Scott's Take: Fantastic Four: War Zone by Greg Cox

 

Fantastic Four: War Zone by Greg Cox is a prose novel which I read through Hoopla which was a reissued version of the original story which came out a long time ago. Don’t be fooled by the stylings of the graphic novel cover as this is a regular novel.

 

In this adventure, creatures from the Negative Zone are entering their universe and threatening Earth. Someone has opened a portal into the positive universe and seeks to invade. It looks like Blastaar and Annihulus are back to their old tricks again. It’s up to the Fantastic Four to save the day. Again.  While Reed and Ben go to shut down the portal from the Negative Zone, Johnny and Sue will defend New York from the invaders and protect the Fantastic Four’s portal so Ben and Reed can come home.

 

This is a fun read with a writer who really knows each character. Each of the Fantastic Four are given multiple chapters from their POV. There is a lot of detail written in to each scene. It’s a read that constantly switches from one group to another. There is also a lot more violence as well as a higher civilian death count than a typical Marvel read as the consequences of invasion are felt by the people of New York.

 

I have never found Annihulus that interesting, but this writer has piqued my interest in learning more about the character.  This was a really good read set some time in the past of the Fantastic Four as both Valeria and Franklin are little children. I think this read would be a good basis of a movie at some point.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3I6QTwF

 

As stated in the review, my digital reading copy came by way of the Hoopla App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2025

Scott's Take: Infinite Crisis by Greg Cox

Infinite Crisis by Greg Cox is a novelization of the seven issue comic book series. Because the Dallas Library System remains closed due to the pandemic, I have read most of the library books I had checked out when the system shut down. This 2006 published book comes from my personal TBR pile and was a gift from my Mom back in 2008.

Because this book came out more than ten years ago, it uses the canon of the time and not how things are being reimagined today. Set during the “post crisis” it is a low point for Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman personally as well as in their relationships with each other. After the revelations and decisions that led to this novel, Batman recently found out that multiple heroes were mind wiping villains once they learned the secret identities of various Justice League members. Batman also learned that he had been mindwiped as well after he objected to the actions of his fellow heroes. This betrayal led him to start the OMAC project and build brother Eye. 

At a later point, when Superman was mind controlled by Maxwell Lord, he brutally beat Batman until he was barely alive. He then went after Wonder Woman and tried to kill her. The only way to stop him was the death of Maxwell Lord which Wonder Woman made happen by snapping his neck.  Batman believes that Wonder Woman crossed a moral line as no hero kills. The mind wiping that was done on him remains a major issue in their relationship.

The preceding sets up the multiple storylines in this book. Infinite Crisis is one of the more complicated “event comics” I have read. There are numerous deaths, huge battles, and lots of violent action. Heroes and villains die. Many minor heroes and several major heroes find even the most powerful among them will not survive the events in this novel. The comic series that was adapted into this book changed the DC Universe with repercussions that continue today through numerous series.

The story is told from multiple perspectives of heroes and villains. Many readers will be familiar with the major players. Many will not be familiar with many of the minor ones such as Omega Men, the Freedom Fighters, the Justice Society, Power Girl, Max Mercury, and more. This book features minor and major heroes as well as minor and major villains. Just about anyone and everyone is here in this read.

This is all hands-on deck situation with tragedy after tragedy and a massive body count among heroes and civilians. While Infinite Crisis by Greg Cox is a really good book, it is probably over complicated for casual readers. But, I think it is worth a read for any DC Comics fan especially one who enjoyed the comic. 

Scott A. Tipple © 2020

Scott's Take: Batman: The Court Of Owls by Greg Cox

Batman: The Court Of Owls by Greg Cox is a recently released original novel that acts as quasi-sequel to the Court of Owls debut comics by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Those comics are highly recommended and started off an acclaimed Batman run by that team during the New 52 which ran for several years as well as numerous other tie-in books. While I recommend the Court of Owls comic series, the first two volumes are the best. However, one does not have to have ever read those volumes since the Court Of Owls and Batman’s history with them is explained in the first few chapters of Batman: The Court Of Owls.  

The Court Of Owls and their fearsome servants, The Talons, are some of the best villains to make their debut in recent years. They are a great addition to Batman’s rogue gallery. For those who do not know, a “rogue’s gallery” is the term used to describe the collection of villains, antagonists, and ne’er-do-wells that work against the superhero. 

The Court of Owls is an evil society of rich people that have controlled Gotham from the shadows since the founding of Gotham. They are the power and force behind everything that happens and they seek to maintain their control of everything in the age of Superheroes and Supervillains. Serving them are their fearsome assassins called Talon’s. These are children that have been trained and brainwashed and raised to do the bidding of the Court of Owls. These now adults have also been augmented with a significant healing factor that allows them to, despite the severity of injury that would kill a normal person within minutes, regenerate what is needed to live and fight again.

The Court has a long history with Gotham and with the Wayne family and therefore things are very personal between the two groups. They pose a serious threat to Batman as well as Bruce Wayne. They know that Bruce Wayne is Batman. They have the numbers, the soldiers, the tech, the resources, and more to match Batman and his team of heroes pound for pound.

In this novel Batman investigates the torture and murder of a college professor by one of the Talons. Why would a fearsome society of evil kill a college professor? What information were they trying to extract from him? What happened and why are just some of the questions in this novel. The professor’s death was also very unusual even for Gotham. He apparently died as a result of being burned from the inside out. It appears that either just after or during torture, he spontaneously combusted. How is that possible? Each answer Batman uncovers raises more questions.

Batman: The Court Of Owls also raises fundamental questions such as is Gotham Batman’s city or the Courts? If the bad guys have controlled Gotham since the founding, can Batman really ever save the city? Will Gotham always belong to the Court of Owls? Can Batman, Alfred, and Nightwing ignore the family history with the Court and focus on how best to deal with the Court of Owls. If members of their families fell to the Court, what chance do they have against the descendants of the Court? This fight is not just about the city, but it is about the legacy of their families and the history of Gotham.

Batman: The Court Of Owls by Greg Cox is a novel that is equal parts action and detective work. A lot of Batman stories ignore the detective aspects of Batman. This novel does not do that and is filled with multiple mysteries at work. The read features Jim Gordon, Alfred, Batgirl, and Nightwing and those characters are also extremely well done. The novel is also filled with less important details that are fun for Batman nerds who enjoy the lesser known parts of Gotham’s history.

I also enjoyed the fact that Batgirl and Nightwing were capable heroes in their own right throughout the novel. In a lot of Batman novels I have read, there is tendency to make the younger heroes appear incompetent or a burden to Batman. This author understands that if they were either then Batman would never have trained them in the first place.

I also enjoyed how Batman cares about the people he saves and how he watches over them throughout their life. This mystery read is a really good book featuring a newer villain that many outside of the comic reading public are not aware exists. Batman: The Court Of Owls by Greg Cox is a great Batman novel and well worth your time.

Batman: The Court Of Owls

Greg Cox

http://www.gregcox-author.com/

Titan Books

https://titanbooks.com/

February 2019

ISBN# 9781785658167

Hardback (also available in digital and paperback formats)

Pages 336 Pages

Material supplied by the Bachman Lake Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

Scott A. Tipple ©2019