Batman: Life After Death

Batman (1940-2011) #692–699

by Tony S. Daniel (Writer/Illustrator), Guillem March (Illustrator), Sandu Florea (Illustrator)

Tony Daniel returns to the BATMAN series as the new writer and artist after his best-selling BATTLE FOR THE COWL miniseries!

With Batman pounding the pavement in search of a new crime figure calling himself Black Mask and the completion of the new Arkham Asylum looming close, Gotham City has reached a boiling point! But when pandemonium breaks out at the inaugural ceremony of the new Arkham Asylum, the combined forces of Oracle, Huntress and Catwoman aren't enough help for Batman and The Caped Crusader takes on an unlikely ally - The Penguin! Chock full of fan-favorite characters and the debuts of new supporting cast members, this high-speed adventure is sure to hit the spot for Batman fans who like their comics bursting with mystery, action and fun. And you won't believe your eyes when Batman uncovers the Black Mask's true identity!

Collects BATMAN #692-699

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

200 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2010

About the author

Tony Salvador Daniel is a comic book author and illustrator. He is sometimes credited with is full name as Antonio Salvador Daniel.

For the science fiction writer, see Tony Daniel.

Tony S. Daniel decided to become a comic book artist in the 4th grade and has never looked back. He made his professional comics debut in 1993 on Comico's The Elementals and went on to illustrate X-Force for Marvel Comics and Spawn: Bloodfeud for Image Comics as well as writing and illustrating several creator-owned titles of his own: Silke, The Tenth, Adrenalynn and F5 — the last two of which led him, for a time, into the alternate reality known as Hollywood.

After being lured back into comics in 2005 to work with writer Geoff Johns on TEEN TITANS for DC Comics, Daniel landed his dream job in 2007 penciling the adventures of DC's Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN where he first collaborated with writer Grant Morrison and then went on to write and draw the book himself. In 2011 he re-launched DETECTIVE COMICS for DC’s New 52, writing and drawing most of the first year of the historic series. In 2012 Daniel moved from one icon to another when he began illustrating the adventures of Superman in ACTION COMICS.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: A hoarder’s den of clutter where the plot’s akin to tangled Christmas lights, stringing together its bright, majestic art.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can’t tell the players without a scorecard in this one.

Tony Daniel, my seventh favorite Batman writer, jams about a gazillion characters into this overstuffed storyline and the plot kind of looks like this:



Urp!

What the heck? Am I reading a Spider-Man book?

You have practically every Batman villain except the Joker, Killer Croc and the dude who carries around a stop watch and the added bonus of a Catgirl…



Dick Grayson is now the Batman.

But Jeff, why?



Because Batman is dead, old chum.

As the picture above shows, he wore his galoshes instead of his anti-zap proof Bat-boots, and that bastard Darkseid, flambe’d him.



Dick/Batman is having a rough go of it. Nobody really thinks he’s up to the task. Everyone from the lonely Catwoman (She misses her Brucie. Badly.) to the impertinent little punk, Damien, wish things were back to normal.

Me too!

So Dick/Batman plods through as best he can. Trying to be the bestest Batman he can be. Doing everything that Bruce taught him.

Until he gets mind controlled by the faux Black Skull.

Points for trying, pal. And here’s a pat on the back.



Dick, he’s not mumbling. You’re standing on his chest. The real Batman would have hung him by his big toes from the top of Wayne Tower or a handy gargoyle. You’ll get the hang of this job, until the real Batman comes back.

Shelby’s bottom line: Even if she’s drinking while reading this, which seems likely, she’ll still hate it.



Thank goodness, Dick has some friends who can pop in for a panel and save his ass.

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the coloring of the artwork is too thick and vivid for my taste, still the drawing itself is gorgeous and I like this story about Dick Grayson taking up Batman's crime-fighting duty after Bruce Wayne's death (but of course we later learn he isn't really died). I like this second-Batman's tone, his interaction with the other characters, (e.g. Robin, Catwoman, etc) and his internal struggle with trying to fit into the role his mentor, Bruce, had left behind.

This comic has breathtaking action scenes, badass superheroes, well-designed villains (mostly the Black Mask and Fright, Penguin and an Italian crime family), there also is the welcoming presence of the Riddler (the side story about him is so good!). Therefore I give this volume full Batman-rules-5-stars.

PS: but why would the author believe readers want to be treated with a Penguin's bathing scene and a mostly-naked Penguin!? LOL

PSS: Fright refers the Black Mask itself, not the man who wore it, as her lover! I found it totally hot!! What a relationship, what a pair!

PSSS: after the reread, this volume is still good.

