Simply never rated this back when I first read it, and enjoyed rereading it after seeing Snyder and Capullo on a Bat-retrospective discussing their teamwork and goals for the series.

Still holds up! ( )

Batman has to investigate the Court of Owls and their menacing assassin, the Talon, in this first volume of the Batman series' New 52 revamp. I loved the mystery surrounding the court in this storyline and how they connect with the Wayne family's past. The art was top-notch, although I agree with another reviewer who said she didn't like Batman's huge jaw. He could bludgeon someone with that thing. ( )

I’m coming into this with very little knowledge of any recent Batman plot points, characters, and story arcs so perhaps my view is naive - but I thought this was excellent!

I was somewhat familiar with the whole Court of Owls premise from the TV show Gotham, but I think it’s all done much better here. It’s unsettling to see how badly Batman is roughed up (physically and mentally) by them in their underground layer, and the fact that it’s only going to get worse is blowing my mind. What a great cliffhanger ending for this first volume!

The art is also detailed and brutal, and does some fun things with layouts and panel formats. I tore through these first few issues in a single sitting, and I’m already reserving the next few from the library. Great stuff! ( )

The artwork was great in this, and I liked the interaction between Bruce and Dick. Plus, is it weird if I say that comic book Bruce Wayne is divinely handsome? Of course it is. Forget I said it.
But the court of owls was a little too mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha for me, so I'm undecided about continuing this arc. ( )

Enjoyed except when Batman punched Robin. That pissed me off. ( )