Reilly2040's Blog

So, with our second full week of new #1s under our belt, its interesting to see how things are shaping up. To be honest, I probably felt last week’s books were stronger over all (thanks to the killer combo of Action Comics and Batgirl), but I still mostly enjoyed this week’s offerings that I picked up.

Batman and Robin relaunched this week with a team I’ve been curious to see for a while.  Part of the fun of the previous series, was the role reversal by having a lighter hearted Batman, and the grim Damian Robin.   So for the first time we have Bruce and Damian operating as Batman and Robin.  I’ve always felt this was a teaming DC had skipped past for the sake of their larger story, and given its interesting father and son dynamic, its something I’ve been curious to see approached for a while now.

First off, I’ve read some complaints online about the characterisation, and I must admit I can see what they were talking about. Peter Tomasi’s Damian definitely felt a bit off. More in line with the character’s early appearances, almost ignoring the maturing we saw during his partnership with Dick. That said, I did like how Tomasi is trying to move Bruce on as a character, and play up the fact that this is a father and son team (Bruce trying to lay down the law to Damian in a way that’s clearly going to encourage rebellion struck me very much as a parenting trap).  The idea that Bruce is trying to move beyond the death of his parents, tying in nicely with him now focusing on his own son, so I really liked what Peter Tomasi was doing there.

One book that was probably the first of my nice surprises this week was Paul Cornell’s Demon Knights.  Despite finding myself a bit lukewarm to last week’s Stormwatch, I really enjoyed this much more fantasy based series.  While featuring some familiar DC characters (notably for me Jason Blood and Etrigan), the setup is for a straight sword and sorcery tale rather than any superheroics.  The way all the Arthurian stuff worked into the story appealed to the side of me that’s long been a fan of that legend, so this was a real win for me as something a bit different in my comics pile.  Definitely onboard for the next issue.

The other surprise this week was the Mr Terrific book.  Having liked the character in the JSA I thought I’d give this a try, and it’s really intrigued me with a bit of mystery surrounding the appearance of his unborn son, and the fantastical nature to Holt’s accomplishments (his lab stored in a pocket dimension, that kind of thing). The thing most likely to generate discussion though, was the appearance of Karen Starr of Starrware. No sign that she’s actually Power Girl (although the dress she wears to a reception seems like a clear nod to the character), but I wonder if they’ll keep it quiet, and then reveal her as being from Earth-2 or something later on, once JSA is established.  All in all, for a book I hadn’t been sure about, I liked the take on the character, and the fact it wasn’t afraid to be a bit outlandish with some of his inventions, almost setting him up as a DCU equivalent to Reed Richards in some ways.

Superboy I found myself a little torn on. On one hand, I found it enjoyable and got into the story it was telling. That said, the character is a complete reboot, with little to tie him to the Conner/Kon-El I was a fan of before, which makes it a little trickier to get into for me.  The fact his origin is kept familiar (minus its Death of Superman trappings), along with the Kryptonian/Human hybrid angle was reassuring though, despite the changes to the voice of the character who comes across much more alien.  I was really happy to see his telekinesis used in the book (and I suspect he’s also telepathic, something new to his powerset).  Conner’s tactile telekinesis was often ignored by later writers, so its nice to see it a key part of Superboy’s powers once again.

I did like the cute knowing wink when they were talking about his human donor.  Assuming of course, Lex Luthor isn’t going to be a red herring with this version of the character (although the clone of Superman and Lex Luthor angle is probably too strong a concept to drop).

I’m definitely intrigued to stick with this for a bit and see where its going.

The one thing though, that’s beginning to irk me about this reboot more generally though, is that I wish DC hadn’t introduced this mysterious woman who’s appearing in all the issues either.  While its a fun thing to have her popping up in all the books, and makes for a game, trying to find her, I wish this was more of a clean slate.  It automatically ties events back to Flashpoint, and is clearly laying the seeds for the next big uber-crossover.  DC has done nothing but Crisis after Crisis for years now.  And after having finally pulled the trigger on the reboot, I’d really have hoped they’d have had the confidence to let all the books bed in without preparing another big crossover already.  As I say, I’d have rather things were left as a clean slate, without risking event fatigue in the middle of possible the biggest thing DC have done since the original Crisis.

