Batman’s “death” has helped generate a lot of new comics, from Red Robin to a revitalized Batgirl, to a new Azrael and a bunch of others. So let’s try separating the wheat from the chaff.

First up, the worst Batman spinoff probably has to be a tie between Azarel and Batwoman. It’s a tough competition because both of them have horrendously incomprehensible art, which at least Batwoman tries to write in as the character’s hallucinations. Both focus on characters that few people could be paid to care about, and neither seem to fit too well into the ongoing events in Gotham. Batwoman is slightly likelier to survive, even though it’s just as stupid, because it has more comprehensible villains and artwork, and the big Bat in the name.

Second up, most improved, would be Batgirl, who is finally not a deaf mute wearing a costume that looks like it was done by Hannibal Lecter, but gets back to the classic idea of Batgirl, taking Stephanie Brown from Spoiler to death to Batgirl. And it works. The covers are nicely classic too and the writing is good. Not great, but this is Batgirl, not Watchmen anyway.

Then there’s Red Robin, which despite an annoying hero and an awkward premise and a dumb costume, saves the day by bringing in Ras Al Ghul for a touch of Donnie Brasco.

Streets of Gotham was fantastic when Paul Dini was writing it. Now the issue has tanked with the cliched priest, I guess DC confused Gotham with Hell’s Kitchen and decided to borrow from Daredevil, and inflicting Huntress on us was a little too much. Just when Dini had taken Zsasz to the max, we get the wacky antics of Huntress and Man-Bat for a sitcom no one wants.