Talon #0 Review

The idea of Talon as a series is certainly sound; following a man that was able to break free of the Court of Owls’ clutches and try to redeem himself is a concept with plenty to offer. We could see him try and right the many wrongs he’d done as a Talon while trying to avoid assassination by the Court he betrayed. However, with Calvin Rose being a brand new character introduced in issue #0 – after we’ve seen the kinds of motivations that lead one to becoming a Talon – he’s got a long way to go to proving his worth as not only a hero of Gotham, but as the anchor of one of DC’s New 52.

Writer James Tynion IV makes him endearing enough – he’s an escape artist that is led to the Court as a child – but his motivations for “accepting” his role within the Court are questionable. Compared to past tie-ins that provide these seemingly evil characters reason enough for becoming tools of assassination, Calvin’s is never made entirely clear. He’s got daddy issues (a necessity in the DCU, it seems), but other than that, he just seems to be easily swayed by the Court’s monologue about cleaning up Gotham. Granted, it’s doubtful he would’ve even had a choice in the matter, but Talon #0 still shows Calvin accepting the offer rather quickly and without good reason. Since this is serving as an origin story, it’s a bit disappointing that we don’t get more of an understanding of Calvin’s character other than the very broadstrokes.

That said, Tynion’s narrative voice is solid, offering many anecdotes about Calvin’s early days in the circus and as a Talon. Despite the narrative captions serving mainly as exposition, Tynion deftly spices things up with insight into Calvin’s personality. Talon #0 also makes great use of Calvin’s history as an escape artist, using it for solid thematic content instead of just convenient plot points (having a lockpick hidden away in dire circumstances is always recommended). The Court of Owls also makes a significant appearance here by necessity, but Tynion is able to mine that psychologically disturbing element that makes them such spectacular villains to great effect.

It’s nice to see Guillem March on a book that doesn’t rely simply on cheesecake, allowing him to showcase his storytelling chops to the reader without worry of distraction. March isn’t known for subtlety, but he gets to enact some during the aforementioned Court sequences, both in terms of action and horrific imagery. It’s a very nice change of pace for the artist, so here’s hoping that the future installments can maintain this sort of quality.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

Source : ign[dot]com

Tron: Uprising – "The Price of Power" Review

Apologies for this review going up a week late - Comic-Con had us all in its clutches when this episode aired!

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

As I've mentioned in previous reviews, despite delivering spectacularly on the promise of an original and stylish visual aesthetic, Tron: Uprising has relied on familiar storytelling tropes a lot in the first half of its inaugural season. It's a minor complaint, given that the show is generally well written and the writers have managed to adapt the themes organically into the world of the Grid, but the trend continues in "The Price of Power." This time, however, the source material comes with an interesting meta significance.

In this episode we have a powerful weapon with a poisonous affect on anyone who possesses it and a hero who must destroy it while resisting the temptation to harness its power. Oh, and it also happens to be in the shape of a ring. Even those with only a passing familiarity with the Lord of the Rings franchise can see the connections between the stories, but they don't end there. Both have the same actor at the center of the chaos, Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings movies and provides the voice of Beck in Tron: Uprising. Wood is clearly in his comfort zone here, giving one a more dynamic performance than the usual flatness I've come to associate with Beck.

The action is set in motion by a Gollum-like character named Shaw, a scientist who has built General Tessler a prototype that could give the occupation a huge advantage over any potential rebellion (not that Tessler doesn't already have one, with a massive force of armed soldiers, recognizers, tanks and other heavy artillery at his command). Shaw's device snaps into an identity disc and provides the bearer with a massive power upgrade in strength and agility. But he has already become corrupted by his own creation, paranoid and aggressive, with glowing red eyes. It's a little preview of what's in store for Beck once he gets his hands on it and gives into the temptation to use the power-up for himself. As we all know he will, despite his promise to Tron to destroy it.

Predictability can be a big liability when a story is heavily influenced by other material, however well that story is adapted, updated and executed. It's not hard to see where the story is going long before it gets there. Fortunately, Tron: Uprising manages to provide us with lots of cool scenery along the way. The slow-motion shot of Beck flipping over Paige's chopper may be one of my favorite action shots in the series so far (Beck jumping out the window in "Identity" runs a close second). There's a glowing, crackling energy to this world that enhances even the most played-out themes and circumstances.

One other thing this episode accomplished was to give a little more heft to the character of Tessler. Thus far he's been the scheming, mostly fumbling, authority behind the scenes, barking out orders and sending his commanders out to get beat by the Renegade. Here we see him derez one of his minions by pulling out his identity disc through his chest, a ruthless act that even Pavel and Paige seem to find gruesome. So, okay, maybe Tessler is a badass after all. And for the first time, we actually got to see him go up against the Renegade when Beck, under the energy disc's influence, storms into his base and confronts him directly. An injury to Abel brings Beck back to his senses, but I look forward to seeing the continuation of this fight at some point in the future.

I also liked the way the episode ended, with the repaired disc back in play. As the cast and crew teased during the Tron: Uprising panel at last week's Comic-Con, there's some really interesting territory to explore up ahead. The tenuous bond of trust between Beck and Tron suffered a blow in "The Price of Power," but it's about to be put through an even bigger test. Stay tuned, programs.

Source : ign[dot]com