As it says in the solicits, “The Return of Bruce Wayne starts here!”.  And boy, does it.

I’ve not read all of Morrison’s previous run on Batman, but I’ve read enough of the trades, and RIP itself to appreciate exactly how good this issue is.   Here we start to see Morrison’s masterplan unfurling, bringing together various plot threads from throughout his run.   We also get some interesting tidbits on Bruce’s family history that sets up the Return of Bruce Wayne series itself to be very interesting, as the question of how involved Bruce actually was in his own family history is raised.

There’s also some tantalising hints about Doctor Hurt, who terrorised Bruce throughout Batman RIP and who claimed to be Thomas Wayne, as we learn that there was a black sheep in the Wayne family, also called Thomas Wayne, who claimed to have summoned a demon.  Again, this is something I strongly suspect will feature in the Return of Bruce Wayne mini-series.  I’d be surprised if a time-lost Bruce didn’t stumble across Thomas, perhaps setting in motion Doctor Hurt’s plan against him in RIP.

It was really nice to see Dick, Damian and Alfred all working together to try and unravel the mystery of Bruce’s disappearance, looking for clues Bruce may have left throughout history in Wayne Manor and the Batcave.  The only slightly strange note here is that everyone suddenly knows that Bruce is lost in time thanks to the Omega Effect.  Its not actually clear when anyone found this out.  Granted Tim found the cave painting Bruce left behind, but that’s still a heck of a logical jump.

Damian’s development also continues to be a real draw in the series.  Here we get to see that he’s actually developed a fondness for Grayson, and his new role as Robin, as he questions what will happen to him once Bruce is back as Batman.  Dick’s ill-timed joke about the situation only makes things worse, as he doesn’t realise how much impact taking Damian under his wing has actually had on the boy.  Things only getting worse when Damian realises he’s been programmed by Talia to kill Dick, as Talia’s patience with Damian’s stint as Robin is at an end.    You really feel for what Damian’s going through, and its a testament to what an interesting and enjoyable character Morrison’s created.

And throughout the book, with all this going on, we also have the mystery of Oberon Sexton.  Who Dick turned to for information about Doctor Hurt and the Black Hand, and who later turns up at Wayne Manor in time to keep Damian safe from a group about to attack.  Who he actually is is yet another mystery in this series.   This issue would certainly make me wonder if he’s actually Bruce (and if so, pairing him and Damian in the next issue should be interesting), but I also can’t help but wonder if that’s not a bit obvious for Grant Morrison.

As you can tell, there’s a heck of a lot going on in this single issue.  Its a real testament to the writing that none of this comes across as rushed, and all starts to tie together the last few years of Batman books so beautifully.  I’ve got high expectations for the rest of this story now, and I can’t wait for the Return of Bruce Wayne, even if I do think that DC could get another year out of Dick and Damian as Batman and Robin easily.  And that’s all down to the quality of the story being told here.

After the fun, widescreen-style action in the first issue, the second issue of Grant Morrison’s new Batman and Robin series shifts the focus back to characterisation.

We see the fallout from some of the events in the first issue.  I quite enjoyed the rooftop scene between Gordon and the new Batman and Robin, with Gordon admitting its not Batman, but that he does find him familiar.   Although personally I find this a bit frustrating when you take into account the events this saga is compared to, namely Knightfall and Prodigal.

There we saw a widening gulf between Batman and Gordon, as Gordon was increasingly put out by the new Batmen turning up with no explanation, and their continued attempts to treat him like an idiot and pretend they were the originals.   While, what happens here isn’t as severe (Dick makes no real effort to claim to be the original Batman), I’d still like to see Dick show Gordon some respect and quietly have a word with him in private, explaining that the original Batman died, but he’s Nightwing and he’s taken on the role.   A little bit of honesty would go a long way with Gordon, given the characters long history together.

