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nerdywerewolf's review
5.0
Well, that was probably the best Batman story I've read so far...and that's saying something. You like Batman? READ THIS.
golden_lily's review
4.0
Probably closer to 3.5 stars for an exciting, universe-wide event slightly marred by uneven stories. It is a very long collection, bringing together thirteen stories spanning one very long night. (And one from the past, because we need to get Jonah Hex in here somehow.) The big three, Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl are well integrated, but some of the other runs aren't.
For example, in Batman, Bats says he's going after Arkham first and then March. The story then skips straight to March's office. The next page, however, is Detective Comics, where Batman saves Arkham. Likewise, the annual #1 with Freeze didn't seem to fit into the timeline. ( Sooooo...he stopped for this? This is on a different night but inserted in the middle of the book? It really stalled the action.) The aforementioned Hex comic also seems pretty tacked on, since it's happened outside the confines of the Night of Owls.
The other unfortunate thing is there's really no resolution. The sun rises and the night is over, but since this is a collection of #8 and #9's, Batman still has three more issues to keep fighting the Owls. The reveal at the end did whet my appetite, but
Still, Red Hood and the Outlaws was a surprise treat. I've passed on the run before because Starfire does not appeal, but I liked Jason and his conflict regarding the city. His interaction with both the Talon and Batgirl felt like there was genuine emotion behind it. Catwoman and Birds of Prey were perfectly fine as well.
In the end, I liked the collection enough to bump it up to four stars, and it was a great way to introduce characters whose stories I haven't been reading. But, despite collecting 14 books, I ended feeling that I'd missed something and I need to pick up the second Bats trade. If you're not deeply invested in the how the world as a whole weaves together, you could probably do the same.
For example, in Batman, Bats says he's going after Arkham first and then March. The story then skips straight to March's office. The next page, however, is Detective Comics, where Batman saves Arkham. Likewise, the annual #1 with Freeze didn't seem to fit into the timeline. (
Spoiler
Jason rescues Freeze, turns him over to Batgirl. Babs apparently has time to drop him off at Arkham on her way to meet the Birds of Prey. Freeze is entered into the system, set to his usual cell, and meets with a counselor, seemingly while Batman rescues Dr. Arkham and fights Black Mask. Bats leaves to go see March and the staff get back to work. Freeze breaks out of prison and heads to Wayne Enterprises, only to be waylayed by Nightwing and Damien who were all the way across town five seconds ago. Freeze then goes up for a creepy as fuck revelation and a showdown with Batman. The same Batman who told us in Batman #9 that he was going to attack the Owls hideout.The other unfortunate thing is there's really no resolution. The sun rises and the night is over, but since this is a collection of #8 and #9's, Batman still has three more issues to keep fighting the Owls. The reveal at the end did whet my appetite, but
Still, Red Hood and the Outlaws was a surprise treat. I've passed on the run before because Starfire does not appeal, but I liked Jason and his conflict regarding the city. His interaction with both the Talon and Batgirl felt like there was genuine emotion behind it. Catwoman and Birds of Prey were perfectly fine as well.
In the end, I liked the collection enough to bump it up to four stars, and it was a great way to introduce characters whose stories I haven't been reading. But, despite collecting 14 books, I ended feeling that I'd missed something and I need to pick up the second Bats trade. If you're not deeply invested in the how the world as a whole weaves together, you could probably do the same.
moonpie's review
4.0
The only knowledge I had regarding the Night of the Owls, before reading this collection, came from the Batgirl comic that briefly touched on it. At first I missed the Batman-related prologue -- got through a Jonah Hex story and part of a Batwing plot before noticing it -- so I was a little lost.
Even after reading the whole thing, I'm sure a few points went over my head without all the background that I've missed, but I thought it was a good story and I liked getting to read about characters I'd previously only seen in passing.
