Batman: Battle for the cowl

[Fenwick]

Well when they redid the Riddler into an investigator of sorts I kind of liked him. He was the detective side of Batman I have always enjoyed. As it is know the real "battle for the cowl" is between the various sides of Batman.

Bruce Wayne Playboy= Hush
Bruce Wayne/Batman= Two Face
Violent avenger Batman= Jason Todd (who I think is the guy with the guns)
Play by the rules Batman= Dick Grayson
Detective= Tim Drake

So I was hoping the next Batman would be different in both who he is, and where he comes from.

 

[Drz]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yWjfmSMdvSo/SW8ymicR26I/AAAAAAAAAbw/Hs1ku-1c8uo/s1600-h/BFCsmll.jpg

Square (this is her name right? and who is that? Tim Drake on Stereoids? :P + Notice the Red Robin belt he has and the Nightwing eye-mask thing.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

To be perfectly honest I don't really want anyone to take the cowl. Not because none of the can have it, no a few of the could do well with it, but I'm afraid we'll be seeing the really bad cliche of "Gotham NEEDS a Batman to protect her!" Seriously, as great as Batman is, I think all Gotham ever needed was a hero, Batman could've been the terrifying Mothman like in Morrison's story and it still could've worked.

I'm fearing that this will just jumble around the titles (Damian to Robin, Nightwing to Batman etc) in a pathetic game of what ifs? as the heroes do battle to decide who gets the cowl. I would far rather see the heroes unite and realise they need to be stronger and work better as a team in Bruce's absence to protect Gotham. Or atleast have the threat to the cowl come from Hush/Two-Face/Damian and the heroes unite and choose one of them to be the Bat. Otherwise it becomes a matter of "I deserve the cowl!" "No me!" "I alone deserve it!" when they could be, y'know, saving people.

 

[Fenwick]

To be perfectly honest I don't really want anyone to take the cowl. Not because none of the can have it, no a few of the could do well with it, but I'm afraid we'll be seeing the really bad cliche of "Gotham NEEDS a Batman to protect her!" Seriously, as great as Batman is, I think all Gotham ever needed was a hero, Batman could've been the terrifying Mothman like in Morrison's story and it still could've worked.

I'm fearing that this will just jumble around the titles (Damian to Robin, Nightwing to Batman etc) in a pathetic game of what ifs? as the heroes do battle to decide who gets the cowl. I would far rather see the heroes unite and realise they need to be stronger and work better as a team in Bruce's absence to protect Gotham. Or atleast have the threat to the cowl come from Hush/Two-Face/Damian and the heroes unite and choose one of them to be the Bat. Otherwise it becomes a matter of "I deserve the cowl!" "No me!" "I alone deserve it!" when they could be, y'know, saving people.

I agree with you for the most part. At the same time I think if handled correctly this can be a good time for the various heroes to come into their own. Nightwing I think needs to either accept his place as Batman or break off utterly. The same can be said of Robin, but in that case what he becomes is all the more interesting as every single character in the DC universe hold Tim Drake up to this standard that makes me wonder what is planned for him.

To me the best ending is a bunch of people wearing Batman uniforms to put them away, and Gordon taking down the Bat signal. Maybe for once Gotham can move out of its constant state of "what else can go wrong?" and start to improve. What bothers me is that this may in fact turn into the Batman version of the Death of Superman, were a bunch of people take up the cowl, and in the end the real one comes back.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

To me the best ending is a bunch of people wearing Batman uniforms to put them away, and Gordon taking down the Bat signal. Maybe for once Gotham can move out of its constant state of "what else can go wrong?" and start to improve. What bothers me is that this may in fact turn into the Batman version of the Death of Superman, were a bunch of people take up the cowl, and in the end the real one comes back.

Thanks man, and I would cry tears of absolute joy if your ending really happened. I get so sick of that "We need a Batman!" I don't know i I'd like taking down the signal, but I totally agree that with Batman's death these heroes should come together and help Gotham move into the light, showing that Gotham doesn't need a Batman, it just needs good people, be they Leslie, Gordon, Dick or just some average joe.

 

[The Guard]

I'm surprised there's no actual clone. There's a sort of a "Superboy" clone in Damien, but no pure clone.

