Batman Vol. 2: The City of Owls (The New 52)

I think it is safe to say by now writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo have become synonymous with Batman, especially within the DC New 52, and it all started with Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (The New 52) . Batman was faced with the Court of Owls, an enemy that has been around since Gotham's earliest beginnings and had finally shown itself to the Dark Knight, to which was a powerful organization that had connections and resources Batman could never quite fathom, and the Batman paid for it--big time. But Batman pulled through it, just barely, and learned the error of his ways and got away to prepare for striking back. But the Court knows Batman is weak so it decides to attack Gotham while they can, sending out their entire army of Talon warriors to seize control once and for all... ...But Batman has had enough. Finally, the wait if over. Snyder and Capullo's volume 2 of the conclusion to the Court of Owls story comes full-speed ahead that is equal parts gripping and powerful, yet eerily familiar to Pre-52 fans. BATMAN VOL.2: CITY OF OWLS collects issues #8-12 with back stories "Fall of the House of Wayne" and BATMAN ANNUAL #1. Bruce Wayne has just starting to recover from days of torture in the Court's maze, to which suddenly the Courts Talons make a direct attack on the Wayne mansion. The ferocity of numerous Talons push Bruce to the point that he has had enough of owls and the Court and dons the Batman persona to finally put an end to the Court, by taking the battle back at them where it hurts. I will not give out any more info because there would be spoilers aplenty, but let's clear some stuff first. First, go read volume 1 before reading volume 2. Many little clues Snyder expertly lay out in volume 1 start to unravel itself and come full circle here in volume 2, so you might need to refresh your memory as to catch all of the little nuggets of information you might of missed. Secondly, the companion book Batman: Night of the Owls (The New 52) is not essential or needed to read with volume 2. Snyder's Court of Owls volume 1 and City of Owls volume 2 is the prime self contained story that is vital, while Night of the Owls was the tie-ins that take place during the Talons attacks on Gotham. Thankfully, Snyder's City of Owls only makes a reference to the Night of the Owls event with Detective Comics which might confuse readers a little, but everything important and story-wise the reader needs is right here. And thirdly, if you read the Night of the Owls event before hand, keep your expectations in check. You might be expecting a full blown, epic scale ending that involves the entire Bat-family, but this is just a Batman book. It's still epic in its own right; it just didn't need the tie-ins to sell itself. If volume 1 was the Court taking the fight to Batman, volume 2 is Batman taking the fight back to the Court. Snyder's Batman is raw with emotion about him as we saw with him going crazy in the Courts maze, to almost giving up, to volume 2 and his pandering of the Courts long existence and even getting overwhelmed by the Talons. But now Batman cuts loose his angry toward the court and the mastermind behind it all that we've all been dying to see. Added with the big reveal, Snyder's mystery and realization of the Court happens the exact same time the reader does, making Batman a character that reacts to the main bad guy in real-time with the readers. This makes volume 2 a great ending that gives readers what they want, seeing Batman get back at the Court and solve the mystery at the same time. Fans of Snyder's Batman: The Black Mirror will also truly appreciate the references to the big reveal and Black Mirror comparisons, further driving home Snyder's them of Batman being about Gotham itself. Besides a good bulk of the book going to the conclusion for the Court of Owls story, volume also holds the the Batman Annual #1 is a good retelling of Victor Freeze in the New 52 and Batman issue #12 as a stand alone tale about Harper Row, the girl readers were introduced in issue #7 that proves to be a interesting character that Snyder is building for the future some time down the road. It does give the familiar feeling Row might fall into the tech person similar to Oracle Pre-52 but we'll see when the time comes. Art is pitch-perfect by Greg Capullo. The fight in the Batcave against the Talons is exhilarating, to Batman's hatred of the Court, to the finally of the Main Owl leader. Everything is well done on Capullo's art and I have no problems with it at all. Jason Fabok does the Annual, while Becky Cloonan and Andy Clarke do issue #12. As for complaints, I have a few. One real minor (and personal) one is the Talons are a bit too talkative this time around. The Talons keep their awe and mystique when they rarely speak, which they now sound like high school bullies. The main complaints involve readers who did actually buy the Night of the Owls book, because if you did, the only new issues you're getting are 10-12 when you buy City of Owls, so you feel a little bit cheated. Another is that the volume 2 has the prime Court of Owls conclusion story from issues 8-11, so you might read through the 4 issues reasonably quickly. And issue #12 and the Annual #1, which are good in their own right, feel a bit in cohesive, especially the Annual which is right in the middle of the book that hurts the flow of the Court of Owls conclusion. DC could of place the Annual the very end of the book as to not hurt the narrative. And final heads-up has to go to the conclusion of the Court of Owls story. The mastermind behind the owls might make readers have various degrees of thought and feeling because Snyder introduces something that has to do with the Batman mythos that I'm sure will have different opinions on it. Some might scream foul on Snyder and some might applaud him for it. I'm a little in-between on the subject, but I'll let readers decide that for themselves. And for a comic that is supposed about new beginnings in the New 52, long time Bat-readers might not find the big reveal all that fresh and new since it makes references to past Bat-stores and ideas (Grant Morrison's run on Batman is one of a few example). New readers won't have a problem with this at all, but old time readers might or might not feel as if Snyder is really reinventing Batman as they thought he is. But again, you be the judge of that. BATMAN VOLUME 2: CITY OF OWLS concludes on a high note that will either have you loving what Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have done or question it. Either way, the two make for a great team in the Bat-World right now that shows these men have the chops for it. Great writing, great art, and a overall great little mystery, City of Owls is great book if you enjoyed volume 1. But with the little drawbacks like the Court of Owls conclusion being 4 issues long, the Annual not fitting well fitting well here, or the questionable ending, I'll give the score a 4 ½ score, but round up to 5. Still a solid book worth checking and I'll see you Bat-readers around October for the next big arc with the return of the Joker in Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52) .

