Batman 1: The Court of Owls

7 reviews for Batman 1: The Court of Owls

1. 

   Anarchy in the US – April 2, 2025

   Batman’s First Foray in The DC New 52 and it has the Makings of an Epic
   In every comic characters catalog, they have at least one event that either changes the characters image in a defining factor or is just so well done the whole world is taking notice of it while it’s happening. For someone like Batman, he’s had his share of both of those qualities numerous times in his lifetime. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Batman: A Death in the Family, and Batman: The Long Halloween or Batman: Knightfall saga, are just a few examples of such stories that come to mind. We might be adding another story to that list in the future. Ever since writer Scott Snyder has come on into the comic scene as a relative little known until his run on The Black Mirror, the man has become synonymous with Batman. BUT…his run was with Dick Grayson as Batman. Not Bruce Wayne. With the DC New 52, Snyder has become a hot community now and has been given the chance to tackle Bruce Wayne as Batman for the first time ever. And let’s just say, it’s one hell of an introduction. I’ll try to keep it spoiler free.BATMAN VOL.1: THE COURT OF OWLS collects issues #1-7 and finds Bruce Wayne back in Gotham, as well as returning to the title of Batman *(everything before the New 52 reboot carry over in Batman. But don’t worry, you don’t need to have read any of that to understand or enjoy it this book. So new readers should have no problem coming in to this story, even with this little plot detail.)* Batman and Bruce Wayne are on an all-time high: Batman is completely self assured of his position since returning (he just about effortlessly defeats most of his rouges gallery within a jailbreak at Arkham asylum) and Bruce Wayne is looking into the future. Gone is Wayne being haunted by the past and loneliness, now replaced with a positive attitude and outlook into rebuilding a bright shining future for Gotham. Added to his cause, a new candidate for mayor that believes in Bruce’s cause as well. But things start happening weirdly in Gotham when the appearance of a deadly assassin by the name The Talon shows up and demonstrates incredible skills that almost rival Batman. The Talon also mentions the court of owls, an urban legend/bedtime story that starts creeping its head into the larger influence on Gotham that Batman ever though possible.The Court of Owls Vol.1 is something of a precursor to a summer blockbuster and the famous Knightfall saga. The main villain is new and shows it’s every bit as up to the level of Batman himself, the side effects of working alone, and yes folks…Batman almost physically and mentally gets pushed to the limit (the sold-out issue #5 is something you will truly be stunned by in this regard). All the while bits and pieces Snyder has built up on since Gates of Gotham (and even The Black Mirror) about Gotham’s legacy finally come to ahead with the threat of The Talon, combined with the Court of Owls themselves, is something of such dread and scope we haven’t feel for since Knightfall and No Man’s Land. This is truly epic in perception and depth in Batman that might find its place in the Bat mythos years to come (if Vol.2 ends up just as well as Vol.1, for example).If your one who’s become a fan of Snyder’s work in Batman, such as Scott Snyder’s other Bat-book Pre-52 was the Black Mirror, which was a dark, horror-like take with Dick Grayson as Batman…Snyder’s take on Bruce Wayne is more suspenseful, action-packed sort of history lesson on Gotham. This makes Court of Owls a very different beast then Black Mirror. So if your one who loved BM, you might quite not be into CoO’s as much (though I doubt it. Snyder’s work is still solid). And if you’re a new reader, this will be a great jumping on point (the other Snyder Bat-book is Gates of Gotham which isn’t necessary, but still an interesting read).Greg Cappullo’s art work flourishes here that is a mix of sketchy and precision at the same time. I’ve seen his work from years of doing Spawn, but it never awed me in anyway. I like his art; I just never was blown away from him. His current work for Batman has changed my mind. His artistry holds up just fine without seeming scary or too simple. His highest compliment for his art narrative, combined with Snyder’s script comes to ahead in issue #5 for example (again, issue #5 is an exceptional issue).If there’s any faults I can think of, there minor and personal on my behalf. I feel Batman is a tinny-bit too arrogant then I think he would be or I can remember in most Batman books. Also his attitude toward much of the Bat-family feels disconnected for no reason at all, considering Batman’s attitude toward his fellow Bat-crime fighters has been reasonably tight ever since Jason Todd’s death (his rebirth doesn’t change this notion). The other thing is Batman is considered the worlds greatest detective, yet –*SPOILER*– He disregards the Court of Owls existence. Even worse, after being attacked by The Talon and finding evidence of The Court itself…he still denies them.–*SPOLIER END*–. It just doesn’t sit right with me on that information, but Snyder backs up these problems I have as well. Batman’s arrogance stems from single-handedly taking out his entire Rouges gallery, so this does seem possible.*SPOILER* And my qualms with Bat’s denial of The Court are told by Snyder by through a flashback explaining his reasons for denying the Court*SPOILER END*. So my problems are counteracted by Snyder’s explanations (and even furthered when Vol.2 comes out), added with so many of the positives that I still keep my score at a perfect 5.BATMAN VOL.1: THE COURT OF OWLS is an event that is fresh, exciting, epic, mysterious, and just plain fun. Heck, I bought the single issues upon release and bought this collected book because I enjoyed it so much. Old Batman readers will easily enjoy this (considering most fans accepted Snyder from his work on The Black Mirror) and new readers will have a blast coming into a new legacy of the Batman-lore. Hopefully, just hopefully the entire arc that finishes off in Vol.2 known as the “Night of the Owls” will be as powerful as Vol.1. Either way, this is a great book that I highly recommend.