Even after reading the whole thing, I'm sure a few points went over my head without all the background that I've missed, but I thought it was a good story and I liked getting to read about characters I'd previously only seen in passing.
rbz39's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
3.5
Some good stories in here but I’m starting to lose the novelty of the Court of Owls
kevinowenkelly's review
2.0
Incredibly uneven, which comes from being stitched together of individual issues pulled from a number of other series, and each done by different writers and artists. The opening Jonah Hex issue is particularly bad, lacking any context for people not familiar with the series and offering only a cameo to warrant its inclusion in the issue; an odd place to start.
The Batfamily issues are better, particularly Nightwing's handful, which have a meaningful engagement with and impact on the character. Still, even though the other issues are also worth reading, the power levels and abilities of the Talons vary wildly, which makes it hard to feel grounded in any of the stakes.
On a side note, it also includes a few issues collected in the subsequent mainline Batman: City of Owls, which I found to be an odd choice, and, worse, has an issue in it that randomly spoils most of the City of Owls!
Worth a rental at the library, but that's about it, and only after reading City of Owls.
The Batfamily issues are better, particularly Nightwing's handful, which have a meaningful engagement with and impact on the character. Still, even though the other issues are also worth reading, the power levels and abilities of the Talons vary wildly, which makes it hard to feel grounded in any of the stakes.
On a side note, it also includes a few issues collected in the subsequent mainline Batman: City of Owls, which I found to be an odd choice, and, worse, has an issue in it that randomly spoils most of the City of Owls!
Worth a rental at the library, but that's about it, and only after reading City of Owls.
rhganci's review
3.0
The Court of Owls are the new guys in town--or rather, a bunch of super old guys who have been in town since before it was cool--and they're as cool and dangerous at large as they were in their own labyrinth. If there's one takeaway from this crossover book, it's that: the Court of Owls will prove more than an even match for Batman and his crew in the coming years.
However, what the collected NIGHT OF THE OWLS narrative really needed was the one thing that made so much of the 'gotcha' storytelling in the core BATMAN book functional when this arc appeared in BATMAN V2: the final conversation between Bruce and Dick about the mysteries that remain after the Night is over. Without that, the story weirdly jumps forward from Catwoman's coincidental run-in with the Court to the 'other' final conversation between Bruce and Alfred, still referencing a discovery of information that I cannot find in Snyder's main storyline.
The rest of the hodgepodge works okay, with the contributions from the NIGHTWING team really doing most of the work to tie some of the revelations at the end of BATMAN V1 together with the main event. Still, there doesn't appear to be any real climax or resolutional content to the crossover as a whole. This weakens the story considerably, making it better-enjoyed in the Snyder/Capullo book. What we the reader get instead is each member of the Batfamily's response to Alfred's call, and their subsequent actions, which aren't related to each other save a few, and those connections are very tangential.
The context and timeframes are well-managed by Snyder as the story manager, but the whole thing is very episodic, and it seems as if each member of the Batfamily, on patrol in his or her own section of Gotham City, suddenly stops whatever it is he or she is doing, fights an Owl, then gets back to work. Again, without the conversation between Bruce and Dick, any closure that Snyder was willing to give us with so many plot points open is gone from this arrangement of the "Night of the Owls" story. Exciting and action packed it may be, but it remains without conclusion, or at least the type of mystery-sustaining conclusion that BATMAN V2 offers.
The surprise chapter in this volume was the RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS issue, in which Red Hood, Arsenal, and Starfire go after Mr. Freeze. Freeze's connection to the Court of Owls is clarified by Scott Lobdell in this funny, startlingly stylish chapter that provides a welcome intrusion on the moroseness of the overarching event with a good, self-contained story, a lot of character depth for Red Hood, and the most significant crossover material of the entire volume, with Batgirl. The last two pages of this issue provided closure for her arc, a fascinating conversation between Barbara and Jason, and maybe the best-looking character rendering of Batgirl I've ever seen from Kenneth Rocafort (sorry, Adrian). If I was on the fence about adding another Bat-title to my backlog, this issue might have tipped the scales in favor of at least picking up the first volume of RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, as Lobdell and Rocafort have piqued my curiosity with a well-structured story, some genuinely evocative moments, and some striking artwork.
