The launch of DC Comics‘ New 52 line of titles – all with first issues – marked the beginning of a brand new, streamlined DC Universe continuity, dubbed Prime Earth! It also… didn’t. The Batman titles were particularly guilty of referencing recent New Earth (pre-FLASHPOINT) events – with the opening to Nightwing’s new series even referencing Dick Grayson’s time as Batman following Bruce Wayne’s death (see BATTLE FOR THE COWL, 2009).
However, DC would open big! And it all started with the introduction of a previously unseen threat to Gotham City. While Bruce’s previously unshakable beliefs about his role, as well as the role of his Batman persona, in Gotham would be called into question, Nightwing would discover the beginnings of another, related set of revelations about his own origins! The Court of Owls are about to step out of the shadows…
Related Events: The first story arcs in the new Batman and Nightwing titles are separate, but connected as the lives of Bruce and Dick converge and overlap by the end of each arc before The Night of the Owls crossover event; for the core Court of Owls story, stick with Batman.
Title: ‘The Court of Owls’ isn’t officially a crossover; the Omniverse Comics Guide have named the event after the title of the first New 52 Batman collected edition.
Must-Reads: Issues in bold in the Core List or marked with a ✔ in the Full Reading Order are must-read stories from this event; in the Fallout section, issues marked with a ✔ are the stories that are most heavily impacted by this event; the Nightwing issues aren;t essential if you just want to follow Batman’s story and vice versa.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- BATTLE FOR THE COWL (2009) – Dick Grayson started filling in as Batman after Bruce died
- THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE (2010) – Bruce Wayne resumes the role of Batman
- FLASHPOINT (2011) – The DC Universe is reset with a new continuity
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Nightwing #1-5
- Batman #1-6
- Nightwing #6
- Batman #7
- Nightwing #7
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Nightwing #1 After filling in as Batman for a year (since BATTLE FOR THE COWL, 2009), Dick Grayson is back as Nightwing! A series of murders in Gotham City draws his attention, but he’s also distracted by the return of Haly’s Circus to Gotham for the first time since his parents’ murder. The next morning, a tough character arrives in Gotham. Dick pays Haly’s Circus a visit and reunites with some old friends. Later that evening, Dick is attacked by an assassin intent on killing him, believing Grayson is the fiercest killer in Gotham! Dick gets away long enough to change into his Nightwing costume, but the assailant doesn’t seem to realise Nightwing and Grayson are one and the same! But he’s fast and gains the upper hand over Nightwing. 1st appearance: Nightwing/Dick Grayson, Bryan Haly, Jimmy the Clown, Jimmy Clark, Marc, Raya Vestri, Saiko (unnamed), Haly’s Circus | |
| Nightwing #2 Dick Grayson recalls his early days with Raya Vestri, Raymond McCreary and Zane while he and his parents travelled with Haly’s Circus as the acrobatic Flying Graysons. Now, Nightwing briefly overpowers the assassin with a 150,000 volt charge. As their fight begins to impact innocents, Nightwing rescues a man from a flaming car while the assassin escapes. An hour later, Raya Vestri convinces Dick to take her to Atlantic City to see CC Haly – the terminally-ill founder of the Circus. In Atlantic City, Haly reveals he knows Dick Grayson is Nightwing and offers him the deeds to Haly’s Circus. On the flight back, Dick and Raya get intimate. The assassin – who calls himself Saiko – reveals CC Haly told him Dick is Nightwing, Bruce Wayne is Batman, etc. Nightwing returns to Atlantic City and fights Saiko in CC Haley’s warehouse. The place burns down and Haly succumbs to his injuries at Saiko’s hands. He dies in Nightwing’s arms telling him “the answer’s in the heart” with his final breath. 1st appearance: CC Haily, Saiko (named) | |
| Nightwing #3 A drunk Bryan Haly unleashes on Dick Grayson for showing up to his father’s funeral in Atlantic City, denying Dick’s right to take Haly’s Circus from him. After returning to Gotham, Raya Vestri tells Dick that their old friend Zane left Haly’s some time ago and managing assassins. Nightwing tracks down Zane – now calling himself Feedback – in Chicago. Zane’s telepathic implants send out radio frequencies that give Nightwing flashbacks and cause immense pain! He inverts the signals, causing Zane pain instead and warns him to leave Chicago and his murderous career. Dick heads to Philadelphia to rejoin Haly’s Circus and Raya. Elsewhere, Saiko promises Bryan Haly he’ll kill Dick Grayson, even though Bryan no longer wants him to! 1st appearance: Feedback/Zane, Raymond McCreary | |
