Batman: Gotham Shall Be Judged

Batman (1940-2011) #708-709

by David Hine (Writer), Fabian Nicieza (Writer), Peter Calloway (Writer)

Azrael brings together his Angels of Death and invades Gotham City. It's up to three members of the Batman family--Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Selina Kyle--to prove to the vengeful group that Gotham is worth saving. But their own personal pasts might not make them the examples of purity and virtue needed to save the city.

Collecting: AZRAEL #14-18, BATMAN #708 and 709, RED ROBIN #22 and GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #22.

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

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2012

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 1 out of 5]

(C+) 64% | Almost Satisfactory
Notes: A goulash of grim medieval imagery and smug, bumper-sticker religiosity, it commits the cardinal sin of being blah.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve ever read an Azrael book before - but then I never come across them either! And this is why: Azrael sucks. This version of the character (the previous one being the laughably ‘90s Jean-Paul Valley from Knightfall) is Grant Morrison’s Michael Lane, a tortured ex-cop who gets all crazy religious for some reason, dresses up like a medieval Crusader and, like too many real-life Christians, behaves like a judgmental twat. Azrael is going to vaguely “judge” Gotham - which apparently means blowing it up? Buuh, I wonder if Batman will stop him? Snooze.

Writer David Hine hits more than he misses but Gotham Shall Be Judged is definitely a miss. I just read this yesterday and I can barely remember what happened in the first half. Azrael and Batman tangle to no effect, then Azrael goes to Afghanistan for no reason to recruit some kid who’s a living bomb? Also, Ra’s Al-Ghul’s tangled up in this crap somehow. Rubbish.

For the second half, DC does its speciality and forces an annoying crossover across several titles. Because not all of it is collected in this already oversized book, there are missing chapters making for an irritatingly uneven read. A character called “Crusader” suddenly appears but we don’t know his backstory, motivations, personality, etc. Catwoman suddenly has a sister introduced who was never previously established and some contrived emotion is attempted between the two that couldn’t be less convincing.

The second half of the book is simply a mess whose story falls back on the superhero template of “good guys stopping bad guys from arbitrarily blowing up the city for evil reasons” - it’s as boring as it sounds.

This is set during Grant Morrison’s Batman run when Dick Grayson was still standing in as the Dark Knight - Bruce Wayne is back but he’s busy jetting around the world setting up Batman Incorporated so Dick’s still the Batman of Gotham. And I’m a big fan of Dick Grayson as Batman - I actually think he’s a better Batman than Bruce! He’s definitely funnier. Azrael’s on the roof, waving his fiery swords around and yelling some nonsense to the heavens - cut to Dick below, looking up and muttering “Oh, great”. It made me smile.

There’s a humanity to Dick Grayson’s Batman that you don’t get with Bruce’s because he’s too distant and cold. Dick’s more empathetic and likeable. I also liked Guillem March’s art too which is quite nice and eye-catching.

I don’t think David Hine is a bad writer but he didn’t come up with any memorable or engaging stories for Azrael. Then again, Azrael’s not a great character either. He’s too coco-bananas and not in a fun way - he’s too intense, flagellating himself bloody, and his depressing life is a downer. Supernatural/magical characters rarely work in Batman anyway.

This book shall be judged - and I judge it not worthy!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know much about Azrael before reading this, so I didn't know what to expect.
He seems ok, but I won't be actively seeking out any other stories with him in it. He's sort of like a creepy supernatural Catholicish kind of character. No offence to Catholics, I don't personally find you guys creepy or anything. You all seem normal enough.
I'm just digging myself further and further in the hole, aren't I?

Anyway. Azrael gets tricked into doing some bad stuff, and Batman (Grayson), Catwoman, and Red Robin get judged for their sins. And some other stuff happens...

Overall, not a bad story.

