Hey guys and gals, JT here with the finale of the year long story chronicling Batman's war with the Court of Owls. Let's see how things play out, as we see Batman take on Owlman!
Batman #11
Summary: Things pick up where they left off in the previous issue, with Batman and Owlman taking it to one another. Owlman gets the upper hand and hooks Batman with a line, then flies him around the city, explaining how he's always lived in Bruce's shadows, watching Batman and Bruce from afar. He'd planned to attack sooner but the Court of Owls had him bide his time. He explains that after getting rid of Bruce for good, Gotham will be his, as he flies near a plane and tries to drop Batman into the engine. Bats hangs on and manages to escape after detonating a small explosive he'd placed on Owlman earlier. Bruce falls towards Gotham from miles in the air, but manages to save himself by swinging into an abandoned building. He's met by Owlman, who tells him he plans to bury them both under the debris of the building, but he'll survive due to the serum in his blood that keeps him from dying. Batman decides to play dirty and jams his thumbs into Owlman's eyes, before diving out of the building just as it explodes. Later reports discover that no bodies were found in the debris, meaning Owlman got away as well. We also see Bruce talking to Dick later, Bruce saying how the Court of Owls was still out there, how Thomas isn't his brother, since a John Doe baby was brought into the hospital a week after Thomas supposedly died, so the Court could use that information to confuse the child into thinking he was Thomas. He then states, he won't know for sure until he can get a DNA sample though. The issue comes to a close with Bruce saying when the Court of Owls does return, he'll be ready for them.
Thoughts: Okay, some of you may disagree but this issue seemed really lackluster to me. The ending was kind of lame in my opinion, and we knew they wouldn't give us a definitive answer on Thomas, which they couldn't, due to wanting to make us wonder. But the fight between the two, the stuff with Dick and Bruce, all just seemed slow and kind of boring to me, not the payoff I expected after a year of building, but like I said, that's my opinion. It wasn't a bad comic, I just expected a lot more.
Score: 6.5/10
Dick: Dammit, Bruce. Now I can't hit you
Well that's it for me, Let me know what you guys think and if you enjoyed this issue more than I did, until next time, this is JT, signing off.
OK it wasn't a bad issue to me i would have rated it like 7.5 because I kind of enjoyed, the problem for me was that it was uncapable to beat last month isue and I kind of suspected that would be imposible, but at least I was loooking for more action and they didn't even fight in the issue! it was a looooooong Lincon March's It was like totally anticlimatic, buuut overall I enjoyed this whole arc a lot and this isuue was just fine, what can I do.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I enjoyed this series, this was surprisingly boring indeed. Bad sometimes. Roaring engines, high up in the sky and the two fighting guys just babble on... That did it for me.
ReplyDeleteGlad you guys agreed about it being pretty boring, and they really didn't fight, just talk, talk talk, and slam Bruce into things... so... yeah. Not the payoff I expected after a year but what can ya do? I've read much worse.
ReplyDeleteWhat is really pissing me off about the Lincoln/Thomas Jr. thing is that Snyder said early on in the series is that Lincoln was going to be a supporting character who doesn't turn out to be some crazy villain who fights Batman in the long run. I wouldn't be able to pull up the interview if I wanted to, but he said early on that Lincoln was going to be a supporting character who doesn't die and who doesn't end up going crazy and being a villain. Oh well. I had really been hoping that Lincoln and Bruce would be good allies. But then again, that just means Snyder is a dirty liar who loves to cheat us out of nice things, but also makes comics that are very enjoyable. Hahaha. I enjoyed this issue and can't wait for the Joker story line coming soon.
ReplyDeleteDamn, if Snyder did say that then he just blatantly lied lol... I mean... well damn. Lol, but all that aside, like you, I'm looking SO forward to his Joker storyline.
ReplyDeleteJust going to put this here, But JT did you hear about Tim never being Robin? He was always just Red Robin? Am I the only one who thinks DC went full on stupid with this one? They've made some stupid decisions before but this just tops the cake for me.
DeleteSigh.. yeah I did see that, Astrovik. It makes no sense, they've called him a former Robin a ton of times, hell in Teen Titans #1 AND in Batman and Robin #10! I... DC is so ass backwards, then after Miller announced Steph Brown was gonna be Bats' Nightwing in Smallville, they apparently made him change it to Babs! Doesn't she have ENOUGH?!
DeleteThat is absurd and brings a lot of contradiction in current storylines like what is hapenning in Batman and Robin, and why would have been Tim around in Batman 1 (described by the Bat computer as a former Robin) for Bruce anouncement to refomr the Gotham city?
DeleteThe fight between Batman and "Crazy Owl Boy" was a bit underwhelming. The rest of the issue was okay even the backup.
ReplyDeleteThe back up seemed slow to me too though arw, especially with the... we'll find out how your dad died... No, it's fine sir.. crap.