 

[Drz]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yWjfmSMdvSo/SXFF9IWJ05I/AAAAAAAAAb4/c3G4KxYEZ1M/s1600-h/BFTC1-2covers.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/i...ttle-for-the-cowl-event-20090116035712867.jpg

http://comics.ign.com/articles/946/946039p1.html

.

 

[The Joker]

http://comics.ign.com/articles/946/946039p1.html

How many battle for the cowl titles is there? Three?

 

[Drz]

Yeah i think its 3 or 4. In the 2nd issue the Batman is supposingly returning but is acting strange, so i guess thats when Hush makes his comeback. >:3

EDIT: Okay seriously after seeing the Wizard supposingly cover for the new Justice League showing Batwoman there, and now Barbara Gordon is most likely going to be able to walk again, she will replace Bruce Wayne most likely, you heard it here 1st folks!

 

[Fenwick]

Ohh that guy in the armor is Promethus? That is interesting. Bah! Whatever I'm buying them anyways I just really want the entire "we need Batman" thing to end. Have bruce come back in four five years and we can all be happy, but maybe Batman can stay dead for longer then half a year?

 

[saska83]

Good question. We should asked writers did they get bored and lost ideas to continue to write down other adventures of Batman.

 

[Alex Logan]

How many battle for the cowl titles is there? Three?

Three parts.

 

[CLARKY]

To be perfectly honest I don't really want anyone to take the cowl. Not because none of the can have it, no a few of the could do well with it, but I'm afraid we'll be seeing the really bad cliche of "Gotham NEEDS a Batman to protect her!" Seriously, as great as Batman is, I think all Gotham ever needed was a hero, Batman could've been the terrifying Mothman like in Morrison's story and it still could've worked.

I'm fearing that this will just jumble around the titles (Damian to Robin, Nightwing to Batman etc) in a pathetic game of what ifs? as the heroes do battle to decide who gets the cowl. I would far rather see the heroes unite and realise they need to be stronger and work better as a team in Bruce's absence to protect Gotham. Or at least have the threat to the cowl come from Hush/Two-Face/Damian and the heroes unite and choose one of them to be the Bat. Otherwise it becomes a matter of "I deserve the cowl!" "No me!" "I alone deserve it!" when they could be, y'know, saving people.

I really agree with you about not taking the cowl.
Quite honestly, the last thing I want is to see Dick become Batman.
Dick has grown on his own, even if he is part of the so-called bat-family ... come on, the whole idea of Nightwing is to be separate from batman, in order to find his own identity. He succeeded. On the contrary Tim is more eligible, even if he is younger.

I want to add that one of the (IMO stupid) reasons claimed by D.Didio about the return of Barry Allen was ... that it was not possible to enter the flash mythos with Wally WITHOUT knowing about Barry. Barry was more accessible. So following this brilliant thinking, I would assume no one should take the mantle of the bat.

 

[Fenwick]

I really agree with you about not taking the cowl.
Quite honestly, the last thing I want is to see Dick become Batman.
Dick has grown on his own, even if he is part of the so-called bat-family ... come on, the whole idea of Nightwing is to be separate from batman, in order to find his own identity. He succeeded. On the contrary Tim is more eligible, even if he is younger.

I want to add that one of the (IMO stupid) reasons claimed by D.Didio about the return of Barry Allen was ... that it was not possible to enter the flash mythos with Wally WITHOUT knowing about Barry. Barry was more accessible. So following this brilliant thinking, I would assume no one should take the mantle of the bat.

To me if someone takes the cowl, then that person should be different then Bruce is. I'd love Tim to take the cowl and go out on a datem have a relationship that does not end in tragedy, and still be Batman. Superman does it, everyone else does it, but why not Batman?

In the same line of thinking you need people to stand up and recognize their will be no new Batman, or their will be only one. I am speaking from a character pointof view and not that of the reader. If the reader ispissed off who cares, what matters is that the characters support an idea. I for some reason keep seeing this single panel at the end of a book with some guy, Tim, Dick, Jason, whoever, saying "It should have been me." I do not want that. I want no Batman, or everyone accepting Batman.

Then we get back to the other ideas of improving Gotham. I mean Batman is this amazing hero everyone loves, but his city sucks. I mean he can defeat anyone, but not clean up the streets?