This leads into a great scene with Robin.  The Circus gang attack the police station, looking for Mr Toad.  Batman and Robin get separated when Robin goes after one of them alone.  Dick tries to order Damian back, but Damian won’t listen.   Dick’s outnumbered, but manages to break free with the help of GCPD, and heads off to help Damian.   However here we get a neat twist on the “Robin is in over his head and Batman bails him out scenario”.  When Dick catches up, Damian is in the process of beating the hell out of the gang member, before Dick manages to get him to stop.

Its great, because it underlines just how dangerous Damian can be.  There’s a great scene where Dick is talking to Alfred and really questioning everything he’s done, trying to both take over as Batman and taking Damian under his wing.  Certainly Damian doesn’t respect him, seeing Dick as a poor copy of his father, an attitude that hits deeply with Dick, who really agrees with Damian, and felt happier when he was Nightwing.

The Dick/Damian relationship was always the main draw of this title for me, and Morrison’s letting it play out beautifully.  Exactly how the GCPD are going to react to what Robin did will be interesting, and partly why I think it’d be nice to have a quiet scene between Dick and Gordon.

After RIP, Final Crisis and Battle for the Cowl, we’ve finally got the first issue with the new Batman and Robin as Grant Morrison teams up once again with Frank Quitely.

This is a great first issue.  As I’ve said before, I’m very enthusiastic for the idea of Dick as Batman with Damian as Robin, and this issue bares it out.  Its fast paced and funny, while simultaneously introducing a new villain who seems suitably freaky and twisted.  

The wildness of the opening chase and the new flying Batmobile is not something that would’ve really worked with Bruce still in the cowl I suspect, and it plays nicely with the lighter feel Dick brings to Batman.   We then move on to see Dick and Alfred shutting down the Batcave, as they move to their new base at Wayne Tower (presumably the same one Bruce used during the 70s?).  I quite like the idea that they’re going to be based out of an alternative cave, as Dick already mentions that while he’s okay with being the new Batman, he still feels like he’s wearing a shroud to an extent, and from that perspective it makes sense that he’d feel more comfortably operating out of a new base of operations.

We see some nice scenes between Dick, Alfred and Damian which nicely sets up the way these characters play off of each other, and I’m looking forward to seeing them expand these relationships.   Damian still comes across as quite grudging towards the Bat-family, seeing himself as Bruce’s true heir, however you do get the feeling that its a front.  And certainly Dick and Alfred are shown offering olive branches to Damian, be it Dick taking him under his wing as Robin, or something simple like Alfred complimenting Damian’s work on the new Batmobile.  I look forward to seeing Damian mature over the next 12 months under their guidance.   

And this is something I’ll be interested to see once Bruce comes back.  Will Damian remain as Robin to his Batman?  Seeing them interact in this way would certainly be interesting, especially as by then Damian will be more used to how Dick does things.

I guess the only complaint I could make is one that I basically levelled at Battle for the Cowl the other week, in that while Damian is the new Robin, and here Dick makes mention of offering Tim his old job back, we’ve still not actually seen what prompted Tim to hand the identity over to Damian.   I’m really hoping we get a scene addressing this in the upcoming Red Robin series as its currently a bit of an oversight.  I’m not really levelling this at Batman and Robin though, since in fairness this series is aiming to be accessible and so obviously doesn’t want to get weighed down with such things.  Its just an ongoing niggle with me.

