Batman has finally escaped the clutches of the Court of Owls, and this issue acts as a breather, even as the stakes of the next conflict grow to a fever pitch. The issue opens with an homage to Batman: Year One, albeit one where a giant owl kills a flying bat. Capullo has never been better than this scene - the shadows are placed perfectly, the images are menacing, and the splash page of the kill is a glory to behold. 
This issue continues the theme of Bruce Wayne learning that his Gotham has indeed been in the control of the Court of Owls all along. The lengthy middle portion of the book presents a Bruce almost unhinged - so frightened by his captors that his reactions are violent. The very image of Talon's costume brings fear to him. His lengthy discussion with Nightwing shows a man who is so determined to overcome his opponents, and so unhinged by what they did to him, that he almost overcompensates with his detective and science skills. He is abrasive and angry with Nightwing, so determined to prove his theories on the Court, that at times he sounds a little crazy. The theories he presents to Dick have scientific logic behind them, but could also have been completely fabricated so that Bruce feels he has control over the situation. Back in the earliest issues, Bruce struggled to accept the existence of the Court. Now, he is creating a narrative of their existence so that he can gain a degree of control over the things. It's a fascinating take on the character that feels completely believable given what he has gone through. Bruce presents a theory, explaining why Dick was targeted in #1, hinting at his ties to the Court. It's interesting stuff, but I like Dick's reactions of angrily not caring, almost to snap Bruce out of his state of mind. It's an exposition-heavy scene, but similar to Swamp Thing, Snyder makes the exposition feel economical and elegant. Capullo does a great job on this talky segment, because he charges it with the feelings behind these two men, a father and son at a tense point in their relationship. The issue is also interspersed with scenes of the Court preparing for their next attack, and finally launching it on the final page. Capullo's art is haunting and dynamic here, but FCO's colours are just as strong, with a reddish hue over Gotham's skyline. I wouldn't expect a Scott Snyder comic to do a full-on breather issue. This is a deep, exciting comic that explores the psyche of a broken man, while ramping up for the next stage of the conflict. Another excellent issue from potentially the best creative team in comics.
Birds of Prey#7 – Duane Swierczynski/Jesus Saiz
Swierczynski somewhat wraps up the title’s first arc, with more questions left unanswered than answered. Granted, the frenetic pace of this title does not lend it to a villain delivering an exposition-filled monologue explaining his plan. And we don’t get that here – some fights lead the Birds to discover Choke’s identity. They confront 
him, and, in the struggle for answers and team squabbles, Katana chops his head off. If you enjoy the high adventure, black ops feel of this book, you’ll enjoy this route. The story is still open, as later events in the issue hint at, but the book can move on from here as well. The action and intrigue is as fun as ever here – Choke turns his mental thrall on a few of the Birds, and the resulting action is great stuff, played out in dark basements and tunnels. The creative team use Choke’s mental suggestion sound effects to great effect as the action plays out. He feels menacing in the way he has turned the group against each other. There is a lot of great character work here too – Choke reveals whose murder Black Canary is wanted for, Ivy and Katana both see how much faith the others have in them, and Swierczynski does wonders for the Canary and Batgirl relationship. Each of these women are becoming well-rounded characters. Canary, in particular, is great – crumbling as she struggles to hold together this operation and her personal secrets. Her friendship with Batgirl is understated, but poignant. Saiz is back on the art, bringing a rich, rounded look to the characters, with dynamic splash pages and great fluid action. His work has depth to it, but is perfectly suited to the intrigue and action of this series. This series remains a treat for me. This issue glides more on energy than solid plot construction, but that energy is what keeps me coming back.
Wonder Woman#7 – Brian Azzarello/Cliff Chiang
There has been some kerfuffle about this issue and its reworking of the Wonder Woman mythos and I honestly don't understand why. If you're a fan of good storytelling, this is a fantastic comic. I couldn't care less what twists it places on Wonder Woman's origins, because it is so good. The conceit here is that the Amazons, a tribe living on an island full of women, must have given birth to a male child at some point, no? In stark, haunting detail, Azzarello and Chiang present the Amazons method of conceiving children, disposing of the children's fathers, and further disposing of any male offspring born nine months later. It is such a simple
, stark portrayal that it is incredible effective. It is also a wildly imaginative and exciting take on the mythos, distilling a mythological concept to its core element and exploring a new avenue of it. Azzarello is taking ancient concepts and running free with them. But everything still feels epic, including the characters' reactions to the drama unfolding. This issue sees Wonder Woman and crew track down Eros and Hephaestus in their quest to rescue Zola from Hell. The creative team's re-imagining of these two is in line with their work thus far – great designs, bold, powerful dialogue, and a strong new take on the character. The interaction between this collection of godly characters is stellar - the dialogue rings with clarity and power and the stakes of each conversation feel high, but there is still room for some levity and playful teasing. The scene in which Diana implores her newfound brothers (the male Amazon offspring) to come with her is heartbreaking - Diana is trying to reach out to the growing family she is learning she has and they do not want to leave Hephaestus, who saved them from death and gave them a home. In having Diana learn about her new family members in each issue, Azzarello has made a godly character seem humble. She is struggling to find the strength and sense of community she had on Paradise Island, and failing at every turn. Her defeated visage on the final page is tragic. Chiang is certainly no slouch in the art department. As mentioned, the new characters look great. A brief action scene in the middle almost evokes Kirby's style, as the bulky Hephaestus jumps into battle. Chiang's lines are clean and bold, so images of Diana's sadness have a real resonance. The flashback to the Amazons’ courting of men is bathed in darkness, and perfectly evokes the dark deeds. This is a wonderful single issue - equal parts imaginative and creative, as well as powerful and resonant. Azzarello and Chiang should be applauded for the bold choices they make here.
Uncanny X-Men#9 – Kieron Gillen/Carlos Pacheco
Some time killing before Avengers vs. X-Men – it’s perfectly passable, but pretty blatant in what it’s trying to do. On the plus side, Gillen seems to realize that he neglected the characters for too long. The issue opens with a number of strong character scenes – Danger analyzing Illyana’s current predicament (since when has Danger contributed anything to the book?), Colossus speaking in defence of his sister, Emma regaining 
strength after recent injuries. We have yet to get a sense of these characters’ lives on Utopia, and Gillen makes an effort to do that here. He also brings in what have to be pet characters for him – the cast of his short-lived S.W.O.R.D. series. They provide the catalyst for the X-Men current mission, and Gillen has fun with them. He doesn’t write them with the reckless abandon he did in their own series, but it’s fun nonetheless. The mission brings the X-Men alongside the Avengers, cleaning up after escaped aliens from S.W.O.R.D. hq. I’m sorry but this just feels like blatant string-pulling before AvX starts. How often do the Avengers get involved in X-Men conflicts (or vice-versa)? Never? So let’s get them all working together before the big summer crossover where they fight. Snore. I stopped getting excited for such gags at age 8. The moment that proves how forced and contrived this all is happens when Cyclops and Wolverine cross paths in this team-up – a silent panel, not a word said and nothing done to deal with the schism. Proves to me this team-up only exists to serve as tepid ‘lead-in’ to the crossover. They didn’t have the guts to address that here because this is just a filler story before the crossover. The Avengers have no reason to be here and are dull as dishwater throughout. Pacheco is back on art, and it’s still his new, smoothed out style. It’s certainly pleasing on the eye, but the artist I loved is effectively gone. His unique style has been lost. This is a decent issue. The plotting stinks, but the character material is worthwhile.
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