Batman #8: Night of the Owls

[aeka]

And so it begins...

Comments

[coldfiredragon]

This was such a fantastic issue! I'm really psyched to see the rest of it play out. I also love that it played directly into Nightwing and figured into the ending of Red Hood. I think DC's finally done a crossover right for a change!

[xammax]

I am amazed you skipped all the basassness. These are the tamest 3 pages. It was that awesome.

I wish I had a working scanner.

[aeka]

As much as I wanted to include all the badassness that this issue contained, unfortunately there's a 4-page limit for recent issues.

[kenwyn89]

I liked that last page thought it was pretty (with exception of Red Hood's mask)... and badass.

[darkknightjrk]

The way that Albuquerque drew Red Hood's mask with the lips is kinda freaking me out.

Outside of that, fantastic issue. :D

[drmcninja]

I actually like it more that way. Reminds me of Thane.

[velshtein]

I loved this issue. And all the blues and teal for the coloring.

[littlepunkryo]

I really loved this. I really felt a sense of "shit's about to get real" by the end (not that it wasn't already).

[protogarrett]

Batwoman gets the shaft again. Poor ignored batwoman.

[aeka]

Hmmm...now that you brought it up, I just now noticed Batwoman's book isn't even participating in the Night of the Owls event.

I guess it sort of makes sense considering what her story arc is at the moment. Same with Huntress.

[xammax]

I was about to say, didn't she turn Batman down in favor of the Government... why still beyond me.

[aeka]

Yup, she did. More specifically she turned down his offer to join Batman, Inc. I don't know if this affects her status as a batfamily member, but either way she has her hands full at the moment. :/

[shadowpsykie]

why still beyond me

government basically said they would ruin her family, Bette, and her dad, and if there is anything Kate honors more than honor itself it's her family. While working with them, they make sure Bette Lives and her father stays out of trouble for helping a vigilante...

[thefiretonight]

The writers turned down the tie in, so I don't think it's on purpose by Snyder.

[kenn_el]

Actually, I assumed it meant good things for her book, in that it didn't need the sales boost of the tie-in. Plus, Batwoman was announced prior to the reboot, and probably had a set storyline, which of course would be interrupted if lagging sales required such.

[eyz]

Awww...just noticed that...
:(

[coldfiredragon]

DC gave the all the Batman writers the option of whether to participate in the event or not to. Because Batwoman was in the middle of a story arc the writers decided against a crossover. She was not openly ignored, her writers were given the option.

[filthysize]

Which I think is fantastic. This really is a crossover done right. You've got one writer writing a big story, and setting up possibilities for others to participate, but not necessarily for the big picture, so the other writers are given their own choice whether or not they want to join in. If they have their own thing building, they're not obligated to. Honestly, that's the best way to handle these things.

[espanolbot]

Aha, they specifically mentioned only the allies in Gotham, that could answer any queries as to where certain people are instory. For example, Batwoman could be in a different part of the country as part of her government job, Helena was in Italy, Cass in Hong Kong... and Steph in Hong Kong too, I guess. Or she's still in the UK hanging out with Beryll or something.

[kenn_el]

Does visiting-Earth-1-Helena have any association with the Bat Family in the new U? I'd assumed not as of yet.

[espanolbot]

From what I've gathered, the Helena Bertinelli identity was just one of her aliases, post-reboot, so the Huntress from BoP etc. kind of doesn't exist anymore.

[kenn_el]

That's what I thought. This way whoever's writing WF gets to do the big meet where Helena angsts over whether to tell Bruce that he reminds her of her father.

[aeka]

It was mentioned in the Huntress mini that she has been operating in Gotham and even mentioned Batman in her narrative. It was also stated that she "is a notorious vigilante," suggesting that she's a well known name. At the very least, Batman should be one of her ties in Gotham, especially if (a) she's been operating there for the last five years, and (b) Batman is the kind of guy who never misses any new face that arrives in *his* city.

How much of Helena Bertinelli's relationship to the rest of the Batfamily is still in continuity we'll find out in Worlds' Finest.

[kenn_el]

She's from an Earth 2 Gotham, though, and is Batman's daughter/partner (apparently), so we can't assume she meant Earth 1.

[aeka]

From issue one of her mini:

"Now 8894, let's see what's going to Gotham," "I wonder if Batman plans these moments better, or is he just luckier?"

