a divorce from the bat-universe? naw, not yet. while i agree, he shouldnt be THIS connected... i think its too late to seperate him. his tie to the batbooks is the only thing keeping the book, and the character, alive (all be it pathetically). the title change (from azrael, to azrael: agent of the BAT) was a nececssary evil.

no, i think what azrael needs is a change in direction. a REAL change in direction, not the "oh, now i have new shoes" change in direction. but, it needs to start off in bat-land, so that people might actually read it. were az to seperate now, the 25 or so batfans that buy it, just cuz of the tie in, would disappear, leaving the 7 azrael fans the impossible task of fending for themselves.

i still say az's strongest chance at survival is the "bad guy" formula. i think thats what works best for his character, what'd work best for his following, his popularity, and, what actually fits in with stories.

when you get to the bottom line, azrael is a bad guy. say what you will about jean paul, azrael is an avenging angel, equipped with blades to disembowel and/or slice up those he, and/or "the order," see fit. granted, that doesnt make him 100% evil, but, like, say, hitman, azrael would NEVER be accepted by any established hero in the DCU.

i think the focus should be placed on an azrael/jean paul split, ala dr. jekyl/mr. hyde. jean paul is not azrael. azrael is its own seperate entity, a figure who has existed for 500+ years. this being should be infinitely more powerful than jean paul who, just 2 years ago (comic time) was a regular, college kid.

in addition, within azrael is not only the system, but the order of st. dumas. he protects, serves, and avenges this almighty order, and should continue to do so to all extents. and that, i feel, should mean continuing its existence, rebuilding it from scratch, if need be. (otherwise, what is the point of azrael? why continue to grant jean paul super-human powers?)

there's an episode of BTAS, where the duplicant of batman is the sole surviving robot from HARDC. thus, this "faker batman" makes its goal to recreate HARDC, to continue its work and its plans.

this should be the same deal with az. azrael should, without JP's knowing, perhaps, be recreating a powerful order, allowing both the order, and the angel, to increase in strength with each coming day (or over a few consecutive issues). and, finally, one day, JP should "snap," and perhaps even dissappear for awhile, as azrael emerges stronger than ever.

now, with all of batman's trust, azrael (appearing as jean paul) can do what he pleases. steal from wayne, surprise attack him, or just leave, and further grow in power, only to eventually surprise attack batman (azrael's fiercest enemy, as it was the bat that overpowered and defeated azrael).

thus, an incredibly cool villain is created. one who already has a history within the DCU (both in azrael's 500+ year life, as well as the nearly 10 years he's existed in comics).

he'd be a phenomenal bat-villain, as bruce and jp have such a connected past, but could also serve as a villain to any character, as he, and the order, grow in power. eventually, he could even, perhaps, challenge the entire JLA, with a religious army, dedicated to their cause (similar, perhaps, to ra's, and his attack on the jla).

azrael could be seen as an incredible power, both in battle, as well as in planning (not that azrael would be intellectually smart, but, as a warrior, much like, say, genghis khan, he'd be an excellent strategist, and planner for the future).

this, i see, giving AZ incredible potential. great conflicts between az and bats, exposure to az and the rest of the dcu, inner battles between az and JP. plus, the "shock" value of the ordeal (a "beloved" hero turning bad, i.e; emerald twilight) would, at worst, generate sales, and an increased following.

------------------
i have spoken