Review: Red Hood: Outlaw vol. 1 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review: Batman: Battle For the Cowl: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review: Batman: A Death in the Family https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storyline: ☆☆☆½
Artworks: ☆☆☆☆☆

For being an artist turned into full author, Tony Daniel's pulp/hard boiled storyline was good but lacking heart for me and I guessed quickly Black Mask's identity, but Dick and Damian are an amazing Dynamic Duo, loved the villains gallery and artworks were just over the top in this solid volume of the Caped Crusader.



Not bad at all for being a random purchase.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This two part graphic novel first deals with the new Batman (Dick Grayson) dealing with the Falcone Family and in the second part he deals with the Riddler. What's impressive enough is that there are a number of revolving characters who make appearances and are kept in play amidsts a tale that is very good in the first part and somewhat good to good in the second part.

Grayson's acrobatic action panels are a pleasure to watch and Damian is the usual irritable “know it all” sidekick.

There are a number of appearances: Oracle, Huntress, Cat Woman (who picks up a sidekick), Penguin, Riddler, Alfred and a few others I have forgotten I'm sure.

Tony S. Daniel writes and does the artwork with help from Guillem March, Sandu Florea, Norm Rapmund, Ian Hannin, Tomeu Morey and Jared K. Fletcher. See how many people work on one graphic novel?

ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING: B to B plus; BATMAN FOCUSES/BATMAN MYTHOLOGY: B to B plus; WHEN READ: end of August to September 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B plus.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but it didn't Wow me.

Grayson makes for an interesting Batman. More mouthy and talkative, but only slightly less brooding than Wayne. Daniel does a decent job highlighting their similarities and their differences. Also, the art was nice throughout the entire book, so that's a plus.

The plot was ok. I didn't really have any problems with the story, it was just...meh. It was supposed to be twisty-n-turney, but it seemed to me it was more confusing than it needed to be. There were a lot of things I liked about it, but in the end, not enough to make it a stand-out story (for me, anyway).

The second story about Riddler was okish. It left me more confused than anything else.

Read it.
Don't read it.
Whatever.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so good omg!

I liked this one for sure but its so many plots and sometimes its unclear what's happening but the art is so good!

So it deals with a gang war mainly and that involves Black mask mainly and one of the members of the FALCONE family and well Batman stuck between it and has other villains between it like Reaper, Fright, Dr death and it inolves a gang war between them and on both sides, also Penguin is there and he does something to Dick in one issue which was weird and kinda broke the flow of the story a bit but its alright and I like how it ends with a massive war between Batman and BM and the revelation of who he is and interesting and it shakes thing sup for sure and it delves into Dick's methods as Batman like really well!

It was really good and makes for some fun stories and also a plot with this girl Kitrina and what Selina does with her and its fun and also I like Selina's relation with dick here and the tension and drama it brings considering her relationship with Bruce and all and overall its interesting and makes for a fun read and Tony can draw women in such a gorgeous manner! <3

And finally a 2 part story with Riddler vs Blackspell and whats happening to some people and him in particular, its a messy story but Dick solves it well and wee Nygma's present status quo.

So yeah a good volume overall and makes for a fun read and with great art and continues Dick's development as Batman!

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my third Tony Daniel/Batman book and I'm starting to realise that he's not the Batman writer I hoped he'd be. He's a fine artist and the artwork here is as good as the best artwork there's ever been in Batman, but as a writer I don't think he's up there, that he's more average than excellent.

Bruce Wayne's dead (or travelling through time as it turns out) so following the events of "Battle for the Cowl" (also by Daniel), Dick Grayson has assumed the cowl and become the Batman for Gotham. A new Black Mask is causing chaos in the part of Gotham known as the aptly named Devil's Square and another Falcone family member is making a return to try and set up shop once again.

There just isn't anything new here to make the story fresh or interesting - another Black Mask, another Falcone, more appearances by ridiculously cartoonish villains like the Reaper (complete with robe and scythe) and a vaudevillian magician (really), and an overly convoluted and drawn out plot that didn't contain many surprises.

I like Grayson as Batman but besides a few moments where his inexperience was highlighted and his difficulty adjusting to the role as socialite, there wasn't enough here that was new. In the end, he makes a good Batman and aside from his nearest and dearest knowing it isn't Bruce, it's still basically the Batman doing his thing.

I liked the artwork like I always do in Daniel's books but the storylines need to be sharper. There were too many times reading it where I thought to myself "Wait, what's going on again?" and then flicking back to figure out it's something very straightforward. Daniel just uses too many ingredients to tell a story which makes for an overly confusing read. "Life After Death" is no great shakes as a Batman story and isn't necessary to get the overall arch, it's just for fans who need filler while better Batman books are produced.

