Title: The Gotham Trap

Writers: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV

Art by: Guillem March

Cover by: Guillem March

Release Date: October 24, 2012

Official DC Comics Synopsis: A new series spinning out of “Night of the Owls”!  After many years on the run, Calvin Rose returns to Gotham City to investigate the fallout from “Night of the Owls”!  Can the Court of Owls finally be defeated? Could Calvin have the one thing he’s been seeking his entire life: his freedom?

Review by: Brendan S

Let me start off by saying that this book is my favorite book on the shelves this month second only to Batman, but that goes without saying.  The story of the man being hunted down for doing the right thing has always peaked my interest going all the way back to The Incredible Hulk television series with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno.  And that is what I thought this series was going to be, but I’m glad to say I was wrong.  The outcast on the run is a great theme and dynamic for a story but it is greatly over used.  After the 0 issue that is what I thought we were going to get but now I know that is not true.  Now we see that he has teamed up with a Sebastian Clark, a man who has been monitoring the Court for years, including Calvin, and together they are going to take down the Court.

We see Calvin find out about the Court being mostly defeated by Batman so Calvin thinks it is safe to come back to Gotham so he returns to one of the Court’s building when the security system scans and discovers that he is there, and we see the man who we will learn to be Clark is alerted that Rose has been discovered.  Next Rose is fighting a Talon and trying to slow it down so he could escape because the Talons cannot be killed.  Until eventually Calvin knocks the Talon unconscious and Clark arrives and freezes her.

Then Clark reveals himself to Calvin and why he has a vendetta against the Court.  It’s a big, “My name is Sebastian Clark, you killed my father, prepare to die,” moment because Erastus Clark wrote a book exposing the secrets of the Court.  And then we get to see Clarks “Talon Cave” as I will come to call it.  And then we learn that the Court is weakened yet stronger simultaneously because they do not have many members but they have 16 Talons running around as opposed to one and they all have the ability to heal.  Then Clark reveals that he has reinvented Calvin’s Talon costume and Calvin agrees to help take down the Court.  Personally I’m beginning to see a real Bruce Wayne – Terry McGinnis relationship beginning.

I loved the art in this I thought that it really fits the book.  The action was stunning and I loved to look at it.  I also like the reference to Thomas Wayne Jr. (yes Thomas Wayne Jr. not Lincoln Mach) brought up in the story signaling that maybe later on down the road the two will cross paths.