The Court of Owls make their big strike here, invading Wayne Manor and entrapping Bruce and Alfred in a chapter that is chilling and riveting in its suspense and battle sequences. I love how fast Snyder jumps into the home invasion, with a few pages of poignant discussion leading right into a wordless scene of Bruce and Alfred preparing to protect
themselves. That opening discussion is a great scene, though, with Bruce reflecting that perhaps he was too close to the dangers of Gotham's streets to take a higher-level view of the city. The image of him standing over a replica of the city, shrouded in darkness, is fantastic. In fact, Capullo does his typically excellent job on the battle with the Court in Wayne Manor. For every stunning splash page of violence, Capullo presents pages of smaller panels, emphasizing the cramped, closed quarters that Bruce is fighting in. His shots of Bruce in action are fantastic. Robed and bandaged, he volleys across the page in a lithe manner, outrunning and outmanoeuvring his opponents. The Court may be a frightening foe, but, through visuals alone, Capullo sells us on Bruce's superior battle skills. Snyder writes a tense, suspenseful script, and it truly feels at times like Bruce may be overtaken on his home territory. The home invasion aspect of the Court's attack truly feels invasive and scary. There is also a lot of screen time for Alfred, who excels as a partner and equal of Bruce's. Rarely losing his calm, even when surrounded by the Owls, he has some great moments here. The battle culminates with Bruce and Alfred locking themselves even deeper into Wayne Manor, emphasizing the claustrophobic feel of the issue, only for Bruce to emerge in a comically oversized suit of Bat-armour, reminiscent of Iron Man's original armour. This moment of almost absurd action works perfectly - it's a great cliffhanger and a fun finish. This story overall has been large in scope, but I was surprised how well this intimate attack on Wayne Manor worked. Snyder and Capullo perfectly captured the fears around having one's foes infiltrate their home. Special mention must go to FCO's colours. Always a strong aspect of this book, they are truly excellent here, setting the shadows and night time lighting for this dark issue perfectly, and casting a perfect blue-grey shade onto everyone's face and clothing.
This issue is the first to feature a back-up strip. I had heard these were intended to flesh out the Court of Owls' origin, but this issue's instalment acts as a continuation of the lead story. It has Alfred basically discover the premise of the "Night of the Owls" crossover and get the message out to Gotham's defenders, while armoured-up Bruce fights the Owls. It's an effective piece that sets up the crossover well and continues to give Alfred some worthwhile screen time. I don't know how they got Albuquerque to draw this in addition to American Vampire, but what a gift he is for this book. His style couldn't be more different than Capullo's, but it has such a unique energy to it. His people are expressive and quirky, and he knows how to convey grit and horror through his work. He also has fun with the Bat-armour's bulky look. Nathan Fairburn colours this back-up, and plays with a different palette than FCO. The main shade here is the neon green computer screen Alfred is reading, and it bathes the pages in a creepy, sterile light. Overall, this is another excellent issue of what is probably the best monthly title being published right now.
Birds of Prey#8 – Duane Swierczynski/Jesus Saiz, Javier Pina (finishes)
Swierczynski tackles one of the mysteries that has been hinted at since #1 - Black Canary's murder of her husband. The players involved and details are left opaque. So if that approach to the Choke storyline didn't thrill you, it may not here. But, if you're looking for another sharp, high-action issue, with 
beautiful art, this hits the spot. Swierczynski effectively jumps around in time and place, lending the action a lot of energy. The roles of these villains might be obscured, but their motivations are quite interesting - their powers are meant to counter the Birds' tactics and they seem to have personal vendettas against the women. As usual, the action scenes are superb, in no small part thanks to Saiz's dynamic layouts. But the script is equally strong. With minimal dialogue, Swierczynski continues to develop each of the characters and mold them into a team. Black Canary, typically calm and cool, is on guard and weakened in this issue, crippled by her secret and unable to use her powers. It's an interesting predicament that lets us see how the other team members unite to support her. The battle scenes let each character show off a lot of personality. All of this builds around Starling's discovery of Canary's crime, and a gut punch of a final page. This issue is the last for Saiz and Pina, with Travel Foreman’s style sure to bring a shift to the book next month. The two go out with a bang. The art is always a little less lush when Pina finishes over Saiz’s pencils, but it hardly matters when the panel work on the action scenes is this strong. The characters are attractive and dynamic on the page, and there is some great choreography on the action. These two artists fit perfectly with the high-octane pace Swierczynski brings to the book. Foreman should certainly be a change of pace, but he’s a talented artist in his own right, so I look forward to his work. My only hesitation with this issue is that all of this build up, which Swierczynski has been seeding through the book from the start, may have to go on hold. Next issue crossover over with "Night of the Owls" - I'm sure that will be great, but I'd much rather see this issue's cliffhanger play out in full.