This volume collects issues 8-12 and Batman Annual 1. Bruce Wayne thought he knew Gotham City. The city he was born in. The city his parents died in. The city he became the Batman in. As the Batman he had to understand his city, know every nook and cranny in order to defeat the criminal element. Bruce felt he had that mastered. He was wrong. Enter the Court of Owls. Bruce dismissed them as just a myth but he was so wrong. They educated him on that and showed him just how much Gotham is their city. But now that the Bat knows of them and has suffered at their hands it's time to take the fight to them. Let me first start off by saying what a great time it is to be a Batman fan. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo follow up the first volume in heart pounding fashion as they continue to prove they are one of the best writer/artist duos working in comics today. Wow! Issue eight has Bruce licking his wounds back at Wayne manor with trusty Alfred by his side. They are hit and hit hard by an assault from the Court by their warrior class, the Talon's. It unfolds in great pulse pounding fashion a credit to writer and artist here as both men are forced into hiding in the Batcave. The backup feature follows appropriately here, co-written by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque, in which Bruce "suits up" to deal with the Talons as Alfred sends a distress call out to the other vigilantes of Gotham and members of the Bat-Family leading into Night of the Owls, a tie-in event that takes place across the various other Bat titles but you get the main story and all that is really important here. Issue nine is the dark knight triumphant! Batman fights back in such brutality amazingly drawn by Capullo. Bruce had underestimated the Court but regains his confidence and sets out to take them down. Next is the Annual. It is illustrated by Jason Fabok who is currently killing it on Detective Comics. This is a slight detour from the main story but not too jarring and plus who doesn't love an awesome Mr. Freeze story! Snyder gives good ole' Dr. Fries a New 52 remake that pays tribute to the classic Batman: The Animated Series origin but gives a few twists and surprises that make a satisfying and acceptable new origin. Also, Freeze has a bone to pick with the Court as well. Issues ten and eleven have Batman hunting down the Court and sticking it to them. A huge revelation is made shaking up the Wayne's origins but I found it to be a fascinating addition to the Wayne mythos as no family is without their shocks and secrets. The main villain does get a little too chatty in the climax and the conclusion with Bruce and Dick drags a bit as well. Minor flaws that took some tension and intrigue out of the end. The rest of the backups are then featured (9-11) illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque. A fascinating tale from Jarvis Pennyworth to his son Alfred warning him not to come to Gotham because the Wayne's are dangerous to be around. Issue twelve is a stand alone issue that actually dips in and out, time wise, of the previous eleven issues. It features Harper Row a bit of a punk teenage girl with a good heart. She lives with her gay brother who she has to protect from bullies and is a tomboy as well. She crosses paths with the Batman and gives her life new purpose. The first part is illustrated by Becky Cloonan, the first woman to draw an issue of Batman and a great job she does. The second part is done by Andy Clark who is a guy who has drawn Batman before and does a great job as well. Great art. Great story. Great Batman. Bring on Joker. Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52)

