The “Night of the Owls” is coming this May, pitting the extended Bat-family against the deadly Court of Owls. A shadowy secret society with roots that date back to Gotham City’s earliest history, the Court employs a cadre of timeless, sinister assassins known as Talons to execute its malevolent will. “I thought about owls for a minute, and the hooded owl sprang to mind,” said BATMAN artist Greg Capullo about the creation of the original Talon. “So I gave him a hood like an executioner. As for the lines of the suit, I let the thought of birds guide my hand. An owl design simply made sense.” For the earliest of the Talon designs – appearing in Gotham City of the 1660s, and resurrected to battle CATWOMAN – Capullo did some historical research to capture the proper aesthetic. “I Googled garb and weapons from the period to get the right feel,” said Capullo. “I mixed, I matched and modified what I’d seen into a design that looked dangerous.”

Stay tuned to The Source all this week and next to see the various other Talons that will rise to menace Gotham City during the “Night of the Owls.”