[Chelsea &#x1f3f3;️‍&#x1f308; · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average Batman story. More of a classic one with adding the Falcones back in as a foe.

I thought they might have done more with the parallel of Mario trying to fill his father's shoes and Dick trying to fill Bruce's shoes, but they didn't really. In a way, it was a bit cluttered with 3 or 4 antagonists in this story.

Anyway, the art was nice. I appreciated Damian being here. I liked the introspection as Dick doubted his ability to take over as Batman. I got some of that in Morrison's Batman & Robin series but this was more of Dick's thoughts, which was nice

But, I can't imagine this is the kind of story I would want to re-read. It wasn't all that engaging for me.

[Pinkerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non male questo scontro con Maschera Nera, coadiuvato da sgherri molto ‘particolari’ che rendono la vicenda ancor più intrigante. Inoltre gode di un valore aggiunto, dovuto alla presenza di un paio di elementi della famiglia Falcone - oltre ad essere un caposaldo tra i nemici del pipistrello, il ruolo giocato nella storia che preferisco di Batman mi spinge sempre a vederli con un occhio di riguardo. Ad impreziosire ulteriormente il volume ci hanno pensato un Edward Nigma nei panni di detective privato e la lettura in concomitanza di “Arkham rinato” che conferisce maggior spessore al cattivo di turno.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman: Life After Death is another good entry in the BATMAN REBORN series, but the real gem here is Batman: Riddle Me This .



I've been reading a lot of comics and in particular a lot of Batman comics of late. I’m pleased to find that comics can still surprise me. Tony S. Daniel's Batman: Life After Death is a near-perfect tour de force. Daniel offers a captivating hero in the new Batman, Dick Grayson, a compelling mystery in the identity of the new Black Mask, and enough twists, turns, and continuity notes to keep me riveted throughout.

I love Dick Grayson's role as Batman, Grant Morrison and Judd Winick went a long way toward convincing me that the idea could work, and Tony Daniel cements it. Daniel's Grayson-Batman has not the edge of the Wayne-Batman; he falls into a number of different traps and doesn't seem necessarily surprised with himself for having done so. A young boy who helps Grayson gets killed, and Grayson's reaction is neither too emotionless nor too vengeful, as Bruce Wayne might have been; instead, in a small moment, one senses that Grayson mourns the child both for how the child reflects himself and how the child reflects his fallen mentor.



Grayson's battle against Black Mask in this story is a team effort, involving Alfred and Robin, but also to a large extent Huntress, Oracle, Catwoman, and Commissioner Gordon. The Bat-family shows a level of teamwork that we haven't seen previously -- a variety of heroes came to Bruce Wayne's aid during Batman R.I.P., but it was nothing to the extent of Catwoman as Grayson's informant or Huntress watching his back to foil a thief. Though it's not stated explicitly, I think Daniel even wants us to intuit that Gordon knows this isn't the original Batman and assists him accordingly. Dick Grayson is the Batman prince, essentially, being assisted by his forebear's couriers to accept rule of the kingdom.

To that end, it's perhaps no coincidence that Daniel pays homage to Batman: Hush writer Jeph Loeb's Batman: The Long Halloween early in Batman: Life After Death , bringing that series firmly into continuity. Daniel returns the gangster Mario Falcone, balancing out Batman's often predictable rogues. Not only does Daniel leave unclear whose side Falcone is on, it also looks like he'll revisit the question of Catwoman's true parentage as presented in Loeb's Batman: Dark Victory . In fact, Daniel's story is full of these kinds of touches, from the villain Fright last seen in Winick's Batman: Under the Hood , to the Reaper from one 1971 Dennis O'Neil Batman issue #237. I did not expect this level of detail from Tony Daniel's work. This is stuff Grant Morrison does brilliantly, and Daniel is following in his footsteps.



Daniel's final two chapters of Batman: Life After Death , Batman: Riddle Me This , focus on the Riddler with art by Guillem March. The story is brilliant with a suggestion that the Riddler remembers that Batman is Bruce Wayne and senses the current Batman isn't Bruce, It’s obvious that the Riddler is someone Daniel intends to come back to as he takes center stage here before he disappears. This story adds to Daniel’s impressive Batman run.
Daniel gives the artist reigns to Guillem March for the last fourth of the book. For my money, Daniel’s art is superior, but Guillem March is great too. His art fits nicely with the Batman books, and he draws great facial expressions. Credit also to colorist Tomeu Morey for his brilliant use of greens and the moods and meanings they convey here.

Grant Morrison, Judd Winick, and especially Tony Daniel have all gone a long way toward making Dick Grayson, and Batman, more interesting than they've been in a while. They’ve made Batman exciting once more.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story, but it really feels like a filler book in anticipation for something bigger later on in the book series.

