Written by David Hine, Royal McGraw, Chris Yost, Fabian Nicieza and JoeHarris Art by Jeremy Haun, Tom Mandrake, Pablo Raimondi, Jim Calafiore andothers Cover by Ladr�n Spinning out of BATMAN: R.I.P.! With Batman gone,the forces of good and evil in Gotham City struggle for dominance in this newtitle collecting the five BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL Specials: ARKHAM ASYLUM,THE NETWORK, MAN-BAT, UNDERGROUND and COMMISSIONER GORDON.

From the return of the Black Mask to the destruction of Arkham to general mayhem, Gotham City is crumbling around Nightwing, Robin and the rest of the Bat Family. And when you add a deadly Jason Todd masquerading as a gun-toting Batman to the mix, things have definitely spiraled out of control! The battle for the cowl comes to an end! Who comes out victorious as the new Batman?

Michael Lane is an ex-police officer recruited to take part in a secret program to train a replacement for Batman - but was drafted by the Order of Purity to take on the mantle of Azrael, God's sword of justice. Now he carries out an 'eye for an eye' style of justice in Gotham city.

He is Azrael, avenging angel for the Order of Purity and a new protector for Gotham City's troubled times. But who will protect the citizens from him? Guest-starring Robin, Nightwing, Talia and the League of Assassins!

Dr Jeremiah Arkham has rebuilt the Asylkum using the design of his mad Uncle Amadeus. Intended as a model for enlightened treatment of mental illness, the building soon mutates into a torture house. And, when Jeremiah hears voices from beyond the grave, he is forced to call in Batman to put down a riot.

The dynamic duo uncovers clues involving the mysterious death of Bruce Wayne before facing off against each other in a heated battle that both heroes will regret - if they live through it

Batman begins battling evil with his son, Damian, at his side.

With Batman gone, the villains have descended on Gotham! A who's who of Bat-villains star, including Catwoman, the Riddler, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, the Penguin and Ra's al Ghul. What kind of havoc will these villains wreak on a city that's already on the verge of implosion?

With the destruction of Arkham Asylum and dozens of Gotham City's most lethal villains rioting through the streets, it would seem that Nightwing, Robin and their allies have their hands full. But they hadn't counted on the return of Batman himself! Is it really The Dark Knight?