2. 

   Slim Cat – April 2, 2025

   Bats Vs. Owls
   This collection contains Batman issue 1-7, the first chapter of the main Batman title of DC comics relaunch of September 2011.Bruce Wayne is very confident in his abilities as the Batman to contain crime in Gotham City. Bruce Wayne is confident in his ability as a billionaire philanthropist to make his beloved city a better place to live. Bruce Wayne knows Gotham City. Or at least he thought did…As Batman, he is plagued by some unusual events, a random breakout at Arkham Asylum, a grisly murder of a John Doe, all the while an old urban legend of a group of powerful people pulling Gotham’s strings keeps popping up. They are known as The Court of Owls and Bruce refuses to believe they exist. Bruce will be forced to change his mind when the Court calls for him to kneel before them.Scott Snyder is really dominating the graphic story medium with everything he does. And of course, credit the artists he works with as well. His American Vampire series gets better and better with each trade. His first journey into Batman, during his run on Detective Comics right before the relaunch in Batman: The Black Mirror, is one of the most pulse pounding adventures I’ve ever read. He also did such a great job on characterization with Batman (at that time Dick Grayson) and James Gordon by making them drive the story in a tense unforgiving narrative. I cannot wait to read the first trade of his highly acclaimed run on Swampthing.Ok, back to this story. Snyder, again, weaves an incredible tale that really challenges Batman (back to Bruce Wayne) and keeps the reader twisting, turning, and craving more. Snyder is also great at adding to the Batman mythos. There are some big shockers here but it does not detract from previous stories or the legend we know, again, it adds another jaw-dropping layer. Another trait Snyder does so well that I have only really seen Grant Morrison pull off so well during his run, is to be able to balance the man and the dark knight. We get a nice dose of scenes with Bruce Wayne being Bruce Wayne and doing what he needs and wants to do as that persona. It’s not all a guy in a really cool military costume with a bat-theme for an entire issue. We get both worlds and Snyder manages to mix both as crucial parts of the unfolding story as a nice payoff.Now to give credit to the fine art of Greg Capullo. This man can really draw a deep psychological Batman story. He manages to set great tones and mood for however the story is going. A Wayne fundraiser is a joyous event with beautiful people and clean surroundings. Arkham Asylum is a slime ridden hellhole crawling with the worst the world has to offer. The agony and torment Batman goes through in issues 5 and 6 is some of the best art I’ve ever seen in a comic book. It cannot be described other than unnerving.This is an incredible Batman story, making it a great time to be a Batman fan. Bring on the Night of the Owls!!!

3. 

   Kevin García – April 2, 2025

   Si te gusta Batman, este cómic te va a encantar. Muy en la línea del resto de cómics del universo DC.

4. 