| Nightwing #4 24 hours ago, in Gotham City, the shapeshifter Spinebender avoided capture by Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) after stealing valuable microchips! Now, weeks after CC Haly’s murder, Barbara follows the thief’s trail to Miami where she visits Nightwing at Haly’s Circus. Batgirl and Nightwing stake out the meeting with Spinebender’s fence, but the ‘shifter takes on Nightwing’s form and attacks Batgirl! Nightwing electrocutes Spinebender, crystallising him. Barbara departing words trigger a thought in Dick’s mind, leading him to the location of a book hidden at the heart of Haly’s Circus! It contains the names William Cobb, Benjamin Haldman, Alexander Staunton… and Dick Grayson. 1st appearance: Spinebender | |
| Nightwing #5 A woman named Zohna summons the demon Acheron to retrieve her beloved Jimmy the Clown when Haly’s Circus visits Louisiana. Nightwing gives chase and interrupts the ceremony that would bind Jimmy and Acheron together, then tricks the demon to falling through a doorway that makes it vanish. Elsewhere, Raya meets with Saiko who she’s working with… and sleeping with! 1st appearance: Acheron, Zohna Identity revealed: Saiko is Raymond McCreary | |
| ✔ | Batman #1 Batman (Bruce Wayne) deals with a breakout at Arkham Asylum. The Joker actually fights alongside Batman to get things under control – though it’s actually a disguised Nightwing. Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne join the party hosted at Wayne Manor to announce Bruce’s plans to build a better future for Gotham City. Bruce is introduced to mayoral candidate Lincoln March. Bruce leaves early to investigate a murder downtown as Batman, discovering a message at the crime scene declaring Bruce Wayne will die tomorrow! The blades in the body carry an owl motif. And the skin under the victim’s nails matches Dick Grayson’s DNA! 1st appearance: Circus of Strange (Big Top, Phosphorus Rex, Professor Pyg/Lazlo Valentin), Clayface/Basil Karlo, el Flamingo/Eduardo Flamingo, James Gordon Jr, Lincoln March, Mister Freeze/Victor Fries, Mister Zsasz/Victor Zsasz, Riddler/Edward Nygma, Harper Row (cameo), Scarecrow/Jonathan Crain, Two-Face/Harvey Dent, Vicki Vale, Ventriloquist/Arnold Vesker |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Batman #2 The ‘John Doe’ has a false tooth that carries the Athenian Owl symbol found on the blades. Commissioner Jim Gordon references the legend of the Court of Owls which Batman refutes. Lincoln March meets with Bruce Wayne at the top floor of Wayne Tower. While warning him of an ancient evil returning to Gotham, an assassin barges in, hurls a blade into March’s chest, announces the Court of Owls has sentenced Bruce to die and kicks him through the window! They fight as they fall, with the owl-themed killer announcing he loves “killing Waynes”. Bruce grabs a gargoyle while the assassin falls to his death. Later, the assassin’s body sits bolt upright in the ambulance, kills the paramedics and escapes! 1st appearance: Court of Owls (mentioned), Talon/William Cobb (unnamed) |
| ✔ | Batman #3 In 1922, Alan Wayne – Bruce’s great-great-grandfather – was pursued by mysterious owl-themed assailants. Now, Batman seeks answers. Butler Alfred Pennyworth reveals Alan Wayne’s obsession with owls that came with his senility. Bruce visits Lincoln March in hospital and hears his belief that the Court of Owls want to end his bid for mayor and stop Bruce from improving the city! Batman follows the clues and checks the 13th floor of Wayne Tower and other buildings constructed by Alan Wayne and finds hidden lairs containing armour and weapons like those of his would-be assassin. In one, he activates a tripwire and sets off an explosion! 1st appearance: Talon (named), Alan Wayne, Whisper Gang (Luka Volk) |
| ✔ | Batman #4 Batman escapes the exploding building, but takes some heavy damage. Dick Grayson returns to Gotham, heading to the Batcave to find Bruce back on his feet and studying the bones of Alan Wayne. Bruce won’t listen to Dick’s suggestion that he’s underestimated his enemy as he looked into the Owls’ existence around the time his parents were killed. Dick leaves to catch a plane back to Texas. Batman looks into the place in the sewers where Alan Wayne died, but is attacked and knocked unconscious by the Talon. Batman wakes up in a maze. From a screen above, the Court of Owls welcome him! 1st appearance: Court of Owls (cameo), Maze of Owls (unnamed) |
