Batman: The Night of the Owls Review - Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

rating: 3.5

Taking its cue directly from the final page of The Court of Owls where the Court declares all-out war on Gotham, it€™s battle-stations for Batman and the Bat-family as the Court€™s army of elite assassins, the Talons, target nearly 40 of Gotham€™s most prominent figures - but can Batman and co. save them from certain death? The Night of the Owls has begun... This technically isn€™t Volume 2 in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo€™s Batman series but a collection of the numerous crossovers where nearly all of the Bat-books had an issue featuring that series€™ character facing a Talon to help Batman thwart the Court€™s plans. But this is the book that happens in between Court of Owls (Vol 1) and City of Owls (Vol 2) and should be considered a big piece in this story arc. For reference, the Night of the Owls hardback edition collects: - All-Star Western #9 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Moritat Batman #8-9 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo Batman Annual #1 by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Jason Fabok Batman: The Dark Knight #9 by Judd Winick and David Finch Batman: Detective Comics #9 by Tony S Daniel Batgirl #9 by Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf Batwing #9 by Judd Winick and Marcus To Birds of Prey #9 by Duane Swierzynski and Travel Foreman Nightwing #8-9 by Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows Batman and Robin #9 by Peter J Tomasi and Lee Garbett Catwoman #9 by Judd Winick and Guillem March Red Hood and the Outlaws #9 by Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort So was this as masterful as the Court of Owls book? In a word, no, and that€™s partly due to the number of writers of varying talents piling on for this event and also due to the repetitive nature of the story in this book. Which doesn€™t mean that this isn€™t an enjoyable book - it is - but the book is overlong and I think if the number of series this event crossed over into had been more limited, this would€™ve been a more enthralling read. The book takes place in a single night beginning at 6pm with Batwing/David Zavimbe uncomfortably attending a soiree in Gotham and ending shortly after 2am with Catwoman. A pattern quickly emerges when reading the chapters: the hero realises, often via Alfred who sends out a distress call to all Bat-family members, that Gotham is under attack and then heads off to save a designated public figure who is the target of a Talon. Hero and Talon fight, Hero always wins, chapter ends. Repeat until the book ends. This formula is of course oversimplified but is also undeniably applicable to the structure of the event making for a frankly repetitive read as the fighting is more or less the entirety of this book. What would€™ve made for a more satisfying read would have been to read about the shadowy Court - all we really know about them thus far is that they have been in Gotham for centuries, they are extremely powerful, and they have all chosen the Owl as the emblem for their organisation. That€™s pretty much it. I would rather have read about their backgrounds such as how they got started, why they chose Owls, etc. But maybe Snyder€™s holding on to that nugget for the final book in the saga, City of Owls? That said, there is so much in this book to recommend it! My favourite part of the book was of course written by Snyder and drawn by Capullo and that was €œAssault on Wayne Manor€ where a handful of Talons show up to take out the weakened Bruce Wayne (recently returned from his stay in the Court€™s Labyrinth) and Bruce fights them off in his pyjamas and dressing gown!

But what€™s also notable is how the Talons are written - these aren€™t hired goons, mere obstacles for the heroes to pummel, each Talon has a backstory which is explored in almost every story. And every time, it€™s a tragic backstory where the person has shown remarkable physical ability but, due to unfortunate circumstances such as low social standing, been denied the opportunity for acceptance and happiness. Then the Court step in, pretend to care for them and then end up using them for their own ends. Though even in their altered states - some are literally hundreds of years old - they retain a piece of their humanity. It€™s an unusual story where you find yourself feeling something for the antagonists as much as you do the victims and their protectors and makes Night of the Owls all the more remarkable for taking this approach. One final point regarding the Talons: Snyder works in an ingenious solution to how these dead people have been resurrected, taking one of Batman€™s most famous rogues, Mr Freeze, and seamlessly weaving him into the storyline. It explains why the Court have chosen to act NOW rather than any other time in the past while also throwing new light on Freeze and his backstory. It should also be said that this is a really well co-ordinated event book. All of the issues tend to have the same tone, the events mesh together well and can be easily and logically followed. This in spite of the numerous writers working on the event makes it quite an achievement. But maybe most notable of all is that this book does what an Act 2 should do which is deliver on the premise set up in Act 1. Night of the Owls really goes for it, giving the reader all the action they could want from such a deadly threat as the Court and brings in so many DCU characters into the fold that there€™s this real sense of urgency and gives them real moments of bravery and courage - they get to show why they€™re heroes, an important quality in a superhero book. So even though this book was too long by half, the half that is good is really good but the ending is a bit disappointing. I was hoping for a gathering of the Bat-family as they survey the results of the night but it doesn€™t happen, maybe because all of those characters have their own series storylines and have gone on to pursue them leaving Bruce and Alfred on their own at the end. Which is kind of a sweet ending in itself even though I didn€™t understand the Jarvis Pennyworth storyline (why was he a target for the Court again?) or what happened to all of the Talons€™ bodies - but again, maybe this is answered in City of Owls, the conclusion to this arc. While I thought the events of the book became a bit repetitive and the 360 pages of the book could€™ve been reduced to a more manageable amount without it affecting the story - the All-Star Western, Red Hood, Birds of Prey, and Catwoman issues were a waste of time - this is still a must-read for all Batman fans if only for the Snyder/Capullo issues, and the Nightwing, Mr Freeze and Damian Wayne stories. It€™s a successful event book that€™s pulled off quite admirably by being focused and coherent for the most part, a rarity in superhero event comics. Snyder€™s Batman remains the most consistently high quality title in the New 52 and Night of the Owls is well worth a look - can€™t wait to see how it all ends in the final book, City of Owls! Batman: The Night of the Owls by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo et al. is out now in hardback