Batman Volume 2: The City of Owls TP (The New 52)

I am on a reading bing of reading the Batman Graphic Novels as I am a massive fan of Batman since as a child. As always these graphic novels are enriched with lots of colorful drawings, story plots and dialogue as well. Overall I thoroughly enjoy it. Best wishes Sean

Great storyline by Scott Snyder, the best modern day batman writer. You must read Vol 1 court of owls first to get this story fully, it is an original take on the character with a never before seen enemy coming into play that questions everything batman knows. Greg Capullo is also a great artist and teamwork between him and Scott Snyder is perfect for the batman story.

Batman Volume 1 the Court of Owls was one of the first comic books I ever picked up and read, and I was absolutely blown away by it. It was intense, engrossing and very fresh and when I put it down I couldn't wait to find out what happens next, having been left on such a cliffhanger. With volume 2 the City of Owls, the "Owls" story arc comes to an end, and whilst it was another fun read and still quite intense, it left me ultimately dissapointed and somewhat confused. Don't get me wrong, it's a good continuation of the story arc, and the first few issues that follow the Court of Owls attack on Wayne Manor and going after high ranking city officials keeps up the pace of the first volume nicely, picking up largely where we left off from last time. But as the story arc concludes, things start to slow down and become a bit cliched. Eventually, Batman manages to track down the court, but when he finds them they are disposed of in a pretty dissapointing and anticlimactic way, leading on to the final clash with a character introduced in the first volume that just screamed "bad guy" right from the off. He reveals himself as a massive part of Bruce Wayne's past, that were it true, would change the history of what we know about the Wayne family forever, but right from the beginning, it becomes clear that he is simple delusional, and while that particular plot point is left open ended, you can't help but feel that you know what's going to happen already. The final battle is very underwhelming, and I simply found the villain monologuing for far too long and not taking the opportunity to kill Batman despite saying several times that he wouldn't waste any more time, leading to a fairly predictable, and frustratingly dissapointing end. The final two issues are a bit strange, with one following a teenage goth chick and her gay brother being bullied and having to stand up and fight back, ultimately tying into batman's pursuit of the Court in volume 1, and definitely teasing something big later down the line, but here feels out of place and strange. Finally, there is Batman annual 1, which only loosely ties into the court of owls and follows a fairly bog standard Mr freeze prison escape before a predictable confrontation with Batman that again seems out of place, but is still entertaining nonetheless. Overall, definitely get it if you read volume 1 and want to wrap up the story, but be prepared for the momentum to slow down and to lose some of the intensity of the first. It is still, however, one of the best new 52 titles and definitely worth continuing to read.

As expected

Great series from Batman. Fast deliver and a great quality product from the supplier.

Deadly secrets are revealed as Bruce Wayne must come to terms with shocking news that connects Dick Grayson and himself to the Court of Owls. The artwork serves the story well. The darkness and use of flame and smoke as the story develops reminds us of the fundamental difference between the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. The shadows define the Batman and Snyder and the art team work in lock step to ensure that readers are left in no doubt about it. 'The City of Owls' is a conclusion to a dramatic storyline, but also an opening chapter for 'The New 52' Gotham City.

Not killing a plot line on this... can most definitely say the graphics are amazing... the art is first class the storyline is brilliant... all in the Style of a new 52..... what more can anybody ask for.... If you don't get any of this series you are missing some very good entertaining Reading and it's Batman....... who doesn't want to read about Batman ?

Batman is again faced with fighting the court of owls. I know a lot about Batman character stories I have played all the Arkham games and watched movies and animated series and Scott sunder knows these characters too you can really see this when reading. I was never big into reading but because it's Batman I've been reading the new 52 issues 1-4 currently read of time of writing this. The story to this issue picks up after issue 1 and Batman has to face a enemy that has started to soil everything he knows making him doubt himself the city he loves and his dead parents. Without spoilers I liked the "surprise" not that I didn't see it coming in issue 1 because of the charat looking so similar and there is shorter srorie in here too one with Mr freeze who actually is a character I normally feel like he isn't evil but just trying to help his wife well Scott Snyder is a genius and let's just say I actually prefer what he did with character. 5/5 from me.

