One of DC's "power" characters is Batman. Bruce Wayne has been a fixture in DC in not only stories, but also sales. DC without Batman as a company, is only a shell of itself. With that in mind, you would think that his books would be the best quality books; not only in the company, but in the industry, period. But lately, I think Marvel's "batman-esqe" books are of a much higher overall quality than DC's bat-line. Let's look at them, not individually, but in totality.

First Marvel's books. You have Daredevil, Punisher, Captain America & Hawkeye, Winter Soldier and Captain America. Each comic is excellent and the worst of them are still very good. Daredevil, Winter Soldier and Punisher in my opinion are the best of the lot and each are unique enough to cover different aspects of the same universe and genre. Each is a vigilante book with more crime noir (or espionage in the case of Winter Soldier) elements and stringing storylines. Daredevil is a complete 180° turnaround from the previous series and more fun than almost anything on the market. Winter Soldier continues the aesthetic nature of Ed Brubaker's Captain America run. Punisher is the best it's been since Garth Ennis decided not to write Frank Castle anymore. I can honestly say I get more good "Batman" stories from these comics than any Batman comic on the market right now with the exception of Batman by Snyder and Capullo. As for Captain America & Hawkeye and Captain America, they are very good books. While not quite the exceptional standard of the others they are still solid books that for me are monthly pick ups. I wouldn't rate them as "5 star" books but they are solid "3.5 books" each and every month.

In contrast, Batman's own books are really lackluster. There are two books that to me are top notch. Batman by Snyder and Capullo and Batwoman by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman. These two really stand out for me; Batman moreso than Batwoman. The whole Court/Night of Owls storyline for me has been about the only thing out of the "New 52" to look forward to. Honestly Batman may be the best book out of all the books being discussed (with a heavy argument for Daredevil). But, is one and a half really good books enough? With Batman, Batwing, Detective Comics, Batwoman, Batman: The Dark Knight, Catwoman, Nightwing, Batgirl and Batman & Robin coming every month is having only one or two "can't miss" reads every month enough? Don't get me wrong some of the other series are good but are much more "hit or miss". I know what I'm getting every month with Batman and Batwoman; the rest have drawn me in at times, and pushed me away at others. That's 2 out of 9, a .222 average for the Batman group for me every month.

I guess what I'm saying is this: Why should I read the Batman books every month when I can get better stories in the same genre somewhere else?