[Blindzider · Rating 2 out of 5]

This takes place after Bruce Wayne dies in Morrison's long running arc and after Battle for the Cowl.

Well the art is really nice. It's just not a very inspired story. And his version of Grayson's Batman isn't much different than Wayne's except for a few moments of catching one's self in mistakes.

I felt like I missed something when the story starts as far as how everything got setup with Black Mask and the state of Gotham. Also didn't care for the change in status quo for Catwoman.

It really feels like Daniel is trying hard but I just couldn't get into his story/writing. We'll see how the next volume goes.

[Jacki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Concept: A
Plot: B
Art: A
Writing/Dialogue: B
Character Development: A
Pacing: B
Ending: B

I love Dick Greyson as Batman. Part of Wayne's Batman mystique is his near infallibility, but that can also make him harder to relate to. Also, admit it, at some point we've all thought, "YES, Batman/Bruce, you're so tortured and brooding, you lost your parents, you trust no one, blah blah blah. Get some therapy! This shtick is getting old, and thank God no one ages in comics, because you'd be a grumpy heartless old man by now, and no one would like you." Maybe not in those words, but you know what I mean. Batman never gets to grow as a character. But switching Batmans (Batmen) lets the Batman grow.

The plot was a little convoluted but easy to follow, although the masked villain's identity was too easily revealed by a single clue. The writing was good, but there was plenty of show-don't-tell in the art, and I loved that Dick's fighting style was so acrobatic even though he's switched hero identities.

[Justyn Rampa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good but not great.

Tony s. Daniel returns as writer and artist for this volume after writing the "Battle for the Cowl" series. This volume was interesting because it continues Dick Grayson's struggle to shoulder the burden of the cowl and Damian has a wonderful moment in this as well.

The story had potential I suppose but it never quite got there. There was a big reveal that I've already read before in another volume so I'm not sure which came first.

Also, I am a little disappointed because the cliffhanger at the end of "Long Shadows" was not addressed at all in "Life After Death".

As I write this review, I'm actually considering just giving it a three instead of a four.

Nice artwork. Good enough storylines, but it all felt a bit "been there, done that" for me.

[quinnster · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm just going to say it. I don't like Dick Grayson as Batman. I want him to be Nightwing and I want Bruce Wayne to be Batman! *end whiny kid rant*

I'm not entirely sure then if I didn't care for Life After Death because Grayson was Batman or because I just didn't like it. Thinking about it now I realize how this volume is basically other people playing parts they never should have played. Batman & Black Mask, both impostors!

There was a bunch of stuff going on and things were confusing at points and then it would drag for a bit to the point where I was almost bored. Too bad.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel's art adds a lot to the dark tone of this otherwise run-of-the-mill detective story. There's no real sense of anything being at stake, and often deus ex machinas are needed to resolve situations. Some characters are heavily featured, then end up barely mattering. Some more intricate plotting could've made this fantastic.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good. I may have had a harder time getting into this one with Dick Grayson as Batman (even though they're all just pencil and paper). I'm going to have to read Long Halloween again, since this is one of the many that reflect back on the incidents there.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony Daniel really steps up his game in the art in this collection. The art looks a lot like Jim Lee's, good stuff. There is an additional story at the end that is illustrated by Guillem March. The art in this is amazing.

[Timo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every now and then one comes across with a book or comic that has something one can not describe. Something that makes reading the whole damn thing a strugle. Something that really puts you off reading the mentioned book or comic.
This was one of those.

[Mark Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best Batman story I've ever read, but much better than Daniel's previous story, Battle for the Cowl.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Black Mask saga is good. There are a lot of twists and turns before its over.

[Chris Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life After Death

The title of the main arc here, Life After Death, could relate to a lot of characters involved. Most notably Batman is dead and Dick Grayson has taken up the mantle, and the primary antagonist Black Mask is a new man behind the mask since Roman Sionis is dead.

Life After Death continues the plot threads set up by Daniel in Battle for the Cowl. The new Black Mask is the king of Gotham crime now he’s taken over Penguin’s operations and driven Two-Face out of Gotham. In doing so though, he’s also caused the national guard to be called in and he’s now penned into the aptly named Devil’s Square.

He’s also facing new unexpected competition as the Falcone crime family is receiving some unexpected ‘life after death’ with the return of the last son of The Roman: Mario Falcone. It’s a visually interesting gang war between gas masks and fedoras, though we mostly see it through Batman showing up at battlefield crime scenes long after the fact.