I'll start with the artwork first. There are 4 different artists in this volume. I'll cover each one individually from worst to best. Rafael Albuquerque's art is by far the worst. His characters are ugly. The faces are obscured by shadows in quite a few scenes to keep from having to draw details and the clothing details aren't much better. His backgrounds are nonexistent. I'm just glad his work was only used in a few back-up stories. I place Albuquerque on the lower end of all comic artists. He'd be in the 20-30% range. Meaning his work is only better than 20-30 % of all comic art. Next would be be Greg Capullo. It is sad that the Batman series regular artist is only the 3rd best artist in this volume. Capullo's art hasn't changed from volume 1 of this series. Clothing details, backgrounds, and full body character shots all look good. It is in his character faces, especially the close ups, that are lacking. It's not that they don't look good, it is the fact that they all look the same. Someone must have told him this after some of the issues in volume 1 came out because he added stubble to Bruce's face to make him look slightly different. In this volume Bruce doesn't look like Superman. He looks like Superman after a 3 day drinking binge. Still, his art is better than probably 75% of the stuff coming out of DC right now. Next would be Becky Cloonan. Her art seems to have a manga/anime influence. I don't know what it is with most of the female artists I've seen, but that genre seems to be their biggest influence. I like anime, but I'd prefer not to have that style art in my comics. Cloonan's art is good enough to make me forget that influence though. Her faces and bodies are all good, but her clothing and backgrounds are where she shines the brightest. There are amazing details in the wallpaper, teeth on zippers, way too numerous other things to mention them all. The one item that stands out in the background in a scene is the couch that one of the characters is laying on. You can almost feel the texture of that couch because of the amount of detail in it. I wish she had drawn more than just issue #12. Her art is fantastic and I'd like to see more of it. The last artist is Jason Fabok. All I can really say about his work is "WoW!" His art rivals the truly great artists out there like Jim Lee, the Kuberts, Gary Frank and a handful of others. He has beautifully rendered characters that all have unique faces. The backgrounds and clothing details are all top notch as well. My favorite scenes in the book are the ones where he has a full body shot of one or more characters because you get to see all of those details. The heroes are all cool looking and Mr. Freeze looks badass, but my favorite character that he drew was Penguin. That is the best looking Penguin I've seen in a long time. Hopefully DC will use Mr Fabok a lot more in the future. Fabok's art is easily better than 90-95% of all of the other stuff out there. As a whole I'm giving the art in this volume a 4.5. That is 0.5 stars better than volume 1. Cloonan and Albuquerque's work pretty much cancel each other out. I gave Capullo's work in volume 1 a 4. Add in Fabok to the 4 and that is how I came up with this score. The writing was a good step down in this volume. I still like Scott Snyder's work, but the whole Owls story didn't get the kind of closure I was looking for. I felt like they could have added one more issue to the story to have fleshed out all of the details a little bit better. I don't know how much James Tynion IV being added as a second writer affected the overall story, but he's credited as a writer and this volume isn't as good as the volume he wasn't in, so he's getting the blame. After I read issue #11, I felt like some of the story was missing and was a little irritated at the story. Upon finishing issue #12, that irritation was doubled. This single issue story was just thrown in to fill the space between the end of the Owls story and the beginning of The Death of the Family story. I highly doubt that the people introduced in issue #12 will ever appear in another issue of Batman. Even if they did, they would never be a main part of the overall Batman story. This issue could have been left out completely and they would have had the necessary space to have completed the Owls story properly. Main story only gets 3.5 stars. Batman Annual #1 was thrown into this volume at the end. It didn't directly tie into the rest of the volume other than one mention of Freeze creating the formula the Owls used to revive their Talons. Even though this issue didn't play a big picture in the book as a whole, Annual #1 was this volumes saving grace from a writing perspective. This issue is the single best issue I've read of anything since the New 52 books started. If I was rating this issue alone, it would get 5's across the board for its superior art and writing. This issue alone is worth the price of the volume. I love how twisted this version of Mr Freeze is. This issue brings the overall story rating up to a 4. I can't go any higher than that because this is only 1 issue out of 6. The 4.5 stars I gave to art and the 4 I gave to the writing would be a 4.25 average. Since we can't even give 1/2 star ratings on this site, I need to round it off. I'd have to round it down to a 4. Overall the volume isn't bad, but The Annual #1 is the only must read story. Unless you've already read volume 1, I wouldn't pick this up unless it is the only way you can get your hands on the annual