Imprescindible! Y punto!

I think it is safe to say by now writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo have become synonymous with Batman, especially within the DC New 52, and it all started with Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (The New 52) . Batman was faced with the Court of Owls, an enemy that has been around since Gotham's earliest beginnings and had finally shown itself to the Dark Knight, to which was a powerful organization that had connections and resources Batman could never quite fathom, and the Batman paid for it--big time. But Batman pulled through it, just barely, and learned the error of his ways and got away to prepare for striking back. But the Court knows Batman is weak so it decides to attack Gotham while they can, sending out their entire army of Talon warriors to seize control once and for all... ...But Batman has had enough. Finally, the wait if over. Snyder and Capullo's volume 2 of the conclusion to the Court of Owls story comes full-speed ahead that is equal parts gripping and powerful, yet eerily familiar to Pre-52 fans. BATMAN VOL.2: CITY OF OWLS collects issues #8-12 with back stories "Fall of the House of Wayne" and BATMAN ANNUAL #1. Bruce Wayne has just starting to recover from days of torture in the Court's maze, to which suddenly the Courts Talons make a direct attack on the Wayne mansion. The ferocity of numerous Talons push Bruce to the point that he has had enough of owls and the Court and dons the Batman persona to finally put an end to the Court, by taking the battle back at them where it hurts. I will not give out any more info because there would be spoilers aplenty, but let's clear some stuff first. First, go read volume 1 before reading volume 2. Many little clues Snyder expertly lay out in volume 1 start to unravel itself and come full circle here in volume 2, so you might need to refresh your memory as to catch all of the little nuggets of information you might of missed. Secondly, the companion book Batman: Night of the Owls (The New 52) is not essential or needed to read with volume 2. Snyder's Court of Owls volume 1 and City of Owls volume 2 is the prime self contained story that is vital, while Night of the Owls was the tie-ins that take place during the Talons attacks on Gotham. Thankfully, Snyder's City of Owls only makes a reference to the Night of the Owls event with Detective Comics which might confuse readers a little, but everything important and story-wise the reader needs is right here. And thirdly, if you read the Night of the Owls event before hand, keep your expectations in check. You might be expecting a full blown, epic scale ending that involves the entire Bat-family, but this is just a Batman book. It's still epic in its own right; it just didn't need the tie-ins to sell itself. If volume 1 was the Court taking the fight to Batman, volume 2 is Batman taking the fight back to the Court. Snyder's Batman is raw with emotion about him as we saw with him going crazy in the Courts maze, to almost giving up, to volume 2 and his pandering of the Courts long existence and even getting overwhelmed by the Talons. But now Batman cuts loose his angry toward the court and the mastermind behind it all that we've all been dying to see. Added with the big reveal, Snyder's mystery and realization of the Court happens the exact same time the reader does, making Batman a character that reacts to the main bad guy in real-time with the readers. This makes volume 2 a great ending that gives readers what they want, seeing Batman get back at the Court and solve the mystery at the same time. Fans of Snyder's Batman: The Black Mirror will also truly appreciate the references to the big reveal and Black Mirror comparisons, further driving home Snyder's them of Batman being about Gotham itself. Besides a good bulk of the book going to the conclusion for the Court of Owls story, volume also holds the the Batman Annual #1 is a good retelling of Victor Freeze in the New 52 and Batman issue #12 as a stand alone tale about Harper Row, the girl readers were introduced in issue #7 that proves to be a interesting character that Snyder is building for the future some time down the road. It does give the familiar feeling Row might fall into the tech person similar to Oracle Pre-52 but we'll see when the time comes. Art is pitch-perfect by Greg Capullo. The fight in the Batcave against the Talons is exhilarating, to Batman's hatred of the Court, to the finally of the Main Owl leader. Everything is well done on Capullo's art and I have no problems with it at all. Jason Fabok does the Annual, while Becky Cloonan and Andy Clarke do issue #12. As for complaints, I have a few. One real minor (and personal) one is the Talons are a bit too talkative this time around. The Talons keep their awe and mystique when they rarely speak, which they now sound like high school bullies. The main complaints involve readers who did actually buy the Night of the Owls book, because if you did, the only new issues you're getting are 10-12 when you buy City of Owls, so you feel a little bit cheated. Another is that the volume 2 has the prime Court of Owls conclusion story from issues 8-11, so you might read through the 4 issues reasonably quickly. And issue #12 and the Annual #1, which are good in their own right, feel a bit in cohesive, especially the Annual which is right in the middle of the book that hurts the flow of the Court of Owls conclusion. DC could of place the Annual the very end of the book as to not hurt the narrative. And final heads-up has to go to the conclusion of the Court of Owls story. The mastermind behind the owls might make readers have various degrees of thought and feeling because Snyder introduces something that has to do with the Batman mythos that I'm sure will have different opinions on it. Some might scream foul on Snyder and some might applaud him for it. I'm a little in-between on the subject, but I'll let readers decide that for themselves. And for a comic that is supposed about new beginnings in the New 52, long time Bat-readers might not find the big reveal all that fresh and new since it makes references to past Bat-stores and ideas (Grant Morrison's run on Batman is one of a few example). New readers won't have a problem with this at all, but old time readers might or might not feel as if Snyder is really reinventing Batman as they thought he is. But again, you be the judge of that. BATMAN VOLUME 2: CITY OF OWLS concludes on a high note that will either have you loving what Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have done or question it. Either way, the two make for a great team in the Bat-World right now that shows these men have the chops for it. Great writing, great art, and a overall great little mystery, City of Owls is great book if you enjoyed volume 1. But with the little drawbacks like the Court of Owls conclusion being 4 issues long, the Annual not fitting well fitting well here, or the questionable ending, I'll give the score a 4 ½ score, but round up to 5. Still a solid book worth checking and I'll see you Bat-readers around October for the next big arc with the return of the Joker in Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52) .

