Batman: Night of the Owls #1

As the whole "Owls ruling Gotham" thing starts to wear thin, we are presented with one slam-bang night of bloody action as the almighty Owls let loose their centuries'-old Talons against all the powerful people of Gotham ... only to fall to the inevitable, more or less. Apparently, the Owls want to secretly rule a city that is populated mostly by the world's craziest psychopaths, corrupt politicians and police officers, and eliminating all the decent, hardworking policy and decision makers who bring order and stability to the city will somehow make that a more enjoyable experience. On the surface, this is a touch confusing. Adding to the confusion, some of the early entries in this collection give us "flashbacks" into the history of Gotham and the Owls, though most of them go nowhere and don't relate in any significant way to the present story. Additionally, as with many crossover collections, unless you are familiar with the characters/supporting stories going on in the other series, some of the issues will be confusing. This is exacerbated at times by this collection's refusal to let you know what issue you are currently reading: some of the early stories tell us we are reading Nightwing or Birds of Prey, but most of them just start, giving us no cover artwork or series title/number (as if knowing what we are reading would somehow detract from the momentum or enjoyment of the story). Another detraction here is some of the failed emotional moments: if the girl is going to leave Hiroshima in a few months, why are we supposed to be emotionally moved by the bombing several years after she leaves? especially since the A-bomb bombed a city that made devastating bombs that bombed the USA. Instead of a pointed and poignant attack on America's political decisions, we are given even more reasons to cheer on President Truman's decision. Anywho.

Apparently the most effective way to defeat the almighty Talons is to get them to talk about their past, and as fast as you can say "Bob's your uncle," they will give up their quest to destroy you. The first issue with Jonah Hex is confusing and almost wholly unrelated to what is going on, but apparently the mention of the word "Owl" is enough to include it here. Some issues are out of order, which one supposes could have been better planned out by the development team, but sometimes "making sense" is a luxury comic makers just can't afford. Still, this series does have some interesting moments, especially the Mr. Freeze story and the story about Alfred's father. The "Grayson" idea is also an intriguing notion, but we get no payoff with it here, since that thread is perhaps taken up in a different series. It's worth reading if you are really into the New 52 or the Court of Owls thing, but be prepared for some confusing rabbit trails and a lot of tension that gets resolved rather quickly.