   Markus G-Force – April 2, 2025

   Gotham City is not only home to a number of dark yet zany characters but it is has an abundant history filled with mysteries of Gotham’s past. One of which entails the mysterious group that goes by the name ‘the Court of Owls’. As chilling as it may sound – as far as Bruce Wayne is concerned, the Court of Owls is nothing more than just an urban myth.Descriptive Spoiler Alert: On the flip side, Bruce Wayne (the man with the money when not battling crime as Batman) introduces his new project that will change the face of Gotham in a big way. With all of Gotham’s wealthy citizens as well as some very important figures like Lincoln March, Gotham’s current mayoral candidate. Even Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne are present to show their support. However, it is March that Bruce wants on his side since he seems to stand for all the things that are good about the city. He even agrees to meet with March in private, but duty calls and Bruce sneaks away to see to a gruesome murder scene.It seems that a complete mystery man with no real prints or a true identity is found strapped and used like a human dartboard with antique throwing knives stuck to all the right vital organs. The killer also left behind a message in oil that says Bruce Wayne will die tomorrow. Investigating the murder, two things show up that are quite surprising. One is that the body of the victim carries the unusual signature of the Court of Owls and the other being that DNA found on the body also points to somebody very close to Batman.Despite having a new mystery to unravel, Bruce meets with Lincoln March on the top floor of the original Wayne Tower when they are both attacked by a man in an unusual costume that brings to mind Night Owl from The Watchmen. Armed with antique throwing knives, the assailant injures March and throws Bruce out the window but the only one that goes splat is the killer who gets up again. Thus, begins Batman’s frantic search to find the Court of Owls. He’s like a man possessed as he investigates as he tells Dick Grayson about an incident in his past that became something of an obsession.When he does find evidence of the Court of Owl’s existence, Batman falls prey to a trap that will test his survival skills and his very own sanity. Locked in a labyrinth with various clues about the group, Batman becomes disheveled and pushed to the edge of sanity. Several days in the darkness, Batman ventures out only to see that the Court had dealt with Waynes before such as Alan Wayne who was thought to have died when he fell down a manhole. Suddenly, the Court’s assassin called Talon attacks and injures Batman so badly that he suddenly tastes death by the hands of the Court itself.In a desperate battle to stay alive, Batman manages to get the upper hand on his enemy and also finds a way to escape only to pass out and wake up in a van where he was brought back to life by none other than a girl that Batman knows well. It is back in the Batcave that the Dark Knight discovers that Alfred had picked up the body of the Talon. It is there and then that Batman makes a very grim discovery as well as a shocking link between the man who wore the Talon outfit and Dick Grayson himself.Scott Snyder is one of the best comic book writers to come along in a long time and this Batman series is better with him behind the story. He weaves an interesting tale with enemies that give the Dark Knight something to worry about and, by the end of this volume; you will want to see where The Court of Owls story line will take our hero who is a Batman with more personality and flaws. This is a Batman who can get hurt and knows his own limits.Greg Capullo’s artwork is absolutely awesome and beautifully detailed to the point that you will be flipping back the pages to admire the artwork again. Since the story contains gruesome scenes, there’s blood aplenty and Capullo pulls it off brilliantly.This Batman story is a Must Have for any comic book fan who has been waiting for a great Batman book. Snyder and Capullo are a tight knit duo of perfection – which makes this series well worth reading. This New 52 book (comic series) purely awesome! 5 star all the way!

5. 

   Mon A. – April 2, 2025

   Genial para gente conspiranoica, te hace temer que batman quede atrapado, pero como el mejor siempre esta un paso adelante de su enemigo.

6. 

   Mark Davison – April 2, 2025

   DC rebooted their entire mythos, and they were rightly concerned about screwing up Batman. The book opens with a Arkham breakout, and almost immediately this sinking sensation takes over… Is the New 52 an excuse to recycle all the old tropes for a new generation of teenagers? Will we see a retread of Year one next? Then Dark Knight. A new long halloween?Thankfully no. Well sort of, but this isnt a retread, a bland photocopy of ideas past.Snyder (American Vampire) and Capullo (Spawn) start from the ground up, immediately kick expectations to the curb and start telling a story that stands head and shoulders with the best batman storys ever told (and in doing so also create one the best multi-comic crossover stories – Marvel and DC both could learn alot from this model next time they come to design their “events”).To start with the visuals, Capullos art is very dynamic, and i mean that out without any sense of hyperbole. One of very few artists that can fold such seperate influences and styles together, at moments overblown (showing his Image and Spawn roots), but more often quiet and alltogether more subtley expressive. His character designs vary from functional to fantastic, with the new ‘Talons’ taking the prize. His sense of space and timing bring Gotham alive and very genuinely compliment Snyders story and writing. Its very difficult to figure out who to credit with what.. but thats the point of comics as medium.Snyders story is superb, and i only hold two minor quibbles with it. The first isnt really a problem, but it feels like it deserves a better stage. As the reboot had just happened, the story heads straight into the court of owls and you cant help but be left thinkign “this was your 3d or even 4th story”. Grant morrison built up the Black Hand and Eventually Leviathan so that when Batman is brought into confrontation, they feel suitably menacing. the court of owls are introduced as a concept, as a counter myth to Batman, and then established inside of 2 or 3 issues, and then ultiamtely dealt with over the next 8. Hardly the “we were there from the very beginning” sort of threat they are in the narrative.That minor quible aside, I think it speaks volumes about the quality of the writing that they are a threat anyway. IN a comic where we have never met (or even seen hints of the court of owls), and we know that Nightwing and Batman et all wont die, there is still a fantastic sense of dread that permiates the pages and drags the story kicking and screaming at full pelt through amazing issue after amazing issue. Gone is the batgod who rarely looks out of his depth, gone are the immortal sidekick who can dance through a haze of bullets untouched. This is a gotham where its denizens bleed, and knives cut heroes as deeply as anyone else. There were several moments where expression on a character face tells that story “this wasnt meant to happen to me”, where major characters actually face down their mortality as people, rather than Supermen.Having read this book originally as single issues, i saved all three Owls books to read in one sitting, and could not have been more engrossed, and absolute page turner, the pace and detail exceeded all might highest expectations for the relaunch (unlike the Justice league reboot).Much like Grant Morrisons run before this, I know will be reading batman for as long as these two are writing him.

7. 

   Rakan – April 2, 2025

   Scoot snyder might be the best writer in history of batman comics