Anyone else pick this up yet?! It's starting off somewhat slow but I'm sure next issue will be better since it leaves a good ending with a Batman guns blazing in. I want to say the armored one is Jason Todd. Any thoughts so far?!

 

Saw a poster for this at my local shop and immediately thought about the return of Superman from the 90's.

 

Don't they really mean "Battle for the Cowl until Batman comes back and bitchslaps it out of their hand and takes what is rightfully his back because there is no way in hell DC has the balls to leave him dead... they've already said as much..."?

 

There's nothing to leave, he isn't dead.

Read this today, more out of curiosity than any real interest in who the temp Batman is. Pretty good writing on Tony Daniel's part - that kind of surprised me. I never knew he could write. He has a really good grip on Tim Drake, though, and I'll definitely stick around for the other two issues.

 

... then we should sue DC for false advertising with the whole Batman: RIP thing.

 

Daniel wrote a series called the Tenth for awhile. http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/300/11/11193.jpg

 

Rather entertaining issue with good art. Tim in the cowl first, Dick still rejecting, and Jason (I assumes) in a badass suit!

 

I took that to be Azrael, as I haven't seen or heard of him in a long time (which means he prolly died and I missed it... but this is comics, can he really be dead?). The MO, armour, combat skills, conviction he's Batman, etc, match what I remember of him... although I think the conviction was only during Knightfall.

 

There is an Azrael min-serie coming up, he's involved in Battle for the Cowl

 

Isn't Azarel sporting a different look though?!

 

I read it last night. It should be pretty interesting to see where it goes. It is a little lackluster though knowing that Batman isn't really dead.

I liked this book and it was cool to see Tim put on a Batsuit.

 

I'm guessing Damian is the new robin based on this picture. Plus Grant Morrison will be writing the series and we know he likes the character. He looks too short for Tim.

 

According to DC, it isn't Jean Paul Valley. But DC lies...so we'll see.

 

It is a new guy wearing the suit of sorrows. Just finished reading issue #1 of Azrael. It was okay but not worth picking up.

 

The original Azrael, Jean Paul Valley, died at the end of his ongoing series. He died after finally breaking a huge cycle of manipulation involving a lot of his old friends. One of whom was trying to refound the Order of St Dumas where Azrael came from.

Odds are, that is where the new Azrael is coming from. Another "potential" Azrael trained in the event Jean Paul fell before producing suitable offspring to follow him. That fits in with what has been revealed about Death's Dark Knight and also explains the different look - different Azrael.

That said, Jean Paul's death was never confirmed...

 

Or, Superboy Prime could have punched reality again...

 

I remember an issue of countdown or it might be 52 where we are shown a board in Rip Hunter's lab... and on that board was written "Jean-paul Valley lives"

I wasnt able to find the image though... So I wouldnt count him out just yet

 

Why did DC have to be stupid and let Morrison come up with RIP? It's clearly a stunt similar to Death of Superman (and would probably have just as much convoluted impact in the long run. I just hope that Coast City or Metropilis or Keystone/ Central doesn't get nuked by some alien warlord)