Azrael

Since the dawn of the Silver Age, legacy characters have been a staple of superhero fiction, and having a new character step into a well loved role can open up new opportunities for writers and artists to tell different kinds of stories. In The Replacements, we’ll look back at the notable and not-so-notable heroes and villains to assume some of the most iconic mantles in the superhero genre. This week we're looking at just some of the people who have stepped up and carried the heavy burden that comes with being Batman, and how that mantle comes with a responsibility and a level of expectation that not everyone can live up to.

Over the past couple of weeks, DC Comics' Convergence event has resulted in some of the most exciting and most bizarre announcements since the company threw out their previous shared universe canon in favor of the "New 52" reboot -- especially since the core idea of next April's big crossover is that they're bringing back a bunch of the versions of characters that they got rid of for a big battle against the new batch. Last week was particularly enticing for long-time fans, teasing us with Greg Rucka's return to writing Renee Montoya in The Question and Gail Simone going back to the fan-favorite pairing of Nightwing/Oracle. This week, they've attempted to top that with a whole new roster of books, and this time they're set in a pre-Flashpoint Metropolis. The second week's launches will see the return of characters from 1996's Kingdom Come and the landmark Justice League International, plus Louise Simonson writing Steel. Of course, we're also getting Azrael and the return of Larry Hama to writing Batman, so someone out there needs to stop wishing on the Monkey's Paw already.

DC Direct Collectibles will expand its line of Batman: Arkham City action figures on September 19, with brand new versions of Azrael, Ra's al Ghul, the Penguin, two clown thugs (one with a knife, the other with a baseball bat) and Batman himself...

Here at ComicsAlliance, we value our readership and are always open to what the masses of Internet readers have to say. That's why every week, Senior Writer Chris Sims puts his comics culture knowledge to the test as he responds to your reader questions...

As iconic as the 1993-94 Batman: Knightfall storyline is for longtime comic book fans, the year when Batman fought back against a broken back can be somewhat difficult to explain to folks new to '90s Bat lore. In light of the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises movie casting Tom Hardy as Bane, Batfans owe it to themselves to brush up on this history (even if it is being sort of relaunched in September)