I haven't reviewed the first two issues of Batman and now that I think its a little late to review them, so let me just say that they were both awesome. Moving on to issue #3, Scott Snyder continues to do exactly what's expected of him: make a damn good Batman comic. While last issue had a big action set piece, this issue is more of a creepy build-up of the Court of Owls. We're immediately treated to a creepy flashback to Alan Wayne fleeing through the streets of 1920s Gotham. Whats great about this scene is that it implicates that the Court of Owls may have had a hand in Alan's death, but its just as likely that he was just a senile old loon.
This issue is all about building up tension and establishing an ominous atmosphere, and it does so wonderfully. The tension just builds and builds as the reader(along with Batman)uncovers secrets about the Court of Owls until the explosive ending. The "thirteenth floor" thing is creepy and believable as the Court's hideout; I don't know if there really are abandoned thirteenth floors in old buildings, but it sounds plausible. Snyder continues to do a great job at incorporating Gotham's past and architecture into the narrative.
Greg Capullo also handles the art duties well. His Batman looks great, the Talon looks threatening, the Owls look unsettling, and the city looks beautiful(speaking of beautiful, this issue's cover is gorgeous!). I'll admit that his Bruce Wayne looks a little young for my taste, but that could be how his age is supposed to be in the New DCU, and its just a matter of personal preference anyways.
I do think that there are a couple loose ends left dangling from the last issue: How does everyone think Bruce survived his encounter with the Talon? It's obvious that people know he was attacked, so do they just think he survived by luck or do people realize that Bruce Wayne is a certified badass? Also, what does Bruce think about the Talon surviving? Last issue the Talon fell to his death, only to wake up later in the ambulance and kill the driver. Bruce seems to know that the Talon is still out there, but he never comments on nor questions the fact that the Talon survived somehow. The book is just too smart and too good to let questions like these drag it down. Its like questioning how the Joker escaped Bruce's penthouse in The Dark Knight: why bother with such little details when the overall result is so good? Overall this is unquestionably the best Bat-Book on the shelves, maybe even the best superhero book currently on the shelves, and I can't wait for issue 4.
9.5/10