As fun as it was to check in with other members of the Batfamily that I don't regularly read, and as much as the completionist in me enjoys having the "whole story" of THE NIGHT OF THE OWLS, this sizable volume didn't add anything to the core story and included some forgettable chapters, especially those from BIRDS OF PREY and BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT. The scope of the story somehow seems smaller after reading this crossover volume, but the ferocity and violence of the Court of Owls, as a constant menace in Gotham City, is a welcome addition to the Batfamily; I sincerely hope we'll see more of them in the near future.
However, what the collected NIGHT OF THE OWLS narrative really needed was the one thing that made so much of the 'gotcha' storytelling in the core BATMAN book functional when this arc appeared in BATMAN V2: the final conversation between Bruce and Dick about the mysteries that remain after the Night is over. Without that, the story weirdly jumps forward from Catwoman's coincidental run-in with the Court to the 'other' final conversation between Bruce and Alfred, still referencing a discovery of information that I cannot find in Snyder's main storyline.
The rest of the hodgepodge works okay, with the contributions from the NIGHTWING team really doing most of the work to tie some of the revelations at the end of BATMAN V1 together with the main event. Still, there doesn't appear to be any real climax or resolutional content to the crossover as a whole. This weakens the story considerably, making it better-enjoyed in the Snyder/Capullo book. What we the reader get instead is each member of the Batfamily's response to Alfred's call, and their subsequent actions, which aren't related to each other save a few, and those connections are very tangential.
The context and timeframes are well-managed by Snyder as the story manager, but the whole thing is very episodic, and it seems as if each member of the Batfamily, on patrol in his or her own section of Gotham City, suddenly stops whatever it is he or she is doing, fights an Owl, then gets back to work. Again, without the conversation between Bruce and Dick, any closure that Snyder was willing to give us with so many plot points open is gone from this arrangement of the "Night of the Owls" story. Exciting and action packed it may be, but it remains without conclusion, or at least the type of mystery-sustaining conclusion that BATMAN V2 offers.
The surprise chapter in this volume was the RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS issue, in which Red Hood, Arsenal, and Starfire go after Mr. Freeze. Freeze's connection to the Court of Owls is clarified by Scott Lobdell in this funny, startlingly stylish chapter that provides a welcome intrusion on the moroseness of the overarching event with a good, self-contained story, a lot of character depth for Red Hood, and the most significant crossover material of the entire volume, with Batgirl. The last two pages of this issue provided closure for her arc, a fascinating conversation between Barbara and Jason, and maybe the best-looking character rendering of Batgirl I've ever seen from Kenneth Rocafort (sorry, Adrian). If I was on the fence about adding another Bat-title to my backlog, this issue might have tipped the scales in favor of at least picking up the first volume of RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, as Lobdell and Rocafort have piqued my curiosity with a well-structured story, some genuinely evocative moments, and some striking artwork.
As fun as it was to check in with other members of the Batfamily that I don't regularly read, and as much as the completionist in me enjoys having the "whole story" of THE NIGHT OF THE OWLS, this sizable volume didn't add anything to the core story and included some forgettable chapters, especially those from BIRDS OF PREY and BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT. The scope of the story somehow seems smaller after reading this crossover volume, but the ferocity and violence of the Court of Owls, as a constant menace in Gotham City, is a welcome addition to the Batfamily; I sincerely hope we'll see more of them in the near future.
spocksveganfries's review
4.0
Ich könnte mich ärgern. Über mich selbst. Ich hätte ja vorher mal nachgucken können, was das Buch enthält.
Also, das Buch sammelt die komplette Night of the Owls Crossover Story, wie sie in Batman: The Court of Owls gestartet ist. Das ist deswegen auch kein Standalone Buch, da mindestens das vorangegangene Buch gelesen werden muss, damit der Inhalt verstanden werden kann.
