By Greg Cox

Titan, out now

When a history professor is found dead, tortured prior to his demise by what look like talons, Batman correctly fears that the Court of Owls is back causing problems in Gotham…

As someone who enjoys the Batman mythos, but is by no means an expert in it, I approached this new novel by veteran tie-in author Greg Cox wondering if I’d become lost in a mass of continuity references that would make no sense. I needn’t have concerned myself: anything that the reader needs to know about the Owls and their relationship with both the Wayne family and Gotham is skilfully incorporated into the narrative, and you need to know little more about Batman other than his alter ego’s identity for this to work.

This is a Batman for the 21st century, his uniform fully equipped with the latest in offensive, defensive and research weapons, and all come into play in this taut tale, which never forgets that the Batman is a detective, putting clues together. There’s plenty for both Bruce Wayne and Batman to do, and various allies are brought in to assist at relevant points. Gotham itself becomes a key character in the tale – both now and a century ago, with a secondary thread set around 1918.

Cox feels equally at home with the investigatory portion as with the action, and it’s refreshing to read a superhero novel that remembers that not all heroes have extraordinary powers but some are simply men and women who’ve pushed themselves to the peak of human physicality. At least one key character is sidelined because of injury, whereas you almost expect them to “shrug it off”.

Verdict: A highly enjoyable addition to the Bat-mythos. 8/10

Paul Simpson