Well, after about fifty pages of essay writing for my finals, I emerge rejuvenated and ready to start pumping out some reviews. I figured with the numerous BFTC tie-ins flooding the comic book market place, I’d help you, our faithful and beloved readers, decide which ones are worth picking up and which ones would function better as shredded lining for a hamster cage. Basically
I’m reading these books so you don’t have to
With that being said, let’s jump straight into tie-in number one
Gotham Gazette: Batman Dead?
This issue is pretty strong. It gives the audience a nice feel for the kind of shape Gotham is in and is sort of the set up for a number of other tie-ins. The issue is written by Fabian Nicieza, who’s work on the final issues of Robin was nothing short of spectacular. He seems to set up a nice mood and theme throughout the length of the story using the Voice of Gotham City (The woman introduced by Denny O’Neil in Detective 851 and Batman 684) as the narrator to describe what exactly is going on. This is one issue I would encourage picking out of the litter.
Solid story with a number of various artists lending a hand. 7/10
Battle for the Cowl: Commissioner Gordon
Interesting story while not the most engaging. We find Gordon shackled in the dark giving us a “What is going on?” inner monologue. Basically, he’s been taken prisoner by Mr. Freeze who sadly sounds more like the Arnold Schwarzenegger version of the character than any other version of the character. Only about half of this story is worth reading. All of Gordon’s inner thoughts reminded me of the hard nosed, strong character from Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One. The story is ultimately about Gordon realizing that Batman is gone and it is up to the GCPD to stand up and start behaving like cops. While a very good concept, between Governor Freeze and some very shoddy artwork by Tom Mandrake, the book never passes the mediocre mark.
6/10
Battle for the Cowl: Man-Bat
Let me preface this by saying I loved this issue. It’s a fantastic one shot very Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Langstrom gains some fantastic depth in this issue that really makes him stand out as a character. I really hope they carry some of this over to his next appearances in the Bat-universe. With that being said, you won’t be missing much of the bigger picture if you pass this one. This is more of an exploration of character than it is a a tie-in to BTFC, but the great story and decent art are worth your three bucks alone.
7.5/10
Oracle: The Cure
The Calculator is trying to find the remnants of the Anti-Life equation through the back alleys of the information super highway and only Barbra Gordon a.k.a. The Oracle can stop him. Sounds exciting right? It’s not. I find myself asking “Why should I care about this?” every time I read the two issues. The dialogue is boring, the inner monologues provide us nothing more than spelling out the already obvious, and that story hardly ties into BFTC at all. The art is the only saving grace and even it only stems the bleeding. If you don’t pick this book up, you won’t be missing anything. Out of all the tie-ins this is the only one that really feels like they are simply trying to take your money from you
4/10
Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum
Probably on of the strongest tie-ins in general and it still suffers from the same problem the Man-Bat tie in did. You simply don’t need to read this to get anything else out of Battle for the Cowl. Don’t think that means you shouldn’t pick this book up because you need to. I don’t often read a comic and get legitimately creeped out, but for all 22 pages of this book, I was very uneasy. In case the front cover does give you the creeps right away, then about three pages in when Dr. Arkham starts talking to the inmates…you will be. This issues stands alone away from the real breadth of BFTC, but still manages to enthrall and terrify. If you pick up only one tie-in, it’s this one.
8/10
Battle for the Cowl: The Network
I think if I had my way, I would have Fabian Nicieza write every BFTC tie-in. He has a knack for getting understanding the atmosphere of the Bat-universe unlike any writer I have seen in a long time (This excludes Chuck Dixon). Fabian manages to really give us an idea of what The Network is all about and how it is handling the responsibilities left in Batman’s absence. Very engaging read, but the art kind of falls flat in some parts then shines wonderfully in others (Most notably the big panel of Bagirl). The Network really demonstrates what The Cure wanted to with Barbra taking charge and really making a difference in the Batman-less Gotham City.
7/10
Battle for the Cowl: The Underground
Loved this one shot. It did a fantastic job of demonstrating the way the criminal world is reacting to all the trouble with Batman being gone. Penguin is flipping out and employing The Riddler. Two-Face is still his same ole crazy talking to himself…self and now we get the added layer of Catwoman and how she’s handling the death of not just Batman, but Bruce Wayne. The art is also solid and has a nice few touch like The Penguin resembling the Danny DeVito version. Another strong outing that I recommend picking up. It offers a very broad look at how Gotham is handling it all.
7/10
Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight
Fabian goes three for three on tie-ins with this limited series. The whole whacky Order of St Dumas is back, well kind of. The new crazy cult establishing the role of Azrael is a more peaceful and splinter group called The Order of Purity. Basically, their current Azrael goes a bit bonkers and so The Order has to replace him. They decide to pick up someone fans of Morrison’s run on Batman will recognize and a a few other throwbacks to the last year of Batman lore. The book is dark, gritty and down right entertaining to read. The art is very dynamic, if a bit cartoony at times, but this book has been fun to read and look at.
7.5/10
There you have it. I hope this helps you make some decisions on which tie-ins are worth your hard earned money. Seriously though, don’t buy Oracle: The Cure. You’ll just be mad at yourself for doing it.
-Tom
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