surrounding the death of Batman now enters phase two with today’s release of Battle for the Cowl #1. Some very essential questions are answered in this wonderfully scripted and rendered issue, written and drawn by Tony S. Daniel. Questions such as what does Gotham without a Batman look like, who’s around to try and keep the peace and where are the villains, are given equal time, and then some, in this first issue.
SPOILER ALERT!!! MAJOR DETAILS OF THE FIRST ISSUE ARE REVEALED! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
Death of Batman Occurs In Final Crisis!
Bruce Wayne’s mission to avenge the death of his parents came to an end in the latest issue of Final Crisis. Batman’s death has been hinted at for several months. In the issue-spanning story arc entitled Batman: R.I.P, the Dark Knight’s death had been foreshadowed when a helicopter carrying Batman crashed, leaving his fate in doubt. Instead of allowing him to die in one of his own titles, however, DC Comics made Batman’s death official in its epic mini-series, Final Crisis.
Crisis’ sixth issue, released on January 14th, saw the Caped Crusader die at the hands of Darkseid, an evil god-like alien from the planet Apokolips. During an attempt to stop Darkseid from conquering earth, Batman is murdered by the villain’s ability to incinerate his victims with energy beams, called the Omega Effect, which shoot from his eyes. At the end of the issue, Batman’s charred body is shown being carried by his close friend, Superman.
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