Posts

Dr Phosphorus

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  Since Mary Shelley invented the genre in 1818, Science Fiction has been inspiring awe and love of science, but also has stoked fear and mistrust. With their origins in the Pulp Fiction of the 1930s, comics have continued this tradition of using science and technology to develop characters and plotlines. From laboratory accidents, and radiation contamination to String Theory multiverses, DC comics have mined science deep for material. Some of DC's best known characters are scientists, engineering scientific marvels whether for good, or evil. I have already included a few Batman villains on this blog that fit this description, including Mr Freeze , Blockbuster , and Kirk Langstrom . The character for this post definitely inspires fear in science going horribly wrong. Dr. Alexander James Sartorious was created in 1977 for Detective Comics #469 by Steve Englehart and Walt Simonson. A nuclear physicist, his body chemistry is changed during a nuclear meltdown. This turns him into a hum...
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Holy Phantasmagoric, Batman!

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  credit: EzzyArtOver on DeviantArt Batman has been featured in several different media over the last 80 years. He's been featured in comics, books, cartoons, live action television, and both live action and animated films. Not all mediums are shared universes, and characters created for one medium dont always cross over into the others. Usually, the characters that never make the cross over are throw-away characters or poorly written stand-ins for existing characters. This is not the case for this villain.  Batman the Animated Series is probably the best animated adaptation of any superhero comic character, from any publisher, and certainly the best Batman adaptation. In 1993, a tie-in animated film was released, The Mask of the Phantasm , which featured a new terrifying, mysterious villain.  Created for the film by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, and Bruce Timm, The Phantasm has design elements of the classic Death/Grim Reaper complete with skull mask and scythe weapon. Elemen...
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of Monks and Vampires

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  Batman's 2nd ever villain in the comics, the Mad Monk, was created by Gardener Fox and Bob Kane for Detective Comics #31 in 1939. The first super natural character, predating Ra's Al Ghul by 30 years, the unnamed monk is a vampire, the Dracula kind. He wears a red robe and hooded mask, depicted above, looking eerily similar to a klansman. The monk has hypnotism powers, and can turn himself into a wolf.  The original character is a Hungarian lord with a plan to dominate the world with an army of female werewolves. The Monk kidnaps women and turns them into monsters. He is assisted by Dala, the first female sidekick, starting a trend in DC comics that gave us Talia , Query and Echo, March Harriet , Dollhouse , Harley Quinn , and Punchline .  The Monk and Dala attempt to kidnap and turn Bruce Wayne's girlfriend. Obviously this was a mistake, and Batman rescues the girlfriend, and kills both vampires with silver bullets.  In 1982, Gerry Conway brough the character back...
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They Dont Just Survive, They Discover, They Create

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I just finished an excellent 3 part podcast about rats. The Radiolab talked all about New York City rats, the history of people's perception of rats, rat control, rats as pets, etc. We have been studying rats and rat behavior for quite some time. Rats can remember, make decisions, and have pattern recognition. They also display empathy. While it has been inconclusive whether they can pass the mirror test, recognizing themselves in a mirror, they do show abstract and emotional intelligence. This includes responding to their own name, learning tricks, and learning how to find things, like drugs, and cadavers. In fact, cadaver rats are cheaper to train than dogs and have a better success rate. The downside, rats have a lifespan of 12-24 months. Most wild rats don't survive past a year with a 95% mortality rate.  On the other side, rats have a terrible reputation in urban areas. They reproduce at a high rate. Five litters a year per female can produce around seven pups each totalin...
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Cold War Acronyms are Fun

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   Comics as a medium have always reflected the time period in which they are created, like all other artforms, really. In the 1940s, comicbook heroes were pitted against fascist Nazi adversaries. In DC Comics this included Doctor Poison, The Baroness, Captain Nazi, and a pelethora of Nazi soldiers, generals, and of course Hitler himself. However, as time goes on, American sentiments change. Nazis are still a favorite villain. Even alternate versions of our heroes have had Nazification treatments. I've written about Nazi Batman before. The deeper into the Cold War we get though, comic book villains shift from Nazis and Fascists to Communists, and Soviet spies.  Aside from breaking up a Nazi spy ring in Batman #14, the caped crusader seemed to stay out of international conflicts. But, as the real Cold War goes on, Batman's storylines expand out of Gotham and into other spaces. By the 1980s, Batman is ready to move from Nazi spy rings, to Soviet spy rings. In 1988, late in...
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Poor Man's Mr Hyde

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  Blockbuster is not a very compelling character on his own. A lot of this character and his themes are better used on other characters. However, I did bring him up in my first post ever , and just never got around to writing about him. So, here it is, the Blockbuster post.  Created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino, Blockbuster's first appearance is in Detective Comics # 345, in 1965. One of many scientist Batman villains, Mark Desmond is a chemist who develops a serum to boost his physical attributes. Predictably, the experiment goes horribly wrong, and Mark Desmond turns himself into a giant, rage filled monster with limited intelligence. His Blockbuster persona is manipulated by his brother, Roland Desmond. The two brothers go on a crime spree, and are eventually stopped by Batman and Robin.  After this initial appearance, Blockbuster returns a few times, butts heads with Solomon Grundy , is manipulated by the Outsider, and then turns anti-hero and rescues trapped ...
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Fluid Fowl

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Recently, the new Bruce Timm Batman animated series dropped. There is so much to like about this new Batman series. It takes place in a noir setting somewhere in 1930s to 40s America, but without the systemic racism and misogyny. Its packed with Batman Universe easter eggs, like a Killer Croc cameo and a Carrie Kelly appearance. Most of the show seems to be a carefully crafted universe with an adult noir theme. However, one episode stands out as a little off... The first episode introduces this new Gotham City universe. Reeking of corruption, full of intrigue ready to be uncovered by a detective, this Gotham seems to be grounded in a sense of modernity despite its obvious homages to a gritty past. And then... super weapons and overt terrorism? Given the rest of the show's detective noir mystery feel, the first episode is more Batman 60s Camp, than Prohibition-era gangster Batman.  The episode, however, is the premier, and events in this episode set the stage for the rest of the se...
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