[El Neo · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I would like to thank DC Entertainment and Good Reads for sending me a free copy. The ironic thing is I was just about to buy this at the comic store. I got a graphic novel that I really didn't enjoy. I wish I got this one instead & was pleasantly surprised when I received this in a package! I enjoyed this story. One of the element of the story I enjoyed was seeing two Batmen working side-by-side. I like the idea of Dick Grayson being the Batman of Gotham. He provided a refreshing take on the Batman character and had good chemistry with Damien Wayne. I'm sad to see DC abandon it so soon. Azrael has never been one of my favorite characters but, he worked for me in this story. The story touches on religious themes. What/who measures who is righteous? I consider myself and try to live as a spiritual person so, it provided food for thought for me. All in all, this was a fun read! I need to read more from David Hine.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very surprised to find a book I mostly enjoyed by David Hine. Unfortunately, the issues of Azrael between Angel In The Dark and this volume are not collected anywhere, and I didn't read the singles, so a lot of the current state of Azrael's psyche was a mystery to me. I find it very strange that DC didn't bother to put out a 2nd volume of Azrael, as that would allow the entire series to be collected.

Anyway, this story does a solid job of balancing superheroics with the crises of faith various characters are dealing with. I found myself genuinely caring about a couple of these characters. However, at one point the plot does the classic David Hine thing of just leaping forward with no explanation to get to the next "cool thing." This was frustrating, and in the end fails to deal with a lot of the looming issues in favor of a rapid wrap-up that dosen't resolve much, but I enjoyed the pages before the ending enough that I can let that slide a little.

By no means amazing, but a great shift in tone for Batman.

[William Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Azrael seemed to me like a completely unnecessary addition to the Batman family. I grudgingly accepted him, though, as he seemed to bring a new form of antagonism to the books under some damn good writers like Denny O'Neil. When Jean-Paul Valley (seemingly) died, I thought we could put the whole mess to rest at last. But, just like the mantle of the Bat, the Suit of Sorrows can be passed on to another.

David Hine has failed to impress me in every single issue he's written up until now. In this volume, he seems to have hit his stride as well as found a useful way to use the mantle of Azrael. Previous installments bored me to tears, but this one read like a great thriller and includes a villain that makes complete sense as the grand architect behind the resurgence of the Order of Purity. Combined with a new knight of the Order with meta powers and Michael Lane in a state of complete zealotry, there's enough action and intrigue here to keep anyone interested. Along with highly stylized art, I'd have to say I was pretty fairly impressed.

Writing: B
Art: B
Color: A

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman: Gotham Shall Be Judged is a trade paperback which collects Azrael #14–18, Batman #708–709, Red Robin #22, and Gotham City Sirens #22. The trade paperback contains three storylines: "Three Mysteries", "The Tears of God", and "Judgment on Gotham".

"Three Mysteries" is a three-issue storyline (Azrael #14–16), which has Michael Lane as Azrael getting closer to insanity as he begins self-flagellating and seeing visions of Father Grieve, the heretic he murdered. Having returned to Gotham as the Insider, Bruce Wayne tells Dick Grayson to invite Lane into Batman Incorporated so they can keep an eye on him. However, despite their efforts Michael Lane crucifies himself, but is later resurrected by Ra's al Ghul.

"The Tears of God" is a two-issue story (Azrael #17–18) has Michael Lane as Azrael return from the dead to asked a surprised Father Day about the Shroud of Turin. Bruce Wayne as Batman enlists Azrael to go after a terrorist group called the Brothers of the Sword in Afghanistan. Lane would eventually meet Fireball, a young boy with incredible powers. Ra's al Ghul arrives and reveals that he's been Fireball's mentor, testing Fireball to see if he's really the incarnation of death angel Malak al-Maut as his comrades believes and announces that his Angels of Death will help him create a new world by burning down the old one, and they will start by helping him destroy Gotham City.

