Not only is Batman one of the coolest heroes around, he also has the most interesting rogues gallery. There was a line before about choosing your enemies wisely because they define you. While Batman doesn't necessarily choose his villains, they do play a large role in making his comics one of the best around. It doesn't matter how great a superhero is if they don't have interesting villains to fight.

Batman might be the world's greatest detective but it's starting to look like he might be just a little too confident in how great he is. In the 'New 52' issues of BATMAN, a new threat has appeared in Gotham City and Bruce Wayne has been targeted. There is talk of a secret organization but Batman refuses to believe in their existence. The reason being he investigated them early on and found no evidence of them.

Batman will soon discover that even he doesn't know every dark secret belonging to Gotham City. The Court of Owls has been a part of an old folk song in Gotham and Batman refuses to believe they exist. He is going to be in for a surprise and it could turn out to be a deadly mistake. (There will be some minor spoilers to BATMAN #3).

Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send the Talon for your head.

If the Court of Owls does exist, what's the big deal? They just seem like another group of typical bad guys trying to make a name for themselves in Gotham. What we've been seeing is there is more to them than just that.

To begin with, it's not Batman that is targeted but rather it's Bruce Wayne. To Batman's surprise, a killer manages to enter Wayne Towers unseen. When Bruce Wayne is able to discretely put up a fight, he discovers his opponent is more of a match than he imagined. When the battle shifted to outside the Old Wayne Tower window, the fact that Talon was able to survive the fall suggests there is much more to him than just an average assassin.

But Bruce Wayne has been targeted before. This isn't anything new.

During the fight in issue #2, Talon mentioned he loved killing Waynes. This didn't make sense to Batman but he discovers that Alan Wayne, his great, great-grandfather, had developed a severe paranoia about birds. He felt they were conspiring against him. His focus soon shifted towards owls. That's simply too much of a coincidence.

It's mentioned how Alan Wayne eventually died. Because it was 1922, how much attention was given to the investigation? Is it possible that the Court of Owls were responsible for the death of Alan Wayne? Why else would the modern day assassin mention he loved killing Waynes.

That leads to another question. In a conversation with Alfred, they mention that no Waynes in the last fifty years died suspiciously. If Talon had killed a Wayne before, how old is he? Does he possess some sort of longevity or is it just a guy wearing the suit, channelling the essence of the guise of Talon, the killer?

To make matters worse, there is an insinuation that the Court of Owls has always been in Gotham. If this is true, that means they've been able to hide in the shadows away from Batman's investigating eyes. Batman thought he knew everything there was to know about Gotham. Harvey Bullock put it best at the end of issue #1.

...My view is, when it comes to Gotham, you don't know it, brother. It knows you. And the moment you think otherwise, the moment you get comfortable...that's when it stabs you right in the back.

The idea of the Court of Owls hiding under Batman's nose is a scary idea. They and Talon aren't just some crazed villains dressing up in kooky costumes. There is a lot more going on here than Batman knows about. For someone like Batman to be in the dark...that really makes it clear how much of a challenge they will be. Batman's able to rely on his contingency plans he comes up with against his known enemies (and allies). If there's a group working against him and he doesn't know anything about them, there's no way he can be fully prepared.

Batman can finally be challenged!!! :p

I love it when Batman gets challenged, because we get to see what he's like when he has to step back and go "Okay, maybe me with prep doesn't beat everything". xD

@emperorznb: @RainEffect: Shouldn't you guys say, Bruce Wayne gets challenged :P

@AwesomeAquaman: That works too :p. But at the end of the day, Bruce Wayne/Batman kicks ass!!! hahahaha

@AwesomeAquaman: @emperorznb: @RainEffect: What would really be a challenge for Batman is having Ra's Al Ghoul, Deathstroke, Hush, Bane (The one from Knightfall), Doctor Hurt, James Gordon Jr., David Cain and Joker too go too war with either and make Gotham the battle battlefield.

for a second there, it thought it was owlman

Hush, Red Hood, all these have somehow been more than a challenge to Bats the past couple 'years. Just hope this Court of Owls isn't just the Gotham version of the League of Assassins.

I hope Talon kills Wayne Rooney... :D

@batman_begins said:

Hush, Red Hood, all these have somehow been more than a challenge to Bats the past couple 'years. Just hope this Court of Owls isn't just the Gotham version of the League of Assassins.

Hush was a challenge in only story(Heart of Hush).

Now that's what you call a badass villain,though i would'nt call him more dangerous than any other rogues.Nobody from Batman and Robin can most certainly take him down and i'm certain Bane could too at his peak.

@emperorznb said:

Batman can finally be challenged!!! :p

this

A new crime organization we never heard of magically appeared? How many of these did we get already? Lemme think... Al Ghul's League of Assassins already established all over Gotham, the Order of St-Dumas, the various Crime families, the various turf war amongst super criminals/Bat-villains, and so many other I keep forgetting about..Is there some room for them to have business in Gotham? Can't they operate in NYC instead?

@Eyz: It all makes perfect sense. And they didn't magically appear. That's part of the story. I personally get irked when past events are conveniently inserted into characters past. "Here's some big event that no one knew about but will forever change the fate of the universe." That's not the case here. Where and how they've been hiding was really dang cool and I so badly wanted to spoil it but have to resist so everyone can discover it when they read the issue. As for why they've been in hiding, that's part of the story.

Conclusion: We don't know what in the DCnU has been retconned out of existence, and I'm still waiting to see the giant penny in the batcave.

