With all of the recent The Avengers film and Avengers vs. X-Men news making the rounds on various websites, newspapers, television commercials and radio spots these days, you’d think that DC Comics had ceased publishing comics.
Not true!
The company that took the brave leap of restarting and/or rebooting all of their characters and titles last September with brand new first issues, has been publishing comic books a-plenty.
Of those fifty-two separate publications, Batman has been one of my favourites – but never more so than with today’s release.
Batman #9
Written by: Scott Snyder
Illustrated by: Greg Capullo
Published by: DC Comics
Since the first issue last September, writer Scott Snyder has been laying the literal historic foundations of Gotham City and the Wayne family. Snyder was hot off of his acclaimed run on Detective Comics last year in which he brought the character of Dick Grayson, the original Robin, to mainstream pre-eminence in a storyline for the ages. It made him the logical choice to revisit everything that is the Batman universe, shattering assumptions and building a new history for the character.
This most recent storyline, “Night of the Owls”, continues directly from the first: with Batman and his whole family under attack by the Talons – a mysterious group of villains led by the even more mysterious, and ancient, Court of Owls. The Court is a group of shadowy figures, in the vein of the Illuminati, with origins deeply laid in Gotham City’s founding. Here, Snyder asks: how well does Batman know his own city? The answer is: not well enough and we, as readers, are utterly captivated. Greg Capullo’s outstanding artwork plays no small part in that enjoyment!
As a bonus, there’s a featured back up story in this issue, written by James T. Tynion IV and illustrated by Rafael Albuquerquue detailing Alfred Pennyworth’s family history and the secrets contained therein.
If you missed the first six-issue storyline of this new Batman series, fear not: Batman: The Court of Owls is released as a hardcover collection today as well! It makes the perfect introduction to where the storyline is today, plus it’s amazing comic book reading. I’d whole-heartedly recommend it.
So, make the run today and pick up Batman #9. Let go of every belief you have on the character and enjoy the world building surrounding the Wayne family and Gotham City itself. You, too, will have your foundations rocked!
Every Wednesday, JP makes the after-work run to his local downtown comic book shop. Comics arrive on Wednesdays you see and JP, fearful that the latest issue will sell out, rushes out to purchase his copy. This regular, weekly column will highlight a particularly interesting release, written in short order, of course, because JP has to get his – before someone else does!
