Talon #2

Part of DC's New 52 line and spinning out of the pages of Batman, Talon #2 drops readers straight into something ominous — the cover, penciled and inked by Guillem March, frames a wounded, battle-worn figure standing amid swirling water while a looming adversary advances through a foreboding stone passage above, all beneath the chilling tagline "…Into the Tomb of the Unworthy!" The contrast between the bloodied, defiant figure below and the powerful silhouette above immediately communicates real stakes and a claustrophobic sense of dread. Writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV, with interior art by Juan José Ryp, bring "First Strike" to life in what promises to be a tense and atmospheric chapter of this Court of Owls spinoff series.