Volume 2 of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s run on Batman picks up right where the last volume ended. After Batman uncovered their secrets and upset the normalcy that the Court of Owls have maintained in Gotham for so many years, the Court declares war on Gotham and of course Batman himself. This of course leads to a major crossover event for the entire Bat-Line of comics in DC. Major figures in Gotham are attacked by the Court to ensure that they are the rightful rulers and the superior legend of Gotham. Without a doubt, Snyder closes out his Court of Owls arc properly and his execution is flawless. Snyder wraps up most of his plotlines and settles the overall arc, but at the same time opens the door for more exploration in some of the areas that he has presented. Batman is still struggling with the prevailing theme in both volumes; that he doesn’t know his city as well as he thought. That Gotham is still mysterious to its defender and its favorite son, Bruce Wayne. In this volume, Bruce is confronted with many uncomfortable truths that change some aspects of traditional comic book lore involving the Wayne family. I am a purist for the most part and I don’t really like changes to established characters but this one was very unsettling and I really enjoyed it. Plus, Snyder leaves the revelation very ambiguous so what he presents may or may not necessarily be true, but it is based in the truth. Despite my high praise and my five-star rating there are a few things that I had some problems with. One, being in issue 8 without warning another artist takes over for the last pages and it is very abrupt and kind of jarring to not have Greg Capullo finish the issue which bothered me tremendously. I have nothing against another artist coming stepping in for Capullo, but for the final half of one issue? It becomes very distracting. Secondly, Batman Annual 1 is contained in this volume which presents the proper debut of one of Batman’s famous villains; Mr. Freeze. The artwork is good and how the character and the events tie into the broader scheme of things in the Night of the Owls event is very good. But, Mr. Freeze has become a tragic figure in the aftermath of Batman the animated series. His reimagining in the series led to the show winning an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in an animated Program. At the beginning of the issue, everything is fine. The backstory is sound and slightly tragic involving Fries as a child and his mother. His experimentation on freezing animals is very much in line with Fries. Even changing his backstory to being a scientist who works with cryogenics at Wayne Enterprises instead of GothCorp is fine by me. But Snyder reveals that the woman that he loves and is obsessed with, Nora, is not his wife and is instead an obsession of Victor’s, he wrote his doctrinal thesis on her. To me I didn’t really like this take on Mr. Freeze because of that. I understand that the New 52 is essentially a reboot, but I think that the tragedy and the sympathy for Freeze was lost for this version of the character. The ending to issue 11 is very good. The issue wraps up the main story but the last half of the issue involves Alfred’s father, Jarvis……yeah, I can’t help but smile a little at that, even though Alfred is the superior butler and perhaps the name wasn’t necessarily intentional it’s still amusing to me. But the issue is a letter from Jarvis to his son Alfred and it is a very somber letter that goes over several events that take place in this issue involving the Wayne’s and it reveals a very upsetting mindset from Jarvis and it presents more mystery and intrigue. Greg Capullo is fantastic as always with the artwork and Snyder, as I’ve mentioned before, is still at the top of his game when it comes to writing. An amazing finale to the Court of Owls story arc.

