Relation Review – The Bat-Family

What is a “Relation Review”? It’s where I compare the comic book character to WizKids adaptation. This week I thought I’d take a look at the Bat-Figures. I’m sure by now you all know the story of Bruce Wayne and why and how he became Batman BUT just to recap for those who have been living in a cave. Young Kal-El came from the plant Batypton. The evil General Joker caused the planet to explode but not before young Kal was sent away in the Batplane to Earth where the Wayne’s raised him…. Wait that’s not right…

… Oh yeah! Bruce Wayne saw his parents murdered by a mugger, which mentally scarred him for life, and he took up fighting crime as the Batman! Using his keen mind (and a bunch of gadgets) he has been labeled as the” World’s Greatest Detective”. Not to mention “The Most Dangerous Man Alive”.

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So who makes up the Bat-Family?

Alfred - Last Name: Pennyworth. Bruce's butler yet so much more. We rarely see Alfred in the books as he does what he always does, deals with Bruce at the mansion. He was granted bystander token ("pog") status in HeroClix. I would have made him more of a Thug type clix, three clix of life etc. But he IS the cheapest Batman Ally TA and thus he hangs out more with Doom and The Legion than his master. A good little piece even on his own. His military training is shown with his attack and damage but his age grants him just one click!

Batgirl – Cassandra Cain. She is the best non-super powered fighter in the DCU. She even beat Lady Shiva in a regular hand-to-hand fight. No gadgets or anything. So how does THE BEST martial artist translate into clix? Well, to translate a character into clix you need TO KNOW WHO THE CHARACTER IS. When people think of a clix figure “made wrong” they think of Batgirl. Luckily the designer owned up to the mistake. He admitted to not knowing anything about Cass so he threw together what he felt a generic Bat-character has. It was sad day when I learned her stats. I wanted a Cass figure. Lately, she’s moved to Bludhaven since Nightwing left. Her book is excellent at the moment. I love how unlike the rest of the Bat-Family, Cass WANTS to become Batman.

Batgirl/Oracle – Barbara Gordon. Now they got THIS one right. The Joker ended her days as Batgirl but she became Oracle and has become even more valuable to the Bat-Family by being the eyes and ears and info specialist of the team. When Bats has a problem or needs info he calls her. Even the JLA use her! Her Oracle fig looks to nail her right ONLY if you use her with her feat card. Finally a "smart only" character is done some justice. Just becareful who you choose as agents. If they die so does she. Her and the girls of Birds of Prey (BoP) recently lost their base of operations in the stupid War Games arc. So now they travel via plane around the world righting wrongs. It's a great read, trust me. Her clix figures represent her very well. A little perplex here and a little outwit there. She’s not the fighter that Batman is but she has a big brain to help her out. I use this Batgirl fig all the time. For more on Babs and the rest of the BoP crew (Black Canary and Huntress) checkout my BoP review. AND READ THE BOOK.

Batman – Bruce Wayne. The Dark Knight. Did you know when he was first created he used a gun? Now it’s Batarangs and anti-shark repellent. Batman in clix can be found in various flavors. All of them given the respect they deserve to the character (except the Kingdom Come one blah) From his Dark Knight Returns (DKR) version (with charge!) to his Vampire version (with B/C/F!) you have a lot of choices. But everyone agrees that the HyperTime version is still the best. His EXP version still sees a lot of play. The only draw back IMO in the low attack but the Outwit makes him nice. His keen detective mind and his martial arts skills are all represented here. And lets not forget the Bat TA which grants him stealth which really makes his L/C awesome. Although, I think that will all change when the new Legacy Batman comes out. From what I’ve seen the new Bat-figs will be the Batman figs of choice, despite the parachuting thing…. I’m currently reading Winnick’s Batman. It’s the best Batbook at the moment, the others being dull. In Winnicks book he is facing the new Red Hood who I think is Jason Todd, the "dead" Robin. Todd as a villain would be great.

