Will the REAL Batman Please Stand Up?

With the Dark Knight deceased, it seems that Gotham City is in total chaos while burning in flames. Criminals are on the loose and taking over the city, causing nothing but disaster. However, even in its darkest hour, Gotham is far from defenseless. With Batman no longer in the picture, there are descendants who fight for the Caped Crusader’s cloak and protect his city from depraved thugs. The companion piece to “Batman: Battle for the Cowl” is a fun and witty read that will keep the reader interested as each page is turned.

“Cowl Companion” is based on four tales of Gotham City, one of which involves Commissioner Gordon in a showdown with Mr. Freeze, where he tries to stop him from committing mass murder. Another story involves Dr. Kirk Langstrom – Man-Bat – who must overcome the monster within himself in order to discover that he indeed is a hero. Arkham Asylum is in ruins, and Dr Jeramiah Arkham finds the inspiration to rebuild from his most dangerous inmates. The problem is that when they escape, the city of Gotham is in danger of the destruction that is to come. Finally, the Riddler puts together pieces of a puzzling new crime boss, targeting Penguin and Two-Face. Throughout Gotham, a network of unlikely heroes may be all that is left to stop a city that is in total chaos.

“Cowl Companion” is written by Royal McGraw (“Batman: Death and the City”), Joe Harris (“Batman: Jokers Asylum”), David Hine (“Ryder on the Storm”) and Chris Yost (“X-Men: Messiah Complex”), each coming up with clever tales that eventually intertwine by the end of the novel.

“Cowl Companion” is different from previous graphic novels because it does not have its main character involved in the stories. The anticipation of not knowing what will happen next is what makes this book so interesting, and since suspense is an asset in great storytelling, while reading you will always be asking yourself if the Dark Knight will appear, making it that much more exciting for Batman fans.

The intense fighting is what makes this book enjoyable. Catwoman fights for Gotham and puts herself on the line in order to keep it safe. A mystery of this novel is the appearance of a man wearing a revamped Batman suit as he fights her, which leads to the unavoidable question: Is it really Batman? There are many copycats who can try to take over and replace Bruce Wayne, but in reality, there is only one true hero of Gotham.

Is Batman really dead? There’s only one way to find out. Gotham, on the other hand, is on life support. Will the real Batman please stand up?