"Judgment on Gotham" is a four-issue crossover event (Batman #708–709, Red Robin #22, and Gotham City Siren #22) has Michael Lane as Azrael and his Angels of Death (Crusader and Sami Mousawi as Fireball) invades Gotham City and it is up to Dick Grayson as Batman, Tim Drake as Red Robin, and Selina Kyle as Catwoman to prove that Gotham City is worth saving, but their own personal pasts might not make them the examples of purity and virtue needed to save the city.

With the exception of two issues Red Robin #22 and Gotham City Sirens #22, which was written by Fabian Nicieza and Peter Calloway respectively, David Hine penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written somewhat well written, it centered on Michael Lane as Azrael and how Ra's al Ghul has manipulated him to destroy Gotham City in a righteous fury for the actions of Tim Drake as Red Robin for decimating his League of Assassins.

Cliff Richards (Azrael #14–18), Guillem March (Batman #708–709), Freddie Williams II (Red Robin #22), and Andres Guinaldo (Gotham City Sirens #22) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, their penciling style complements each other rather well, yet remained rather distinct, which made the artistic flow of the trade paperback a tad rugged.

All in all, Batman: Gotham Shall Be Judged is a rather good trade paperback, a tad disjointed in places, but nicely constructed.

[drown_like_its_1999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the events of Final Crisis, the new Azreal suffers a mortal wound only to rise from death claiming that he has received visions from God. These visions tell him to seek out another saint of the Lord's vengeance and combine forces to bring widescale biblical justice to the den of sin that is Gotham City. As Gotham's protectors scramble to convince Azreal he is being manipulated, this servant of God asks each of them to prove their righteousness as an avenue to save their city (much like the opportunity the Lord gave to Sodom).

This was surprisingly good, especially for an arc focusing on a character I generally do not enjoy in Azrael. Often wishing that Azrael comics had a similar tone to that of Hellblazer, where Judeo-christian mythology is explored via a brand of cynical occultism, this storyline largely delivered that tone without straying too far from the violent crusading action in which the character usually participates. While certainly nothing transcendent, the work compellingly explores the contrast of sin versus crime and how faith can blind someone just as much as empower them. The storyline is surprisingly blasphemous and pulpy, to the extent I'm kind of shocked DC didn't censor it more (especially when considering the inclusion of a super-powered Islamic jihadist whom Azrael intends to use as a human bomb). The art is rather varied, being a storyline told over multiple titles, but always capable and simply exceptional when March is on pencils. The two issues with March's work are gorgeous, remiscent of the late 80s DC aesthetic with intricate shadowing but utilizing a more modern color palette depicting bombastic action compositions. While there are a lot of little problems I have with this book, it was still damn enjoyable and far more interesting than I expected going in.

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Azrael is an overly religious crusader/assassin for a faction of the Knights Templar called the Order of St. Dumas (or in this case, the Order of Purity). He wears a mystical suit called the Suit of Sorrows and wields two flaming swords. Like how Batman fights the war on crime, Azrael fights the war on sin. And now, he will judge Gotham and purge the world of all the sinners. Red Robin, Catwoman, and Batman (Dick) must pass the test; if they all fail, Gotham will burn.
The man under the armor is Michael Lane, and it seems Dick Grayson as Batman previously let him keep the Azrael armor. You would think the Batfamily (especially Bruce, Tim, and Dick) would have learned their lesson about how unstable and violent Azrael can be with Jean-Paul Valley's actions in Knightfall. Perhaps this is why Dick feels like it is his responsibility to handle this mess himself.
I liked this story, but since I am religious, some things just irked me, which might have been the authors' intention.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 / 5 rounded up.
A solid story line. Fun to see Azrael as the main protagonist. Art work is really well done. About halfway through, there's a sub-plot that reveals itself to not be so important near the end. Kind of a waste of pages there, but otherwise it was great.
I will agree with other reviewers on here that there was way too much reference to sin and purity among other things. I understand that it's a piece of Azrael's complete arc, but it bled into every character and every subplot beyond a degree of enjoyment at times.
I don't want to discourage anyone from picking this graphic novel up. Still, a satisfying, albeit chaotic, ending.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a weird story- this is the first time I've encountered Michael Lane's Azrael. I don't understand why Ra's al Ghul is the puppetmaster here- he actually seems too earnest for most of the story. Fireball is also a character that I think is somewhat poorly handled. Once the trials get going, it's not bad. Crusader is very ugly and I didn't like looking at him.

