After years of the character being dead, Fabien Nicieza has brought back a new Angel of Vengeance. The new Azrael series recently came to a close, but is it worth looking at? The short answer is yes, but only if you’ve been a fan of the character.
The new Azrael, Michael Washington Lane first debuted during Morrison’s Batman run as the Third Ghost of Batman, a police officer who had lost his family and was then psychologically tortured by Doctor Hurt in an effort to create a new Batman. Eventually, Lane was discovered by the Order of St. Dumas, who stole the Suit of Sorrows for their new Azrael to wear, making Lane a target to both Talia al Ghul and Nightwing.
The story is decent enough, but it feels like this mini-series was just created to kill time until Battle for the Cowl ended. This could have easily been a few issues or a side story to one of the many Battle for the Cowl spin-offs, and no one would have noticed. It feels like the story is dragged out a lot, and for no discernible reason.
The art is a bit of a sore point for me. The characters appear off, lumpy, and bizarre. The costumes tend to be drawn incorrectly, and there’s an overall feeling of dullness. I’m not a fan of the overall art at all.
“Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight” is leading to a new Azrael on-going, coming in the next few months. If the writing can pick up and the art can improve, I would definitely recommend this.
Final Grade: C
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