| Nightwing #6 (pp.1-10) Haly’s Circus comes to Austin, Texas where yet another booking agent for assassins – Terence Clark – sends the mech-wearing cowboy contract killer Shox to take out Nightwing. This time, he gets a small lead on Saiko. However, Saiko’s next move begins with Raya Vestri convincing Dick Grayson to leave Texas early, return to Gotham and put on an anniversary tribute show to the Flying Graysons. In Gotham, two police detective find the mangled bodies of two criminals and one of Nightwing’s escrima sticks as the murder weapon… 1st appearance: Det. Brook, Terence Clark, Det. Travis Nie, Shox | |
| ✔ | Batman #5 Batman has been missing for at least eight days, and Nightwing, Robin (Damian Wayne) and others have been looking for him. They don’t know Batman’s been trapped in a maze by the Court of Owls, drinking drugged water and finding tiny clues with no way out. Hallucinating meeting his blind, elderly parents. Hallucinating his own transformation into an owl before he’s skewered through the back by the Talon. At Gotham City Police Department HQ, the Bat-Signal catches fire after being on for eight days. Robin begs the GCPD to replace it. |
| ✔ | Batman #6 The Court of Owls order the Talon to hurt Batman even more as part of his death sentence! When the children of the Court descend on the Batman, he fights back! Unsure what’s real, Batman retaliates against the Talon and uses elements from the maze to cause an explosion, providing himself with an exit so he can escape into caves beneath the maze. The Court decide to let their failed Talon die as they have plenty more to choose from! 1st appearance: Court of Owls (full) |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (pp.1-6) Batman is found and revived – using jumper cables – by the young Harper Row, though he’s not pleased to see her! The Court resurrect another Talon… 1st appearance: Harper Row (full, first name revealed) |
| Nightwing #6 (pp.11-13) Haly’s Circus returns to Gotham City and prepares for the tribute show at Gotham Stadium. Alfred Pennyworth drops by during rehearsals to see Dick Grayson, but has to leave in case the missing Batman resurfaces… | |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (pp.7-10) Batman returns to a hidden entrance to the Batcave. Alfred has already brought the Talon the Court of Owls allowed to die back to the cave. Batman is afraid, but insists on experimenting on him. The Court prepare their next Talon to kill Batman… |
| Nightwing #6 (pp.14-20) The tribute show begins and Saiko shows up to publicly kill Nightwing. He unmasks, revealing himself to be Dick’s old friend Raymond McCreary! He detonates explosives hidden at the centre of the main stage of Gotham Stadium! | |
| Nightwing #7 (pp.1-15) Thousands of people are trapped in the burning stadium. Saiko explains how CC Haly faked Raymond McCreary’s death and handed him over to others who trained him and tortured him until he felt no pain! But feeling he wasn’t good enough, Raymond’s masters left him to die with birds clawing at his eyes. Nightwing cuts the massive hanging scoreboard so it falls down through the stadium floor and into tonnes of sand, taking the magnesium fire with it! Saiko reveals Raya Vestri and Bryan Haly were both working with him, and that his masters wanted Dick not Raymond. Raya activates the doors to set the audience free. The fight concludes with Saiko falling from the roof, down through the hole in the floor to his death, refusing to let Nightwing save him. After the fires are put out and Saiko’s body is found, Raya refuses to tell Dick anything as she’s taken away… | |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (p.11) Nightwing enters the Batcave and explains he wants to see Batman… |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (pp.11-12) / Nightwing #7 (p.16) Nightwing is shocked at the sight of the emaciated, severely-injured Batman who immediately explains he’s examining the body of the Talon… |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (pp.12-13) Bruce explains how the Court of Owls could keep their Talons in a not-quite-dead/not-quite-alive state. If a Talon died, the Court ae able to use ancient Greek methods to reactivate him using the metal Electrum from a deposit embedded in his tooth… 1st appearance: Electrum (named) |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (pp.13-17) / Nightwing #7 (pp.16-18) Bruce Wayne explains to Dick that the Talon he’s studying is William Cobb – Dick Grayson’s great-grandfather! When