[Ming · Rating 2 out of 5]

I probably read it before, but it's so run of the mill that I had no recollection. Why does every story insist on reducing the city to ashes?

[Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

So so story, terrible art

[Joshua Adam Bain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I'd enjoy this as much as I did. I was pleasantly surprised in fact!

I haven't read that much of things with Azrael, apart from Knightall, but his character always seemed interesting. Of course this is a different Azrael, but it still has the same religious themes. I'm guessing that this book ties up the end of the Azrael series that was going on at the time. And I thought it was a wry cool way to tie it all off with a bang. It definitely left me wanting to get my hands on the books previous to this one. Only thing is they're pretty hard to find nowadays. Hopefully they do a reprint of them at some stage.

This story is focused around Michael Lane. An ex cop who has been wearing the Suit of Sorrows becoming Azrael to punish the sinners of Gotham. Catch is he doesn't have the moral code that Batman does an his methods are usually a bit darker and more...permanent. When he wears the suit he hears voices from "God" and previous people who wore the suit. So he's slowly getting crazier pretty much! I thought this was a rad premise so I was pulled right in.

Then we get the mastermind behind it, Ra's Al Ghul. It funny that this is the 3rd book in a row I've read where he makes an appearance. I had no idea he was in this book so it was a pleasant sight. I find myself enjoying him as a villain more and more as I read stories with his elaborate plans and deceitful schemes.

Another thing I enjoyed was Dick Grayson as Batman. I think he's an awesome version of bats cause he's so different to Bruce. Makes for a refreshing read.

If your down on religious cults give this a jam!!

[Anchorpete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this time period for the Batman Family- There were two Batmen running around, Good Ol' Bruce and Dick Grayson. Bruce was travelling around the globe, recruiting Batman type vigilantes for Batman Incorporated and Ra's Al Ghul was doing some crazy stuff within Gotham.
This book certainly has all of those aspects to it. Unfortunately, it has an overdose of religious references. I really do not enjoy when they try to connect ideas from the Christian Bible into Super hero stories. It might work on a show like "Supernatural", but not in my comics. It is especially rough when they reference Jesus. Somehow, Azrael, who is really the main star of the book, is actually a descendant of Jesus. They even went so far as to suggest that Jesus did not die on the Cross. Whether you are religious or not, Christian or not, I think that is an unnecessarily controversial story element.
Of course, this version of Azrael actually started out as one of the 3 Evil Batmen that Grant Morrison created, the same guy who started this whole Batman Incorporated part of the Bat Mythos. That made me appreciate the character more, but otherwise this was not an easy read.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comics rarely touch on theological issues, which is interesting considering how often they deal with supernatural creatures. Azrael especially is an instrument of divine vengeance, and this collection of two 3-issue arcs and a prelude, manage to dance around the implications. They focus on faith and sin, but not by really delving into the issues beyond references and platitudes. It starts to set up a conflict in religion, then takes an easy out of the situation, that doesn't really follow from the story itself. It's a shame, because the characters are interestingly portrayed, and the crises of faith are not obvious ones. So, the taking of the way out was particularly disappointing, although understandable. Azrael as a character has a lot of potential in his current incarnation; but I don't know that he made it into the New 52, which would be a shame.

[Mouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

So what was Bruce Wayne-Batman doing during this whole thing? It wasn't made clear other than, "You need to handle this, Dick!"
So as Gotham is being destroyed by religious fanatics Bruce is on vacation??? I find that hard to swallow especially knowing him to be the micro manager he is!
This story is really long winded and just drags and drags and while it's an interesting premise it just doesn't hold up that well. It doesn't really feel like a Batman story and Azrael was always a weird character to begin with and needs to be brushed under the carpet! I still don't understand why Batman let him get away with as much crap as he did! I mean c'mon Batman has been known to take down his own guys for far less! Weak sauce!

