Hurm.
I'm actually not sure how to approach this review, as the Court of Owls crossover has been much-lauded and actually getting me to read a main "Batman" title for probably the first time ever. This issue marks its conclusion, and...
I didn't like it?
Now, hear me out: normally in comics I can suspend my disbelief a bit when it comes to fantastical situations, but this book has a number of things that just rubbed me the wrong way. From the "hope you weren't looking for a conclusive end, LOL" sequence with the main villain to the insinuation that Batman just left him to die, this issue just kind of felt like a poor characterization of Batman himself and more just a loaded effort to get that villain across as someone crazy.
Which, granted, Batman's villains have in spades, but with two issues to establish that insanity, it doesn't seem like there's a big enough reason for me to care about the things he does. Even by the end of the book, there's solid doubt over whether he is who he said he was, and Batman himself isn't too sure, either.
And to be honest, that feel like a bit of a cop-out.
The entire Court of Owls conclusion feels off because it took so much out of Batman's hands: he never really got to reap the rewards of his good detective work, or actually influence the downfall of the Court directly. Instead, mass suicides and inconclusive ends just make me feel that the Bat was reacting to things blowing up all around him, as opposed to finally getting the upper hand against perhaps his most potent foe.
Him avoiding getting sucked into a jet engine through his grip strength alone is a whole other matter entirely.
Batman #11
DC Comics
$2.99
The Verdict: Three disappointments out of five for what seems like a lame ending to an otherwise interesting event. Having the final pages of the book be just endless dialog without anything conclusive seemed to be a bit of a let-down. The Bat's been in the dark for the entire time this story was going on - was it too much to give us something different besides "maybe he'll be back some day! Keep buying the boooooooooooook!"?
