Night of the Owls

I'm not a huge crossover/event type person. I actually got out of comics for a while, mainly because of it. Most of the time, these events are nothing more than a way to force you to buy a bunch of books that you normally wouldn't, in order to keep up with the story. Thats underhanded sales, which I understand the business end of things, but I choose not to participate.

That being said, DC's launch of the New 52 has done a few things differently, as well as followed the same old pattern. I read Animal Man and Swamp Thing and I like the fact that both books are tied together. Maybe I don't mind the "crossover" aspect of these books so much because they were on my list before they even came out. So far, they have tied in perfectly with each other, while running with their own storyline. This kind of "event" I like, they support each other in a meaningful way. A while back I was reading Marvel's Fear Itself. I was interested in it because I loved the Civil War, although I only read the main series, not all of the spin-offs. As that series neared it's end, I almost didn't finish it. I felt compelled to buy the last issue, even with it's outrageous pricetag, to complete the set. The story dragged and there were so many "tie in" books that I didn't even care to keep up. DC's Flashpoint was in between. I read the main series, hoping to get some insight in where the New 52 was going. There were spin-offs that I didn't read as well, although I really liked what they did with Superman; skinny goth kid, afraid and without powers due to being hidden from the sun. Great reverse character.

Batman has been an amazing run so far with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. The story has been tight, and the art has been amazing. It really seems like Snyder and DC had a definite, long term direction for the book. The "Night of the Owls" event reflects that direction. It's exploded into Gotham and the books that are associated with the Bat, although strangely, Batwoman is not included. I wonder why? Anyway, this event feels "good" because of the unity of everything. I'm not buying all of the issues, because that would bankrupt me, but I am reading Batman and Batman & Robin. The others I might pick up at a later date, because so far, Night of the Owls has been good. It has a sense of urgency.

While I was reading Batman #9, I was honestly shocked to see that Lincoln March, Bruce's identical twin (figuratively) and Gotham mayoral candidate, was killed by the Talons. My heart dropped, mainly because this character was introduced with such mystery, I was looking forward to seeing what direction he would take. I guess we'll never know now. After thinking about it, maybe they killed him off because of his resemblance to Bruce Wayne?? Who knows, but there were some interesting possibilities that are now kaput. The additional story about Alfred Pennyworth, illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque was well worth the additional $1 price hike. It has a creepy feel and I like the history thats being built in the entire Bat-Universe.

Batman & Robin is another one of my favorite books. I didn't start with it on my list, but it has become one of my top reads, mainly because of Robin. The title should really be "Robin & Batman, because Batman takes second seat to the Boy Wonder. In issue #9 Batman doesn't even appear in the book, it's all crazy killer Damian, commandeering a group of soldiers to fight off a Talon assassin.

This was the second week for "Night of the Owls". I am only reading two books out of the multi-book event, but I think I'm getting a good grasp of the story. I toyed around with the idea of grabbing the other books, but then did some addition. The second week of the event is 7 books, totaling about $22. If NotO continues for another week or two, the total run could cost upwards of $100. Not sure I could handle that. But, then again, marketing strategies are good for business. I like what I've seen so far, so if I was still selling pop tarts to hungry students, I would definitely jump on the Bat-wagon.