Talon #14 Review

Written by: James Tynion IV
Art by: Emanuel Simeoni
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 31,2013

Dead or Alive

For the uninitiated, Talons can't really die.  They are like undead energizer bunnies, they keep going and going and going...  Unfortunately, the book isn't infused with Electrum and will indeed be buried after issue #17.  This is sad, but in my opinion is about 10 issues too late.  Yes, I loved Talon, but I think after it's first arc it lost it's focus and became a bit of a mess.  Enough ranting though, because this months issue has some closure as well.  Talon #14 is the last for creator James Tynion and artist Emanuel Simeoni as well as hero Calvin Rose...kind of.

Yes, James Tynion does a decent job of wrapping things up in his final issue.  Calvin does what he set out to do from the beginning and with the help of his team and a certain Caped Crusader, saves Sarah Washington and  puts Sebastian Clarke behind bars.  Unfortunately, the Court of Owls are not easily taken down and remain a mysterious threat just out of the grasp of the good guys.  We will certainly see them again, I'm sure.

I guess we will be seeing Calvin again as well.  Spoiler alert, he lives.  Those Talons are sure tough to kill (just ask the Butcher).  What is interesting is what he becomes at the end of the book.  It is a setup for the final couple issues of the series, but it's like an old friend returning.  Interesting.

Emanuel Simeoni ends his run on the book with his best issue yet.  I have not been a big fan of his art, but I liked what he did here.  Yes, the final pages brought back his odd looking characters and Batman looked a little strange and in desperate need of a shave, but I'll give him credit for the most part.  He did a real good job on the action scenes throughout and I must give him a big shoutout for the cover this month.  I loved it.

Bits and Pieces:

James Tynion does his best to end the tale of Calvin Rose in Talon #14.  Most of the loose threads are tied up satisfactorily.  The Court of the Owls will survive and so will our favorite Talon, for a couple of issues at least.

7.0/10