Das Problem an der Sache ist, diese Geschichten sind auch in den einzelnen Trades gesammelt. Beispiel:
Batman Night of the Owls
Batman #8-9, Annual
Nightwing #8-9
Batgirl #9
Catwoman #9
Batman City of the Owls
Batman #8-12, Annual
Nightwing Vol 2
Nightwing #8-12
Und so weiter. Wer also die Trades sammelt, der hat diese Geschichten eh schon. Und die meisten Geschichten laufen alle nach Schema f ab, Gegner ist überlegen, Held macht ein Comeback, Held gewinnt. Tatsächlich sind die einzigen Geschichten, die einen Mehrwert bieten, die Nightwing und die Batgirl Geschichte. Nightwing, weil es mit der eigenen Geschichte um Halys Zirkus verknüpft ist, und Batgirl... naja ich will nicht spoilern. Alle anderen Sidestories sind für die Geschichte nicht wichtig. Mehr noch, sie sind teilweise sehr verwirrend, weil diese auch ihrer bisherigen Storyline der eigenen Reihe nahtlos in Night of the Owls übergehen, man aber keine Rückblende bekommt was da jetzt gerade passiert. Gerade die Birds of Prey Geschichte macht so gar keinen Sinn.
Night of the Owls ist ein komplett überflüssiges Buch. Es eignet sich nicht für Einsteiger oder Gelegenheitsleser, da denen der Gesamte Anfang der Geschichte fehlen würde, noch für die normalen Leser, da die ja sowieso die Geschichte in den Trades haben.
Und für Einzelleser ist das Buch auch nicht geeignet, da die Einzelcomics ja den Trades um ein halbes Jahr voraus sind.
Also, das Buch sammelt die komplette Night of the Owls Crossover Story, wie sie in Batman: The Court of Owls gestartet ist. Das ist deswegen auch kein Standalone Buch, da mindestens das vorangegangene Buch gelesen werden muss, damit der Inhalt verstanden werden kann.
Das Problem an der Sache ist, diese Geschichten sind auch in den einzelnen Trades gesammelt. Beispiel:
Batman Night of the Owls
Batman #8-9, Annual
Nightwing #8-9
Batgirl #9
Catwoman #9
Batman City of the Owls
Batman #8-12, Annual
Nightwing Vol 2
Nightwing #8-12
Und so weiter. Wer also die Trades sammelt, der hat diese Geschichten eh schon. Und die meisten Geschichten laufen alle nach Schema f ab, Gegner ist überlegen, Held macht ein Comeback, Held gewinnt. Tatsächlich sind die einzigen Geschichten, die einen Mehrwert bieten, die Nightwing und die Batgirl Geschichte. Nightwing, weil es mit der eigenen Geschichte um Halys Zirkus verknüpft ist, und Batgirl... naja ich will nicht spoilern. Alle anderen Sidestories sind für die Geschichte nicht wichtig. Mehr noch, sie sind teilweise sehr verwirrend, weil diese auch ihrer bisherigen Storyline der eigenen Reihe nahtlos in Night of the Owls übergehen, man aber keine Rückblende bekommt was da jetzt gerade passiert. Gerade die Birds of Prey Geschichte macht so gar keinen Sinn.
Night of the Owls ist ein komplett überflüssiges Buch. Es eignet sich nicht für Einsteiger oder Gelegenheitsleser, da denen der Gesamte Anfang der Geschichte fehlen würde, noch für die normalen Leser, da die ja sowieso die Geschichte in den Trades haben.
Und für Einzelleser ist das Buch auch nicht geeignet, da die Einzelcomics ja den Trades um ein halbes Jahr voraus sind.
sfletcher26's review
3.0
An anthology of all the associated stories that fit into the Court of the Owls series. Had I not just read The City of the Owls I would probably have enjoyed this more.
wrenny03's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
3.0
Better than the previous court of owls book but definitely overhyped
lorien13's review
5.0
I grew up on Batman: The Animated Series as a kid, and recently started really getting into the comics. And this is a great one. I have not read the first one, but all Batman fans should check this out! I love how it follows more than just the Dark Knight, which showed just how desperate the situation was. Can't wait to read Court of Owls and City of Owls!