I haven’t reviewed or discussed the most underrated Batman-spawned title, Talon, ever before. With James Tynion IV’s run coming to a close soon, why don’t we check things out and see where this title goes for the end? Is it good?
Talon #13 (DC Comics)
Sebastian Clark and the Gotham Butcher are preparing to destroy the Court of Owls and all of Gotham City, while Calvin Rose and Casey Washington continue their search for Casey’s daughter, who is kidnapped and currently being brainwashed by the Court of Owls. All of their paths will meet soon as the end draws near for everyone. How will it all go down?
With lots of blood, that’s for sure!
With only two issues left, Tynion IV’s story is rocketing forward, trying to wrap up as many plot points and storylines as possible. Seriously, this issue is trying to accomplish a lot all at once, as if the book was being cancelled or something (it’s not, but it definitely gave that impression). The storytelling here is very tight but gives plenty of room to breathe so that not everything feels rushed. Every scene has a purpose with progressing the story and characters, giving the reader plenty of content to chew on. One moment that did feel a bit rushed however, was when Sarah is acting perfectly normal at the beginning and is suddenly completely brainwashed at the end, but it is still well structured.
The rest of the writing is also pretty good. The characters are well done and are given more room to grow even in the fast pacing (really liked the scene between Calvin and Casey here); the dialogue is genuinely good, though it does engage in a silly overdramatic speech at one point; again, the pacing is very tight — there are plenty of great moments for the characters and the ending sets things up for one heck of a conclusion next time that is sure to make the audience want to stick around. Very well done overall.
Oh come on man! At least spit out all of your tobacco before you start a fight.
8.0
- A very tight and well-paced story.
- The characters are fully realized and enjoyable.
- Fantastic cliffhanger that promises big things to come.
- A few flaws in the writing.
- Artwork is hit or miss in some points.
The artwork by Emanuel Simeoni isn’t too shabby. He draws well-choreographed action, his characters are decent, and he has some interesting panel layouts. He’s not without his problems however: his character models can tend to look at little off (Sarah’s pigtails are sometimes bigger than her head), there are some weird foreshortening parts, and facial expressions can be a bit wonky. Also, whoever colors or does the blood makes it look a lot like paint or even spray paint at points.
Is It Good?
Talon #13 was a solid issue builds things up for an epic conclusion that’ll take place in the next issue. It has a few problems in the writing and a few more in the art department, but it is a pretty good time overall. I, and I hope the rest of you, look forward to finale on the horizon.
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