A little history, Greg-style: Jean-Paul Valley
A long time ago (circa 1992) the Order of St. Dumas and their avenging angel Azrael were introduced to the Bat-Mythos in a storyline in prelude to the Knightfall saga. Batman took Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) under his wing, to the (sometimes) consternation of Robin (Tim Drake). Eventually, Knightfall saw Batman (Bruce Wayne) succumb to a vicious attack from Bane which left him crippled. To no one’s surprise (except maybe Robin & Nightwing), Valley took on the Mantle of the Bat… the armored and now-lethal Mantle of the Bat. Needless to say that didn’t last long before Bruce pulled himself off his infirmed bed to wrest the mantle off Valley’s armored skull. Still wounded, Bruce passed the cape & cowl to Dick Grayson and Valley limped off to resume his crusade as Azrael.
Despite lasting 100 issues, recollections of Jean-Paul Valley’s adventures pretty much start with his introduction and end with Knightfall. That isn’t to say that (in almost a decade) he didn’t have any interesting stories along the way, but even his death at the series end fell mostly under the radar.
Behind curtain #2: Michael Washington Lane
Michael Washington Lane was one of three GCPD officers who had been selected to train with the Caped Crusader, to take his place should anything ever happen to Batman. In order to recreate the rage and passion that drives Bats, Dr. Hurt (who ran the program) murdered Lane’s sister and brother. In true Morrison fashion, the three “Batmen” were secreted away and Bruce was hypnotized to forget the experience. Or something Morrisony-like that.
Lane re-emerged in Azrael: Death's Dark Knight (a Battle for the Cowl mini-series), where he was approached by a splinter faction of the Order of St. Dumas which has proffered their own version of Azrael. This is not the same group who used “The System” to train their warrior; instead their Avenging Angel is equipped with the Suit of Sorrows and two flaming swords.
The new Azrael is a more grounded, character-driven storyline than the original. Azrael is still more brutal and faith-motivated (e.g., the stories tend to be preachy). The origin mini-series is a good read, and comes highly recommended (review).
Following the mini-series, Azrael was featured prominently in the Bat-mythos crossover that ran through the 2009 Batman and Detective Annuals. Unfortunately, that story was entirely forgettable and is to be avoided if possible. Luckily, I had already purchased the first two issues of the new series before I read these annuals, otherwise I would certainly not have picked up the new Azrael series.
Azrael 2.0
Written by: Fabian Nicieza
Art by: Ramon Bachs (inks: John Stanisci)
Azrael #1
Published: October 21, 2009
The inaugural issue of the new Azrael series comes complete with a requisite cameo from the new Batman, in case you forgot we were still in Gotham. The plot, on the other hand, didn’t need the appearance of the Bat. Nicieza delivers a satisfying murder mystery, intertwined with religious dogma that not only fleshes out Lane as Azrael, but also give some body to his supporting cast (of which Batman is clearly not). The real kicker is at the end of the issue, which peeks ahead six months. Grade: B+ (story: A/art: B)
Azrael #2
Published: November 18, 2009
There is something to be said for “branding” Azrael by continuing to have Gotham heroes appear in his comics, but Oracle and Huntresses appearances in Azrael #2 are less than superfluous and adds nothing (of value) to the story that doesn’t come out throughout the natural issue. Of course, “Huntress” and “superfluous” are synonymous right? The White Ghost/Ras al Ghul intervention into the Azrael ongoing is a much better use of the Bat-mythos. The action is good, the set-up is lacking and the conclusion weakens the League of Assassins more than it improves our comfort of Lane & co. as Azrael. It really isn’t quite enough to say that “the set-up” is lacking. Two people are in obvious peril, visible across the Gotham skyline. One (both?) is screaming for help. With all the Bat-folk running in and out of Azrael’s title you’d think one of them (or just an ordinary passerby) might have noticed them. A good plot idea, bad execution. Grade: C+ (story: C/art: B)
Azrael #3
In a surprise twist, no other Gotham heroes appear in Azrael #3. Unfortunately Azrael barely appears in Azrael #3, which instead is a war-come-home story featuring Michael Lane and his squad from the war. These kind of stories are hard to tell, they always seem contrived and end up sort Afterschool Special feeling, even when the topics at hand are dark, mature and complicated. As has been the case with Azrael (the series), the plot is decent, but it may be too soon to have an Azrael-out-of-costume story. Nicieza is clearly working on establishing Lane as a complex and interesting character, but no one really buys the “Bruce Wayne” comic do they? Bachs art also under-achieved compared or perhaps stood out more with a distinct lack of action (or characters in costume). Grade: C (story: C/art: C)
A break here in the review before we go on to the most recent issue, at this point there is a distinct downward trend to the series. The Azrael-St. Dumas subplot is still interesting. The Azrael (with the Suit of Sorrows) is still a good idea. The complications are coming from too much Michael Lane, from too many different directions (family, ex-military, ex-cop, etc.) and ultimately a weakness in either maintaining a suspenseful enough on-going plot or delivering a win with each issue. These are not good combinations, for a series (character) that a lot of promise coming out of the introductory mini-series.
