POBB June 7, 2021

Pick of the Brown Bag

June 7, 2021

by

Ray Tate

Hooty-Hoot!   

Hooty-Hoot!

It's time for a new edition of the Pick of the Brown Bag.  This week is owl-centric.  I review the prose book Batman: The Court of Owls and the debut of Batman: the Adventures Continue Season Two.  Should you not have the time to read the full length posting, catch me on Twitter: #PickoftheBrownBag.  

Before we begin, I'd like to say a few words in favor of actual owls.  Owls are necessary for human life.  Without the two hundred or so species of owls, we would be overrun by rodents and no doubt die from pestilence or famine.  Without bats, the insects would plague us.  We owe the owls and bats an equal amount of debt.

Greg Cox first impressed me with his Star Trek novels.  Several featured three of my favorite television characters: Gary Seven, Roberta Lincoln and Gary's "cat" Isis.

These endeavors consist of Assignment Eternity and two volumes comprising Eugenics War: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh.  All highly recommended.  

When I caught a glimpse of Batman: the Court of Owls by Greg Cox in Barnes and Noble, color me intrigued.  

Some of the novels DC-Titan publishes such as Mad Love and The Killing Joke are adaptations.  The Court of Owls is original.  It's not a reiteration of the Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo opus. 

For those not in the know, the Court of Owls is an ancient cult, similar to the Freemasons, only evil.  At the height of their power, the Owls, all rich dilettantes, secured the wealth of the one-percent.  They protected the lucre for themselves and the heirs that would become custodians of the money.  They made good on their threats through the use of the Talons.

Vampires, zombies, ghouls and mummies are the forms of undead that accompanied the human race since the invention of storytelling.  Talons are a unique species of undead created in the twenty-first century.  The first of its kind.  

Greg Cox's novel spans two periods: the progressive era of the nineteen hundreds and the modern era, perhaps half-a-year after Batman's first encounter with the Owls and their Talons.  

Cox evinces Batman savvy.  So, when you read, you are awash in an authentic Batman detective story.  Batman enters the story early.  He arrives in Chapter One at the scene of a homicide.

Note that much of Cox's description of Batman alludes to the Batman of film.  Although you can also argue that the details go back to the original intent of Batman's creators and their most influential successors.  Despite Batman's comic book appearance of contrasting grays and blues many envisioned him all in black.

He--He's in the...Flash film...There's footage! Are you kidding me?  

This is...I'm sorry...I have something in my eye...right now.  

Excuse me.

After examining the evidence, Batman forms an unwelcome conclusion.  The Owls and their Talons are back.  Cox isn't interested in dragging his feet for this book.  Batman is no ordinary detective, and Cox recognizes him as the quickest intellect on the planet.  Furthermore, he corroborates what's implied in the comic books.  Batman is an Owl deterrent.  The stability and power of the Owls suffered greatly due to his past interference.  The surviving Owls fear him.  A terrific scene of such terror subtly manifests in Chapter Sixteen.  

No, no.  No spoilers.

As Batman's investigation unfolds through the narrative, Cox brings in familiar sights from the mythos and involves members of the Batman Family.  

In flashback, the Batwing hovers.  Batman makes multiple trips to a Batcave filled with bats.  

The guest cast includes Alfred, Nightwing and of particular pleasure for me, Batgirl.  

Batgirl will make an even more dynamic appearance in the concluding chapters.  There she gives the Dark Knight much needed physical backup as he contends against the Court's machinations.

Cox presents nuanced personae that grant Batman, his allies and certain historical figures substance.

These differences between the characterization of the human and inhuman bestow Batman with the exact amount of mystique he should possess.  Batman only scares the guilty in this story.  To everybody else, he's the hero.  A known quantity, albeit weird, that's chosen to protect the innocent.

Batman: The Court of Owls earns my must read recommendation for any Batman and Batgirl fan.  Those with a liking for hardboiled and scientific mysteries will also find much to enjoy. 

The novel isn't marketed as an all-ages story.  It's likely to go over a ten-year-old's head.  Though she may enjoy the action and heroism.  Teens probably wouldn't find the topics of infidelity, affairs and marriages of convenience out of place.  

These more mature subjects materialize in the past which focuses on the relationship of an artist and his model/muse.  How their romance affects modern times becomes central to the puzzle.  That you care about what happens to them is a testament to the richness of Cox's writing.  

The book itself is a sturdy high-quality hardback, metric dimensions with non-glare, textured paper.  Quite lovely: ISBN--9781785658167 or ebook ISBN--9781785658174.

Writers Alan Burnett and Paul Dini with stellar artists Ty Templeton and Monica Kubina introduce the Court of Owls to Batman: The Animated Series via Batman: The Adventures Continue.  Henceforth, Animated Series and Adventures will serve as identifiers.

Burnett and Dini send a Talon to end the life of a long-standing cast member of The Animated Series.  Batman investigates.  He's not alone.

Deadman is perhaps the second most surprising element of the story.  Deadman's association with Batman is mostly due to Neal Adams being artist for both in the Bronze Age.  Though, several aspects of their histories naturally overlap.  

Deadman spent his tenure in Strange Adventures searching for his murderer.  Batman is the world's greatest detective.  Adventures Continue mentions the other commonality for four characters.

Batman's protege Robin and Deadman have circus backgrounds.  In The Animated Series, so does Batman.  He learned stage magic and escapology from Zatara, historically a hero in the vein of Mandrake the Magician that debuted just a year before Batman, in Action Comics.

Zatara's daughter Zatanna is an unexpected flourish.  Batman and Zatanna's amity famously developed from The Animated Series and transferred to continuity proper.  During the Bronze Age, Batman only considered Zatanna a Justice League colleague.  He becomes her friend through work, to borrow Thor's sentiment.  In The Animated Series he's known Zatanna longer than Nightwing.  The original Robin Dick Grayson if you're a babe in the woods.  Zatanna provides the book's single grain of comedy.  Her interaction with Batman leads to a good punchline at finale.

The two guest stars while unforeseen do not top the pure strangeness in the reappearance of an Animated Series throwaway figure turned into a fount of information.

General Vreeland was last seen in Animated Series episode "Harley's Holiday."  He completely overreacted and pursued the abductor of his daughter, the infamous Veronica Vreeland, in a tank.

Though this strong "Season Opener" seems to be a straightforward grafting of continuities.  I'm not so sure.  A Talon doesn't necessarily mean the presence of the Court of Owls.

This could turn out to be a very sly fair-play mystery with the suspects presented in plain sight.  On a personal note, I'd like to thank colorist Monica Kubina for not mixing her redheads.  Veronica Vreeland's eyes are green, and Babs Gordon's eyes are blue, baby.  Blue.

It's a pity that the other Powers That Be at DC can't get the details correct.  I mean.  Batgirl's eyes have been blue since her debut in 1967.