[Alice Urchin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining enough and the art was cool, but I'm not a huge fan of the Azrael plot. The whole Christian Crusader Warrior for God shit gets stale quickly for me and always seems pretty improbable. For some reason, I have no problem suspending my disbelief when Poison Ivy is making a humanoid plant army but anything involving a Lazarus Pit always stinks of deus ex machina to me. I liked that Selina, Dick, and Tim got to play a larger role in this comic while Bruce just kind of hung out in the background, but generally I don't like the era of two Batmans (Batmen?). It just makes things overly complicated and distracts from the main conflict.

[Alex Sarll]

The problem with R'as al Ghul, as a character, is that a scheming immortal genius' plans can, in the hands of many writers, look suspiciously like convolution for its own sake. Aaaaah. No, not 'aaaah', this just doesn't make sense.
The problem with Azrael as a character is that he has a very confused backstory; I know some of it and was still lost at times.
On the plus side, at times Azrael does come across as a stand-in for the Benson/Huston-era Moon Knight, and he spends some of this fighting the Taliban, which is top fun.
In summary: another of the baffling comics that makes you understand why DC decided to reboot everything.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, I really hated this. I thought the story was incredibly lame. In general I don't really care much for the whole religious zealot as a plot devise thing and that's pretty much what this came down to. Also, not a whole lot of Batman. It should be entitled Azrael:Gotham Shall Be Judged. So if you like over played religious overtones and Christian-Islamic relations I guess this is the book for you???

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't give this a thumbs up for several reasons. Firstly, this is NOT a Batman collection, it's an Azrael collection with Batman, Catwoman, and Red Robin guest starring. The main storyline is very repetitive, poorly structured, messily written and the religious stuff completely over the top. The art was pretty good, and I liked Ra's, but I didn't feel this storyline was worthy of collection...avoid.

[Trevor Osz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotham Shall Be Judged is an interesting direction for Batman, and I think that's what makes it unique. It weaves in a lot in regards to religion, but it works really well and the story is well told. I would recommend checking it out as I really enjoyed it. Azrael gets resurrected for what he believes is god's work, but he doesn't realize it's actually the work of Ra's Al Ghul.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gotham Shall be judged is a great compilation of Azrael comics, showcasing the tormented Crusader in all his fanatical glory. The various comics don't all follow a similar story-line, but are very cool nonetheless. If you are into the DC universe than you should check this out, and learn all about Azrael the anti-hero.

[Shellee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway from Goodreads. I'm gonna let my hubby read this one then I will get his feedback and post. Note from hubby "This was freakin' Awesome!" "Thank you hunny for giving this to me I thought you hated it when I read comix." All I could do was laugh!

[Scott Downing · Rating 1 out of 5]

They say you should never discuss politics or religion in mixed company. The same idea can easily be expanded into comic book production. Using religious topics as fodder for entertainment is a dicey proposition at best. Here, DC has rolled a pair of snake eyes.

[Viridian5 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everything was far too over the top, and Dick Grayson often behaves far more like the original Batman than himself, even in private. I couldn't suspend my disbelief over any of this, and I found Dick's recovered circus memory ridiculous.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gotham City Sirens ties in with this storyline. You have to read this to fully understand what is going on in the Gotham City Sirens, and you need to read Gotham City Sirens to fully understand what is going on with Selina's sister in this story line... ugh comics :P

[Sebastián Vallejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

a pesar de ser old school y fana de Bruce Wayne como Batman, Dick Grayson lo hace bien en lo que pudo terminar siendo el fin de ciudad Gótica a manos de los fanáticos volados la teja de Azrael, The Crusader y Fireball

[John Yelverton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very sacrilegious and quite unworthy of your time to read it.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.