| Azrael | |
|---|---|
Cover for Azrael #1 (February 1995) . Art by Barry Kitson and James Pascoe. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date | (vol. 1) February 1995 - May 2003 (vol. 2) October 2009 - May 2011 |
| Number of issues | (vol. 1): 100 + 3 Annuals (vol 2): 18 |
| Main character(s) | Jean-Paul Valley followed by Michael Lane as Azrael |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | (vol. 1) Denny O'Neil Fabian Nicieza |
| Penciller(s) | (vol. 1) Joe Quesada Barry Kitson Roger Robinson (vol. 2) Ramon Bachs Guillem March |
| Creator(s) | Denny O'Neil Joe Quesada |
Azrael was an American comic book ongoing series, published by DC Comics based on the character Azrael. The name, inspired by the Islamic Angel of Death,[1] is primarily associated with two characters: Jean-Paul Valley and Michael Lane. The latter is the star of a comics series which ran from 2009 to 2011.
Contents |
Following the events of Batman: Sword of Azrael and Batman: Knightfall, the first Azrael ongoing series shows Azrael's (Jean-Paul Valley) battles against the Order of St. Dumas, and ran for 100 issues between 1995 and 2003. Starting with issue #47, it was retitled Azrael: Agent of the Bat in an attempt to boost sales by tying the series in with the rest of the Batman mythos, including Azrael as part of the team of Batman, Robin, and the new Batgirl (Cassandra Cain). He also changes his costume considerably for a time. Azrael returns to his original costume and battles supposed hallucinations that are supposed to represent both his father and the creator of the order that spawned him, St. Dumas.
Toward the end of the series, Azrael is plagued by apparently supernatural occurrences in the form of possible miracles.
Azrael is seemingly killed in the series' final issue, shot with two specially-coated bullets while battling archenemies Scratch and Carlton Lehah. However, his body is never recovered.[1] He is seen during Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, however, the story is out of continuity, or takes place on multiple different earths. The Blackest Night crossover features a resurrected Jean Paul Valley suggesting he did indeed die.
There were also published 3 annual editions of Azrael (Azrael Annual), depicting other stories, such as the one of his father in Azrael Annual #1 (Year One).
Azrael: Death's Dark Knight was a limited series (written by Fabian Nicieza, with art by Frazer Irving, May - July 2009), in which an African American ex-cop named Michael Washington Lane is approached by the Order of Purity to reclaim the mantle of Azrael after the Order of Dumas' new Azrael went mad and killed an undercover police officer. Lane is currently active in Gotham City working on an "eye for an eye" style of justice. The first issue is set to be released in October 2009.[2] The background and narrative that is outlined in the Azrael: Death's Dark Knight is expanded further by Nicieza in a two-part story written that crossed because the Batman Annual #27 and Detective Comics Annual #11 . In this story, the character teams up with Batman and Robin in an attempt to thwart an ancient cult from sacrificing seven children in an effort to resurrect the embodiment of the eighth deadly sin.
The first issue of the second ongoing series (Vol. 2[3]) has a cover date of Dec '09 and was released on October 2009.[4] The series ended at issue 18, though the character Azrael remains active.