Batman, Vol. 2: The City of Owls contains the beginning and ending of the "Court of Owls" Batman family crossover event. Picking up just a few hours after the last volume The Court of Owls ended, Bruce is recuperating at Wayne Manor from injuries and exhaustion he incurred while being tortured and played with for nearly a week by the villainous "Owls". He is far from at his usual peak. In fact, he is far lower even than he is after one of his more grueling nights battling crime in Gotham City or with the Justice League. This dramatically-lowered physical state will come back to bite him eventually. After repelling an attack at Wayne Manor, Bruce has Alfred enlist the help of all of his allies (Batgirl, the Birds of Prey, other heroes) and children (the Robins and Nightwing) to stop the attacks on prominent citizens of Gotham and it's infrastructure. What takes place (unfortunately in the other Bat family titles, and not here) is an epic battle across Gotham City. Even Superman makes an appearance to help out his friend in this crisis. As I said, the graphic novel included the beginning and end of the storyline, with some one-shots connected to the overall story or just showing the city through the eyes of a random passer-by. The ending, though, is worth it, as we are shown an enemy that may or may not be New Earth's (the Earth the main DC titles take place on) version of the Earth-2 villain Owlman. At first, it seems like this may not be the case, but then we are clued into information unknown to Batman and his proteges that suggests that this may be true. This comic started out a tad disappointing, as such comics that are part of an overall crossover will often prove to be. This is because it is frustrating to not have the whole story to read. When the narrative deviated to some other event, it really made me unhappy. But then, the tale went to the culmination with Owlman, and potential revelations (not certain ones, which gives it a fun air of mystery) that made up for that earlier disappointment. What I really enjoy about the Batman titles with DC Comics' "New 52" is that it keeps Batman brooding while still having him not be the absolute jerk and loner to suicidal, almost stupid levels, he was during the "Dark Age" of comics in the '90's. The current iteration of Bats has loved ones and doesn't push them away. In fact, he calls to them when he is in danger. And this is not just loved ones in the form of his Gotham City allies and family. This willingness to call for help includes non-Gotham heroes such as Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, and so forth. The art was impeccable. The sinister feeling of the Owls lurking in the shadows to attack their victims, and the response of Batman hunting them back, really made the story feel much more suspenseful. You actually could feel creeped out by the Owls and cheer for Batman. The idea of making the Owls' speech bubbles black really added to this sense of creepiness and was a clever idea. This is probably the best Batman crossover in a long time, and one that I think anyone would enjoy.

Before reading this, you absolutely have to read Volume 1, The Court of Owls, as this continues the plot-line of Batman's encounters with the Court. Before I continue with the review of the actual contents of the story, I will mention the quality of the binding and other physical aspects of the graphic novel. As with Vol 1, this hardcover book is very nicely bound, with the cover being embossed with the bat symbol, and the title of the book. The book appears to be extremely durable, and will look nice on the shelf next to other "New 52" titles. The Story- We are thrust right into the action fairly quickly, as the Court descends upon Wayne Manor to try to take out a certain Bat who is still recuperating from the previous installment. We get to see a pretty well-handled scene with Bruce controlling a Batman stylized mech to fend off dozens of owl assassins. There are also plenty of Bat metaphors to be had here. After this scene, Batman finds out that the Court is targeting all the key political figures in charge of Gotham. Alfred sends out a call to all members of the Bat family (Nightwing, Batgirl, etc.) to help out in protecting the targets that hadn't already been killed. During this, we start to get a major plot-line with Mr. Freeze, as he is connected to the Court of Owls, in having helped them with certain aspects of their reanimation. This all starts racing towards a finish when we find out a twist about a certain owl assassin and his possible relation to Bruce. To cap it off, we get a very nice look at Alfred's father in the past, as he deals with the Court as it tried to hurt the Wayne family, and how Alfred's father tried to warn him to stay away from the "cursed town of Gotham." This was a fantastic thrill ride; full of the great art, wit, and clever writing that I have come to expect from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. This a great treat for any fan of Batman (as long as they've read the previous book).