I’ve always found Mario’s return here a little underwhelming. In Loeb and Sale’s Long Halloween and Dark Victory sagas, we saw the fall of the Falcone crime family in the early days of Batman’s career (recapped here in Life After Death with spoilers for those stories very quickly) and Mario’s role in the saga is he was the ‘good son’. He wanted nothing to do with the criminal empire. Dark Victory ended with Mario as the only surviving Falcone perhaps because of this but broken and having a mental breakdown.

Life After Death shows us the result of Mario’s mental collapse: he has become another generic gangster. It’s disappointing and underwhelming. He also doesn’t really contribute much. His inclusion feels like simply a way to tie this story to other bigger and better Batman epics.

Falcone isn’t the only character Daniel has dragged in from the past though. Black Mask’s ‘ministry of science’ brings back another dead villain, this time through actual resurrection: The Reaper. You could be forgiven for thinking Daniel was trying to cash in on a connection to Batman Year Two as well, and he may well be in some ways, but actually not that Reaper. Daniel has instead found a one-off nazi-hunter villain called The Reaper from an issue of Batman in 1971 who’s supposed to be dead and decided to make him a big dramatic return which is a bold choice.

He does work well though as a weapon for Black Mask, tearing up the mafia with a scythe. The design is cool, red added to associate with the more famous Year 2 villain no doubt, and the fact he is literally decaying is a nice touch. The Reaper is one of the cards Daniel leaves on the table at the end for the rest of his run.

There are still plenty more villains to talk about and that’s part of the problem. This one arc feels like an outline for an entire run squeezed into 6 issues. It’s nice in this era to feel Gotham’s underworld are all out there and could pop in any second, see The Mad Hatter here for example, but Black Mask barely gets a look in and it’s supposed to be his story.

Pinned in by the National Guard and operating through Hugo Strange, Fright, Dr Death and the Reaper, Black Mask is looming in the background throughout the story without really getting to do anything before he’s unmasked. Rather than a big threat to Gotham, he’s little more than a target for others and a mystery to be solved.

The mystery of his identity is in some ways done quite well. Main spoiler for the book here: it’s Jeremiah Arkham. What does that mean for the story? Well in reality not very much. The story plays fair with the mystery - the Gala we know Black Mask is attending gives us suspects, and the penultimate issue cliffhanger gives you a big clue so you can work it out if you’ve been paying attention. But in terms of actual motivation there is none - we’re just told Jeremiah went crazy. In terms of consequences, again here presents none. Arkham Reborn does a lot with Jeremiah’s story and transformation, but for Life After Death on its own, it literally makes no difference who is under the mask.

The one thing Daniel does do with Black Mask here is introduce a split personality aspect. Jeremiah and the mask talk and bicker like Jekyll and Hyde when they’re alone or with just Fright. The dynamic would be more interesting if it wasn’t already the main shtick of Two-Face. This is one of the few threads Daniel will actually pick up and continue in his Detective Comics run for The New 52 - revealing the Mask has brainwashing powers it used on Jeremiah. I’m not a fan of that development.

Black Mask and Fright’s relationship could add an interesting aspect if the story had any room to explore it. Fright seems to be attracted to the Mask persona and have no interest in Jeremiah, and the focus on the three science-based villains and their brainwashing of The Reaper is perhaps meant to imply they’ve manipulating and using Jeremiah this whole time. But there’s no space to explore that.

Having been pushed to the side by Black Mask more easily, Penguin gets to make a comeback here. Cobblepot rebels against Black Mask’s control when he sees a weakness and even manages to use Batman as a weapon. With Mask defeated and Two-Face in exile, Penguin presumably inherits Gotham at the end, though again sadly not space in these 6 issues for that!

While the villain side of the story is messy and underdeveloped, in terms of Batman himself the book is more successful. We’ve seen Grayson claiming the cowl and adjusting to it in Battle for the Cowl and Long Shadows, here we see that character arc completed as he is put through his paces, tasting his first failures as Batman and overcoming them to ultimately emerge victorious. This is the completion of Grayson’s journey becoming Batman in this title.

For much of the story, how he’s written could be simple a young Bruce. That’s intentional though (with Selina even noting he looks like a young Bruce). Daniel wants his Batman to be Batman, not Dick Grayson playing dress up. It is Grayson’s aim to convince the underworld he is the same man. While Winick embraced Grayson’s personality and all the differences in Long Shadows, Daniel prefers here and in Battle for the Cowl to make Dick more withdrawn like his mentor as a consequence of his grief and burden. Is this inconsistency in characterisation? I don’t think so. Both takes are valid, but here Grayson is being put through a gauntlet of pain and failure, it makes sense for him to be more brooding. He’s noticeably more confident and willing to talk like himself not Batman in the finale confrontation with Black Mask, once he’s not on the back foot.

