Almost a year in to the "New 52" and we finally reach the end of the first story arc in this series - and it's been well worth the wait.The story of the Court of Owls has easily been one of the best Batman stories in recent memory.
But that's because it took big risks, tweaked elements of Batman's origin (without actually changing anything) and created a new and challenging opponent for the Dark Knight. In the Owls they've created a secret society with unlimited resources that has (somehow) been operating in Gotham City since long before Batman appeared.
Before the creative team gets the big head, I have to point out that there are several hugely improbable events in this issue, and the ending isn't quite as definitive as one would like.
This issue ends up being a slugfest between Batman and the final Talon - and one that may have a sinister and surprising connection to Bruce Wayne. The issue is filled with improbable stunts, including one that involves a jet plane (could any man actually hang on the wing like that?), a dive from far above Gotham (Batman's solution would have cut him in half), and one of my favorite movie bits - outrunning an explosion.
But those are minor quibbles - comics are filled with improbable action sequences, of course - and it does provide an explosive conclusion to the epic story, even though it leaves Bruce with many unanswered questions.
But hats off to writer Scott Snyder and artists Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion for crafting a legendary tale that gets this series off to a tremendous start.
Here's hoping their next story arc lives up to this one!
Grade: A-
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