Wonder Woman#8 – Brian Azzarello/Cliff Chiang
This is another fantastic issue. Wonder Woman and Hermes venture into the underworld to rescue Zola, and Azzarello displays his gift for taking a mythological concept, distilling it to its central element, and presenting it in a bold, new way. In this case, it's that the ground, the buildings, and the very fabric of the underworld are
made up of the bodies and spirits of dead mortals. And, as mortals, whose lives have ended, they are happy to be able to continue their existence in this way. This is mere pages into the heroes' journey in the underworld, and it sets and unsettling tone for their adventure. The action begins quite quickly, when a horrific soldier on a horse attacks the duo, and doesn't let up. Azzarello and Chiang work in deft precision through these action scenes. The fight choreography, movement of characters across panels, and swift brutality come together perfectly. The pages are a joy to read and are very well-composed, creating an effective battle scene. The duo's reunion with Zola is a story turn straight out of a Vertigo series - this innocent, optimistic woman has been ravaged by her time in the underworld, lonely and forlorn, but overjoyed to see her rescuers. The thought of what she has experienced, particularly in her pregnant condition, is scary and Chiang does a great job with this darker version of her house. The confrontation in the final sequence plays out with the epic scale of most interactions in this book - characters must answer for broken promises and the stakes are always of godlike proportions. The final shot fired is a shocking moment, depicted with real power by Chiang. A further note on the art - the colouring is perfect. The blacks and reds used to add atmosphere to the underworld give it a sense of dread that really sets the tone. This remains a wonderful title - confidant in its simple reimaginings of these characters and telling a story with true weight and stakes. This is family drama played out with the gods, and it feels like it. Definitely the best of the week.
Wolverine and the X-Men#9 – Jason Aaron/Chris Bachalo
This issue is the first to crossover with Avengers vs. X-Men. I should preface that I'm not actually reading that series - I've grown more than a little weary of Marvel’s events and haven't read one since World War Hulk. I'm also a little resentful my X-books are being pulled into an event. For so long, Marvel have been content to let them sit on the side, and now they're being dragged into
this tired Phoenix/Hope story, written by a committee, that I have no interest in reading. AvX will tie in to multiple issues of this title, Uncanny, and Legacy, and I'm not sure if I'll get all of them.
This was the first taste of what I may be in for with these crossover issues, and it was actually pretty good. It was good because the tone, style, and general subplots of this book continued brewing in the foreground, while the crossover stuff happened on the side. The crossover element that I cannot stand, and that I find to be the definition of contrived, is that Wolverine sides with the Avengers. Compounded by the fact that the Schism itself was contrived and forced, this decision solely exists because a) the Avengers are the perceived hotter property and b) they have a movie out and c) this will be "controversial." Ooooo, wake me up when it's done.
Getting to the good stuff, this was actually a fun issue. It felt like a regular issue of this title, full of humourous exchanges, little jokes crammed into the pages, and much stronger visuals than Bachalo provided in the previous issue. Even those jokes that tangentially tied in to AvX stood on their own - like, the intergalactic betting on Phoenix's planetary destruction, or when Quentin was rescued from falling. The big moments, like Rachel and Quentin's encounter with the Phoenix Force, legitimately work. Equal parts dramatic, humourous, and visually strong. There's a lot of great stuff here that has nothing to do with the crossover - Idie's growing comfort at the school, problems with Husk's powers, Husk and Toad's growing crush, Doop as a receptionist. These are the moments that made the issue a winner for me. I also like the Shi'ar plotline. Kid Gladiator and Warbird have been smaller players (albeit, receiving top billing) in this book, and AvX is providing a opportunity to put them in the spotlight. I'm all for these crossover issues being used to spotlight them. So, I'm cautiously optimistic. Despite the crossover element I hate, this book otherwise retained its visual and tonal style and ongoing subplots, and that's what made it enjoyable.
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