I'm enjoying this run. The focus of this book was Cassandra Cain aka orphan.
Batman still seems off kilter after the 'death' of Tim and Stephanie leaving the team.
I'm enjoying the pairing of Batwing and Azrael and I'm worried for this softer Clayface, he seems to be running out of time.
The writing was solid and the artwork in the first few issues was great, very engaging. But when the artist changed so did the style, it became less defined, suffused with dense colours that made some of the panels too dark and indistinct. I didn't really like the later artwork.
Eager to continue with this line.

This was nice to see some of Orphan's background and to learn more about what she had gone through before meeting Batman. Average but a decent read.

I truly enjoyed reading this graphic novel. It was one of my favorites that I have read in the past year. It had a lot of interesting elements, incredible art, and unexpected plot points.

ARC from Netgalley. 3.5 Stars.
This Volume should be called "The Redemption of Orphan". Cassandra Cain takes the spotlight in this team (Batman, Batwoman, Orphan, Batwing, Clayface, and Azrael) title this time around when Lady Shiva, leader of the League of Shadows (not to be confused with the League of Assassins which is led by Ra's Al Ghul) returns to Gotham, not only to take it over and destroy it, but to see how her daughter (revealed here as Orphan) is doing.
While the events are mostly resolved within the Volume, we do have some loose ends: The Colony, which Kate's father is leader of, is still out there, causing havoc. Ra's revealed that he had tampered with some of Batman's memories. Tim reveals to Bruce that he sees a lot of preparation being made for war (teasing the upcoming "Dark Days" storyline).
Overall, this was a solid book. I hope we have finally seen the end of the dark times for Cassandra, as she deserves to have some happiness in her life, but we, the readers, will ultimately see. Recommend.

'Batman: Detective Comics, Vol. 3: League of Shadows' by James Tynion IV with a host of artists focuses on team member Orphan and unleashes a crazy set of attacks of Batman's team and Gotham.

The new Batman team features Clayface, Batwoman, Batwing, Azrael and Orphan. Cassandra Cain, Orphan, doesn't want to talk. In this volume, which collects Detective Comics #950-956, we find out who her mother is. Her mother is Lady Shiva and she may be involved in the mythical League of Shadows. Before things are done, Batman's team will have to rely on Orphan's skill to save them, and when that skill is unleashed, it's a pretty amazing thing.

I read the Rise of the Batmen arc, and while I liked it, I felt a bit lost. I love Clayface being part of this team, but at the time, I wasn't familiar with the Cass character, but she has some great, weighty dramatic moments here. Her arc feels a bit different from similar "dark" characters and I appreciated it. I really liked this story. It's smart and action packed. The art pulls everything together.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

The League of Shadows comes to town with Lady Shiva in charge and is looking to destroy Gotham. The League's plot to sow discord with Gotham was very interesting. However it soon devolved into the plot of Dark Knight Rises. The focus on Orphan was great. Making her fascinated with ballet makes complete sense. A genius idea. I'd love to see her become Batgirl again. Hipster Batgirl Barbara Gordon grates on my nerves.

The art on this book was OK to subpar at best and didn't mesh together well at all. Even the coloring had glaring changes with each different art team. Marcio Takara's art was particularly awful. This was one of my fears with DC going to a biweekly schedule on its bigger titles. Artists wouldn't be able to keep up and the art would suffer.

The first story in this volume is narrated by Orphan. It’s poignant. The second story, stretching over several issues, features the League of Shadows, believed by Batman to be nothing but a myth, as if Batman isn’t. The League mostly consists of Shiva, who has conspired to turn the Gotham police against Batman (again), just as he was putting an end to the city’s corruption. Something that smells like Joker toxin is making people laugh, Orphan gets involved in family drama with her badass mama, Batwoman gets involved in family drama with her badass papa, Batwing and Azrael get snatched, and Ra’s al Ghul gets into the Batcave. What a mess for the Batfamily.

Eventually it’s up to Orphan to save Gotham. Well, Orphan and a little help from Jacob Kane and the Colony and all the aforementioned Bat-heroes, not to mention Clayface. But the story as a whole is very much Orphan’s story, and it’s a pretty good one.

The next story a talkfest between Batwing and Azrael as they discuss their respective religious beliefs. The story after that is a talkfest between Batman and Red Robin about Batman’s preparation for war. Both of those are snoozefests that don’t go anywhere.

The Detective title needs to get it into gear, to move along with a bit more alacrity, but I'm giving this 4 1/2 stars, mostly on the strength of Orphan's story.

The art starts with a lot of detail and recognizable faces. But by the end of it volume, it has deteriorated into a sketchfest.

In this tale the reader learns part of the backstory of Orphan when her mother comes calling. Also, Batwoman and company are being hunted down by the League of Shadows, the Colony is on the rebound, and Ra al Gul has been messing with Batman's mind. Will any of the team survive these onslaughts?

