Comics Corner: Batman - The City of Owls

Batman

The first arc of the New 52 Batman was all set up. It was Scott Snyder showing that he knew this character and he had a fresh take on things. It's ballsy to use brand new villains when you are relaunching a comic for the first time in 70+ years. Luckily, the Court of Owls are badass enough and grand enough to forget about Batman's classic rogues, at least for a little while. This second arc features the Court launching a full out assault on Gotham City and Batman. This was a crossover event that pulled in all the Bat titles at the time. We will just be focusing on the main series, but I'd definitely check out the others if you're so inclined.

Art by Capullo

Batman Vol. 2 #8-11 - After escaping the Court and returning to Wayne Manor, Bruce knows that he doesn't have much time. He's right. Soon, Talons are swarming Wayne Manor. After donning a Mecha Batsuit and taking them out, he directs his allies to protect the citizens of Gotham that are on the Court's hit list. Even though Batman and his allies are successful, Batman knows that he must stop the Court for good. He deduces the leadership of the Court is the Powers family and when he goes to confront them he finds them all dead by poison. The killer? Lincoln March who has a few bombshells for Batman. He used Mr. Freeze's Talon serum to stay alive and he and Batman are closer than the Dark Knight thinks. In a back up story, Jarvis Pennyworth, butler for Thomas and Martha Wayne, writes his son Alfred a letter warning him to stay away from Wayne Manor lest he fall victim to the Court of Owls.

In "The Court of Owls," Batman spent a lot of things a step behind. A large part of that was his inability to believe that the Court of Owls could be real. It was a great example of one of the Dark Knight's greatest weaknesses: his own hubris. He feel victim to that a lot during that first arc and it led to a lot of not great things happening. He's almost assassinated. He's tortured by the Court. But, this is a superhero story and the unwritten rule of super hero stories is that the hero might be taken low, but he always rises.  "City of Owls" is Batman rising.

There's so much action in this arc and it's awesome. The first issue is basically a fight throughout Wayne Manor into the Batcave. Snyder is constantly innovating and updating the Batman mythos and he does so here. Have you always wondered why Batman has all that weird stuff in the Batcave? A T-Rex? A giant penny? Well, it's for defense and seeing them take out the various Talons is amazing and it makes you wonder why another writer hasn't thought about doing this before.

Snyder packs a lot of misdirection in this arc and it pays off, specifically when it comes to Lincoln March. In "The Court of Owls," March is set up as a new ally/foil for Bruce Wayne/Batman. A new civilian ally a la Commissioner Gordon who will aid him in his quest to protect and clean up Gotham City. That seems especially likely after he survives the Talon's first assassination attempt. When he is seemingly killed during the Court's assault on Gotham, his role seems to be that of Jason Todd or Bruce's parents. A casualty that further fuels Batman's quest for justice. It turns out he's neither. He's the mastermind of it all and perhaps more. Could he be Bruce's long lost brother?

In a less skilled writer's hands, this reveal could feel cheap and basic. Shock for shock's sake, but Snyder plays it just the right way. There is enough on either side that you're not sure what to believe. Could this man be Bruce's brother? Or just another crazy obsessed with the Bat. Bruce's conversation with Dick in issue 11 is so good. I normally don't love long stretches of dialogue in comics because it is such a visual medium, but this is just pitch perfect. Few writers have a good grasp on Bruce and the original Robin's relationship, but Snyder definitely does. The banter, the father/son relationship bordering on brothers, Bruce cracking jokes. Only Dick could do that.

Back up stories are usually pointless filler, used to fill pages to jack up prices, but the back up stories here enrich the story happening in the main arc. We know so little about the Waynes, especially Martha, that this story is compelling and you hope that there are more. The reveal that Martha did have another son that she lost possibly helps muddy the Lincoln March waters nicely.

Greg Capullo continues to handle art for the main story while Rafael Albuquerque takes over for the back ups. They both do wonderfully. Capullo is officially my favorite Bat artist and Albuquerque's moody, heavy inks help convey that this is in the past and the noir quality the story possesses.

Art by Fabook

Batman Vol. 2 Annual #1 - In this interlude for "City of Owls," Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV take a look at the New 52 origin of Mr. Freeze, his involvement with the Court of Owls and his antagonistic relationship with Bruce Wayne and Batman. Ever since Paul Dini and "Batman: The Animated Series" provided the definitive origin of Victor Fries, it was grandfathered into the modern comics and has pretty much remained unchanged. And while this issue keeps it relatively the same, it also gives it a few very important tweaks. Victor Fries is still a socially awkward scientist obsessed with finding a cure for his frozen love, Nora. He is still almost killed in an accident that leaves him unable to survive out of sub zero temperatures. In this new origin, Fries works for Wayne Enterprises. His condition makes him valuable to the Court and they use him to keep their Talon's alive. Oh and Nora? She's not Fries' wife, she's a woman that has been in cryogenics since the '20's that Victor is obsessed with.

That reveal is what really makes this annual worth reading. It's a shock and it makes the retread of Mr. Freeze's conventional origin that much more worthwhile. I admit when I was reading this initially I wondered why we needed to rehash this again. I understood that this was "new," but so much of it was the same. Couldn't this Talon stuff just be shoehorned into the main story? But man, that reveal. It got me and it changes everything. Mr. Freeze has always been a sympathetic villain because of his relationship to Nora. What does he become now that that is taken away? It's an interesting question and it's those types of questions that ultimately make the DC New 52 reboot worthwhile.

Jason Fabook handles the art and I'm a big fan of his realistic, clean art style. The characters just look like the should. There aren't a lot of bells and whistles or stylistic flairs, but that's OK.

Art by Cloonan

Batman #12 - After the events of "Court of Owls" and "City of Owls," Snyder takes a little break before his next big epic featuring the Clown Prince of Crime to tell a smaller story. This standalone tale focuses on Harper Row, a young woman living with her brother Cullen in the Narrows, one of Gotham's poorest neighborhoods. Harper made a brief appearance in "Batman" Vol. 2 #1, but this is the first time she gets a name and a story of her own.

Harper is immediately likable and her story is familiar to Bat fans, but there are some tweaks here and there that make it more modern. If you know about Robin, then you know all about a young person having a fateful encounter with Batman that changes their life. This is what happens with Harper. She and her brother are being antagonized and Batman intervenes. After that, Harper decides that she wants to try to help Batman if she can and she has a unique skillset. She works for the city on the electrical grid and she is very talented.

This really differentiates Harper from the other potential sidekicks that Batman has picked up along the way. She's not a potential detective or delinquent. She doesn't need Batman to protect her or take her in. She's doing fine, thank you. Emancipated. Taking care of her gay brother. After Cullen is gay based and the f word is shaved in his head, Harper does the same to her hair. It's a powerful moment that you don't see very much in superhero comics, especially superhero comics put out by DC. Harper figuring out how Batman is using the city's grid and trying to help him shows moxie and even though Batman tells her to leave him alone, I'm not sure his heart is in it and I can't wait to see her again.

Becky Cloonan handles the art for this issue and she makes history as the first female artist ever on "Batman." Let that sink in for a minute. Cloonan has a youthful, cartoony-y style that really fits this issue. Harper is a bright light in Gotham and the art really plays that up.

The second volume of the Batman relaunch continues Snyder, Capullo et al's hot streak. The conflict with the Court of Owls may be over for now, but soon a familiar face from Batman's past will be showing up. Sort of.

If you're interested, you can pick up Batman, Vol. 2: The City of Owls from Mayhem if you're local to the Des Moines area or from Amazon.