Aside from this, while introducing our heroes’ new status quo, Morrison also starts to introduce a new set of villains, clearly with circus connections (playing to the obvious history of Dick as a character – its odd how many evil circus people he encounters compared to everyone else ).  Their leader is Pyg, and his introduction is nicely contrasted with the big, bold scenes of Batman and Robin, wherein we see him catch up to someone trying to run out on him.  Pyg certainly comes across as twisted and sadistic enough to be an interesting addition to the new Batman’s rogue’s gallery.  Whereas the intro scenes of Batman and Robin are huge fun, Pyg is instantly portrayed as brutal, torturing his captive with the promise of doing the same to his daughter and I found this contrast quite effective.

This is a great first issue.  Very different in tone from what we had with Bruce as Batman, and in that regard I think this will hopefully be a shot  in the arm for the franchise, which at times got dragged down by writers making Bruce overly grim.   How the other writers approach Dick’s Batman should be interesting and I hope they manage to capture his voice well, and we don’t end up with the problems the Nightwing title had after Chuck Dixon left.  DC’s been upfront about the fact Bruce will be back in 12 months, so in the meantime I hope all the writers capitalise on the chance to do something different with Batman, rather than try and turn Dick into Bruce-lite.

And so, Battle for the Cowl comes to a close, finally revealing what everyone guessed months ago, that Dick Grayson is the new Batman.

Of course, since most people had Dick pegged as the new Bat from the beginning, really this series was more about the journey and seeing him get to that point. And from that point of view, the series kind of worked.

I say kind of, as Dick finally taking on the mantle of Batman at the end seemed a little rushed. To be honest, from the end of issue 2, I expected Dick to be in his new costume for this entire third issue. I guess they’re saving his proper debut for Grant Morrison’s new Batman and Robin title and really, this series was more about moving the characters into the places they needed to be for the start of that series.

On the whole, I’ve really enjoyed this series, and Tony Daniel’s done great work.  His art has been excellent and while his writing is a bit more variable, he still did a great job in telling this story (really my only complaints were Damian in the first issue, and Tim’s very stilted conversation with himself in this third issue, explaining how he survived for the reader’s benefit).

There’s some very interesting setup, with the new Black Mask being revealed to be someone new wearing a mask.  Of course, we don’t get it revealed who it is, but it provides some interesting ground for the new series to cover, with this new Black Mask shattering Two Face and Penguin’s empires providing an opening for him to move in as the new boss of Gotham.

Tim’s status is also left open at the end of this series.  Its obvious that Damian will be moving in to the Robin role, and of course we’re assuming Tim becomes Red Robin, but none of this is actually covered here, and I think that’s a bit of a shame.  It would’ve been nice for this all to have been put in place in this series and the new status quo established.  Instead we’ll obviously have to pick up the new books in order to find out what happened.   Given that this series was all about setting up the new status quo, this was one aspect that I felt could’ve been better covered (even if it had been more explicit about Tim handing over the role of Robin to Damian and left Tim becoming Red Robin until that series).

I liked the idea of the last messages Bruce had left for everyone in case he should die, and I really liked the idea that he had such faith in Dick and Tim that he felt they’d be able to carry on without him as Batman.  Its nice that he felt that level of pride in their accomplishments, even if he was undervaluing the importance of Batman to Gotham City’s psyche.   We also discover that Bruce’s message to Jason referenced some here-to unheard of childhood trauma that was what pushed Jason over the edge.   And here Jason has truely gone off the deep end.  This series does provide what could be an ending to the character, however from his “fall to his doom” and his parting words, its a safe assumption Jason will be back fairly soon.  He’s worked well as a villain for Dick here and while it really didn’t work during Bruce Jones’ run on Nightwing, I think this is a rivalry that could be interesting if explored by the right writers.

Overall I’m very excited to see what the next few months of Bat-titles brings.   Much like Bucky replacing Steve Rogers as Captain America, if done right, the pairing of Dick Grayson as Batman alongside Damian as Robin is one that could have some legs (even if you know eventually the original will be back).  Of course, once Bruce does return, it’ll be interesting to see what that brings to the status quo.  Bruce as Batman mentoring his son Damian as Robin could be interesting, with Dick reclaiming his Nightwing identity from the Superman family once again.  However, for now, I’m very excited for Grant Morrison’s return in Batman and Robin.

