Rating: 3.5/5 – James Tynion is about to wrap up his run on Talon
When the Court of Owls was first introduced in the arc of Batman by writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion, I really loved the concept of the mysterious organization within Gotham City that holds power and controls parts of the city. As time went by, much of the focus went to the hero of the organization, Calvin Rose. Talon the series puts that focus on Calvin Rose, and although I’ve enjoyed the series, I wish they’d put more emphasis on the Court of Owls as a whole rather than the one individual.
Issue thirteen of Talon has Calvin attempting to save the daughter of his main love interest from the Court of Owls and the Gotham Butcher, the Court’s rogue and dangerous villain. Meanwhile the Court itself is being betrayed by one of their own who is using the Gotham Butcher for his own means. There’s a lot of plot lines going on and if you haven’t been following this series, it may be tough to follow. I was a big fan of the Villain’s month issue of Court of Owls and feel that a book like that may be more interesting than the typical hero book we have here. Using Gotham and the Court as a backdrop for all different types of tales would be something a bit different, and would allow creators to use the world of Gotham to their advantage.
Talon had had quite a few artists working on this series but I feel as though this issue’s artist Emanuel Simeoni is a great fit. He’s able to draw all the different characters effectively and makes the Butcher look downright scary. His faces are dramatic, but well done and his lines have a soft feel to them. I’m a fan of his work and wasn’t familiar with him until seeing him on this title.
Next issue is Tynion’s last one on the book and it looks like he’ll be going out with a bang. This has been a pretty solid title with a new hero, but I’m wondering how long it will last and will be curious to see the direction this book goes in with the new creative team.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas – shawn@comicspectrum.com
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