Thursday, April 9, 2009

Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2 (of 3)

I suppose this series should get some credit - the artwork by Tony Daniel is quite good - dark and menacing, sometimes moody and sometimes action packed.

But Batman: Battle for the Cowl is also downright depressing and surprisingly violent.

It continues the chronicle of what happens after Batman "dies."

Nightwing (Dick Grayson) gathers all the extended members of the Batman Family, and they work together to fight the incredible crime wave that seems to have engulfed every square inch of Gotham City.

There's lots of blame for the crime wave to go around, and lots of heroes and non-heroes who try to take Batman's place - all except Nightwing, who has the strongest claim to the Batman legacy.

Along the way there are lots of gruesome acts (including a police officer apparently having his face cut off), a shocking finale and lots of explosions and bloodletting along the way.

I admit to being old-fashioned, but this kind of over-the-top violence just seems excessive for a Batman comic (even though the real Batman isn't in it). The story seems to be swiped from a Punisher comic.

It's not bad, it's just a bit... much.

Grade: B

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