Batman #709

          Batman is like Detective Comics in one way. The story quality varies from one arc to another. So far this has been a good arc. I don't really know much about Azrael, but it was still cool to see him appear in the arc. I didn't read the spin offs in Red Robin, or in Gotham City Sirens, so I was a tiny bit lost, and I might go back and read those later, but I was pretty much in the loop, and I still thought that it was a good arc.
       In this issue Batman goes to face Azrael since both Red Robin and Catwoman had failed. (That's the only part I was a little lost on. I didn't know how they failed, but it doesn't really interfere with the story) Batman meets Azrael, the Crusader and Fireball on top of a roof. Azrael brings the Prodigy forward. He explains that he was the best solo trapeze artist in the western hemisphere. But some guys didn't like him so they beat him up bad. Then Batman remembers. When he was little he didn't like the Prodigy either, and while people were beating up the Prodigy, Grayson just watched.  Azrael finds him guilty. But Catwoman and Red Robin bring Jenny and her kids to the roof hoping that this would persuade Azrael not to blow up the city. Jenny calls Azrael a monster , but the Crusader promises to protect Jenny. Then Batman convinces Azrael to use the sword of sin on himself. He does so and then no longer wishes to destroy the city. So when Fireball explodes the Crusader puts a force field around him, so that the city is safe.
     This was disappointing. I would have rather Batman defeated the Crusader, Azrael and Fireball then what happened. I'm all for happy endings when they are logical, but this seems like a sloppy ending for this arc. I've seen the villain seeing the error of his ways too many times now to enjoy this comic. This is the ending I had in mind, but it was too predictable. That's really all I have to say about the comic. Except that Dick Grayson was different because he wasn't as dark as Bruce and I liked that. But this arc and this issue made Grayson darker, and I don't want to see him  become Bruce Wayne. I like both characters, but Grayson should be Grayson and Wayne should be Wayne. So over all this ending ruined the arc making it predictable and also Hine did a bad job keeping Grayson from becoming Wayne. But since the quality in the arcs of Batman vary, I hope the next one will be better.





Grade: 6/10
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