DeleteOK, I'm finally back! A lot of thoughts, but, first, WTF on the Red Robin reveal? If true, I agree that it's totally ridiculous. Are we supposed to believe that Jason and Tim were Robin and Red Robin concurrently? It's the only thing that makes sense. Otherwise, why not just make Tim Robin when Jason died?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I was OK with this issue only because I actually felt like Snyder cleverly went the opposite way we thought he was going to go. JT, I think you and I discussed after #10 that we figured we, the reader, would learn the truth about Thomas, but Bruce wouldn't. That way, we wouldn't be annoyed in future issues when Bruce tried to find the truth. Instead, Alfred kind of rendered the whole issue moot when he told Bruce that it doesn't matter if Lincoln is Thomas Wayne, Jr., because he's just as lost to Bruce as Thomas is, if Lincoln isn't him. I'm a sap, so the fact that Snyder used that conversation to make Bruce realize that the only family he needed was the one he had created (hence his talk with Dick) really resonated with me.
But...
I feel like the overall legacy of the arc is damaged by the fact that Snyder left a lot of loose ends. I go into excruciating detail about it in my post, as I'm wont to do, but I felt like he really dropped the ball on a number of points. Why did the Court decide to expose itself via the "Night of Owls," particularly since stepping from the shadows resulted in its downfall? Why did it decide to go after Lincoln, who could've been pretty useful to it as the Mayor of Gotham? Who the hell was the trainer we saw in issue #1 training if we haven't had a Talon in a while? (Along those lines, where did Saiko fit into the picture?) How the hell did the Court take a kid who couldn't move and turn him into strapping Lincoln March, who looks like he could easily take down the Giants' offensive line? I felt like Snyder's failure to wrap up these loose ends meant that this story wasn't the greatest Batman story ever told, something that we all seemed to be hoping it would be back around issue #5.
But, at least emotionally, I feel like we at least got to see Bruce where we left him when he returned from the day: a little more in tune with his feelings and the folks around him. Now, if everyone would just hug out their anger like I want...
See JW, that's what I like about you, commitment! As for the Tim not being Robin stuff, I'm just ignoring Lobdell completely, I feel like that guy doesn't know a damn thing about what he's talking about, so yeah... far as I'm concerned, Tim was Robin.
DeleteI like the way you put that JW, I think I was so disappointed from the lackluster fight and so many open ended questions that I didn't interpret it that way, and I like that way of thinking.
That line about the Giants offensive line cracked me up... It's SO TRUE. And I didn't even catch some of those before you pointed out but Snyder did leave a lot of questions, like an episode of Lost. I guess he could always touch upon them but to be honest, I'm so hyped for his Joker storyline I feel like he can do no wrong.
And yeah, I think having the emotional Bruce once again, tied in with the Joker coming back and going after Bruce's friends and family will be very interesting.
You know, with every issue, I'm this close to canceling all three titles that Lobdell writes, despite the fact that they involve three of my favorite characters.
ReplyDeleteThe nagging questions definitely drag down the arc for me. I actually wonder why he didn't go the full year. I feel like he really stepped on the gas with issues #10 and #11, and, if we had had, like, an issue #9.5, he might've been able to wrap up at least SOME of the nagging questions.
I hadn't heard about the Joker arc, but I'm VERY excited. Is he still running around faceless? Also, are you still reading "Earth 2?"
Sadly I've dropped them all, I read the firs like.. four issues of SB and dropped that, then dropped Titans when he introduced... Danny The Street.... then finally Red Hood two issues ago, which hurts to do since I'm a HUGE Todd fan... but what can you do?
DeleteThat's a good question, I guess he wanted to slow things down before the Joker arc. As for Joker, the storyline looks amazing, I'd recommend you read this article. http://www.newsarama.com/comics/batman-13-joker-death-of-the-family-snyder.html
I am reading Earth 2, but I haven't read issues 3 and four yet, I probably will in the next few days though.
Honestly? You're missing nothing, particularly with "Red Hood." I was so irate after this month's issue that I think I'm done. Lobdell can't even keep his stories straight from month to month, so I just wonder why I bother.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to hear what you thought of "Earth 2" #3 if you get a chance. I won't say anything more!
Exactly, I mean I'm one of the biggest Jason Todd fans you'll meet, and Roy is definitely in my top twenty if not top ten, but I can't stand how Lobdell is writing these guys, and I HATE that When Joker and Jason meet in Red Hood and the Outlaws in a few months that it isn't being written by Judd or someone who would do a great job, instead this assclown is writing it.
DeleteI just read #3 and #4 today actually, I won't spoil four for you but I loved #3. I really like this sassy Hawkgirl, Jay Garrick has a bit of the Wally West/Bart Allen charm in him, I really like how Alan Scott was written, and the Gray avatar being Grundy was fucking genius, I honestly didn't see that one coming. I went into Earth 2 with low expectations but the last two issues have been pretty damn good.