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Comic Book Review – Batman: Night of the Owls

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Gary Collinson reviews Batman: Night of the Owls…

“Gotham City is under attack, testing Batman and his allies at every turn. Can Gotham’s protectors save its residents from the villainous Talon assassins, or will this be the night the Dark Knight and his city fall before evil?“
As ‘Death of the Family’ draws to its frankly underwhelming (in my opinion, at least) conclusion, DC Comics has taken the opportunity to collect Scott Snyder’s first major Bat-crossover – and indeed, the first crossover of the New 52 – in hardcover form with the release of Batman: Night of the Owls. Stemming from Snyder and artist Greg Capullo’s first Batman arc ‘The Court of Owls’, Night of the Owls brings together the main story from Batman #8-9, along with all of various tie-ins (Batman Annual #1, Nightwing #8-9, and issues #9 of All-Star Western, Batman and Robin, Batman: The Dark Knight, Batgirl, Batwing, Birds of Prey, Catwoman, Detective Comics and Red Hood and the Outlaws) to deliver 360 pages of almost non-stop action as the Bat-Family struggles to protect Gotham from the Court of Owls and their army of undead assassins, the Talons.

Barring a somewhat unnecessary opening chapter featuring Jonah Hex, Night of the Owls picks up directly from the end of Batman #7, as the mysterious cabal known as the Court of Owls emerges from the shadows to “take back their kingdom” of Gotham City. Having ruled over the city in secret for centuries, the Court awakens all of their Talons – lethal assassins with metahuman regenerative abilities that would put Wolverine to shame – and unleashes them upon Gotham, intending to kill as many influential citizens as possible. As Wayne Manor comes under attack, Bruce instructs Alfred to put out the call to all of Batman’s allies, with the likes of Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl and even Jason Todd then springing into action in order to prevent the city from falling under the Court’s control.

Aside from some flashbacks which explore the history of the Court of Owls and the Talons, the majority of action in Night of the Owls takes place across one night, with Alfred’s call to arms serving as an anchor across all of the Batbook tie-ins. Of course, as with most comic book crossovers, most of these the tie-in tales add little if nothing to the overall plot, save for Nightwing’s storyline, which fleshes out Dick Grayson’s backstory, and Batman Annual #1, which introduces Mr. Freeze into the New 52 and provides a new twist to the character’s established origin (although said twist could potentially upset fans of the villain with a heart of ice). Typically, the tie in stories all follow a similar pattern, with the hero responding to Alfred’s call by locating a Talon, fighting him for a while then taking him down. It does get a little repetitive after a while, but if you’re the kind of reader who likes plenty of action in your comic books, then you’re certainly going to find it here.

Overall, Batman: Night of the Owls is a solid enough collection and for New 52 newcomer (or those readers yet to venture beyond the main Batman title) then it provides a good introduction to the various members of the ever-expanding Bat-Family. Just don’t expect all of the tales to match the quality of Snyder’s main storyline…

Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.

Originally published February 14, 2013. Updated April 12, 2018.

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