Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed.
Speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head.
The Good
Perhaps one of the most intriguing cabals in all of comics, the Court of Owls perches...well...inside Gotham City. No, I mean it. INSIDE Gotham City. In the walls, between the floors in hotels...THAT inside. But you already knew that.
The Court of Owls has existed since colonial times (back in the 1600's for those who are history challenged) in Gotham City. Overall, their jobs seem pretty simple. Go to the circus, kidnap some high flying performers, and then train them to kill people as Talons. It's good work if you can get it.
Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capello the Court of Owls is first mentioned in Batman #2 (2011) and make their first appearance in Batman #5 (as part of the New 52).
If you are following the members of the Batman family, you will find that the Court of Owls is back in action against the "Robins". Yes, all of them, including the ones who died and came back to life and the ones who think they are Robin from "We Are Robin" fame. I fully suspect that "We Are Robin" will be followed by other "We Are" campaigns including "We Are Tonto" and "We Are Bucky". You can even try it yourself. Just follow the "We Are (name your favorite sidekick)" format.
The Bad
Let's face it, as villains go this is about as scary as it gets. These are the rich and wealthy hiding behind masks and carrying out theft and murder at their discretion. This isn't some fictional scaly crocodile person, or a person with a muzzle and a backpack full of steroids that breaks bats, or even some purple suited, white faced, killer clown. This is the person next to you on the train, your neighbor, your co-worker. It's anyone.
This is the villain you don't see coming. The ones you can't fight because you can't see, or even find, them.
It's like the difference between "Jaws" and "The Crazies". I don't get scared of Jaws because I'm not a big beach goer and I don't have much to fear in my home of a rabid shark. An unseeable bacteria that you get from drinking water that turns people into killers? That bothers me a little bit.
The Reality
Is the Court of Owls really fictional? Sure, I can't prove that some of the rich and wealthy in the world wear owl masks behind the scenes, but who knows? What I do know is that you read about political killings all the time, covert operations by the government seem commonplace, and my security clearance isn't even high enough to know what my wife's making for dinner.
The fact is, history is littered with people and families that could have been the precursors to the Court of Owls. For all I know they could be more of a metaphor than a villain in a comic book.
Fiction or Reality? A little of both? No matter what they are, the Court of Owls is one of my favorite threats to the Batman family. If you want more pics check out my Pinterest page at https://www.pinterest.com/comicwhisperer/the-court-of-owls/
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