Batman and Robin #23.2 Court of Owls

Secret Societies in Gotham have had it good in the past few years.


Grant Morrison's Black Glove gave us one of the best (and divisive) Batman stories - Batman RIP. And then with the New 52, we got Snyder giving us the Court.

And after being dispatched in the pages of Batman, we got them in the new series Talon written by James Tynion IV.

Well, the writer is back to script the revival of the Court and he does it brilliantly. A combination of past and present, this story acts as a prologue to a new arc with the Court and gives us a glimpse of what makes them tick.

This story is told from the perspective of a father to his daughter. Well, that would have been sweet except for the fact that both have Owl masks and are talking about how the Court has maintained 'balance' through bloodshed and influence. As the Court's power wanes post-Batman and in the pages of Talon, and Forever Evil has started, the stakes have been raised.

The father unleashes the First Talon even though a female colleague tries in vain to stop him (she's killed by his very young daughter. Yes, you read that right.)

The haunting and decaying imagery prevalent throughout the book is depressing, but appropriate for this story. The Court acts as puppet masters very well, in the shadows. And thus, shadows are a prevalent theme throughout.

There are some brutal deaths (through most of them are off-panel) to show how the Court keeps both its secrets and power. Whether it be the naive Mayor or Photographer, crossing the Court does not bode one well.

Waiting for where they strike next.

So, I give this 9 out of 10