Il secondo volume continua sulla falsariga del secondo, svelando nuovi dettagli sulla centenaria congiura della Corte dei Gufi. Tuttavia, per ovvie ragioni, nei primi capitoli di questo "City of owls" prevale l'azione, con scioccanti rivelazioni sulla famiglia di Bruce Wayne e il suo passato. Le tre storie finali sono incentrate su tre differenti personaggi, tra cui il maggiordomo Alfred e mister Freeze; storie autoconclusive e che è possono essere lette da sole, anche se inserite più o meno marginalmente nella "notte dei gufi". Volume consigliatissimo, preso insieme al box del primo volume "The court of owls" contenente anche la maschera dei gufi.

Un titre vraiment excellent que je recommande à tous les fans de la série Batman, le duo Snyder/Capullo est parfait.

Holy Freaking Awesome, Batman!! Absolutely fantastic storyline that culminates the Court of Owls story arc but leaves it open-ended so that these bad guys could certainly return in the future. The surprise reveal of who the villain really is and the secrets unveiled about Bruce's past are an amazing addition to the Batman story. I just loved them! I'm sure everybody knows what they are by now but I won't say just in case :-) Totally, totally was glued to the pages for this entire book. Two things stuck out for me that seemed wrong though; first was an issue in the middle that featured Mr. Freeze as the bad guy with a cameo by the Penguin. It was fun to see Freeze, I really enjoyed the story but it seemed a bit odd stuck in there as the connection to the Owls was a bit forced. It made sense but it just seemed like they were sticking in some familiar villains just for the sake of it. The other was the last issue which features a new character, Harper Row, I didn't like it at all. I was bored to death with the story, Batman doesn't show up till near the end, there is a quick scene with an old villain, Tiger Shark, and one sentence referring to the Court of Owls. Obviously Harper is going to be someone in future issues (rumours abound she will be a new Robin! God, please! No!) or this lame introduction to her wouldn't have been featured. Art was totally awesome, even though a lot of artists are listed Capullo still does most of the work and it is brilliant, dark, gloomy and stunning. Can't wait to read the next collection which collects all the tie-in stories from the other DC Universe comics to get the final complete "Night of the Owls" story!