Court of Owls Make Their Batman: The Animated Series Debut

The Court of Owls is sinking its claws in the Batman: The Animated Series universe. Batman: The Adventures Continue, DC’s digital-first comics series telling new stories in the Batman: The Animated Series timeline, returns today with the first issue of its second season. Part of the fun of the series is seeing how it adapts newer additions to the Batman mythology into The Animated Series’ world. The series’ first season included such additions as Azrael, Deathstroke, and Jason Todd as the Red Hood. The first issue of Season Two, written by Batman: The Animated Series writers Alan Burnett and Paul Dini and featuring art by Ty Templeton, includes the mysterious Court of Owls and their henchmen, the Talons’, for the first time in the DC Animated Universe. SPOILERS for the issue’s story follow.

In “Court Fight, Part I,” Burnett and Dini introduce the Court of Owls by having one of its Talons murder Gotham City Mayor Hamilton Hill. Batman investigates and learns that Hill’s wife saw someone dressed in an owl costume standing over Hill’s corpse.

Batman heads to the home of Veronica Vreeland, one of Bruce Wayne’s rich friends whose father happens to have a collection of items related to the Court of Owls. Speaking to the Vreelands, he learns the Court of Owls’ origin, which turns out to be close to the one from the comics.

The wealthy and powerful founded the Court of Owls during Gotham’s earliest days and have existed in the shadows ever since. They use their money and influence to control the city and deploy their Talons when more direct means are required. Deadman also appears in the issue and cannot possess the Talon, suggesting they are undead, as in the comics.

Vreeland’s father also reveals that he had a book that used to belong to the Court of Owls, a manual on how the Talons work, but that it went missing during one of Veronica’s parties. That means someone who isn’t a part of the Court of Owls may be deploying the Talons. The story will continue to unfold in future issues of Batman: The Adventures Continue.

The Court of Owls has become a popular addition to Batman’s mythology ever since Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo introduced the group during their New 52 run on Batman. The Court has since appeared on television in Gotham and in the animated film Batman vs. Robin. The Court of Owls will also feature in the upcoming video game Gotham Knights. It will be no surprise if the Court of Owls appears in Bruce Timm’s upcoming new Batman animated show, Batman: Caped Crusader, on HBO Max.

What do you think of the Court of Owls’ Batman: The Animated Series debut? Let us know in the comments. Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Two #1 is on sale now.