Nightwing aggressively accuses him of keeping secrets, Bruce punches him out – knocking out an Electrum tooth from Dick’s mouth! Bruce explains Dick was being prepared by Haly’s Circus to become a Talon for the Court of Owls before he took him in as his ward following the murder of Dick’s parents… |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (p.18) Bruce regrets ever finding out about the Court of Owls… |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (p.18) / Nightwing #7 (pp.18) Nightwing rejects Bruce’s revelations regarding the Court… |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (p.18) Nightwing sees the Court as just another bad guy, and neither they nor Batman are Gotham City… |
| Nightwing #7 (pp.19-20) In the Batcave, Alfred updates Nightwing on the double-murder attributed to him that’s currently under investigation. | |
| ✔ | Batman #7 (p.19-20) The Court of Owls send out their entire legion of Talons to take Gotham City! |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| All-Star Western #9-12 (2012) Alan Wayne’s initial interactions with the Court of Owls in 1881 are explored when the Court go to war with the Religion of Crime. | NIGHT OF THE OWLS | |
| Talon #0, 2 (2012) The existence of Calvin Rose, another Talon connected to Haly’s Circus, is revealed; Rose turns against the Court and actively opposes them. | SCOURGE OF THE OWLS ZERO MONTH | |
| ✔ | Batman #8 (2012) Nightwing #8 (2012) The Talons descend on Gotham City, attacking Batman and his allies; William Cobb reawakens and pursues his descendent, Nightwing. | NIGHT OF THE OWLS |
| Batwing #9 (2012) Alexander Staunton is the Talon who attacks Batwing (Lucius Fox), though he loses both arms in the battle. | NIGHT OF THE OWLS | |
| ✔ | Batman #9-11 (2012) Lincoln March is revealed to be a Talon; March is betrayed by the Court of Owls; March believes himself to be Bruce Wayne’s younger brother, Thomas Wayne Jr; after defeating the Court of Owls, Bruce Wayne investigates Lincoln March’s claims. | NIGHT OF THE OWLS |
| Talon #2 (2013) While Benjamin Haldman’s role as a Talon is never revealed, Benjamin Orchard is revealed as a son of the Court who was forced into becoming a Talon. | SCOURGE OF THE OWLS | |
| Justice League #23.4: Secret Society (2013) Flashbacks reveal that the Dick Grayson of Earth-3 was trained as a Talon by the Court of Owls and went on to become the sidekick of Owlman (Bruce Wayne); he was murdered by the Joker. | FOREVER EVIL | |
| Forever Evil: Arkham War #4-6 (2014) Forever Evil Aftermath: Batman vs Bane #1 (2014) The Talons are utilised by Bane in his efforts to take over Gotham City following the apparent death of the Justice League, including Batman. | ARKHAM WAR FOREVER EVIL | |
| ✔ | Talon #15 (2014) New Talon Jonas kills William Cobb to take his role as the Court of Owls’ primary Talon. | |
| ✔ | Batman: Eternal #51-52 (2015) Lincoln March is revealed to be integral to a massive plot against Batman; Lincoln is punished by the Court for his betrayal. | ETERNAL |
| ✔ | Robin War #2 (2015) Lincoln March is given a chance to deliver Dick Grayson to the Court of Owls and is revealed to be the root cause of the Robin War. | ROBIN WAR |
| Batman: Lost #1 (2018) It’s revealed that, in prehistoric times, the Tribe of Judas was formed by followers of the Bat-God Barbatos; the tribe would remain in existence in some form for thousands of years and one day evolve into the Court of Owls. | DARK NIGHTS: METAL | |
| ✔ | Nightwing #65-69 (2020) The Court of Owls send the resurrected Talon (William Cobb) to recruit Ric Grayson (the amnesiac Rick Grayson); Ric briefly becomes a Talon himself. | YEAR OF THE VILLAIN |
| Detective Comics #1023-2024 (2020) The Joker reactivates Lincoln March as his own agent; Lincoln and his Talons attack Batman and Two-Face. | THEIR DARK DESIGNS | |
| Suicide Squad #1-2 (2021) After initially coming into conflict with the Suicide Squad, Talon (William Cobb) is recruited into the team. | THE COWARDLY LOT INFINITE FRONTIER |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Batman vol.1: The Court of Owls | Batman #1-7 |
| Nightwing vol.1: Traps and Trapezes | Nightwing #1-7 |
| Nightwing: The Prince of Gotham Omnibus | Batman #17 Nightwing #0-30 Nightwing Annual #1 Secret Origins #1 Young Romance: A New 52 St. Valentine’s Day Special #1 [part] |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Absolute Batman: The Court of Owls Batman by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo Omnibus vol.1 Batman: The Court of Owls Saga Batman: The Night of the Owls Compendium | Batman #1-7 |
Leave a Reply