So far there have been three votes on the DC Bat Cowl Comic Book and all three results are in:
Series Title: Batman: The Legacy Cowl
Log Line: “Who Hides Behind The Cowl?”
Batman Design:
Much has been determined already but it’s time for the fourth vote and I think this is the most impactful one thus far as we literally get to pick a character to be in the book!
Step back for a second and think about what DC is letting us Bat Cowl holders do…they’re creating a comic book that features one of their biggest characters and one of the most iconic comic book characters of all-time and they will release this book in stores and digitally later this year. They are letting us, Bat Cowl holders, determine what the book will be called, what Batman will look like, the hook line for marketing and now which character will be Batman’s sidekick! AMAZING!!!
So let’s get into our options and break it all down:
Option #1 - Robin (Damian Wayne)
For those that don’t know Damian Wayne is Bruce Wayne’s son (the mother is none other than Talia Al Ghul meaning yes, Ras Al Ghul is Damian’s grandfather) and is the fifth person to hold the title of Robin. He’s young but he’s tough as nails and has incredible determination, drive, intelligence and acumen for crimefighting and fighting in general. He’s as good in a brawl as he is at solving riddles and he’s a true hybrid of his parents.
Option #2 - Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
For those that don’t know Dick Grayson was the original Robin but after he left he became Nightwing, was a founding member and leader of the Teen Titans and has become a star crimefighter in his own right. Nightwing is an excellent fighter, very stealthy, works well in a team (as he’s shown as both Robin and a member of the Teen Titans) and has incredible leadership skills. He’s a full grown man at this point and would be an equal to Batman physically and mentally. In fact, he was Batman in ‘Batman: Battle for the Cowl’!
Option #3 - Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
For those that don’t know that’s not a typo - Barbara Gordon is Batgirl and is the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon. She also goes by the name Oracle at times and is known for her computer skills, ability to hack anything and is often giving Batman and others information as they are out fighting crime and keeping the team in communication.
As you can see above ‘Batman: The Legacy Cowl’ artist Pablo Collar has provided us with a preview of each character and how they would look in the book. I haven’t had the time to do a deep dive into the look for the characters yet and am not sure if that could be an upcoming vote - determining the design for the sidekick.
Let’s start with the first one - Robin. Batman & Robin go together like peanut butter and jelly and when you’re talking about legacy (it’s the title we picked and project manager for Palm Matt Mason has frequently urged us to PROTECT THE LEGACY) it would seem a natural to pick Batman’s actual son. Nobody is going to have his back more than his flesh and blood…but there is that aspect of Damian that he’s also flesh and blood to a notorious villain. If this is what we end up with you cannot go wrong with a traditional Batman & Robin story.
Moving on to the second option - if you’re an active reader of DC Comics you’re no doubt familiar with the current Nightwing series which is very well received and is consistently among the Top 10 in book sales. Dick Grayson has come into his own, he’s become a central figure in ‘Dark Crisis’, the major DC comic event of 2022, and he is a major character in the DC Universe. Having two major characters in one book would be quite the coup and would bring a lot of attention and fans to the book. It would truly be having a second Batman in the book which could come in handy should anything happen to Bruce! Dick Grayson is Batman’s adopted ward so there’s a family connection and bond there as well.
Finally, there’s Batgirl. I’ve heard it said by some Bat Cowl holders that they voted for her as the sidekick because they think it’s important to have a female character be a big part of the story and there’s a lot of validity in that. In addition to being a female, though, Batgirl is a great character. I love her skill at being the tech expert that can help coordinate things from the Batcave but also being more than capable of handling herself in action. She’s probably the most versatile of the three options and would bring Commissioner Gordon into the fold, if only indirectly, by being his daughter and what’s a Batman story without The Commish?
Perhaps moreso than any of the previous three votes I truly believe that there is no bad option here. I would love to see any of these three iconic characters join Batman in this adventure and each definitely bring something different to the story both in their history with Batman and their skillset.
Who are you voting for and why? Let me know below and thanks for checking out the Knightwatchers Club breakdown of Bat Cowl Comic Vote #4.