I'm 110% sure she's referring to the Earth-1 Gotham given where her mini takes place, and I'm pretty sure she means the Earth-1 Batman. I would find it highly unusual for her to not refer to her own father as "daddy" (she does in #5).

[kenn_el]

You're probably totally correct! I was still wary of anything in the mini back when Levitz was being cute about the whole Earth 1/Earth 2 question, though, and the contents of the crates could have been going to Metropolis, and it wouldn't have meant that Helena operated in Metropolis. The 'Batman' comment just makes no sense coming from Batman's daughter, and seemed to indicate at the time that the character was pre-Flashpoint Helena. If anyone knows how Batman does it, it's his daughter/partner, and I can't imagine that the Earth 1 Bats is THAT much more impressive than his Earth 2 counterpart.

[aeka]

True, but even if Helena does travel and fight crime globally, it would still make sense for her to make Gotham her more permanent base of operations since that's as "close to home" as she would get on an otherwise foreign planet.

With regards to the Batman comment, it was more likely done as an easter egg to hint at Helena's parentage as opposed to just saying "daddy" since that would be more ambiguous. But nevertheless, I don't see why she would refer to the Earth-1 Batman as her father when he actually isn't. He's *a* version of her father, but he is not *her* father. So it does make sense to me that she'd refer to him as Batman.

On the note of differences between E1 and E2 Bruce, at the moment all that is known about the latter is that he has no qualms about killing on Earth-2 and apparently (according to Robinson) has set up some sort of global Batman network on Earth-2 (I guess the equivalent of Earth-1's Batman Inc). Beyond that, we don't know how else E2 Batman is different or similar to the mainstream one.

[kenn_el]

Just considering the fact that Earth 2 Bruce is both Helena's father AND Batman to her Robin, it's highly unlikely that she'd be that impressed with Earth 1 Bruce, as she seems to be in the example you cited. That's more the pre-Flashpoint Helena's style.

[aeka]

I see where you're coming from, and you may be right that she should not be that impressed with E1 Bruce. But if E1 Bruce is drastically different from her own father in some key areas (i.e., her father has no qualms about killing, whereas E1 Bruce is staunchly against it), then I don't think it's too unusual for her to be impressed by him in that regard.

If her past interactions with E1 Bruce as Helena Bertinelli are still in continuity, (i.e., "I thought we understood each other Batman" in Detective Comics #653), then I think it would be understandable how these differences could even lead her to try to get his approval, which was also characteristic of the Bertinelli version pre-Flashpoint.

[big_daddy_d]

I wish you posted the page where he said "Get the hell out of my house!!" Seriously, that was awesome. If Batman says get the hell out of his house, you get the fuck out.

[atom_punk]

Now all we need is for someone to get Christian Bale to yell/gargle that quote and we have a hammy cry almost as good as Harrison Ford's "GET OFF MY PLANE" though not quite as good as Shatner saying, well you know...

[jcbaggee]

So just curious, did anyone else squee when Bruce said "Call the family!"

I just love little touches like that.

[coldfiredragon]

That was one of my favorite touches!!!!

[superfangirl1]

I most certainly did squee!

[eyz]

The first time I actually liked this new Red Robin look!

*still misses Steph and Cass more than some dead relatives of mine*

[filthysize]

The backup got me so pumped I'm actually considering buying all the tie-in books. I usually refuse to do that.

[shadowpsykie]

no... NONONONONONO... tell me those shots don't mean they got Alfred....

(glad it is "night" which means if they did get him they have time to take him to get help)

[lascoden]

Don't worry, Alfred is fine for now. He's in a panic room/armory and the banging is the Talons trying to get in past Bruce.

[r0b666]

Sooooooo in the New 52 Batman (the most prepared guy ever) has no perimeter alarms or defenses and the Court of Owls can just break into both the Mansion *and* the Batcave???

I know I am in the minority here but to me the Court of Owls are the Mary Sue of Villains. They're everywhere! They know everything! They (almost) broke Batman! They were responsible for the death of the Flying Graysons!

They want to introduce new villains? Fine, I can only read so many Two face stories. They want to make them formidable? Great, but does everyone have to be the ultimate threat EVER and/or retconned into being part of a heroes origin?