With the highly anticipated “Night of the Owls” crossover beginning this May, we asked writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti how it impacts their story in ALL-STAR WESTERN. ““Plans within plans.” That’s one of my favorite lines from Frank Herbert’s eco-sci-fi epic, Dune. It is also one of the hardest things to convey in a monthly comic where readers are often second-guessing the outcome or direction of a series. There is always a larger plan at work and things are never quite what they seem,” says Gray. “Both Batman and Jonah Hex have been discovering this fact in their own unique ways. Having chosen Gotham City as the unlikely setting for ALL-STAR WESTERN, Jimmy and I thought long and hard about the different ways we could make the book interesting to both new readers and the Jonah Hex faithful. To do that we began our initial arc with the secret society called The Crime Bible trying to establish its roots in 1880’s Gotham. At the same time over in BATMAN, readers were introduced to The Court of Owls.” Gray continues, “By now you know both organizations existed long before the caped crusader launched his one-man campaign to save the soul of a city. So starting in May, The Court of Owls, the Talon, the secret history of Gotham, Crime Bible, Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham…some of the most unlikely and surprising elements start falling seamlessly in to place. It has been months and months in the making, but the plans within plans are coming to fruition and even the most cynical fan has to admit this New 52 thing is pretty damn exciting.” So get ready to discover what the Court of Owls was up to in Gotham City cira 1880 in ALL-STAR WESTERN #9. As Palmiotti says, "This is the best of both worlds for comic fans and us, and we plan on delivering the goods. Everything about this crossover makes sense and is planned brilliantly. We are happy to make Jonah and the gang part of comic book history once again."

(art by Ladronn)

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.“Same approach as the 1660s owl, basically,” said BATMAN artist Greg Capullo of the 1770s Talon, who will be resurrected to menace BATMAN AND ROBIN. “I looked at that period’s military. I was happy to find less frilly stuff. Overall, the period looks more bad-ass, despite the stockings.”

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.”

Prepare to level up your video game comic book reading experience.

DC Digital Comics is offering a sensational sale on all titles based on some of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. Journey deeper into madhouse with special tie-in limited series that sets the stage for the critically acclaimed, award-winning sequel to BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM, BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY—including exclusive digital chapters. Discover the secret history of Ghost from MODERN WARFARE 2; head to battle with Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad in GEARS OF WAR; unleash Hell with the six-issue DANTE'S INFERNO; fight against infection with BSAA Agents Gere and Sugarman in RESIDENT EVIL; and much, much more. We've got 100 video game comic issues to stock your inventory with—all for only .99 cents each! Grab them while you can before we hit the reset button and this sale disappears! The 4-Day Video Game Comics Sale begins 2/21! Play the game! Read the comics!

When we first started The New 52 one of the  things we were most excited about was the limitless number of possibilities for  new stories as we moved on through  our first year and for years beyond that.  One of the most intriguing elements going forward was the potential to show that even though these were fresh  takes on our  characters, they all share the same  universe. This May we are taking the opportunity to show that The New 52 is a shared universe in a couple   of different ways.  First of all we have the epic NIGHT OF THE OWLS story across the Bat-Books as the Court of Owls attacks Gotham City. You can follow different parts of the tale in Batman #9, Batman Annual   #1, Detective Comics #9, Batwing #9, Batman and Robin  #9, Birds of Prey  #9, Batgirl #9, Red Hood and the Outlaws #9, Catwoman #9, Nightwing #9  and All-Star  Western #9 (which takes place in 188- but still in the  same universe as the rest of our books). Next up  we have a game  changing battle royal in THE CULLING which pits the Teen Titans and  Legion Lost teams against  N.O.W.H.E.R.E!  This is a tough fight for our heroes so they're going to be sharing a lot of pain in addition to their universe.  Follow the action in Teen Titans Annual #1, Teen Titans #9, Legion Lost  #9 and the all-new Ravagers #1! Ravagers isn't the only new series launching this month and we'll have more on  those  titles, NIGHT OF THE OWLS and THE CULLING on The  Source any minute now so  keep a look out. As a  final bonus for all of you that have wanted to  see exactly  how our characters interact in The New 52 (and because we   love it too) you'll see quite a few quest stars in May. We'll be following up on this too, but you're gonna love Suicide Squad vs. Resurrection Man, Frankenstein's hunt for Animal Man, Blue Beetle squaring off against New Guardians and O.M.A.C. beating the tar out of Justice League International in a story that wraps up in The Fury of  Firestorm. All of this promises to make May a whole bunch of fun and we can't wait for you to see  it.

(Pencils for the first page of TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1. Art by Brett Booth)

In MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #5, an anthology-style miniseries, the wild and various adventures of Robotman, Garbage Man and the alien Tanga continue. In “Uncanny Valley, Part 5” by Matt Kindt and Scott Kolins, Robotman continues his search for Mr. Turing on an island comprised entirely by nano-bots. But can he find him before the island’s inhabitants notice his presence? In “Death’s Door” by Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan, Garbage Man discovers new and unsettling information about his origins. But will he be able to focus on himself when he and The Reverend must continue to fight an army of dinosaurs from another dimension in order to save Gotham City? And in “Tanga: Humbled” by Kevin Maguire, Tanga must first battle Za in order to reach P’Nigh and confront him about his undisclosed yet treacherous plan. But what will she do when she finds out she’s a far larger player in the plan than she had known? Don’t miss the penultimate chapter of MY GREATEST ADVENTURE, in stores today. [gallery link="file" order="DESC" columns="2"]