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

To me if someone takes the cowl, then that person should be different then Bruce is. I'd love Tim to take the cowl and go out on a datem have a relationship that does not end in tragedy, and still be Batman. Superman does it, everyone else does it, but why not Batman?

This, just...this. So good, but if anyone's read the crappy Robin #182 recently you'll see that Dan Didio still hates you and that Tim, once the awesome slightly geeky kid, is now even darker than Batman. Thisis what I predict for BFTC, that whoever becomes Batman (cause let's face it, odds are one in a million that writers will not try to get someone into the cowl) will be forced through trauma to the point where the new Batman will be exactly like the old Batman. See Tim if you will. Bah!

 

[Fenwick]

To me if someone takes the cowl, then that person should be different then Bruce is. I'd love Tim to take the cowl and go out on a datem have a relationship that does not end in tragedy, and still be Batman. Superman does it, everyone else does it, but why not Batman?

This, just...this. So good, but if anyone's read the crappy Robin #182 recently you'll see that Dan Didio still hates you and that Tim, once the awesome slightly geeky kid, is now even darker than Batman. Thisis what I predict for BFTC, that whoever becomes Batman (cause let's face it, odds are one in a million that writers will not try to get someone into the cowl) will be forced through trauma to the point where the new Batman will be exactly like the old Batman. See Tim if you will. Bah!

What I think is that they are accepting Future Tim Drake as cannon so they do not have to worry about writing anymore. If we see the gun that killed Bruce's parents at any point in the story then Tim will be Batman, and he will end up using that gun. An interesting character is made dark in mere pages for little reason.

 

[CLARKY]

To me if someone takes the cowl, then that person should be different then Bruce is. I'd love Tim to take the cowl and go out on a datem have a relationship that does not end in tragedy, and still be Batman. Superman does it, everyone else does it, but why not Batman?

In the same line of thinking you need people to stand up and recognize their will be no new Batman, or their will be only one. I am speaking from a character pointof view and not that of the reader. If the reader ispissed off who cares, what matters is that the characters support an idea. I for some reason keep seeing this single panel at the end of a book with some guy, Tim, Dick, Jason, whoever, saying "It should have been me." I do not want that. I want no Batman, or everyone accepting Batman.

Then we get back to the other ideas of improving Gotham. I mean Batman is this amazing hero everyone loves, but his city sucks. I mean he can defeat anyone, but not clean up the streets?

I agree with all your post, but this last part of it ..... to good to be true ! This is exactly what I think. Überbat sucks ! Able to defeat Kanjar Ro even alone, blinded, with one arm, with cuffs and with a broken leg. Able to defeat the entire JL, able to defeat Superman ! able to defeat Darkseid !!! Batman is a joke. Überbat completely destroyed the character.
Back in the 70es I understood why Gotham city was always full of crime, because batman was alone (or with robin) and was human and had weaknesses. Now ? Überbat is a joke, with all his millions and with all the cleverness he seems to have, the überclever batman is still unable to eradicate crime from the city, even with the help of Robin and Nightwing, and Oracle, and Huntress and Black Canary. And Batgirl. And Spoiler.
Today, Überbat is more of a negative response to all the positivism of DC rather than an actual hero. Batman looks like a Marvel character.
I liked your post.

 

[Majic Walrus]

I see what you all are talking about but I have to disagree on a couple of points.

Tim will most likely not become the "New" Batman, which as much as I love Tim, I'm okay with. Tim is going to undergo character development similar to what Dick went through when he stepped out as Nightwing.

The last few issues of Robin have been kick-ass. Showing a hardcore Tim Drake is good. It shows how important the character traits of Batman were to Gotham City. It shows that what Batman provided for his city wasn't gadgets or even intelligence or detective skills but what he provided was something darker and even more important.

If you can't understand that Batman cannot be different and that he cannot be a legacy character then I really don't know if we're talking abotu the same character. A Batman who has personal relationships that work isn't Batman.

Of course you say that other heroes do it. Superman does it. Well... That's because he's not Batman. Batman doesn't do it. Batman doesn't do it because the very idea and foundation of Batman is an obsessive dedication to Gotham and to fight crime. That's Batman's superpower.