As close to four stars as makes no difference; this was a great improvement over book one. Having said that, it has many mentions of some things you won't know anything about if you haven't read the second volume in the interim. You won't know why half the Bat-characters are so half-arsed, nor why this Colony thing is important. Still, the story itself reaches into the Bat-mythology and brings out characters that just want to fight, and fight, and fight. And, for a change, fight over whether lethal action is better or not, cos that's never been mentioned before. So yes, it offers little new, and hints at it all going to pot in future books, but it's pleasantly meaty and reasonably enjoyable. Not a classic, but a lot better than the standard of recent times.

Yet another beautifully illustrated addition to the DC Rebirth universe as The League of Shadows descends upon Gotham. Batman and the mysterious Cassandra Cain face Lady Shiva who has come to Gotham to reek havoc and collect what is rightfully hers.

Throughout Tynion's Detective Comics run, Batman's been denying the existence of the League of Shadows. Now, as you can tell from this volume's title, he must confront it head on. (The reason he's been so wrong so far? Ugh, I'll get to that later.) The real focus of this collection, though, is Orphan, aka Cassandra Cain, aka the Pre-New-52 Batgirl who wore the black outfit. We get a little backstory on her, a little perspective on what it's like to be in her head, and a lot of fighting from a young lady who was bred to kill. The biggest downside for me from a story perspective is that I think Batman is a character who should be grounded in reality (as much as that is possible for a superhero), meaning scientific gadgets and CSI-level criminology are fine, but not the Harry-Potter stuff, and we get a little dabbling into the arcane arts (which may increase in the next volume). Additionally, the art in this volume is not fantastic. The earlier Rebirth Detective Comics volumes worked better.

A bit long winded(but what Batman oriented comics aren't?) but a great story following Orphan's origins. Brutal and bloody fight scenes fitting for a League focused plot.

The main character of this TPB was definitely Cassandra aka Orphan. The league of Shadows is coming to Gotham to basically wipe it off the map and Lady Shiva is with them, and she and Cass have quite the connection.

We also get some Batwoman/Montoya stuff which was interesting. And so, so, so much blood. Yikes.

It was another intriguing step forward in this Detective Comics title. I mean, heck, I’m freaking rooting for Clayface. Yeesh…

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of DC Entertainment.

I love the rebirth series and this is just another thrilling volume. I look forward to future volumes

It's hard not to be taken in by the warmth with which James Tynion embraces DC Comics's history in Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 3: League of Shadows. This is an Orphan Cassandra Cain story, nee the No Man's Land-era Batgirl; it's been a while since we've seen a writer delight so fully in the Kelley Puckett take on the character. Tynion's Detective Comics remains an excellent team book, especially in the interaction between Batman and Batwoman, and Tynion's fraught plots kept me turning the pages well into the night.

Batman: Detective Comics, Vol. 3: League of Shadows by James Tynion IV is moving along very well and it is doing so by taking the biggest risk any Batman comic can do. It is making Batman into a supporting character. This series is about the team and the individual members more then it is about the Dark Knight himself. Which is one of the reasons I enjoyed this story arc so much. It is about the League of Shadows. It is about Lady Shiva. It is about Cassandra Cain, the once Batgirl; the Orphan.

The League of Shadows, under the leadership of Lady Shiva invade Gotham. What they are after is unsure but the rampage they are on is muderous. Batman and his team must face off against the League but they are terribly outclassed and still reeling from the loss of Tim Drake, Red Robin, who sacrificed himself to save the city.

Batman must even align himself with his most deadly enemies to fight the League and Lady Shiva. But what they do not understand is what Shiva is truly up to. What she has come to Gotham for. She has come to claim what is hers. Her child. Her daughter. Cassandra Cain.

Cassandra Cain is one of the most unique characters in the Batman universe. She is a killer, trained by her father to be the foremost assassin in the world. She has battled her own father and mother and even Batman himself. What Cassandra wants most though, is to belong. To be part of a family. She had it once when she was Batgirl and now, as the Orphan, she is trying to find a way back.

The moments of Cassandra watching the ballerina dancer and mimicky her moves is a brilliant stroke by Tynion. It speaks to the deep well of loneliness in her. The loss of childhood, of just being a little girl. There was no horrible tragedy that took this from her as it did to Bruce Wayne. No, for Cassandra it was a calculated move on her father's part. The people who should have loved her the most, are the ones who hurt her the most.

And now her mother has come for her. Will Cassandra survive?

A terrific arc in the Batman universe. This one collects Detetive Comics 950-956.


READING PROGRESS
September 14, 2017 – Started Reading

From the publisher: Batman's team of vigilantes continues to protect Gotham City in the next volume of the best-selling series, BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOL. 3: LEAGUE OF SHADOWS!

The next big DETECTIVE arc explodes here as the League of Shadows goes from mysterious rumor to deadly fact! With two new members of the team, Azrael and Batwing, will the Dark Knight's squadron of crime-fighters be able to discover the League's plan? And what deadly personal seceret will be unleashed on the team?

From writer James Tynion IV (BATMAN/TMNT) and the spectacular art team of Eddy Barrows (NIGHTWING) and Alvaro Martinez (BATMAN ETERNAL) comes the third volume of the return of DETECTIVE COMICS! Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #950-956.

Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 3: League of Shadows, by James Tynion IV, is another in the line of excellent Batman books. Tynion builds on the idea of Batman forming a team of Bat-heroes to help him protect Gotham. Trained by Batwoman, this group, consisting of Clayface, Orphan, Azrael and Batwing (replacing Red Robin and Spoiler), is growing in confidence and ability. But, the League of Shadows may be too much for them.

When Lady Shiva and the League of Shadows come to Gotham, they plan to destroy it. Along the way, they run in to the remains of the Colony (a group run by Batwoman's father), Batman's new crew, and Ra's al Ghul. Cassandra Cain, aka Orphan, is particularly spotlighted. The story speeds along and comes to a fantastic and heartwarming conclusion.

I really liked this collection. Tynion has done an excellent job with the group, and in this book he focuses on Orphan. I thought he did a terrific job portraying a young girl with limited speaking skills (but strong non-verbal communication), raised to be an assassin with no remorse for killing, who desperately wants to be someone and something different. There are several heartbreaking scenes with Cassandra, yet some of the most heartwarming as well. I also found the League of Shadows, whom I had little previous knowledge of, to be a worthy opponent for Batman, and a worthy challenger to the better known League of Assassins. Lady Shiva is formidable and I look forward to future stories about her and the League.

Additionally, there are some interesting developments with Kate Kane (Batwoman) and her father. Tynion has done a nice job with Batwing and Azrael, who form an interesting partnership (science vs. faith). I also like the depth Tynion is adding to Clayface, who is no longer a one-note villain.

Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 3: League of Shadows, by James Tynion IV, is a terrific book. I highly recommend it to Batman fans. It is also a fine self-contained story (minimal knowledge of previous storylines required) and a good beginning point for new readers.

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DC Comics has several series on Batman running at the same time and Detective Comics is one of the longest running series not only in DC Comics’ history but also in comic history in general. This volume collects Detective Comics issues #950-956. Here it focuses on Batman fighting a villainous group called the League of Shadows.
One of the things that I noticed in this volume is how this is more of a story focused on a team rather than just Batman the solo hero. We see an array of characters and sidekicks from Batwoman, Robin, Nightwing, etc. The story began with readers meeting Cassandra Cain, a lady who is behind the hero named “Orphan.” In fact much of the story is directly tied to her origin and background as readers will soon discover. She’s a character that is rather new to me and I thought the first issue with her talking about her upbringing by her father to become an assassin and how she has problem communicating was interesting for this is a story of a hero who is troubled, flawed and she knows it. There’s an element to the way the writer and artist presenting her inner thoughts that makes it more believable and invokes empathy for the character. I really found the character Cassandra Cain compelling and a strong lead in this volume. First off she’s stronger than Batman and even Batman admits in the story that she can kill Batman. Secondly she’s someone who was raised in a worldview that is completely opposite of that of Batman in which she is trained to murder at a whole different level of fighting than the rest of the villains and heroes in the story but you see her living out what Batman believes in not taking a human life. Of course to hold to Batman’s value as her own she inevitably clashes with the ghosts of her past which becomes incarnate so to speak when the league of shadows emerges and eventually lead Cassandra to face her own mother.
From the previous paragraph I hope it is evident that I enjoyed the story in this work. At the same time I felt there were some drawbacks. For a work on Batman this has way too many sidekicks than what I’m used to. It felt somewhat crowded. Which might not be a problem for other heroes and superheroes but there’s something to Batman that is rather aloof even when he has others helping him. Having so many sidekicks seem to also pull away from the Cassandra Cain storyline which seems to be the main thing in the volume. Also I thought there were times where the story got a little bit unbelievable even for a world of DC Comics superhero. There are moments where various members in Batman’s team get severely injured only for them to somehow get freed and back in action right away. Now I know it is not real life and it is just comics but the writer and artist has it as their intention to describe how lethal the enemies are and how much devastation they can cause but it was rather distracting and took away from their emphasis on the powerful attacks and coordination of the enemy when Batman’s sidekicks could just somehow be in the fight so quickly and at times without explanation how they got themselves back together. Also I felt this story presupposes a lot of what went on before in volume one; I had to go back to volume one to situate what is going on in volume three and I’m not sure if I needed to know what’s in volume two for the story to be more complete (I happen to have not read volume two). I wished maybe perhaps in the beginning of the book it could have told us where it was picking up from or filling in some of the details in summary form in the same way Batman volume one and two did in the New 52 series.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by DC Comics and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Had not read the other volumes so I was not sure what to expect from Volume 3. I must say this was terrific. The art work is really excellent and I had not really read much with Cassandra Cain in and this was a revelation. Incredibly enjoyable and a great read highly recommended.

This is probably the strongest entry in Tynion's run on Detective Comics. He really took the time to dig down into one of the most interesting recent additions to the Bat-family-- Cassandra Cain-- and that really paid off. I thought her fascination with dance as a form of communication was an absolutely gorgeous way to explore her character, and then to have her be at the center of the conflict in this story really worked all the more because we really started to see her in all of her complexity. The rest of the family definitely operated much more peripherally, but that was fine considering how fine a piece of character writing this volume ended up being.