One of the major (and fair) critiques of Batman is that Bruce Wayne could do more good for Gotham with his billions of dollars than he ever could as a masked vigilante. So in this book he puts his money to work, rejuvenating the impoverished areas of the city… and inadvertently awakening a secret society of homicidal lunatics called The Court of Owls who’ve ruled Gotham from the shadows for years! And the only person to thwart their plans? Superman Wonder Woman Green Lantern Literally dozens of other characters Batman! Hand meet gauntlet – this is The Court of Owls Saga!
DC have decided to reissue the complete Court of Owls storyline in one volume so I thought this would be the perfect time to revisit one of my favourite Batman arcs of recent years. Does it hold up on re-reading? Eh… kinda. Here’s the thing: I’ve read this storyline now three (maybe four?) times in six years. If I was reading, even re-reading, this for the first time? Easy four stars. But I know the story too well now. There aren’t any surprises with the plot, I’ve seen the art before and the book simply doesn’t hold up to this many re-reads this close together. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, it just means I’ve read it too much/remember it too well to be as engaged this time around.
I have the same criticisms I had when I reviewed the individual volumes. The Court of Owls kids rhyme is stupid and wouldn’t be a rhyme any parent would teach their children, not least as it’s inappropriate but because it’s too unwieldy and complicated: “Beware The Court of Owls / That watches all the time / Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch / Behind granite and lime / They watch you at your hearth / They watch you in your bed / Speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send The Talon for your head.” (“The Talon” is a zombie assassin!)
The story takes a while to get going, it’s too wordy at times, the “Dick Grayson as a secret Talon in training” subplot didn’t work, the Court of Owls deciding to implode their organisation all at once in the Night of Owls was really stupid and contrived, and the villain was an idiot, complete with the clichéd lengthy monologue explaining his motives, background, etc. in the final act. The ending itself was much more sudden than I remembered and the two backups included didn’t do anything for me either. Also, Bruce “investigating” the Court as a kid was enough for him to dismiss them as real forever – he was a kid detective, what the hell did he know as a 12 year old!?
But there’s a lot to like too. The labyrinth scene is still the best part, with some of Greg Capullo’s best artwork – that looming, stark white owl statue is incredible, and the sequence when Batman starts going mad and the panels start moving around was great. I still like a lot of what Scott Snyder does here too. His work in building Gotham up as a character in itself is so impressive, weaving in a history of the city from the architecture to the old families to the mythology.
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo were the most successful creative team of DC’s short-lived New 52 project (which isn’t saying much as almost that entire line was terrible!) and The Court of Owls was a fantastic start to their soon-to-be-critically-acclaimed-bestselling Batman run. Even though their next two arcs – Death of the Family and Zero Year – are better, The Court of Owls is more noteworthy and impressive. Why? Death of the Family is another Joker story while Zero Year is another origin story. The Court of Owls was an original – there were no previous books to draw from. It’s the most distinctively Snyder/Capullo Batman story because it’s uniquely theirs.
The Court of Owls are a brilliant creation and an excellent addition to Batman’s rogues gallery. They’re a genuinely creepy group of uber-rich, over-entitled sociopaths with the money and connections to do what they did for years and get away with it. They have this horrific sub-culture with the labyrinth and their rituals as well as their own gruesome enforcers: the Talons, formidable undead ninja hitmen! And Capullo’s designs for the Talons through the ages are so inspired and cool. Not to mention those deceptively-simple owl masks which really sell the terror angle.
So no, the excitement and urgency isn’t there upon re-reading The Court of Owls storyline for the third/fourth time in nearly as many years. However, if you’re picking this one up for the first time, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did the first time. It’s got its own “Essential Edition” for a reason!