:renegade_robins: Azrael :renegade_robins:

[JasonTodd428]

Another personal favorite BatFam character of mine is John Paul Valley more commonly called Azrael. His story has fascinated me for years so I thought this month we would take a look at the first meeting between Azrael and Batman.

Remember to join the club (@RenegadeRobinsClub) please see Alfred. He might even give you a tour of the Batcave.

What to Read

• Batman: Sword of Azrael

Discussion

What is you top Azrael moment?

Hidden in the Batcave

• For January-February 2024: Luc Fox: Batwing

• For March-April: Adventures of the Super Sons

[AlexanderKnox]

I’ll recycle an old comment to get things started:

@AlexanderKnox

Sword of Azrael was first pitched as a story in Legends of the Dark Knight, and it feels a whole lot like the LOTDK stories that O’Neil had recently written. We have an obsessive cultist as the villain (this time seeming like a send-up of Cable and the Punisher), just like in Shaman. We have Bruce and Alfred getting stranded in an unfamiliar locale after their aircraft is shot down, just like in Venom. (And even though Denny didn’t write Prey, it’s still notable that we get both a violent vigilante and a villain donning Batman’s costume here as we did there.) O’Neil would soon replicate much of the globetrotting stuff from this story in Knightquest: The Search.

In short, Sword of Azrael is just meh. The titular character has an arc that largely gets lost in the shuffle as the story turns its focus to Batman and LeHah (the latter of whom gets the best moment in the story when he starts doing a voiceover narration for the sake of the readers and gets called out for it). Azrael’s costume feels like a 90s-ized version of the Year Two Reaper design by Alan Davis, but it works well enough. Speaking of which, Joe Quesada’s art is probably the biggest selling point for the book. He gives us an early version of Spiky Shoulders Batman.

[millernumber1]

I have to admit - I have not actually read the O’Neil/Quesada Sword of Azrael. I HAVE, however, listened to the excellent adaptation of Sword of Azrael in the BBC Radio Drama, and I dig it. It’s definitely got a ton of weaknesses in the construction of the Order, the personality and construction of the Azrael System, etc, but…Jean Paul’s struggle between his gentle self and his violent Azrael personality is so fun. And I give my strongest recommendation to what Dan Watters has been doing with Jean Paul recently - Sword of Azrael and DC's Saved by the Belle Reve #1
I also give huge thanks to James Tynion for making me fall in love with Jean Paul in his Detective Comics run. Batman - Detective Comics Vol. 2: The Victim Syndicate
Batman - Detective Comics Vol. 3: League of Shadows (Rebirth)
Batman - Detective Comics Vol. 4: Dues Ex Machina

Very excited to get some Luke Fox Batwing too! Especially with Outsiders coming out and giving him a new story with Kate Kane!

[JasonTodd428]

@millernumber1

I HAVE, however, listened to the excellent adaptation of Sword of Azrael in the BBC Radio Drama, and I dig

I have not heard about this one. Where could I find it?

@millernumber1

Especially with Outsiders coming out and giving him a new story with Kate Kane!

To be honest I was not a fan of Luc Fox as Batwing at the time mainly because of the trashy way the incoming writer handled David’s “retirement” from the role. I felt there were a dozen better ways to handle it that didn’t involve wiping out his supporting cast and making it seem as if David was merely a “second” choice for the role the whole time.

(Yes, I’m still salty about that one.)

That being said I want to give the rest of the Batwing series a try since I never finished it after that point.

I am interested in the new Outsiders book, mainly because the premise sounds great and I do love Kate Kane, so I feel the need to go back to the beginning with Luc. Maybe I’ll find my feelings have changed. Who knows.

[millernumber1]

Sadly, the Knightfall audio drama is not available for purchase, though if you google “BBC Knightfall radio drama” you might find some sources.

@JasonTodd428

To be honest I was not a fan of Luc Fox as Batwing at the time mainly because of the trashy way the incoming writer handled David’s “retirement” from the role. I felt there were a dozen better ways to handle it that didn’t involve wiping out his supporting cast and making it seem as if David was merely a “second” choice for the role the whole time.

I can understand that, but since I was absent from the n52 until about 2014, I basically came in while Luke was Batwing (with Batman Eternal, my favorite n52 series), and so he’s the only character I’ve ever really thought of in that role.