“Beware The Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadow perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they’ll send The Talon for your head.” – Scott Snyder

The Talons

I don’t think I’ve read many story arcs that can best the Court of Owls. Interweaving between mostly Nightwing and Batman and ultimately unleashing all hell upon Gotham and the Bat-family.

The Court of Owls and the Talons amazed me. An organization that spanned generations, utilizing science – not magic pits – to achieve immortality. It’s truly incredible how Scott Snyder was able to make them such a rich part of not only Gotham, but Bruce Wayne’s and Dick Grayson’s life in a way that seemed almost as if they had been there since the beginning.

Every talon is unique and has their own strengths and weaknesses but they all serve the same cause – to keep Gotham in the Court’s control. They’re also pretty much impossible to kill since they’re all literally dead. Like zombies with a conscience. Most of them had been trained as acrobats for Haley’s Circus as well, making them incredibly agile. It’s also how it ties into Nightwing, since he was supposed to be a talon as well.

The most important thing about the Talons and the Court of Owls is how they’ve affected Bruce’s life and his perspective on Gotham. They taught Batman that the city doesn’t belong to him and that there’s so much more to it than he knows. Gotham’s always been described as something more than a city, almost an entity that feeds on evil. This is just another example of what it can throw at you, even after so many years.

Favourite appearance: … Night of the Owls…

- Ryan