Talon Vol. 1 And 2
Plot Summary and Credits
As a boy, escape artist Calvin Rose was recruited by the Court of Owls to be the next of their assassins known as Talons. After years on the run, he returns to Gotham City to take them down, infiltrating some of the most secure buildings in Gotham and fighting his way through resurrected Talons from throughout the centuries, most notably Felix Harmon, a brutal serial killer from the nineteenth century. Along the way, he finds help from former Court member Sebastian Clark, old flame Casey and her young daughter Sarah, and even Batman himself. At the end of volume one, [SPOILER ALERT!] Calvin learns that Clark is a bad guy and is working with Bane, who finally kills him, allowing him to be resurrected by the Court as a fully fledged Talon, making his escape a little more difficult. When the Court is defeated at last, Calvin is enlisted to join Batman Inc., a global crime fighting organisation led by the Caped Crusader.
Vol. 1: Scourge of the Owls
Scott Snyder (co-writer), James Tynion IV (co-writer and scripter), Guillem March (artist), Juan Rose Ryp (penciller, part 3), Vincente Cifuentes (inker, part 3), Tomeu Morey (colourist), Dezi Sienty, Sal Cipriano (letterers)
Collects Talon #1-7
Vol. 2: Fall of the Owls
James Tynion IV, Tim Seeley, Marguerite Bennet, Christy Marx (writers), Miguel Sepulveda, Emanuel Simeoni, Jorge Lucas, Szymon Kudranski, Graham Nolan, Romando Molenaar, Scott McDaniel, Jonathan Glapion (artists), Rain Beredo, Chris Sotomayor, Jeromy Cox, Brett Smith (colourists), Taylor Esposito, Dezi Sienty (letterers), Ken Hunt, Brett Smith (collection cover artists)
Collects Talon #8-17 and Birds of Prey #21
Talon created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
My Copy
On my way home from college, I stopped by the small book shop on the street corner to say hi to the guy at the desk, who helped to run a society I’d been a member of. I browsed the corner full of comics and found not one but two volumes of a title that I vaguely recognised, which turned out to be the entire run. I couldn’t get one without the other, and it’s always satisfying to stumble across something complete like this.
Before Reading
I’d always wanted to read a storyline featuring the Court of Owls (and found out later that this title came after their first appearance in Scott Snyder’s Batman run (see last week’s review)). Calvin Rose is a pretty minor character in the wider DC universe, so I didn’t have many expectations going in.
After Reading
When it comes to secretive characters, having a spinoff that explores their backstory can be hit-or-miss. Learning too much about them can rob them of their mystique or highlight plot holes in their rise to power. Talon avoids this by building on what we’ve seen of the Court before but not delving too deeply into their individual members, and by featuring Talons from throughout history to reinforce the feeling that these guys are ancient and part of the city.
Ever since I first encountered them, I’ve always found the Court of Owls to be uniquely hateable among DC villains, and this series shows exactly why. They’re endlessly cruel and seemingly untouchable thanks to their wealth and resources, with their only motivation apparently being control over the city, and they always act so classy and sophisticated in all of their messed-up schemes. The scenes where they brainwash little Sarah and laugh at Calvin kneeling after his resurrection made me want to reach into the panel and punch their pretty masks off, which tells you that you’ve got a good villain.
Speaking of villains, Felix Harmon, the Gotham Butcher, is by far my favourite part of this series. He’s basically a Night Lord from Warhammer 40,000 in a Mouth of Sauron mask; a hulking brute who’s disturbingly stealthy for his size who hunts his prey from the shadows and attacks when their guard is down, delighting in every moment of pain. Batman still kicks his butt though.
On the opposing side we have Calvin Rose, the titular Talon himself. As comic protagonists go, there isn’t anything overly special about him. Tragic backstory, check. Broodiness, check. Far-fetched infiltration and escape antics, check. There are times when he feels a little generic, especially surrounded by such intimidating villains as Harmon and such iconic heroes as Batman. Since he’s this great escape artist, I was never really concerned about him getting trapped, and I even gave a little chuckle when he slipped out of Batman’s “inescapable” handcuffs.
With so much going on in only seventeen issues, the story feels crowded at times. The Bane plot line and the references to organisations like the League of Assassins seem like they were plucked out of a wider storyline, at times making Talon feel like a Batman-adjacent side story rather than its own thing.
I enjoyed Talon a lot more re-reading it after the main Court of Owls Saga, only now understanding all of the references to Batman’s battle with the Court that would have gone over my head the first time around.
Closing Thoughts
Although it isn’t the most spectacular title on my shelf, Talon is a solid, action-packed spinoff that builds on one of my favourite comics, fleshing out the story of the Court of Owls without lessening their impact from the main series.
With my first five reviews nearly done and two DC entries in a row, it’s about time I gave Marvel some love. And who better to start with than one of its most iconic characters?
