Tag Archives: Court of Owls

Jun 3 2013

Talon 7-8

talon 7-8

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Talon 7-8, originally released April 24th and May 22nd, 2013. 

Shelby: We need to remember that the Talons are bad guys. I know, we’ve got Calvin here fighting the good fight against the Court, and we’ve got Mary working with the rest of the Birds; that makes it easy to forget that we first met the Talons as a sweeping wave of indestructible killing machines, hellbent on assassinating whomever they were pointed at. This title started out with Calvin’s unique position of being a Talon on the lam, a man with all the training needed, but unable to go through with the final process that would truly transform him into the Talon he was meant to be. In issues 7 and 8, all that is going to change; hold on to your butts, because things are getting complicated. 
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Apr 3 2013

Talon 6

talon 6

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Talon 6, originally released March 27th, 2013. 

Patrick: The Empire Strikes Back came out two years before I was even born. That means I never lived in a world where “No, Luke, I am your father” was a surprise. It’s not even like there was a specific moment that it was spoiled for me: these character relationships were communicated to me through osmosis. But shock-value be damned, I still think it’s a killer scene. The lightsaber fight, the screaming, the music — it’s a powerful conclusion to the best Star Wars movie, no matter how many times you see it. Whenever I encounter these Big Reveal scenes now, I always wonder how I’ll feel about them when the shock wears off. In case my musings don’t make it obvious: spoilers ahead. Continue reading →

Mar 6 2013

Talon 5

talon 5

Today, Shelby and Mikyzptlk are discussing Talon 5, originally released February 27th, 2013. 

Shelby: Anytime there’s some sort of big upheaval, you usually here the phrase “a return to normalcy” bandied about. When some serious shit goes down, we the people just want things to go back to the way they were before everything went wrong. Unfortunately, sometimes there’s just no going back, as proven by the history of the phrase itself; it was first used by Warren Harding in reference to World War I. Instead of the return to normalcy he was looking for, we got the Great Depression and World War II. So, what do you do when, try as you might, there’s just no going back to normalcy? Continue reading →

Feb 5 2013

Talon 4

talon 4

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Talon 4, originally released January 30th, 2013. 

Shelby: Starting a new comic book has got to be a tricky affair. Your story, your character, could potentially end up part of cannon forever and ever; there’s a lot of pressure to get it right. As a creator, you have to balance between giving the book the time it needs to grow roots and keeping the readers interested long enough to have that kind of time. Take too long getting to the point of the book, you’re gonna lose your audience: slap something together, and you don’t have a character with any sticking power. With all that in mind, is it a problem for Scott Snyder and James Tynion that I’m still not sure where this book is going? More importantly, does it matter if I’m enjoying the ride? 

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Dec 4 2012

Talon 2

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Talon 2, originally released November 28th, 2012.

Patrick: We spend an awful lot of time on this site unpacking different histories: publishing histories, character histories, creator histories and the bizarre intersections between. Talon is uniquely positioned embrace as much real or imagined history as it possibly can, all with a plucky young hero at the center. But also at the center? A stuffy old man who thinks he knows better. But before it all gets too heady, let’s melt a room full of gold treasures!

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Oct 25 2012

Talon 1

Today, Shelby and Drew are discussing Talon 1, originally released October 24th, 2012.

Shelby: It’s not easy meeting someone for the first time. There’s a lot of business you have to get through before you can get to the really interesting stuff. All of the “where are you from? what do you do for a living? etc.,” stuff is boring and awkward, but it’s also necessary to establish base for the relationship. Even though this is really the second issue of Talon, we’re still firmly in the “getting to know you” camp. That means a lot of exposition, and while it doesn’t make for the most compelling reading experience, I find I’m really intrigued by what I’m learning about this new addition to the DCU.

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Oct 3 2012

Talon 0

Today, Patrick and (special guest writer) Pete Pfarr are discussing Talon 0, originally released September 19, 2012. Talon 0 is part of the line-wide Zero Month.

Patrick: I like the feeling of being in on the ground floor. Every fall, I make a list of new TV shows that I’m going to start watching from the pilot. That list always starts out slim but gets increasingly generous as we get closer and closer to shows returning to TV. I realize that most shows will fail within their first year, and many of those that last will not be very good (show biz, man: simultaneously fickle and not conducive to making a quality product). But it’s worth the risk if it means you can be a vocal supporter of something new. DC launched four “new” series this month — one a retread of Amethyst, another reviving an old Wildstorm team, and another re-introducing one of the weirder characters from DC’s past. Hardly new. But then there’s Talon…  Continue reading →

Aug 24 2012

All-Star Western 12

Today, Patrick and Peter are discussing the All-Star Western 12, originally released August 22nd, 2012.

Patrick: One of the problems with dealing with 1890s Gotham City is that you know what that poor town has in store for it in the next 100+ years. It’s actually the same problem that plagues narratives about modern Gotham – nothing is every going to solve that city’s problems. Not Batman, not the GCPD, not Jonah Hex… oh wait a minute. Issue 12 actually closes a full year worth of stories, comprised of several multi-issue arcs. And the most surprising thing is that our heroes are successful. It’s almost unprecedented in this town, but the Religion is Crime is dealt a serious blow. Also unprecedented, Hex has developed an affinity for Gotham City and Amadeus Arkham.  Continue reading →

Jul 30 2012

All-Star Western 11

Today, Peter and Patrick are discussing the All-Star Western 11, originally released July 25th, 2012.

Peter: All-Star Western has really embraced its role as a historic book. Writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey have taken it upon themselves to not only tell incredible western tales, but to weave them into the greater DC Universe, even if they take place centuries before Bruce Wayne put on the cowl, or Superman strapped on the cape. Two of Gotham’s most notorious criminal organizations are gearing up to collide — of course Jonah Hex finds himself in the middle of it all. Continue reading →

Jul 3 2012

All-Star Western 10

Today, Drew and Peter are discussing the All-Star Western 10, originally released June 27th, 2012.

Drew: The Night of the Owls is an interesting case study in ways a title can approach a crossover event. Some books treated their involvement as a one-off, allowing maximum flexibility for their own stories before and after the event. Others focused a bit more on set-up, getting their heroes to Gotham or establishing the stakes for their characters, but pretty much treated the event as the conclusion of their involvement with the Owls. Sure, Batman still has some investigating to do, but pretty much all of the other titles are on to new conflicts, new villains, and new stories. All-Star Western, on the other hand, has upped the ante, featuring more owls than its ostensible NotO issue. The result is a portrait of 1880’s Gotham as a battleground between the Owls, the Religion of Crime, and the wealthy altruists just trying to do the right thing. Continue reading →