Comic Info
Comic Name: Talon
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Scott Snyder/James Tynion IV
Artist: Guillem March/Juan Jose Ryp
# of Issues: 8
Release Date: 2013
Talon #1
Reprints Talon #0-7 (November 2012-June 2013). Calvin Rose is trying to put his past behind him. Escaping an abusive childhood by joining Haly’s Circus as an escape artist, Calvin caught the eye of the Court of Owls. Trained as one of their elite Talons, Calvin broke the rule and went on the run when he refused to complete an assignment. Now, the Court of Owls has been damaged by Batman and joined by a man named Sebastian, Calvin finds it is the perfect time to strike at the Court…but the Court still may have plans for Calvin.
Co-written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV (with Tynion IV scripting the story), Talon Volume 1: Scourge of the Owls is a spin-off series from the Batman: Night of the Owls storyline. The series started during the flashback month of DC with Talon #0 which introduced the Calvin Rose character.
Batman was one of the pleasant surprises of the New 52. I’ve never been a huge Batman fan with his brooding almost cliche morose, but Scott Snyder took the opportunity of the relaunch to reinvigorate the character…and the Court of Owls was a result. I wanted to like Talon, but reading the series, it feels like a very generic superhero comic.
The comic and the character really as a ’90s feel to it…which for me isn’t a good thing. The story is much better written than some of the ’90s comics which focused more on art than substance, but it still has a very uninspired character who could easily be Nomad, Nightwatch, Azrael, or Damage. He isn’t very distinctive and doesn’t develop enough in this volume.
Talon #7
I do like that this collection is a bit of a slow burn. A lot of comics would have it revealed that Talon was betrayed Sebastian in the first issue, but Talon had the patience of waiting. The collection does a good job leaving it in a cliffhanger and does have you wanting to read on once you finish it.
I hated art in the ’90s. It was over-inked and under defined. Guillem March does a much better job in having very distinctive looking art, but Talon’s costume (and the costumes of virtually everyone he runs into) aren’t very interesting. It doesn’t help that these characters are essentially wearing uniforms and don’t have much room for variety.
Talon has potential, but it doesn’t show it here. The comic isn’t bad, but it is very forgettable. Trying to kick off new characters in a series is tough, and I think that Calvin should have shown up in Batman or one of his family books first to establish him and get buzz going. I will read the next volume of Talon to see where it goes, but I can’t get excited about it. Talon 1: Scourge of the Owls is followed by Talon 2: Fall of the Owls.
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