I’ve made it no secret that Talon is one of my favourite DC Books out there right now, despite the disappointing Birds of Prey Crossover that had the potential to be a heck of a lot cooler. However, James Tynion IV is back in the spotlight with Calvin Rose after a month’s wait, and well, I have mixed things to say about this issue. The good thing is that I loved Tynion IV’s storyline. It’s great, action packed, fast paced – and this comic continues to be the fun and entertaining ride that it should have been. However, I’m not a big fan of the art – I really wish that Guillem March should have stayed on this title, as whilst I didn’t like him on the first issue of Catwoman that I read, I felt that he was the perfect fit for this book. It’s just a shame that Miguel Sepulveda is not as impressive, and stops this issue from becoming a great one, which it certainly would have been otherwise.

Also, in case it wasn’t clear that Bane is one of the most, if not the most ruthless member of Batman’s rogue gallery (and that’s saying something), look no further than this issue. (I’m not going to tell you what panel, but it should be pretty clear to you if you read the book) I love the way that Tynion IV has included Bane as a character not just for a gimmick, but is really having him play a major role in the storyline, particularly when he gets ready to bring the war to the Court of Owls, with Gotham City as their playground, this issue – supported by Sebastian Clark. The strong narrative that Tynion IV is applying to Talon is proving to be consistently awesome, and I hope that this series isn’t cancelled at any point, as this storyline is very strong so far.

The issue itself is labelled “All Sorts of Fun”, and that’s what you’re going to get when reading this book. It’s fun, action packed and awesome, with a very creepy start – showing the process of young Sarah being slowly inducted into the Court of Owls in manner that certainly bodes ill for the future. If it weren’t for their age differences, I’d say that this could have lead to a Sarah/Talon/Casey showdown with a brainwashed Sarah under the Court’s influence. (Also, this isn’t a spoiler – it’s something that you’ll see in the preview pages). One thing that this book has been aside from the Sebastian Clark twist is very unpredictable, and with a rematch between Bane and Talon (who now has the benefits of the Talon’s healing powers) teased at the end of this issue with a very interesting cliffhanger – things look set to be very strong for #11.

Another great thing that helps make this comic even more so unpredictable is that about 99% of the cast are new characters – the only one that we know won’t be killed off for certain is Bane – even Calvin himself has the potential to meet an end (especially when taking into account that just because this book is labelled Talon doesn’t mean that it has to be about Calvin Rose – for example, take Batwing – the change of the character’s mantle from David Zavimbe to Luke Fox), adds more to the fact that we truly don’t know what lies in store for these characters.

I just wish that we could have Guillem March back, though. His absence was really felt in this issue.

VERDICT: 4/5