The second issue of Battle for the Cowl moves things along at a fair old pace. I must admit, one thing I’m taking away from this three issue mini-series (which I’m enjoying immensely), is that it could’ve easily been a bit longer.

Once again, Tony Daniel is firing on all cylanders here. Ignoring my pet-peeve that he’s drawing Huntress in the wrong costume (although at least its consistent), the art in this series is cracking, and I’m enjoying the story a lot.

Unlike last issue, this issue brings the focus very much onto the three Robins. The gun-toting Batman is quickly revealed as Jason Todd (to non-one’s surprise) and he and Nightwing immediately clash over Jason’s methods, with Jason determined that he is the true successor to Batman, doing what is necessary turning Batman into something to be feared, whereas Nightwing had just buried him. It all culminates in Jason shooting Damian in the chest, forcing Nightwing to focus on getting Damian back to the cave for surgery.

Its nice to see Jason back to his more brutal self. Its something that got a bit lost during Countdown’s various attempts to redeem him, however as I’ve often said, I’ve felt the only time the character’s worked since his resurrection was as the Red Hood, and this direction feels very much in tune with that take on the character. Again Jason is back to trying to clean up Gotham in his own way, and his brutal methods are taking him over the line.

All this forces Nightwing to question his own actions. Without Batman, things have gone from bad to worse in Gotham, and in talking to Alfred, Dick comes to accept that Gotham needs the symbol of Batman, but also that he needs to continue Bruce’s legacy. Its a nice page with Dick realising this, surrounded by the bats in the cave. Of course, when he goes over to the costumes, he discovers one is missing, having been taken by Tim.

As we saw last issue, Tim had already realised that one of them would have to take over Bruce’s role, if only to prevent someone else from doing it. He’s taken it on himself to track down Jason, and discovers that Jason’s built his own batcave under the city. Again, its a great piece of art when the cave’s revealed. Tim trips an explosive trap left by Jason, but is rescued by Catwoman, however before long they get jumped by Jason, returning after his confrontation with Damian and Nightwing.

A brutal fight between Tim and Jason ensues, with Tim seemingly getting the upper hand, managing to beat Jason down with a crowbar, in a nice nod to Death in the Family. However the issue closes with the reveal that Jason manages to stab Tim in the chest with a batarang, leaving only Nightwing in his way.

I’ll say it now, I can’t see them killing off Tim in this way. Throughout the recent big shakeups in DC’s big names (specifically Flash and GL), pain has been taken to respect all the characters, since you have to assume DC don’t want to anger readers to the point of dropping any titles. And if they were to kill off Tim I could see exactly that happening. Tim’s an incredibly popular character, but more than that, with Dick taking over the role of Batman, and Bruce gone, Tim fills the detective role in the team in a way no one else can (especially since we don’t know what’s happening with Barbara at the moment).

The final fates of Jason and Tim are probably the biggest mystery in this series. With it being fairly obvious from early on that Dick and Damian are the new Batman and Robin, where exactly Tim and Jason will end up is the question. There’s the Red Robin book coming out, but that could go to either character, however I’d really like to see Tim in that role.  Ideally, to be honest, I’d rather see Tim take up the Nightwing mantle, but for now that name seems to belong to the Superman family, so given the lack of it, Tim taking up the Red Robin costume, as a symbol of how he’s grown makes sense. Given this however, I’ve no idea where Jason will end up. Taking up his Red Hood guise at this point might be a step back for the character, but I’m unsure what identity he could take up, unless he ends up dead or in Arkham. Certainly I’m at least glad to see them have a decent grasp on the character again at any rate.

IGN have a new interview up with Grant Morrison regarding his return to the Bat-franchise on the new Batman and Robin title due to be launched after Battle for the Cowl.

