Bruce Wayne has been under attack by a strange new villain claiming to have roots deep in Gotham. Batman doesn't believe that to be the case. Could Batman actually be...wrong?
The Good
Batman is pretty much all about his villains. Yes, he can be cool even going up against someone like Condiment King but it's his fights against his classic villains that we get excited about. Over the years, we have seen new villains created but not many manage to rise to the top of the list of deadly foes. Until now, that is.
Scott Snyder has introduced the deadly assassin Talon and the Court of Owls. Last issue Bruce Wayne was attacked and surprised by this killer. It appeared that Bruce got the upper hand but Talon managed to walk away from his deadly fall in order to cause more conflict. Batman refuses to believe there could be a secret organization that has been in Gotham since before he was born but he is discovering clues that just might convince him otherwise. We also get a flashback to 1922 that might explain why Talon told Bruce he 'loved killing Waynes' last issue.
While there is a great fight scene with multiple attackers amazingly drawn by Greg Capullo, there isn't an overabundance of action. It turns out you will not miss it a bit. We've seen story after story of Batman but this truly feels like the first time we're seeing something new. The fact that there could be more to Gotham than any of us realized is enough to blow your mind.
I read this comic extremely slowly for two reasons. First, I didn't want it to end and have to wait another month for a new issue. But more importantly, I wanted to savor every single bit. I wanted to take in every tiny bit of detail written by Snyder and depicted by Capullo. The conversations here are important and you'll want to absorb every single word. There are discoveries and revelations to be made and seeing where the comic goes in the later half is really something.
The Bad
Is it possible that Batman didn't know anything about the Court of Owls before? Or is it that this group really does have the upper hand over him?
The Verdict
A new adversary, a new mystery, action, detective work and revelations and a cliffhanger is all crammed into this comic. Snyder and Capullo do a superb job deliver another great issue. This issue doesn't have as much action as issue #2 but there is a lot going on. Batman is supposed the world's greatest detective and we get to see some of that detective work. The idea that a secret organization could have existed in Gotham for decades without Batman having any knowledge is almost absurd but incredibly scary at the same time. Batman is discovering that he doesn't have all the answers. He can't always be prepared for everything. This is a new type of Batman story. It's a great ride that you're going to want to sit back and savor every tiny bit. Reading this series just makes me happy to be a Batman fan.
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