Talon #17 – Review

By: Tim Seeley (writer), Jorge Lucas (art), Jeromy Cox (colors)

The Story: Calvin Rose is the world’s greatest escape artist. He’s escaped family, identity, Santa Prisca, the Court of Owls, and even death. But before his series ends he’ll have to escape from immortality and its slow march towards a cage.

The Review: As the final issue of the series it’s kind of appropriate that Talon #17 almost seems like a first issue in reverse. It opens with a kiss, establishes the backstory of nearly all the major characters, and is all about a character attempting to lose their superpowers.

The sensation that this series ended a few months ago is definitely setting in, but this is the sort of story that might support a one-shot or a miniseries or, perhaps more likely, wouldn’t be published at all. That’s not a criticism of the issue, the market often demands bigger and better stories with bigger and more profitable characters but this is a lovely little story for fans of Talon and his world.

Though the issue lacks the definition of Calvin’s escape or his shower with Anya, this issue does a fantastic job of reestablishing the mission for these characters and this series. These characters have a simple air of heroism about them, one that’s only emphasized by the rather sinister antagonists.

Talon #16 – Review

By: Tim Seeley (writer), Jorge Lucas (artist), Jeromy Cox (colors)

The Story: Don’t listen to Lord Death Man; the cake is a lie.

The Review: Talon has always been a very special little series. Bolstered by Scott Snyder’s undeniable success, DC was willing to try something new, debatably the first original character to hold a title in the New 52, followed only by The Movement.

This trust paid off and, though Talon is ending, it had a tight fifteen issue run under James Tynion IV. As such, it feels strange to be spending an issue with Calvin Rose and his associates again after Tynion’s departure and Marguerite Bennett’s look at the history of the Talon name last month. In many ways this issue had all things against it.

It’s very interesting how different Tim Seeley’s writing is from Tynion’s. The first and clearest difference is Seeley’s surprising choice to use a third-person omniscient narrator. Omniscient narrators have really been on the way out for the past decade, and it’s definitely jarring to come back to Calvin’s story with a different narrative perspective, but while he won’t be hailed as the second coming of Chris Claremont – something even Chris Claremont can’t do – Seeley actually pulls it off quite admirably. It helps that he shows appropriate restraint but the ability to comfortably highlight important themes and provide clarification without introducing more panels is a godsend for this two-part finale.

Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Cameron Stewart & Chris Burnham (artists), Nathan Fairbairn (colorist)

The Story: Now that’s a boat ride you’re not bound to forget.

The Review: While it’s unclear where Batman Inc. fits into this refreshed DCU, with everyone still in the youth of their vigilante careers, it’s obvious Morrison’s grand idea for the next step of Bat-policing will stick around for a while (note that the final word of this issue says “to be continued” in 2012, not “to be concluded”).  But to stay on the safe side, it’s probably best to consider most of this story out-of-continuity, lest we run into unexplainable paradoxes later.

In fact, we could very well run into in the first act of this oversized issue (which, at seven bucks a pop, requires a major leap of devotion to take home), as it stars Stephanie Brown as Batgirl.  With Steph’s existence in the new 52 is still up in the air, fans will be glad to see possibly her last appearance under the cowl, especially since Morrison writes a pretty terrific version of her.  She comes with all her liveliness and charm intact (“…kiss my kung fu.”), and by infiltrating a finishing school for privileged girl assassins, she shows almost more competence than in her now-defunct solo title.

By itself, the Steph-as-Batgirl tale is great fun (with some tenderness in the background as Batman shows up as backup, giving her some much-desired praise as only a father figure can), but included as a finished product with the rest of the issue—it feels very disjointed, to say the least.  You have to remember, though, Morrison never intended for his story to be packaged in this way; the DC relaunch made the mash-up an unavoidable necessity.

That doesn’t entirely excuse the thoroughly confusing nature of remaining story, however.  Like with most Morrison tales, the surface of the plot is straightforward: Batman and his many Robins (with Dick Grayson still wearing a bat on his chest) arrives at a Leviathan freighter for a final showdown with Dr. Dedalus and take down his invasive organization for good.  The moment Bruce actually confronts the ex-Nazi mastermind, however, things go off the loopy end but good.

Batman Incorporated #2 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Yanick Paquette (penciller), Michel Lacombe (inker), Nathan Fairbairn (colorist)

The Story: Lord Death Man rises again, and this time he’s ready to bring senseless crime back into fashion for the great nation of Nihon.  With Mr. Unknown out of the picture, it’s up to Batman to make sure Shiny Happy Aquazon doesn’t become L.D. Man’s next superheroic victim.

The Review: The only way to convince anybody that Batman is needed anywhere other than Gotham is to show just what kind of twisted fiends can pop up in other corners of the world.  In this issue, Grant Morrison’s updated take on Japan’s Lord Death Man makes the villain a worthy candidate for a Dark Knight’s rogue gallery—even if it’s not Bruce Wayne under the helm.

Morrison does two things in this issue: sow the seeds for Japan’s own urban legends (which can be returned to later, if we’re lucky enough), and offer strong evidence to support the need for Batman Incorporated.  He accomplishes both of these things by portraying Lord Death Man as the Eastern nation’s Joker, a man bent on creating chaos for the heck of it.  Make no mistake, however—this guy is no Joker imitation.  His mission statement may involve the same kind of gross atrocities (and incessant creepy laughter—“Heehee!”), but for a very different, more profound, even culturally appropriate philosophy: “You placed the first charge on the disabled kids’ bus like I told you?  Super-sweet.  Life is cruel, death the reward.”

Equally as impressive as Lord Death Man’s buildup into a formidable psychopath is Jiro Osamu’s path toward earning his chops as a vigilante.  In the previous issue, he demonstrates he has the necessary skills to be a crime-fighter, but by now everyone knows Batman is more than the sum of his physical and intellectual parts.  To be Batman requires the drive to face off against seemingly impossible odds and still manage enforce justice.  Jiro gets the opportunity to do just that in the final scenes, where he literally stares into the face of Death and takes him down, upholding Batman’s standards of vigilantism as he does.