It also includes the first colour picture of the new Batman and Robin by Frank Quitely, and looking at it, if Robin’s not Damien, I’ll be really surprised.

Morrison also describes the new team as a reversal of the usual roles, with a lighter Batman and scowling, moody Robin.  As well as that description fitting Damien to a tee, I’d say it adds weight to Dick becoming the new Batman.  Which makes me very happy indeed.

Of course, Dick’s the obvious choice.  He’s the only person DC can be sure could replace Bruce (temporarily) without the fans completely losing the plot.  Tim could perhaps get away with it as well, but if you had to pick one of them, it’d probably be Dick.    The last time Bruce was replaced (Knightfall), there was huge outcry over Dick getting passed over (of course, he had to be for the story they wanted to tell), leading to him getting a shot at the role during the Prodigal storyline (it’ll be interesting to see if this is acknowledged.  Infact, it could be picked up as part of his current unease at the thought of donning the cowl).

It works as well within the DCU, with most of the heroes already knowing and respecting Dick to a large degree, which means I can see him fitting into books like JLA without much grief.  Infact it’ll be interesting to watch the other heroes play off Dick being Batman rather than Bruce.

Over all, I’m really looking forward to this.  I enjoyed the first issue of Battle for the Cowl, and I can see me picking up this Batman and Robin series.  I think Dick and Damien should play off each other well.   I’ll probably also be picking up the Streets of Gotham series at least for a couple of issues just to see what its like, as it sounds like some of the Birds of Prey characters will be turning up there.

I wonder what’ll be the situation with Tim though.  Red Robin seems the current favourite, but I wonder what title he’ll be turning up in.

Well, the next big Batman event is upon us.  Following the events of RIP and Final Crisis, things have gone downhill sharply in Gotham.   Word of the Batman’s demise has spread and the gangs, both big and small, have declared open season.

Struggling to keep a handle on things, everyone is looking to Nightwing for leadership in the Bat-family.   Nightwing and co have put together a team they’re calling the Network, consisting of Bat-family members and a few others and are trying to combat the spiralling threat to Gotham, but without fear of the Bat to keep them in line, the gangs are running riot.   Things aren’t then helped when Black Mask turns up, and frees all of Gotham’s inmates, blowing up the Asylum, and forming them into his new gang via means of poison capsules injected into them.  Whether this is a new Black Mask, or the original back from the dead though, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile a new Batman appears to be operating in Gotham.  No one in the Network has spotted him yet, but his calling cards keep turning up.

This is a pretty good first issue, marred by a couple of niggles.   The setup and plot is fairly action packed, although the premise of Gotham going to pot without Batman seems a little familiar, as does the mass-escape from Arkham, which dilutes those events slightly.

More effective are the scenes showing Nightwing and Robin struggling to cope with what has to be done.  Robin is pushing Nightwing to assume the mantle of Batman, but Nightwing is adamant that Batman died with Bruce.  Of course, the fact that Nightwing’s so against assuming the role stands out to me as a marker that he will indeed by Batman by the end of this series.  Something I’m quite looking forward to, and I suspect DC would struggle to sell anyone other than Dick or Tim in the role.  

One area that stood out slightly was when they’re discussing the imposter Batman running around.  Tim notes that he’s obviously highly trained, and is also using batarangs and bat-ropes of Bruce’s design.  However the name Jason Todd is never once mentioned by either Dick or Tim.   It seems pretty obvious that that’s who it’ll be, so as an attempt to play out a mystery, it doesn’t quite work.   At the very least having Dick and Tim acknowledge Jason as the most likely candidate, but keeping their options open would’ve scanned better.

A big thing that didn’t work for me, was the scene with Damian.   Now, admittedly I’ve only read the Batman and Son trade, so if he turned up after that, I didn’t really see it.  But while he was bratty in that series, he was also supremely self-confident, arrogant and fearless.   Here he’s positively terrified when faced by Ivy and Killer Croc, up until Dick saves him.   This just stood out as a really bad bit of characterisation compared to what I know of the character.   Given his interactions with Dick though, I do think we could be seeing them as the new Batman and Robin (with Tim becoming Red Robin?).