Black Canary - Dinah Lance. I love me some BC. Why? Cause she hangs out with Green Arrow! Well, she did till Ollie cheated on her! What an idiot! She's thrown herself more into being a BoP now anyways, so it works out. Her and the rest of the BoP just got done dealing with a couple of vigilantes. One was a girl who could "borrow" magic users powers! It was a great read! So, how does she do in clix? She has Batgirl/Shiva syndrome. Shiva recently asked BC to be her pupil because BC is REALLY good at martial arts. And I know that her Vet is when she didn't have her Canary Cry but she should have kept the range. I'm usually torn between using the Exp or Vet version. And Incap does no justice to her Canary Cry. Incap plus Stunning Blow might, though.

Catgirl – Carrie Kelley. This should have been a DKR Robin instead of the terrible sequel Dark Knight Strikes Again (DKSA) Catgirl. It was so bad… I do like Carrie as a character though. She was a great Robin. Her Catgirl figure though? Running shot and 4 range? Thematically? Sure, thanks to her slingshot and inline skates. But it doesn’t make her useful, it makes her dead. Good for those DKR theme teams though. Read DKR. Never touch DKSA.

Catwoman - Selina Kyle. Purple Costume? Black Costume? I think they got the figures messed up when they made the REV and U. Selina has been really busy lately protecting her side of Gotham. People from such organizations as the mob to secret cat societies that want to make her their queen. The latest stuff has her fighting a stupid villain named Wooden Nickle. You see the writer changed recently and he is horrible. Writes cast out of character. It's tragic. As for her Unique fig? Eh. No range REALLY sucks. Sydney Savage and Hallecat got range. She lost her Outwit too. She really deserved the Outwit. Instead she got CCE. Yes, she was trained by some good fighters but nothing that just increasing her damage value to wouldn't justify. I'd have had her keep Outwit and gave her a 3 damage PLUS RANGE. The Incap just seems wasted due to no range plus CCE. It also makes her expensive. Hopefully we will get a new Selina soon.

Huntress - Helena Bertinelli. The 2nd to latest addition to the BoP team. She proved herself to Babs after helping to rescue Dinah when she was captured. Helena has definitely turned out to be a fun character and you can tell Gail loves to write her (and the other Birds). Recently, Helena was forced to go on a date with an informant and it was HILARIOUS. She's started teaching again which she loves and even more recently is going around the world with the other Birds fighting crime. Her clix figs? Really they only good one IMO is the rookie. A supercheap stealth shooter. Plus she brings the Bat TA to the table. They did right with her fig but she needs a bit MORE. She can handle a close combat fight which the figs CAN'T do. I look forward to playing her and BC and Oracle on a BoP theme team. Possibly adding Powergirl in there as well as she was in BoP once. Hhmm...

Nightwing – Richard Grayson. The first Robin all grown up. You know what’s funny? A lot of people say the Nightwing fig is better than Batman. I bet Nightwing would love to hear that. He has a longer range and a higher attack. I know I feared dealing with him when there weren’t a lot of anti-stealth measures. I’m thinking the stunning blow feat will bring him back to the table. I guess the fig is just like Nighwing, a lot like Batman but different in his own way. His Outwit is due to his learning all of Batman's tricks. He lacks the martial arts that Bruce has though. As to if he is better or worse that Bruce? That’s up to the fans, although I think his Red Robin fig will be awesome. In the Nightwing book it’s going through a Nightwing Year One arc because Nightwing fell apart after "helping" to kill Blockbuster, the superpowered organized crime boss of Bludhaven. Good stuff so far. Nightwing can also be seen in Outsiders. Sort of a grown up Titans book. It has it's ups and downs. The team just got done saving Arsenal's daughter from child slavers.

Robin – Tim Drake. It’s been a tough year for Tim. His girlfriend gets killed in a HORRID Bat-crossover (War Games). His father gets killed in another HORRID miniseries (ID Crisis). Some would say he’s getting it worse than Ralph and Sue Dibney. Anyways, Tim translates very well into clix. Although for the life of me I can’t remember him using a smoke bomb but… If you play Batman be sure and bring his sidekick along, Robin is an excellent addition. His cheap cost with 9 attack and average damage (plus Smoke Cloud!) make him very useful. I’ve barely read his title. And what I have read I wasn’t impressed. Robin is also hanging out in Bludhaven as he gets over his father and girlfriends deaths while fighting crime. I mush prefer my Robin in Teen Titans which is an excellent book. Recently, Tim broke the news to his friends that has father was killed. He struggled with this after another bout of "I don't want to be Batman"-ness. A past arc had him learn he turned into an "evil" Batman in the near future, as to if that comes true? Have to READ IT!

