As Battle For The Cowl rockets towards its epic conclusion the tie in plots are beginning to hit their fever pitch. These one shot titles have been the entropy of what used to be the world of Batman by breaking all of it down to be rebuilt once a new Dark Knight is crowned. In Battle For The Cowl: The Underground we’re given the final piece of that entropic puzzle: the villains. The “death” of Batman has left Gotham teetering on the edge of a full collapse into complete chaos. Helping to speed that along is Penguin, Two Face and of course the always ominous Black Mask.

For those curious if this Black Mask is the same one shot by Catwoman, rest assured it is not. The identity of the new Black Mask is still under wraps but according to Battle For The Cowl scribe Tony Daniel it’s confirmed this is a new Black Mask. Whoever this new Black Mask is he is hell bent on destroying Penguin and Two Face and setting himself up once again as the man who runs Gotham.

The Underground is built of multiple parts all expertly handled by writer Chris Yost. This is the one chance we get to really see the villain’s side of the death of Batman. Everybody plays a part in the one shot from Edward Nigma being forcibly hired to track down the new Black Mask by an irate Penguin to Catwoman trying to protect Harvey Dent by arresting him. Add to that this fake gun toting, killer Batman (largely suspected to be Jason Todd) shooting everyone in sight plus the fact that Arkham’s biggest baddies are being forced to work for Black Mask and you have a pot that’s quick to boil over.

Did I mention you also get Harley Quinn?

Chris Yost has created a really solid crime thriller here that also manages to put all the criminal pieces in play for Battle For The Cowl #3 as well as the future of the new Batman. Yost has a real ear for each criminal’s voice as well as masterful pacing. Nothing here is rushed or dragged out, instead a perfect balance is reached which is pretty impressive with no less than 8 main characters are all vying for attention. Who will win the Penguin/Two Face war? Who is the new Black Mask? How will the Arkham Asylum escapees factor into this war and who will end up being the new Dark Knight’s biggest threat. On a personal note I’d also like to find out where The Joker chimes in on all of this.

Art wise Pablo Raimondi does some of the most solid work in any of the tie in issues. This is a packed script and when you have so much happening in one issue the art has to communicate everything that’s going on or details become lost. Raimondi not only makes sure the action is fluid but he also has a great sense of how to draw emotion into a face. Penguin’s hatred, Nigma’s desperation, Catwoman’s bitter frustration, Two Face’s rage are all summed up beautifully here, especially in the close up panels. Not many can draw a face really well but Raimondi makes it seem easy. .

With a great script and beautiful artwork Battle For The Cowl: The Underground does an awesome job of setting readers up for the final show down between the contenders for the throne and the criminal element. Will Black Mask’s return force Dick Grayson to don the cowl? Will he be able to beat the new gun-toting Batman? Where will Penguin, Two-Face and Riddler fall in all of this? The Underground doesn’t answer these questions but rather fleshes them out in a masterful style.