Azrael #4
Published : January 20, 2010
The last thing the Azrael series needed was a team-up with Batman and yet here it is. The plot in issue four reads like a steamroller tied to the front of a bullet train, massacring both Batman and Azrael in the process. The plot returns to (yet another) subplot for Michael Lane, the murder of his family. Azrael #4, the series as a whole really, has gone more the way of the Detective & Batman annuals than the original mini-series or even the first issue of this series. And that is not good. Of all the Gothamites in this story, only Robin (whose personality is shallow and cavalier) comes off accurate or effective. Bachs artwork has become less than impressive, particularly the use of perspective which makes all the characters seem foreshortened or look like dwarves for LOTR whose heads are too big for their bodies. Grade: D (story: D/art: D)
Prognosis
There is still potential in the character and background of Azrael, but the more complicated the story gets the more his already complex background becomes an anchor that sinks the book. Here’s the problem with the Huntress (whom I dubbed “superfluous” earlier in this review), while she has a background that launches the character into the thick of the tapestry of Gotham, she keeps being dragged into the Bat-world, where her background gets lost and she’s just another superhero(ine) with a pointy cowl. Well, that and her original origin as the Earth-2 daughter of Batman and Catwoman was better, but I try not to hold that against her anymore. Suffice it to say that the Huntress often becomes this interchangeable “Bat Person” (insert Batwoman, the Question, and now Azrael) running around fighting crime that is beneath the Batman’s notice, when she should really be going all Punisher on organized crime. She should be a little less flashy, ditch the cape and pointy cowl and do some (almost Question-style) battle against the Gotham underworld. Instead, most often when we see her she is swing from rooftops or tooling around on her motorcycle. Like all the other Gothamites.
That is the trapdoor that Azrael is about to fall into. Instead of probing for and telling stories that are outside of the influence of the rest of the Bat troupe, Azrael keeps ending up right in the middle of them. Like Huntress, his origin lends him to a sphere of interest (religious, zealots, secret societies, etc.) that aren’t usually the places that draw Batman & Co. Now, in Azrael #4, the story actually does center on a secret society. Unfortunately it is Batman and Robin (who admittedly bumble into Batwoman’s villains) that get involved with the cult. Azrael only comes into the plot because a supporting character overhears something in a bar and calls him. Uhm, huh? Kind of misses the low-hanging fruit.
The other quicksand that Nicieza is falling into (or being pushed?) is the over-personalization of the character. This isn’t the “Michael Lane” comic, it’s Azrael. The last two (out of four) issues were Lane stories or his own personal crusade. With this kind of “soap operaetic” pace, it is difficult to have any interest in Azrael and despite best efforts, there is too much going on to empathize or identify with the Michael Lane character.
The Final Word
Azrael gets two more issues and then it comes off the pull-list. One saving grace has been that Azrael hasn’t fought any Black Lanterns. Uhm, then again, it might have been interesting to see what his spiritually charged swords would have done against a Black Lantern. Not that I think we need any more Blackest Night crossovers.
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