There are also aspects to the story that are very Grayson. We see the new Batman’s first time working with Catwoman and the dynamic is different enough there. We also see Dick partnered with Huntress for part of the book - seeing them work well together, with a touch of romantic tension, and no grumpy old man disapproval from Batman, is a dynamic you could only have with Dick not Bruce.

The final piece Daniel introduces here I want to mention is Kitrina Falcone. Daniel introduces his own new Falcone daughter, though it’s left ambiguous here just how connected she actually is. Kitrina is a player here but is mostly being set up for future use in the run. Partnering her with Selina is a nice touch and opens new story angles. Daniel successfully hints at the revelations in Loeb and Sale’s works about Selina, so if you haven’t that Context you realise that Daniel is not only giving Selina a new kid sister figure for the new era, but is actually giving her a new kid sister. It sets up interesting possibilities for Selina, given how she’s failed her other sister Maggie, and potentially fills a gap left in her life by the loss of her child in her own series (that she now can’t remember.) whether Daniel actually manages to do anything with that, you’ll have to wait for the next volume to find out.

Life After Death is fun. It’s an ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ approach that gives a focus on spectacle but leaves the narrative messy and rushed, without much depth.

Riddle Me This

Also included here is the next two issue arc. There’s an extended nightmare sequence at the start to remind us this is Dick Grayson here not Bruce Wayne. This is necessary because for the rest of the story he is simply Batman and could easily have been Bruce. I’m not opposed to this approach though - people do read Batman because they want to read Batman.

Set up by Life After Death, this story is the start of RIddler’s return to crime. Batman investigates a series of copycat murders and Riddler seems to have all the answers. This leads him to new villain Blackspell, a magician serial killer with a past connection to Riddler.

Blackspell is decent as a villain but underdeveloped. Somehow in only 2 issues, things get even messier than in Life After Death. By the end I was left completely lost as to what exactly Riddler had been up to and why. We’re told he pretended to be Blackspell in an earlier scene but was he committing murders too then and Blackspell was framed? Was he working with Blackspell? Was he just trying to tell Batman it was Blackspell without revealing how he knew? I don’t know. I’m not convinced Tony S Daniel does either.

It ultimately doesn’t matter. It’s all just an excuse for Batman to realise Riddler is on the path of villainy again and set up a future big confrontation that Daniel will continue building toward but sadly never reach.

It’s great creepy murder vibes though and the characterisation is good.

As a whole, it’s hard to pass judgment on this book because objectively the narrative is not good. It’s a complete mess in both stories - overcomplicated while actually not being very much at all. But despite that, I really enjoy it. Partly I think that’s the art and it’s fair to judge a comic on that too. Partly maybe it’s the thrill of seeing so many characters I know and love (Daniel is certainly banking on that factor I think), partly its just that I love and miss this era of Batman so much. Either way, it’s a mess but I’m still a fan.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman: Life After Death is a collection of eight issues from the original run of Batman series. It was written by Tony S. Daniel and penciled by Tony S. Daniel and Guillem March. Batman: Life After Death collect eight issues (Batman #692–699) from the 1940 series run and collects two stories: "Life After Death" and "Riddle Me This".

"Life After Death" is a six-issue storyline (Batman #692–697) has Gotham City reaching its boiling point with Dick Grayson as Batman pounding the pavement in search of a new crime figure calling himself Black Mask and the completion of the new Arkham Asylum looming close. When pandemonium breaks out at the inaugural ceremony, the combined forces of Oracle, Huntress and Catwoman aren't enough help for Batman and he seeks an unlikely ally in the Penguin.

"Riddle Me This" is a two-issue storyline (Batman #698–699) has Dick Grayson as Batman taking on Edward Nashton as the Riddler. It details the Riddler's return to crime after his earlier turn to become a crime-fighter/detective in an earlier storyline in Detective Comics.

Tony S. Daniel penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it was written rather well. Daniel offers a compelling protagonist in the new Batman in Dick Grayson, a cogent mystery in the identity of the new Black Mask, and enough twists, turns, and continuity notes to keep readers riveted throughout. The two-part Riddler story had a rather confusing storyline, but written a nice return of the Riddler into the Rouge Gallery.

Tony S. Daniel (Batman #692–697) and Guillem March (Batman #698–699) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, their penciling style complement each other rather well and made the overall artistic flow rather smoothly – it help that there was one penciller for each story and both are talented enough to make the stories a joy to see.

All in all, Batman: Life After Death is a wonderful trade paperback of stories having Dick Grayson being Batman – a good one at that, not better or worse, but rather good.

[pastiesandpages - Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman: Life After Death by Tony S Daniel

This collected edition pulls together issues 692-699 of Batman. The first six issues are the Life After Death story written and penciled by Tony S Daniel with inks by various artists. That's followed by a two part story, Riddle Me This, which again Tony writes but is penciled by Guillem March.

