The casting of Ben Affleck as the next Batman inspired this week’s Friday Flashback:
We’re not going back that far into the past but the sudden Batfleck frenzy made me think of The Court of Owls. When Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo relaunched Batman in The New 52 they created this modern classic that would make a perfect Dark Knight movie.
(Here’s what I said then about the fifth chapter of this epic and why it was one of the best issues of the year:)
(Cue the Flashback Effects:)
Calling Batman #5 the latest chapter is not giving Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo the credit they deserve. Batman #5 is a work of macabre art and a bold experiment in storytelling that will take its place in graphic novel history.
Batman is caught in the ultimate trap set by the Court of Owls. As our hero tries to stay focused in their elaborate labyrinth the comic book you’re reading actually twists and turns taking you inside the mindwarping maze right up the slaughter.
You may actually may feel discomfort and tension just like Batman as your watch him lose his sanity and struggle to maneuver inside the trap. Snyder and Capullo have created an experience.
This is the work of two dark creative forces literally breaking a hero’s psyche and taking the reader into his journey into madness. The Court of Owls may still remain a mystery but clearly Snyder and Capullo are master manipulators like the villains with a grip on Gotham City and making Batman lose his grip on reality.
(Shortly after The Dark Knight Rises hit theaters here’s what I said then:)
How do you top Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale? I humbly suggest Warner Brothers wait at least 7 or more years and give Mr. Nolan the Court of Owls epic by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo for inspiration.
As I read each chapter of this dark epic I often thought how Nolan would translate the conspiracies and mind games of Snyder’s storylines and Capullo’s Owl designs to the big screen.
While the other New 52 Bat books focused on classic rogues Snyder created a dark new enemy and history for Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. The Court of Owls is a secret society that had been manipulating Gotham City for decades. The Owls have a ruthless assassin known as the Talon. The secret society has their talons gripped into the Wayne family and Gotham City history.
The storyline included Night of the Owls crossover. The Court unleashed an army of Talons on Gotham all at once with specific targets. While Bruce was under siege in the Batcave he called on his Batman family to prevent the Court’s deadly agenda. Only Bruce could ultimately uncover and face the mastermind behind the Court. A revelation that rocked the Wayne family legacy and Bruce’s memory of his parents.
In The Dark Knight Trilogy Bruce learned you must become a symbol and anyone could be Batman. In this potential film Bruce returns to see the young heroes inspired by him and he must confront a symbol of evil and the Bat’s natural enemy – the Owl.
Back to the Future: Ben Affleck will be a Darker Knight opposite the Man of Steel (Henry Cavill) in a Superman/Batman showdown that will likely lead to a Justice League movie. While Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have left Batman behind I can’t help but hope the Court of Owls epic by Snyder will become a Bat-masterpiece…maybe after Affleck gives up the Cape and Cowl and we’re in a frenzy over the next movie Batman?
By Editor