Court of Owls Review

Well after almost a year the first major Batman storyline in the New 52 has come to a close.  The Court of Owls followed by The Night of Owls tells of Batman’s struggle against a mysterious organization bent on taking over Gotham.  How was this first storyline?  Pretty damn good.  Warning!  Spoilers will be following so if you don’t want some major plot twists spoiled, turn back now!

Essentially the story is about a battle for Gotham.  It starts off with Bruce Wayne doing his normal shtick, fighting crime by night and being a billionaire by day.  But Bruce has something in store for Gotham, a massive revitalization effort aimed at sprucing up the city.  Well not everyone is happy about this. A supposed urban myth, the Court of Owls begins targeting Bruce and other prominent figures in the city with their seemingly unstoppable assassins called Talons.  What follows is a struggle between Batman and the Court for Gotham itself.

What’s great about this story is it really shows off the dimensions of Batman.  It shows Bruce from his time shortly after his parents’ death to him as Batman.  A poignant issue shows Bruce reminiscing about the first time he tried to be a detective.  He suspected the Court of Owls as being involved in his parents’ murder and tracked them to an old abandoned house.  It didn’t end well.  It shows how the Court has shaped Bruce from a young age.  It also shows the weaknesses that we rarely see in Batman.  At one point in the story Batman has been captured by the Court and forced to endure days of physical and mental torture before escaping.  After he escapes, he sees an owl and shows what I never thought I’d see from Batman, fear.  He’s afraid.  Granted after being tortured, but still Batman was afraid.  This storyline really explored the dimensions of Bruce Wayne and Batman.  It showed off all of his strengths, his intellect, desire to help, his physical prowess and stamina, and his weaknesses, self-doubt, and anger.  It really fleshed out the character and reminds us of why he does what he does.

One of the biggest twists is the introduction of Lincoln March, a business man with ties to Bruce Wayne.  At the climax of the story, March reveals that he himself is a member of the Court and was in fact raised by the Court to replace Bruce as the heir to the Wayne fortune.  Why?  Because he is actually Bruce’s younger brother, Thomas Wayne Jr.!  Well, not really.  He thinks he is, but it hasn’t been proven or disproven yet.  Basically, he attacks and nearly kills Batman.  It also ties into another major theme of the story, family.  Multiple times Bruce is forced to confront the legacy of his parents and family.  Bruce has to react to the possibility of having a brother and what that means.

Overall, The Court of Owls was a great, great storyline.  It had everything I could hope for in a Batman story, detective work, action, pathos, and a great new villain. I’m very interested in where Scott Snyder takes Batman, but so far I like what I’m seeing.

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