Batman is dead. Long live Batman.
We're at a time in the DC Universe where Bruce Wayne is presumed dead but Gotham still needs Batman.

Taking on the cowl and bat-suit is Dick Grayson, formerly the hero Nightwing, and the original Robin.
He's joined by a new Robin, Damian, Bruce Wayne's son (that's a long story that I won't go into here).

There's s criminal war going on in Gotham. The mysterious Black Mask has an army of brainwashed soldiers on the streets and Batman needs to find out who he is and take him down.

The artwork is fantastic (see pics for a selection) but the story just has too much going on. It is exciting and there's plenty of action and twists and turns but it's too convoluted and confusing to really hit the mark. Within the six issues we also get Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Huntress, Oracle, Hugo Strange, Hush, the Falcone mob, Arkham, Fright, and more! It feels like Tony has been allowed to play in the Batman universe and wants to write and draw everyone at once which unfortunately means the story loses focus and is just good instead of great.

The different artwork in Riddle Me This, while being a darker, more brooding style, actually fits the plot very well. It's an interesting couple of issues (again with lots of characters) but the ending was somewhat unsatisfactory. It feels like it's setting things up for future issues rather than being completely self-contained.

Overall, a fun and entertaining collection.
✨✨✨⚡3.5 stars

[Sotofunkdamental · Rating 3 out of 5]

El nuevo Máscara Negra intentará acabar con Batman (Dick Grayson). Lectura entretenida, para completistas del murciélago. Argumento: "En Gotham City surge un nuevo Máscara Negra, cuya identidad es desconocida, y con la ayuda de su ejército de Rostros Falsos y de la Dra. Linda Friitawa —alias Escalofrío— amenaza con poner fin a la carrera de Dick Grayson como Batman cuando esta acaba de empezar. Dick cuenta con el apoyo de antiguos conocidos que ya eran aliados de Bruce Wayne en su lucha contra el crimen, como el comisario James Gordon, Selina Kyle (Catwoman), Harvey Bullock, Barbara Gordon (Oráculo), Damian Wayne (Robin) y Helena Bertinelli (la Cazadora), y además con la Guardia Nacional y con alguna que otra sorprendente incorporación a sus filas. Sin embargo, ¿qué ocurre si en el bando de los villanos están el Pingüino, el Acertijo, el Segador, Hugo Strange, el Dr. Muerte y la familia mafiosa de los Falcone en pleno? La confrontación está servida a lo largo y ancho de la ciudad, y no cejará hasta que se revele quién se oculta bajo la máscara negra... ¡e incluso entonces puede que continúe con quienes sigan en pie!"

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Batman: Battle for the Cowl by Tony S. Daniel fine enough, but this was eh. It was just barely fine.... I found it busy but without any excitement.
Dick is definitely being kept busy as Batman (there's a lot of action in this volume), but anything that makes Dick a fun character to read about is absent from this book (his humor, his empathy, his interpersonal relationships).
I would have loved to see more Dick outside the cowl struggling to fill Batman's boots (I did like that two page scene with Selina). Instead, Tony S. Daniel keeps Dick super busy with a whole laundry list of baddies &, an imo, lame reveal for the Black Mask.

I both liked & disliked the art change by Guillem March at the end of the volume on Riddle Me This (it depended on the panel & page). Colors were pretty. Story with the (back to being bad) Riddler was eh.

[Chris Browning · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a muddled book - basically Daniel’s writing is just like his art: sort of like lots of other things done before, but better and this time really messy and confusing looking. He seems to fundamentally misunderstand why Black Mask works as a villain - he looks like one of the weird Batman villains but is basically at heart simply a bastarding gangster - and instead just turns him into yet another boring grotesque doing boring grotesque things. It mines lots of better books for plot ideas and doesn’t know what to do with them, and ends in a two parter that’s almost self parody with a villain who may as well be called Dastardly McShit for all the subtlety his name has. Plus it doesn’t so much end as just stop, which at least means it’s over quicker I guess

It’s a bit shit

[Panos · Rating 3 out of 5]

BATMAN: LIFE AFTER DEATH (3/5)

Overall, a mixed bag. It collects issues 692-699, a total of two story arcs, "Life After Death" and "Riddle Me This". Why the latter, two-issue dwarf of a story -and clearly inferior to its predecessor- was included in this collection remains a mystery to me. It does nothing but eating away half a star from the score this collection would have taken if it remained true to its title.

