REVIEW: Talon, Volume One: Scourge of the Owls

PLOT: As a young performer with Haly's Circus, young Calvin Rose was secretly being raised to be a master assassin--a killing machine called a Talon. The Talons have always served the mysterious Court of Owls, a group of wealthy individuals who will stop at nothing to maintain their grip on power in Gotham City. When Rose defects from the Talon's ranks, he is marked for death and spends the next few years using all his training to hide from his former masters. After years on the run, Rose finally returns to Gotham City following the horrors of "The Night of Owls." He'll set off to investigate what remains of the Court of Owls, but will he be able to gain his freedom at long last?

REVIEW: Scott Snyder has proven at this point that not only is he a great writer for Batman, but he is also a great writer of comics in general with a title like Swamp Thing as evidence. I mostly picked up this volume of Talon because I know that Snyder is a quality talent, but also because it's Gotham oriented and I can't turn down anything Batman. This book plucks a character from Batman's Court of Owls storyline Calvin Rose, and follows him as he seeks revenge on his former group of Owls when he realizes that Gotham may have been emptied of his personal demons. The main reason I like this book so much is that it's dark, which is something that Scott Snyder has rarely shied away from in his writing. He is able to take such a comical world and turn it into something darker and deeper than it ever has before. It's one main reason that the New 52 Batman is so great and has become a new standard for the Batman comic books. Calvin Rose is a Talon of the Court of Owls, which if you aren't familiar with, may require some reading of Snyder's Batman to get an introduction to. The evils that the Court of Owls is capable of committing are atrocious and really personify a villain that can strike the fear into characters in a book, as well as the reader at home. Talon yet again proves that Snyder is a mainstay in current comic writing, and can do much more than just Batman, even though this predominately takes place in Gotham City. This is much recommended to fans of the New 52, Batman in general, and possibly Pink Floyd's The Wall because the Owl masks are just too reminiscent of it to ignore.

WRITING : ( 9 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 9 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 9 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )

REVIEW: Swamp Thing, Volume Two: Family Tree

PLOT: Alec Holland is back as the Swamp Thing, fully formed as the protector of The Green. Immediately upon his return, he must battle his way through the Bone Kingdom and The Rot to free his ally - and ex-girlfriend - Abigail Arcane. But will the cost of freeing her be...fighting her? Nothing, not even this titanic battle, will prepare Swampy for what he has to face next--a resurrected and even more dangerous Anton Arcane!

REVIEW: I loved the first volume of the New 52 Swamp Thing, and there are so many reasons for that love. One, it's written by Scott Snyder who in recent years has proved himself to be one of the better new talents in comic writing. Currently working on the main title for Batman, he's frequently proven capable of blending dark elements into super hero stories that make them beautiful on the page and in your mind. Also, Swamp Thing has been one of the better drawn titles of the New 52 behind only Batwoman in my mind. The excellence continues in the second volume of Swamp Thing and the story gets even wilder. I loved the story with Arcane and the threat that he presented not only to Alec, but to others as well and the horror that he brought with the rot. What I love about Swamp Thing and the adjoining hero, Animal Man, is that the story is so dark and the art is so gruesome that it provides for a truly unique comic book experience. You could classify these as horror comics, and they do kind of come off the page a little on the adult side because the artwork is just so vivid but haunting. You can read superheroes everyday, but you can't always get this world that you have with Swamp Thing. I would highly recommend reading this title of New 52, as it is easily my favorite behind Batman and most of us know how much I enjoy Batman titles. Pick this up, and observe the perfection in artistry from this team of talented artists and take note that you aren't going to see panels as breathtaking as you see here too often, so enjoy them while we can.

WRITING : ( 9 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 10 / 10 )
STORY : ( 9 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 10 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 10 / 10 )