TALON #0

Review by: JGLJR89

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Written by Scott Snyder & James T. Tynion IV
Art by Guillem March
Cover by Guillem March

Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99

Talon #0 spins out of the Court of Owls “sort of” crossover, which ran through the Bat Books earlier this year. Jumping back and forth between the present and past we’re told the origin of Calvin Rose. Rose escapes from an abusive father (the third such father this week (see also Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #14 and Mind the Gap #5)), eventually joining Haly’s Circus an escape artist. Soon he is recruited and then raised by the Court of Owls from a young age and groomed to become their go to assassin. The story reveals Rose’s reason for leaving the Owls and shows that attempting to do so is an ongoing process.

Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV script nicely plays to the themes of escape and redemption. Given his past, Talon could’ve easily been made into an anti-hero or a killer with a sense of justice, but this is luckily avoided. That’s not to say the Rose isn’t without his misdeeds while under the influence of the Owls. I’m not sure where Snyder and Tynion IV intend to take the story, but it’d be interesting to see what came of Talon’s first would be victims. More interesting if they become reoccurring cast members. The script relays heavily on first person narrative boxes, which tend to be a bit overwrought and too dense. For the most part the story flows naturally and is easy to follow, despite it’s time jumping. Rose’s connection to Haly’s Circus, the same circus that a young Dick Grayson was a part of, is a thread from the Court of Owls and serves to tie this new character into the larger Bat mythos.

This is my introduction to the art of Gullem March, and I quite like what I’ve seen. While sketchy in places, his lines are all seem deliberate and it doesn’t come across rushed. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Andy Kubert when inked by Joe Kubert. It was only while writing this review that I noticed the colors are by Tomeu Morey whose work has impressed me in the past, especially on Hawkeye: Blind Spot for Marvel. DC would do well to keep him paired with March.

DC’s plan for the Bat Books seems to be to allow Scott Snyder to come up with a multi issue story for Batman and then turn it into a “sort of” crossover. This gives any such event the feel of a cash grab or at least a bit forced. As such, I wasn’t sure if this ongoing was completely necessary, but Tynion IV and company have proven there are still stories to come out of Court of Owls. It should be interesting to watch this title progress over the coming months.

Story: 4 - Very Good
Art: 4 - Very Good

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