Tony Daniel's first and longest arc of his run in Batman proves to be his best as well. It features a post-RIP timeline in Gotham, during which, golden Boy-Wonder Dick Grayson has been forced to don the mantle of his presumed fallen mentor and serve as the new Batman. That alone is a test for Daniel as he has to write a completely different character than the one we are used to wearing the costume.

Truth to be said, he does a fair job. More than fair, actually. He seems to be aware of the vast differences between Wayne and Grayson, thus allowing us to relate with this new Batman who acts, talks and most importantly thinks in a entirely new way, unfamiliar to all the Batman books before. Daniel achieves that without having to feature Grayson suffering from lack of confidence or the other way around, something Winnick, Morrison and Daniel himself have done in the past. In addition, he seems to be keeping the overused character of Damian Wayne aside, leaving it to Morrison's "Batman and Robin" series to explore his relation with Grayson. Instead, he emphasizes on the way the new Batman interracts with other members of the Bat-family, mainly Oracle, Huntress and even Catwoman.

So, Daniel gets an A for the way he writes the main character. The story, however, is another issue. He tries to write an old-style, hard-boiled crime mystery, revolving around the "secret" identity of Black Mask. However, we already kinda know it. So...that doesn't work out well. He builds a decent story that gets us to the "revelation", but it loses much of its power since the readers already know about it.

Daniel probably understands this, so he tries to enrich his storyline via introducing new characters to the franchise, using old ones and ultimately resorting to a last-minute plot twist. Although the latter kinda reeks of desperation and is completely unnescesary, the all-star cast trick works. He has the guts to use the character of Mario Falcone, back from the untouchable "Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" novels, handling him impressively well and showing his potential as a mentally unbalanced gangster with daddy issues. He also creates the character of Kitrina Falcone, presumably Mario's sister, and presents her as a talented escape artist and gifted thief. That works out well for him too.

But when he hits jackpot is with Dr. Gruener. The name doesn't ring a bell, huh? Don't worry, it's not supposed to. He is a character from the forgotten, out of continuity "Batman: Year Two" tale. He is the Reaper, a tramatized Nazi victim who takes vigilantism to the extreme (imagine Magneto, without the powers but with a cool costume). A long forgotten and dreaded Batman enemy who debuted all the way back when Dickster was sporting the Robin costume. The current Batman's familiarity and obvious fear of the villain work as an extra bonus and add to the character's mystique.

As far as the art department is concerned, well, it's really hard to to complaint about anything. Daniel is at his best here, both visually with impressive pencil work but also effectively since he actually draws a story he wrote, with the art rolling with the storyline instead of hampering it. Truly commendable.


And now let's get to the second, fill-in arc entitled "Riddle Me This". You are right, astute reader, it is about the Riddler. In a way, as far as Nigma is concerned, it can be considered a sequel to "Life after Death" since it is using a loose story thread originating from it.

So, with the status quo of the Bat-family being the same, Eddie Nigma begins to become more and more obsessed with his past life as the Riddler, growing tired of his facade as private investigator, something Paul Dini worked so hard to build during his run in "Detective Comics". And, when some old associates of his back from the good old days return to haunt him, he makes the most out of it by evading them and screwing around Batman.

A boring, predictable story that rushes like hell towards its weak finale. You see, in addition to its numerous flaws, it was also unfortunate enough to be published in issues 698-699, just a breath away from the pivotal #700th issue. The arc was under-developed and Daniel didn't get the chance to enrich it with characters or plot twists. Utter and complete failure.

In fact, it very much reads like an anounce of sorts; Edward Nigma is officially returning to his Riddler persona. That's it. Message sent and hopefully received. Now let's all cut the bullcr*p and proceed with Morrison's blockbuster story.

The so-called mystery is confusing but in a bad way. Lame crime case with an even lamer villain, I pray to God I never have to read again. May he be burned with the reboot like a tree.

All right, enough with the damnation. Don't cut the pages out of the book just yet. To his defense, Daniel continues his awesome handling of Dick Grayson as he begins the storyline in an absolutely magnificent way. Either you appreciate the irony or not, the way the story begins is sheer excellence.

Lastly, I have no proble admitting that I'm a fan of Guillem March's art. It's not at its best here (too cartoonish) but is trully an eyeshore in a tale this bad.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tony Daniel does double duty as writer and penciler with mixed results. The threat of a new Black Mask arises and the mystery is too obvious to be taken seriously. Dick's still getting his bearings as Batman and its fun to see, especially interacting with Selina. He isn't the sleuth that Bruce was so this case was intriguing. There way too much random crap here though to make this stick. Characters that seem to appear out of nowhere for no reason and its hard to tell if they matter because Daniel doesn't do enough to build them up. There was also an obvious and awful decision at the end. His art though was fantastic. Overall an uneven and long mystery without much of a payoff.