This volume opens with a bang. It has been a while since I read Volume 1, but there is a one-page summary of what happened, so I felt well-caught up. Scott Snyder has established the Court of Owls as a formidable opponent for Batman. Their trained assassins, the Talons, are truly dangerous. So much so, that the first issues has Alfred putting out a call to the Bat Family for assistance. After finding a hit list, Alfred realizes that there are multiple people being targeted for assassination all at the same time. He needs help stopping all of these attacks, so he reaches out to Red Robin, Red Hood, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, and the Birds of Prey. (Spoilers) Batman and the Bat Family are able to stop many of the attacks, but Lincoln March (a politician that we met in Volume 1) was unable to be saved. After tracking down the Court of Owls’ base, Bruce realizes there is something about the mystery that he hasn’t uncovered yet. After doing some digging, he puts the pieces together and realizes that Lincoln March wasn’t who he said he was. He follows the clues that lead him to Lincoln. There, Lincoln reveals his true identity. Yes, he works for the Court of Owls, but his real name isn’t Lincoln March. It’s Thomas Wayne Junior! He puts on his owl battle suit, saying that the Court developed it to specifically combat Batman. As they fight, we hear the story that Martha Wayne has another son prematurely, and he was being cared for at one of Gotham’s top hospitals. For some reason, the hospital didn’t know his true identity, and the Court of Owls took him in when his parents were killed in Crime Alley. Thomas Jr. is now back for revenge against Bruce for taking everything away from him. He claims to be Bruce’s dark reflection. Thomas is super-powered by the Talon serum, so it will be next to impossible to kill him, but Batman does when this first battle. Bruce is left unsure if he is able to believe Thomas’s story, but admits that only a DNA test will prove things one way or another. After the “Night of Owls” story concludes, we get a flashback starring Alfred’s dad. In this one-issue story, Jarvis Pennyworth writes his son a letter warning him not to work for the Wayne’s. Wayne Manor is cursed. At the end of the short story, (Spoilers) Jarvis is killed by the Court of Owls. The next story is about a sister and brother I’ve never heard of named Harper and Cullen. Batman saves them from some violent bullies, so Harper decides to use her technical skills to help Batman around the city. The final story, from Batman Annual #1, features Mr. Freeze. He breaks out during the Night of Owls, and we learn his New 52 origin story, which has been altered from Mr. Freeze’s original origin story.

Batman and the owls!!!

Imprescindible! Y punto!

Il secondo volume continua sulla falsariga del secondo, svelando nuovi dettagli sulla centenaria congiura della Corte dei Gufi. Tuttavia, per ovvie ragioni, nei primi capitoli di questo "City of owls" prevale l'azione, con scioccanti rivelazioni sulla famiglia di Bruce Wayne e il suo passato. Le tre storie finali sono incentrate su tre differenti personaggi, tra cui il maggiordomo Alfred e mister Freeze; storie autoconclusive e che è possono essere lette da sole, anche se inserite più o meno marginalmente nella "notte dei gufi". Volume consigliatissimo, preso insieme al box del primo volume "The court of owls" contenente anche la maschera dei gufi.

Un titre vraiment excellent que je recommande à tous les fans de la série Batman, le duo Snyder/Capullo est parfait.

Holy Freaking Awesome, Batman!! Absolutely fantastic storyline that culminates the Court of Owls story arc but leaves it open-ended so that these bad guys could certainly return in the future. The surprise reveal of who the villain really is and the secrets unveiled about Bruce's past are an amazing addition to the Batman story. I just loved them! I'm sure everybody knows what they are by now but I won't say just in case :-) Totally, totally was glued to the pages for this entire book. Two things stuck out for me that seemed wrong though; first was an issue in the middle that featured Mr. Freeze as the bad guy with a cameo by the Penguin. It was fun to see Freeze, I really enjoyed the story but it seemed a bit odd stuck in there as the connection to the Owls was a bit forced. It made sense but it just seemed like they were sticking in some familiar villains just for the sake of it. The other was the last issue which features a new character, Harper Row, I didn't like it at all. I was bored to death with the story, Batman doesn't show up till near the end, there is a quick scene with an old villain, Tiger Shark, and one sentence referring to the Court of Owls. Obviously Harper is going to be someone in future issues (rumours abound she will be a new Robin! God, please! No!) or this lame introduction to her wouldn't have been featured. Art was totally awesome, even though a lot of artists are listed Capullo still does most of the work and it is brilliant, dark, gloomy and stunning. Can't wait to read the next collection which collects all the tie-in stories from the other DC Universe comics to get the final complete "Night of the Owls" story!

A good conclusion to the court of owls-arc. They switch artist towards the end which is a change for the worse in my opinion, but its still not bad and admittedly its hard to compete with Capullo.