Saturday, November 17, 2012

Albert Avilla Reviews: Talon #0

Talon #0
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Plot: James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder
Writer: James Tynion
Art: Guillem March

The Long Run (Spoilers!)

When I first looked at the cover, I was thinking, what is this corny B. S.? After reading the story, that is a faded memory soon to be completely lost in the recesses of my mind. No, my thoughts are that Talon is the best new character to come bursting on the scene this month. Everything that I saw as a joke is now awesome in my sight.

In the opening scene, we find eight-year-old Calvin Ross, Talon, locked in a dog kennel by his sick father. His flair for the art of the escape emerges and an escape artist is born. Talon tells his origin during his own failed assassination. Young Calvin escapes to Haly's Circus to become an apprentice to an escape artist and eventually becomes a star in his own right. Calvin is taken by The Court of Owls to be trained to become a Talon. Calvin is won over by The Court of Owls with promises of fighting evil. To become a Talon, Calvin must kill the present Talon. Calvin is quilt ridden after killing the Talon. He continues to amaze The Court by being the first to escape their Labyrinth and becoming the new Talon.

On his first mission, Talon is ordered to kill a twenty-three-year-old heiress and her two-year-old daughter. Instead, Talon rescues Casey and Sarah Washington and once again performs an amazing escape. He is now a target of The Court. The Talon sent to kill Calvin makes the mistake of testing Calvin's skills by locking him in the trunk of a car and dumping it in the river. Calvin once again escapes and defeats the Talon. Now a man on the run, Talon must continue to escape The Court of Owls.

Talon has the potential to be the next big thing. Snyder and Tynion have overcome my prejudgments by creating a fresh new character. Talon’s unique skills take him from being a circus act to an assassin to a hero. Calvin Ross's heroism is demonstrated by his ability to rise above evil's influence throughout his life. Talon does not allow himself to become a victim of circumstance, but fights to forge his own path into heroism. A hero arises from The New 52.

The art is an integral part of the story. It does its part to demonstrate the enormity of the forces arrayed against Talon and the difficulty of the tasks he must accomplish. The immensity of the structures in comparison to Talon is symbolic of the position that Talon finds himself in his struggle against The Court of Owls.

I rate Talon # 0 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on Al-O-Meter Ranking

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