Batman Under The Cowl TP

Batman

by Grant Morrison (Writer), Geoff Johns (Writer), Bill Willingham (Writer)

Whenever Bruce Wayne has been out of action, others rise to take his place as Batman.

This new collection features a tale of Darmian Wayne, the Batman of a nightmarish, near-future Gotham City, an ordinary citizen of Gotham City who's mistaken for Batman, a futuristic tale based on the animated series BATMAN BEYOND, and more.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Batman, Superheroes, Dc Comics, Fiction, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2010

About the author

Grant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.

In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.

Reviews

[Giovanni Gelati · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this could have contained a few more words and it really should have read- Which Batman Is Under the Cowl Today? The premise of the graphic novel is that Batman has become injured, breaking his back, he may never come back but Gotham needs Batman, but which one? Each chapter has a different person under the cowl. I felt like it was a step back in time and I was watching Michael Keaton in Multiplicity. Is it the macho Batman or the more reserved kinder Batman?
There are various writers for the different chapters amongt them: Geoff Johns , Grant Morrison , Bill Willingham and others. I think these are your basic DC Comic heavyweights. The artwork seems to be almost the same throughout the different chapters, but the feel for the characters and the dialogue varies with each writer. When is a Batman just a Batman? This graphic novel answers that and much more. Commissioner Jim Gordon seemed to be able to keep up with the differences of each and was not easily fooled. Robin was left to question himself. Bruce Wayne, even wheel chair bound, did not want to stay away from fighting the bad guys. Where does it all end? Will The Batman ever be the same again? Will Robin be comfortable as a sidekick again? Can Alfred put up with anymore of the faux Batmen? Stay tuned readers, same Bat channel, same Bat station. Ok the last past I just had to add because I heard the voice of the announcer from the old show in my head. I used to love that.
The concept of Batman getting hurt to me is a good one. The idea of the other Batmen is a good “what if” scenario. Putting them altogether was incredible. I enjoyed being able to compare them with each chapter, and deciding what I felt is right for The Batman. Where does he go with it; what does he do? I would say most people are in on the Batman mystique and what that is all about. Although I don’t go back to the very origin of the character, I do back almost 50 years with him. I loved the concept, bought into it, and was carried through it by very capable writers. My point is if you want to have some fun, enjoy yourself a little bit, and if know anything about The Batman at all; this could be the graphic novel for you.
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[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't really a graphic novel, just a collection of assorted issues that have dealt with a similar theme. In this case, a Batman who is not Bruce Wayne. There's a decent variety here, but they're not all winners, and you can almost certainly read these stories elsewhere, in context. For some of them, that's probably essential. The Teen Titans story left me more confused than anything, because it obviously came towards the end of what must have been a pretty extensive storyline. There's two stories in here that spring from the Knightfall storyline, but they're perfectly understandable presented here. Probably my favorite story in the collection was the Batman Beyond issue that came last. They're decent stories overall, but much better read in context.

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good compilation of some best hits of different Batman mantles and it just is good cause all those stories are good.

[Seth Kenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of stories about Batman...when he isn't actually Batman. This might be because an imposter is wearing the Batman costume, or because Bruce Wayne has had to get someone to stand in for him, or because it's set in the future, but it's all about Batman when it's not Bruce under the cowl.

It's a mixed bag; it depends on your favourite incarnation of the Batman legend as to which story you will enjoy. The Jean Paul Valley story I'd already read in the Bane story arc, so that was a repeat but still probably one of my favourite...largely because I quite like Jean Paul Valley. Some of the stories I liked, others I did not like as much. Your mileage will vary. Read it and see what you think! it's Batman. It's good.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good collection of Batman stories wherein different writers take turns re-imagining the essence of Batman via men other than Bruce Wayne wearing the cape & cowl. Includes alternate futures where the Teen Titans have grown in despotic versions of the "grown up" heroes, two different times when Bruce Wayne hand picks a "successor" to stand in for him while he's unable to be the Bat, a "Batman Beyond" story & more.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind if an odd choice for a collection. It’s random Batman stories from the ‘90s and 00s where Bruce Wayne isn’t Batman or he’s not technically the main Batman of the story. For instance they have one story where Jean Paul Valley is just starting out as Batman with Tim by his side. The final story is from Batman Beyond. None of the stories are directly connected.

[Matej · Rating 3 out of 5]

The issues collected here are not bad, but most are not standalone, so in some cases you have no idea what is happening or why.
It is a solid sampler of stories that feature different Batmans, but nothing more than that.

[Xavfro · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of batman and fables i wanted to see what to read the Bill Willingham story he did for this. I wasn't well prepared that it wasn't a hole, but more like individual stories with a same theme. Still a fun read, but would have liked it more to cover a story ark + after already have read Knightfall i already knew 2 of the stories.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stories that features some of the characters that have filled in for Batman.

Like when he's incapacitated or on a Bat-cruise.

The writing and art in this book covers a wide range of styles and time frames. A good choice for fans but others might not understand that they are reading about a replacement Batman.

Notes
A 'Batman Beyond' story is included.

Learning Curve
Moderate: New readers will likely be confused by multiple Bat-personalities.

[Melissa Sodano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps poor judgment on my part, but this was not the best book to pick up for one who's only beginning to learn the mythology of Batman. Though most of the installments within are okay, this compilation ruins many surprises, as you find out the various men who have been the Caped Crusader, and why they are not Bruce Wayne. Maybe I could enjoy this more if I was more knowledgeable about the back stories.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a stupid collection. This book basically collects various issues from 1993 to the present, that have no unifying story, but are similar in the fact that each issue is a story of someone being Batman who is not Bruce Wayne. So what you get here is a collection of individual scenes from other stories.

Ridiculous!! This is a serious waste of money.

[Devowasright · Rating 4 out of 5]

a group of tales about "other" batmans. interesting to fill in some holes in my bat-awareness, but the teen titans story made virtually no sense to me, and i am omitting it from my four star rating. otherwise, and enjoyable read, though probably not too informative for the more versed in the batman catalog. and bill willingham writing batman tales? yes please!

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of stories in which Bruce Wayne, for some reason or another, is unable to be Batman and someone else stands in for him. Some were stronger than others, with my favorite being Bill Willingham's contribution.

Either way, it was worth it just to see Bruce Wayne beat the crap out of a thug while wheelchair bound, armed with just a stick. These were hit and miss, however.

[Warren]

Rehash of previously printed stories from other TPB...Batman and Son, Batman: Knightfall Pt.2, Batman: Prodigal, Batman Begins: The Movie & Other Tales of the Dark Knight, Teen Titans: The Future is Now. Only the Batman Beyond story was new.

[Fugo Feedback]

La verdad que no tengo ni idea de si leí alguno de los capítulos que componen este tomo, pero espero por los autores que veo en la lista, seguro valga la pena. Con suerte se edite en castellano en algún momento, con suerte vaya encontrando números en inglés o el tomo a un precio no prohibitivo.