As a really minor niggle, would someone please point out to Tony Daniel that Huntress stopped wearing that costume a couple of years ago?  It keeps annoying me to see her drawn in it, as her new costume is a much more practical variant, and the midriff-exposing section of that costume always struck me as a bit daft-looking.

Niggles out of the way, this was still a good read.  I really liked seeing Tim take the initiative, and don one of Bruce’s spare Batsuits for himself.   We also get to see him using his detective skills, as he’s the one who’s working to identify and trackdown the imposter Batman.  Alfred’s talk to Nightwing was good to see, and its fun watching the entire Bat-family working together.

However, the real star of this mini-series is without a doubt the art.  Tony Daniel’s art really is on top form here, and the final reveal of the gun-toting Batman was brilliantly realised.  

All in all, some niggles, but I enjoyed this first issue.  While I’ll be skipping most of the tie-ins and one shots, I can see myself picking up The Network based on this (alongside Oracle: The Cure, which I’m partly dreading).  I’m definitely looking forward to parts 2 & 3 of this.

Obviously I’ve talked at depth here about my feelings towards Final Crisis, the Blackest Night and (to an extent), New Krypton.   But what about the other big event going on at DC: Battle for the Cowl?

With Bruce Wayne’s exit (and now trapped in the past – paging Booster Gold) there’s a Bat-shaped hole in Gotham City, and one thing that’s always been true in the Bat-verse, is that without Batman things go downhill in Gotham fast.

In the various bat-titles we’ve already started to see the fallout, with Robin and Nightwing trying to keep  a lid on things during RIP and now with Bruce gone, DC once again is lining up a successor.

But who should it be?  Well, it goes without saying that its got to be either Dick or Tim as far as I’m concerned.  Back in the 90s, Knightfall came under heavy criticism for the perceived slight to Dick Grayson by Bruce choosing Jean Paul Valley to replace him (of course, that was necessary for the story they had planned) and I can’t see DC doing the same thing twice.  Its got to be either Dick or Tim.

I’d say I still think Tim’s a bit young for the role.  In my ideal world, Dick will become Batman (once again, having already taken on the role during the Prodigal), with Tim taking over Dick’s role as Nightwing.  However going by the various interviews etc floating around, I’m thinking the Nightwing identity is going to be found in the Superman titles exclusively, rather than having two Nightwings running around.   That being the case, I can see Tim ending up in the (over-hyped and Countdown-damaged) Red Robin suit instead.

But who would be Robin in this scenario?  Well, I’d like to see Dick and Tim take Damian under their wings, out of respect for Bruce, with Damian taking up the Robin role (something he was keen to do in Batman and son, seeing it as his birthright).  Damian would probably be pretty reluctant and rebel against them trying to look out for him, but it could work.

However, the teaser image shows Damian holding a bandage that’s wrapped around the leg of someone who looks like Bruce.  Most people are taking it as granted that this is Hush (having recently had plastic surgery so he looks like Bruce Wayne), so this leaves open the possibility that Tim will retain his Robin identity, while Damian works alongside Hush to go after his birthright in another way (Wayne Enterprises for a start).  I can see Damian attempting to undermine Dick and Tim’s attempts to live up to Bruce’s legacy, as I mentioned before Damian sees that legacy as rightly his, and being able to block anyone else from Bruce’s holdings would be a big blow to them.

About the only real problem I’ve got with this direction is that both the Nightwing and Robin solo books had finally found their feet after floundering around for several years.  We know that whatever the outcome of Battle for the Cowl is, that its ultimately going to be temporary.  So I just hope DC haven’t torpedoed those two books for this event.

