Despite many people seeing Gotham City as a lost cause, it sure is home for some dangerous criminal minds and their utmost dread, Batman. On news of a sudden breakout at Arkham Asylum, he enters to contain its deranged inmates and he held himself against the mob with his superior skills until he was thrown out by a window.
As he was preparing to get back, he is found by his arch enemy The Joker and forming a brief alliance, these two rain on them. Later, he meets Commissioner Gordon on the rooftops of GCPD Headquarters to discuss how it went down. When asked about his latest team-up with Clown Prince of Crime, Gordon is reassured before he left.
In Batcave, Joker comes to Bruce, who tells him to take off his mask and it was revealed to be Dick Grayson. They tag along with Damian Wayne and Tim Drake to attend a gala to announce plans for future of Gotham. Bruce is introduced to mayoral candidate Lincoln March by Gotham Gazette reporter Vicki Vale following his speech.
When they were talking, he noticed Gordon taking a work call and makes an excuse out of there to investigate a murder by overhearing his conversation. Detective Harvey Bullock shows him the body of a tortured murder victim and they discovers a hidden message on wall left behind that says, "Bruce Wayne will die tomorrow".
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| Batman – The Court of Owls | Comics |
Some evidence and found DNA from crime scene led him to suspect his partner Nightwing to be murderer. Shortly afterwards, Batman performed an autopsy on the corpse and Jim Gordon suggests a possible connection to Court of Owls, an urban legend of Gotham but refusing that theory, he states that these are legends that don't exist.
Next day, Bruce is attacked by a deadly Talon assassin during his meeting with Lincoln March at Wayne Manor. In an ensuing fight, they both fall from top but he landed on a gargoyle while his assailant falls onto a car. Although presumed dead, the Talon wakes up later midway and slaughters entire emergency medical team before escaping.
Bruce comes to know of a secret legion of Gotham, which is centuries old called the Court of Owls and with more information from Alfred Pennyworth, he finally discovers a very old connection between them and his great-great-grandfather Alan Wayne, leading him into investigate for their hidden bases throughout Gotham.
When he was looking inside a building funded in recent years by Alan Wayne Trust, it suddenly explodes as a Talon watches. Batman barely made it out back home and begins an autopsy on remains of Alan Wayne to learn that he was killed in same manner like their earlier murder victim who was tortured to death using throwing knives.
He then goes back to sewer, where Alan Wayne was found dead years ago and a Talon caught him by surprise. Waking up, Batman discovers himself into a giant labyrinth. Over there, he spent nearly a week wandering around to find a way out.
Finally, the Court came to a decision of slowly torturing their most worthy enemy to death and a Talon assigned to do that job came stabbing him from behind. He brutally tortured Bruce to a point where he was unable to withstand unbearable pain and even wished to die but then something inside him took over to fight back from his captivity.
Batman – Court of the Owls (Comics) Wikipedia
Batman – Court of the Owls (Comics) DC Wikia
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| Urban Legend of Gotham |
Here is your links to buy "Batman – The Court of Owls" from DC Comics in issues on Amazon.
Following a universe-shattering "Flashpoint" crossover event in 2011, writer Scott Snyder (The Wake, Wytches) creates a modern day Batman legacy through "The Court of Owls" by teaming-up with artist Greg Capullo (Haunt, Spawn), which will become a staple in DC Comics history and start off a new chapter in life of The Dark Knight.
Even his journey in Prime Earth kicks-off by fending off a mob of Black Mask, Clayface, El Flamingo, James Gordon, Jr., Killer Croc, Mister Freeze, Phosphorus Rex, Professor Pyg, Scarecrow, Sumo, The Riddler, Two-Face, Ventriloquist and Zsasz from his Rogues' gallery at once to authenticate his lore as Caped Crusader of Gotham.
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| Maze of Nightmare |
Entire DC Universe saw a massive overhaul for many of its renowned heroes and villains in The New 52 wave. Therefore, Batman gets a rebooted origin tale that began long before his parents were killed in Crime Alley. Court of Owls presents him with a new age of threat that he ignored for too long but realized how wrong he was in the end.
Snyder breaks off a very common stereotype of Batman being an undefeated force of night by putting him up against an unstoppable foe like Talon assassin and it sparked a never before seen reaction in him. "The Court of Owls" plot then lead directly to "Night of the Owls" crossover-event and is continued in "City of Owls" storyline.
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