By Jon Palmer
The deadly Court of Owls
Batman – the new 52 is a refreshing re-launch that is slowly introducing us to a new a battle for Gotham City, one between Bats and Owls. This is a battle I didn’t see coming but one that is slowly hinted at in issue one, with issues 2 to seven bringing the owls into the fore and issue eight begins the ‘Night of the Owls’.
From when I started reading Batman comics and any others that have followed I have always enjoyed the narration given by Wayne/Batman as he scopes the streets of Gotham. That’s exactly what we are given in this re-launch, the observant, thought provoked but justice fuelled mind set that reminds us that this whole story, in any incarnation, is all about Bruce Wayne and that Batman is just who he uses to get his justice.
Amongst his narration and the events that are unfolding, Batman manages to give us a sense of Gotham’s history, from its buildings, to the Waynes’, the Powers’ and with it little snippets of how the Owls have always been in Gotham.
In one of the scenes, Bruce Wayne is explaining the design and structure of the buildings built by his family as he is falling from one of them and it is this type of storytelling that is testament to the minds of both the writers and illustrators of Batman in how they pull it off. The action scenes are another thing that I am really enjoying about this series, the way that dialogue invites you into believing something is just around the corner when in fact it is around the next one, and then without any warning an explosion blows up in your face at the same time as it does Batman’s.
Along with these explosions is the way that Batman seems to be getting knocked down or kicked about, like when he is put in a maze by a load of watching Owls and when he’s ready he just gets himself a souped-up Bat suit and kicks back.
Then the assault begins with Batman’s allies joining in the fun, with Batman trying to save one of the Owl’s targets this leads him to a very unexpected discovery and with this the past of the Waynes’ suddenly comes to the forefront and their links to the Owls are very close indeed.
Writing about links and ties from issues nine and ten we are given a nice sub-story at the end of the comics set around the time of Bruce’s childhood but more interestingly it gives an altogether new look at the Pennyworths’.
It’s this little extra layer in the multitude of levels Batman has brought us that is slowly entwining Alfred, and his family’s involvement to what is happening today. Along with all the other good stuff in this series, I can’t wait to see where it all leads.
One thing is for sure any owl fans might have to change sides.
You can follow Jon on twitter at @palmerjono
Posted on July 6th, 2012
Category: IN THE BLACK HALL, REVIEWS
Tags: Batman, Comic Review, Court of Owls, DC Comics, Greg Capullo, Jon Palmer, Night of Owls, Scott Snyder, The New 52
Batman: The Court Of Owls
This is the one that changes everything. We have been on this incredible, emotional roller coaster since last September. Scott Snyder chose a different route than many of the other Batman comics that are currently available, in that he didn’t want to start his interpretation of the Dark Knight with the same villains that everyone has known for years. He chose to showcase something more meaningful, something that has been built into the mythos of Gotham City as far back as the late 1800s. Something that would truly reinvent the way we not only look at Gotham City and its rich history, but also the Batman series as a whole.
You can see the wheels in motion as to where Snyder wanted to take the series too in “The Black Mirror” & “Gates of Gotham” stories. As time went on in the Court of Owls story arc, you begin to see how Batman’s journey to find out the secrets Gotham was hiding were going to take him, and at the same time trying to piece together whether there was more to his parents death. Each issue kept building the story up more and more. From him being naive and thinking he knows the ins and outs of Gotham, to fighting an enemy he has never seen before, to being captured and nearly going insane. Which brings us to the present, escaping their clutches, having a battle at Wayne Manor and slowly beginning to get everything under control, he is now on a pursuit to stop the Court once and for all. Not only that, but he knows who they are.
The Court of Owls pushes Batman to the brink of insanity
Finally we have been down a very emotional road with Batman and now, he will put a stop to them. Finally, he will be able to find out if there was more information about his parents unfortunate deaths. Finally, he will put some type of closure to this situation. If only he knew, there would be one more curveball thrown into his life, and it’s one that no one, not even the great detective Batman, saw coming.
Loved:
The different sides of Batman:
Seeing the different aspects of Batman’s personality coming together was something to behold. You get a lot of panels that showcase the detective aspect of Batman in the first 9 issues and it is a nice and welcomed change. How he breaks every scenerio down in his head while he is doing something else, they show you that he is always one step ahead of his enemies, even though he would wind up in situations that tested not only his might but also his will. You also see the intimidating, dark presence that he instills in his enemies as well, which is only amplified since you went along on this dark journey with him and you want to see them get their comeuppance.
They call themselves the "Whisper Gang"
The artwork:
Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion & Fco Plascencia have yet again got everything right when it came to the visuals. There is a sense of dread in the art when Batman is dealing with the Owls, but when he is back to being Bruce Wayne you see a complete change in how everything looks. There is a panel that shows Alfred waking Master Bruce and it showed me right there that no matter how much Bruce went through, he would pull through and save the day.
The big reveal:
Since this was such a big, huge, colossal reveal I don’t think I can take it upon myself to actually let you know what it is. The only thing I can say is that it is not something that was shoehorned in just to give it some shock value and nothing else. This is something that has been around the Batman comics for a long, long time and seeing them set the pieces in place since issue one is very cool. I urge you if you haven’t read any of the issues to go back now and do so. Then read #10, you will be glad you did.
And the big reveal is...too big to spoil i'm afraid!
Hated:
Nothing.
Conclusion:
Scott Snyder chose a path that had many more potential failures in the way than successes, but he made it all work and now he has left his mark on the Batman franchise that will be felt for years to come. This is one of those comic book stories that we will be talking about till the end of time as one of the best ever. But, do you want to know the best part? This isn’t the end. We still have to have a conclusion to this arc!
They say that all good things must come to an end, and if that’s true, this is going to be one heck of an ending.
Overall 5/5
You can follow Armando on his website themvzone4.wordpress.com or on twitter at @rand0mZer00
Posted on July 2nd, 2012
Category: REVIEWS
Tags: Armando Mendoza, Batman, comics, comics review, Court of Owls, DC Comics, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Review, Scott Snyder
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