I’m definitely going to be selective in what titles I pick up for this.  The 3 issue mini that launches the new direction I’ll be picking up, but most of the Battle for the Cowl one-shots I suspect I’ll skip (especially with me probably still picking up a couple of the New Krypton Superman titles).   Once Battle for the Cowl is over, I’m unsure what books I’ll continue to pick up.  Going by the NYCC announcements, the line of Bat-books is going to look radically different, so I’ll wait and see what the solicits look like I think.  Affecting this could well be the use of the Birds of Prey characters, as I’ve always had a soft spot for them.  A book with Huntress in it is probably something I’m going to be interested in.

Another enjoyable issue of Rann-Thanagar this month.

Lots of stuff from Captain Comet and the Weird as well, I must admit, it may just be me, but this issue felt almost like a follow up to Mystery in Space that the Space Team just happened to be in. Don’t know if that was just me or not.

However, we get a lot of our heroes taking a kicking from Deacon Dark and the newly resurrected Synnar. It doesn’t take Comet long to figure out that they don’t have a chance against the pair of them and a strategic withdrawal is required. Adam Strange however is determined to destroy the Deacon’s time manipulator first, before it can cause more havoc on Rann. Its here that the seemingly separate Bizarro storyline ties in nicely, as Adam learns of Bizarro’s prescence on Throneworld and immediately Zeta beams over there to nab him, to add a powerhouse to their team. Its a decision however that comes with a heavy price, as Starman needed Bizarro’s help with Lady Styx’s fleet, and with him gone, it provides Lady Styx’s forces enough time to decimate the Throneworld.

The destruction of Throneworld, and Adam’s part in it was a big shock. He’s forced to see that he was so blinkered about Rann’s problems that he was ignoring the rest of the picture. When his friends are taking a kicking from the Deacon’s forces he’s the one refusing Captain Comet’s call for a retreat. It’ll be interesting to see what direction they take with the character in the second half of the story.

This issue also sets up an Adam Strange special. While I’m happier picking up an Adam Strange Special than a Hawkman one (as I’m more invested in the character), I’m still not hugely pleased with this idea of launching tie-ins off of mini series. Heck, truth be told, I’m not convinced at all about DC’s tie-ins this year, but that’s probably going to be part of a post on the Legion of 3 Worlds (I cracked and bought issue 1, but I’ve not read it yet). I’m not great at budgeting, but still I would like to try and cut down the number of titles I buy.

However, to more balance my whinging about tie-ins, its worth me talking about Robin.

I wasn’t buying this title until a short time ago, where I got pulled in by the RIP logo on the top. Fabian Nicieza is a great writer. I loved his stuff on Cable/Deadpool so was interested to see what he would do with the character of Tim Drake. After 3 issues, I’m a convert.

Like Nightwing, I believe this title has struggled to find its feet over the last couple of years, and, like Nightwing, I get the impression that its in the hands of someone who really gets it. Ditching the RIP logo this month, we find Jason Todd stirring things up bigstyle in Gotham, as he unites various different gangs under his own leadership in an attempt to clean up Gotham in his own way (by running the place basically). Robin finds himself under threat from the Penguin, who isn’t pleased that his payment for helping Robin in the last story has gone missing, with evidence linking the theft back to Robin.

Meanwhile someone knew has entered the scene, wearing the Red Robin costume Jason Todd threw in a bin at the end of Countdown (and interesting to see someone picking up on a plot point from that series, rather than ignoring it, as most writers seem to be doing).

I really enjoyed this issue. Its very much a first issue for the new story arc, with various mysteries being put in place (Who is the new Red Robin? Why is Spoiler taking out a contract on Robin?), but there’s a strong feeling that Fabian knows each of these characters. His version of Jason Todd harks back to the Under the Hood storyline, which I’ve mentioned before is the characterisation they needed to get back to, so that’s a welcome development.

So there you have it, sometimes, getting suckered in by a tie-in can put you onto a title you really enjoy. So for all my whinging about tie-ins, its goes to show how little I know