You can't have Superman without flying superspeed punches and you can't have Batman without his character traits. It won't work and it will loose too much of a reader base.

DC knows this I'm sure. If anyone actually does take the cowl, besides Bruce (no one dies in comics), then the only stories that will be told will be about how they just can't measure up to Batman.

I agree with all your post, but this last part of it ..... to good to be true ! This is exactly what I think. Überbat sucks ! Able to defeat Kanjar Ro even alone, blinded, with one arm, with cuffs and with a broken leg. Able to defeat the entire JL, able to defeat Superman ! able to defeat Darkseid !!! Batman is a joke. Überbat completely destroyed the character.
Back in the 70es I understood why Gotham city was always full of crime, because batman was alone (or with robin) and was human and had weaknesses. Now ? Überbat is a joke, with all his millions and with all the cleverness he seems to have, the überclever batman is still unable to eradicate crime from the city, even with the help of Robin and Nightwing, and Oracle, and Huntress and Black Canary. And Batgirl. And Spoiler.
Today, Überbat is more of a negative response to all the positivism of DC rather than an actual hero. Batman looks like a Marvel character.
I liked your post.

:facepalm

The concept of a permanently evil crime-filled city is what fuels Batman and the Batman mythos.


Seriously folks, does anyone want to read a story where Batman stops crime and Gotham city is happy all of the time?

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

The most recent issue of Robin was awful. Great to the people who can't accept a fun Robin and love seeing a hardcore cowl wearing one I suppose, but it was an utter travesty of the character. He completely disregards lives and gives a piece of D!ckery to Gordon even Bats would never attempt. He then proceeds to "fire" Steph (yeah, like that's really gonna work Tim ) and flies off into the night to a flipping robin signal of all things! They gave Robin a signal before poor Nightwing! It's like they want to wipe out all vestiges of what made Tim and awesome and likeable character in order to get a HARDCORE and GRIM gorram Robin.

And I don't get what's up with Batman supposedly being unable to have personal relationships that work according to you, last time I flipped through Batman chronology about 8/10s of all issues have Batman in a steady friendship and mentor role with Robin. I can accept Batman as a legacy character, but I'd rather honestly have Terry McGinnis be brought into DCU for that, what I don't get is the "Someone NEEDS to be Batman!" nonsense when this is the absolutely PERFECT time to show that without a Batman the other heroes can shine and uphold justice.

 

[Fenwick]

The problem is if the new batman is exactly like the old one, a dark brooding fellow, who is smarter then everyone else around him, and has no life outside of fighting crime, then why on earth did Bruce get killed in the frist place? If the person under the cowl changes, then aspects of his life should change as well. If Batman is smart, tough, and is friendly to other heroes does that make it any less of a Batman comic? To some if Batman changes at all the comic looses its luster, but in truth to follow the storyline and have the death of Batman mean someone the next person to wear the cowl cannot be a cardboard cut out of the last one.

Things can be similar but changes need to occur as well. Wally West was different then Barry Allen and he was still the Flash, Kyle Ryner was nowhere near Hal Jordon but he held the GL title for years and did fine. Now if we get a new Batman I'd like something to seperate the man from Bruce Wayne.

 

[Tvar10]

any news on when the real Bruce Wayne Batman is supposed to come bac? I dont really like all this other stuff thats going on, I just want the real Batman back

 

[margon]

any news on when the real Bruce Wayne Batman is supposed to come bac? I dont really like all this other stuff thats going on, I just want the real Batman back

how long have you been reading the monthly comics? what are your favourite runs

Batman 700 would be a good time to return

 

[Tvar10]

Ive read Batman comics all my life but never religiously, I just started buying them regularly when Dini started on Detective. I think his work is the best out now, but I dont like what Morrison's doing at all....

 

[anrrd_2]

in a bizarre twist....misfit will take over from batman

 

[soulonsale]

At the NYCC Battle for the Cowl panel, yesterday, DC announced eight titles (some old, some new) that will be shipping in February:

- Batman & Robin
- Batman
- Detective Comics
- Red Robin
- Outsiders
- Batgirl
- Gotham City Sirens (Catwoman might be part of the book)
- Batman: Streets of Gotham