Movin' On Up
THE GOOD
Surprisingly, the best thing about this issue and previous ones is the art. Guillem March is doing great things here, and I'm very excited to see more of what he has in store for the world of Calvin Rose and Co. I really like how he makes the faces of the varying characters to look like that of owls. He also instills a certain level of creepiness and menace to the Talon introduced in this issue, which is something he's done with the other Talons in this series, and is something that I'm really loving.
As this series has continued, James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder have treated us to further fleshing out of the Court of Owls' world. This issue introduces Casey Washington and her team of vigilantes, and they are fan-tastic, especially Casey Washington. I really like that she's very independent from Calvin and best of all: she's not written like a woman (eh, Sarah?). Her child doesn't define her. She's doing something incredibly dangerous, and even though Calvin wants to whisk her and Sarah away, she's more committed to taking down the biggest threat out there. I've always appreciated characters that aren't defined by their gender, sexuality, or race. Those can make interesting side-stories, and help develop a character. Thank you, James and Scott, for this. Thank you so much.
Calvin is another character that I've really liked reading. In this particular issue, Tynion does a great job of bringing down Calvin without making him weak. I hate it when new characters are beaten rather easily, and then we're led to believe later that a character suddenly finds the strength to overcome the Big Threat. It's also great that Casey Washington's team isn't necessary to his success, but can aid him. They're on his level, not above or below him. There are a few characters that I really like that care greatly about others (as Calvin obviously cares for Casey and Sarah), Calvin becoming the newest member of that short list.
THE BAD
Something that this series needs to start doing is upping the intensity of the series and publish it's first great issue. Tynion and Snyder haven't yet hit their stride; I'm sure we'll get there (the end of this issue is promising), but I wish it would get here soon.
THE VERDICT
Even though Tynion and Snyder have opted for a slow burn so far, I like we're close to some real payoff in this series. Both writers are doing good jobs overall on the book, but I'd really like to get a truly awesome issue into this series.