Spoiler – Stephanie Brown. If one Bat person truly has a tragic tale it’s Spoiler. A young teen mom whose father was a supervillian. She took up the mantel of Spoiler so she could try to atone for her dad’s mistakes. Batman never approved cause she just doesn’t have “the stuff”. She recently died in War Games and it’s really all Batman’s fault. After Tim left Bat’s decided to let Steph become the new Robin! She was thrilled. This was all a ploy by Bruce to get Tim back. Well Steph messes up and Bats fires her (it was stupid). So to prove herself she tries to get a handle on the organized crime via one of Batman’s plans he has on his computer. This blows up in her face and she starts the whole War Games thing. Eventually, she is tortured and then killed. Batman doesn’t even let Tim know his girlfriend is dying or say goodbye to her. War Games was so so horrible on many many levels. Luckily, Spoiler is getting a cool looking figure. Unfortunately, she still pales to her boyfriend, Robin. Leap Climb AND Combat Reflexes! Yippee!… You can take the 22 points for her and get Robin instead. Poor Steph. A fan fave that got the hose by some of the lame writers at DC. Don’t read War Games. Ever.

So, how does the Bat-Family work as a team? They used to be FEARED. If someone brought a bat-team to the table they almost always won. The Bat TA was too good and there wasn’t a lot of anti-stealth to counter it. All you had was Rookie Steel. Or you could spend almost all of your points and get Superman who was just going to get Outwitted and then shot. It was harsh. Those days are over now. Cheaper yet more effective Superman TA’s such as Supergirl and Maxima (not to mention The Ultimates like Clint Barton) Exellent Wildcard figs, not to mention Trick Shot and the Bright Light BFC can make hiding for Batman pretty tough. Stealth is their best defense; take that away and the Bat’s have a problem.

Here is a Batman/BoP team I'll be tyring once Legacy hits:
V Legacy Batman
E Robin
U Oracle
V BlackCanary
R Huntress
V Nightwing
U Catwoman
In Contact With Oracle Feat given to BC and Huntress.
399 points

Outwit and Stealth is no problem. And Oracles Agents can provide Perplex! Just stick to the shadows and snipe! Drive your opponent insane! Just becareful of any Trick Shot-ers! Be sure and Outwit that RCE!

As for the books? Birds of Prey is excellent. Winnick’s Batman has been entertaining. Nightwing Year One has been a good read. And let’s not forget Batgirl! There are a lot of Bat-books out there, but not all of them are worth the $3.

If you’re curious about how I rate the bat-books (and other comics) each month check out my Comic Reviews in the Comic Forum, which are done every Wed.

DarkCrisis regularly posts both Relation Reviews and weekly comic reviews. - webhead817

First Off: It's a scary day when I see DarkCrisis articles making front page.

Seriously, though...great review. Though it has once again brought up the horror that is Cassie Cain Batgirl. How that irks me.

BTW, about Canary...

I think the Canary E would be perfectly acceptable for her...EXCEPT that stupid 8 AV! Same with Zatanna! I mean, WTF!?!?!

Very nice read, look forward to more in the future.

Man, what a great review, just like the books. You didn't even rant that heavy, per the norm .

Luke B. liking the articles

DKSA wasn't that bad.

I kinda dug it in an extended epilogue kinda way.

Otherwise, dead on the nose with War Games. I hate Judd Winick -- really, really don't like him -- but because I'm a Batman nut and have to read Batman, I'm reading it and not totally disgusted by Winick tale.

David Lapham is doing all kinds of creepy stuff in Detective... a good strong read.

Figure reviews of the Bat Family... you're preaching to the choir.

Nice job, sir.