Having gotten that out of the way, if what Talon says is true, there is every possibility that he's like The Dreaded Pirate Roberts, and his name and costume have been passed on from generation to generation. And maybe Bruce will finally solve his parents' murder, if he hasn't already this time around.

Batman stories in general are like onions, and every time you find another layer, there's one right below it.

Intriguing.

OMG this is nice

Looks to me like it is Ra's Ak Ghul and his little peeps O.o

I would expect Bruce to seek out Ra's Al Guhl to see if he has heard anything about them before. The Court of Owls reminds me of the League of Assassins and it would make sense with Ra's Al Guhls longevity that he would have heard rumors or real information about them at some point. Maybe seek Vandal Savage to question him.

@emperorznb said:

Batman can finally be challenged!!! :p

Reminds me of Bane's introduction.

When I first saw the name 'Talon' I instantly went and thought of the Sidekick Talon. Then with the Court of Owls I was thinking he could be Thomas Wayne Jr... now, I have to go and pick up this issue and find out more. I wish they had made it appear that the Court was trying to do good, and like Batman they were misunderstood...

I see similarities here between the Court of Owls and the Black Glove. Seems DC is already giving him his ultimate adversary off the bat in this New 52 reality. I'm curious who these guys are though. I'm quite intrigued!

It's a cybernetic Owl Man. Solved!

@tjx_penn said:

for a second there, it thought it was owlman

I think this story is meant to cement that the reboot got rid of Earth-3. Why else would Snyder make such obvious references to Owlman and Talon.

@G-Man: Alright then, I'll take your word for it! :D

I'm waiting for the TPB next year, so..

Am I the only one who thinks Alan Wayne is the absolute worst name for an upstanding aristocrat ever? For some reason to me it's just as bad as if Bruce Wayne had a grandfather named Bobby Joe. My annoying tendencies aside, this sounds like a great idea although I do share the sentiment that it's almost logistically impossible to have so many secret societies and gang families in Gotham. Then again it is Gotham. I can't wait to see how they explain the emergence of this new threat. Looks good and the Talon has great villain potential...

We have a pretty good enemy here, with the time, is possible that he can be another Bat-Nemesis!

The thing about new Batman villains is that any of them can have a big first story it takes another one to see if they can survive. Personally though another group with ties to Gotham or the Wayne does not feel new.

@tjx_penn said:

for a second there, it thought it was owlman

This.

@SigersonLTD said:

Conclusion: We don't know what in the DCnU has been retconned out of existence, and I'm still waiting to see the giant penny in the batcave.

The Giant Penny has already appeared in the Bat Cave in the DCnU. Issue #1 of one of the big three bat titles (Batman, Batman and Robin, or Detective Comics), forget which though.

I see Hush showing back up after this!

Cyborg- Owlman :D but Why owls always have to be magic, evil or a representation of wisdom?

Oh wait, maybe that's why they are the court of owls because they're so bad that they're good...

match for Batman ;)

In simpler words :

@jubilee042 said:

@emperorznb said:

Batman can finally be challenged!!! :p

this

This will make for a great storyline.

This is actually the first time I've bought Batman regularly since Knightfall and HUSH. Capullo is on his A game and I can't wait to see where this goes....

~KL~

this new dc or the old one?

I loved the old one

Just when everyone thought batman had it all, and seen it all. now we the people get too see a Different side :D

snyder is overrated, i just hope he won't turn into another douche like geoff johns. Batman and Robin is without a doubt the best Bat-book right now.

Hmmm,this issue actually does a decent job of trying to place the Court of Owls in to the batmythos without making it look stupid.But it does'nt do much otherwise.

@johnny_spam said:

The thing about new Batman villains is that any of them can have a big first story it takes another one to see if they can survive. Personally though another group with ties to Gotham or the Wayne does not feel new.

True.

This should be 3/5 IMO an obvious drop from the last 2 issues which i felt were 4/5(1) and 5/5(2).

Could be like a new Ra's Al Ghul kinda figure which is pretty damn sweet

Is it just me, or is anyone else reminded of Owlman and his sidekick Talon from the parallel earths?

@G-Man said:

@Eyz: It all makes perfect sense. And they didn't magically appear. That's part of the story. I personally get irked when past events are conveniently inserted into characters past. "Here's some big event that no one knew about but will forever change the fate of the universe." That's not the case here. Where and how they've been hiding was really dang cool and I so badly wanted to spoil it but have to resist so everyone can discover it when they read the issue. As for why they've been in hiding, that's part of the story.

I agree with G-Man 100% here, and it's rare that it happens. The way the Court of Owls works so far is leagues ahead of any hidden crime organization in comics yet.

I think Talon is a title or tank to the best assassin in the Owls. So when Talon said that he liked killing Wayne's, he didn't mean himself personally, but he meant it in a way that referenced the Talon identity itself, as if it were its own entity instead of a lineage of badass dudes dressing up and causing mysterious deaths.

edit: I should make note that my excitement allowed hyperbole to get the better of me. The Court of Owls isn't that good, lol.

what if they are Bird people or some kind of super humans that have been living for 500years...................................... the world maynever Know Untill some one takes a mask off O.o

I like this villian who ever they are they are amazing!!

Did it really have to be owls?

It's Batman Vs. Nite Owl from the Watchmen

this book rulezz. period.

Owls hunt bats in nature.

This is probably one of the most badass Batman stories in a while. I love seeing Bruce go up against enemies with a similar skill set. This enemy is basically a murderous Batman assassin, and I love that idea.

sadly im behind on my comics since the first run of the new 52 but is that nite owl as in nite owl i read the artical so i know he is some one called talon but costume designs look rather close would be a interesting twist to say the least