Superhero Cake

Superman, Batman, and Spiderman teamed up for Ryan's 6th Birthday.   10" bottom tier covered in blue fondant with red cape.  8" middle tier covered in chocolate/black fondant with black cape.  6" top tier covered in red fondant with black buttercream spiderwebs.  Yellow fondant stars decorate the top of the cake.  The tiers are doweled to support their weight, and a long dowel is inserted straight down the middle to keep the tiers in place. 
I was a bit disappointed in how my black fondant turned out this time.  I find black and red fondant very difficult to work with.  I always make my own using marshmallows, but I am truly considering using ready-made fondant when I need to use these colors.  These two colors require so much gel color to achieve the correct color that it makes their texture difficult to deal with.  The red seems too soft and stretchy, and the black dries out and cracks easily (I make the black using chocolate chips, which is probably why it is so different).  I can see cracks all over the Batman tier and it drives me nuts.   If any other bakers out there read this and have suggestions, I am all ears!!  :)