This is exactly what I have to say. When I didn't have the words, FIStocks was there.

I don't usually pick up Batbooks, so knowing some about the characters coming soon to clix is great. Kinda like a whoclix before anything is released.

Wow. DarkCrisis finally makes the 'big time'. Way to go, man.

It's kind of disappointing to me that, in the same set that we finally get Batman as he should have been from the start, we're also getting the Battefield Condition that completely nerfs his team ability. But, that's a topic for a different thread.

Since you were suggesting teams, I've got a 500pt. team that I'd put together (shameless self-promotion: and was previously posted in my 'Gotham' Teams for Regular Tourney Usage thread) that I'm really looking forward to trying out.

The Gotham Knights:
V 'Hush' Batman - 111 pts.
(+ Stunning Blow) - 10 pts.
(+ 'Agent of Oracle') - 10 pts.
U Catwoman - 85 pts.
V Nightwing - 72 pts.
(+ 'Agent of Oracle') - 10 pts.
V Black Canary - 46 pts.
(+ Stunning Blow) - 10 pts.
(+ 'Agent of Oracle') - 10 pts.
E Batgirl - 41 pts.
U Oracle - 27 pts.
(+ 'In Contact with Oracle')
V Robin - 22 pts.
V Spoiler - 22 pts.
R Huntress - 18 pts.
P Alfred - 6 pts.
Total: 500 pts.
Battlefield Condition suggestions: Ordinary Day, Deep Shadows, Poor Teamwork, and Darkness

Other than your less than fair bias against War Games, Great Bat-Family Review! I like that you included the extended family of BoP. This has been one of my favorite books since I found it on issue 10. (Its my wife's favorite monthly too, until Hal Jordon comes back to Green Lantern full-time)

On the topic of War Games - Yes it was WAY TOO drawn out for what it accomplished and not worth the cash to buy every book. (So just check out the trade from your library.)

And YES, on the surface it was just a way to rearrange and remove some of the Bat Cast. (I think they did Orpheus a terrible injustice)

But when taken as a whole, its a human look at Bruce as Batman. He makes horrible mistakes, his callousness is so blatant it come off to some as bad writing. Nope, its the further devolution of Bruce's psyche and the expression of what IS the Batman.

Your assessment is 100% accurate on his actions, not even bothering to let Tim know about Steph until it was an afterthought, that's more than just cold. The cool part of the story is that it damages the value of "Batman" in both the public and the underworld's eye. Now he has to reclaim the "Most dangerous man on the planet" rep. Which may be tougher than coming back from the beating that Bain handed him all those years ago.

The Red Hood storyline should be great when done (unless Red Hood is somehow Tommy Elliot's half-brother Ted....). I anxiously await the TPB.

Commish Gordon feels so left out, like the uncle nobody likes and who doesn't get invited for family parties...

Nice article! Though I do disagree with you take on ID. I agree with you that Winnick's Batman is fun right now, Batman and Nightwing just ran into Amazo! It's fun, plus Mr. Freeze is about to be let loose on the city. Can't wait for that!

Yes War Games sucked me in, and it was found wanting. Lame. Ignore it and it may just go away.

I like the Vet Huntress myself, though she doesn't have the Bat TA, she's a good piece for 35 points.

Alfred and Robin have both served me well, and I don't mean for Wildcard madness. I use Alfred as a suicide attack piece. They ignore him, little perplex and BAM, Alfred hits for 2 or 3.

And let me add my voice to the rest by saying, Batgirl needs redo very very very badly. She is the clix they messed up the worst on.

Again, fun article.

I am a Golden God!

And no Luf I am not biased of War Games. Being biased would mean I have something to lose or gain by War Games rise or fall in sales. I'm just a bat-fan. I like my Batman. I've read many Bat-tales. And I have to say War Games was one of the WORST. It was basicly a horrid fan fiction just to humiliate and kill Spoiler (and as you said make Batman alone again).

Hey, that's right! WHERE'S GORDON?

Lady Blackhawk is their pilot, and I'd love to see a figure of her, or even just a bystander token.

Great review, although you left out The Commish!