Just Another Batman Blog

This is another one of Scott Snyder's new villain creations. First seen in Batman vol 2 #43, during the Iron Man-esque Jim Gordon Batman arc, Mr. Bloom is equal parts technology villain and supernatural monster. Mr. Bloom introduces "seeds" that unlock superpower abilities but with deadly consequences, which he gifts to unsuspecting citizens. Physiologically, Mr Bloom can manipulate his size and shape, can manipulate fire, ice, and mechanics. His MO seems to be to "sow seeds" of chaos. Sometime after the events of Scott Snyder's Zero Year, scientist Daryl Gutierrez developed a project using nanotech to create superpower abilities in normal humans. The unpredictability of the nanotech reactions, and the public reaction to mysterious new superpowered people forced Dr. Gutierrez to scrap the project. However, the nanotech seeds resurfaced years later, in the possession of the mysterious Mr. Bloom. Mr. Bloom's longterm plans aren't very clear, other...

Originally a nemesis of the Green Arrow, Clock King was created in 1960 by Francis Herron and Lee Elias for World's Finest Comics #111. His real name is William Tockman, and is much like most of the themed villains of the 60s, obsessed with a singular gimmick instead of the ambitions that drive normal criminals.  Also, like many villains created in the same period, Clock King has gone through changes. Originally, he dressed like the costume below. Eventually his look was changed to the more realistic and grounded look above that fits better with a character obsessed with punctuality.   Not a very time honored look Tockman, or sometimes referred to by the alias Temple Fugate (latin for Time Flies), is very much like Mr. Freeze in that he commits crimes for money to help a sick sister. He uses an obsession over timing to plan and execute a bank heist. After that initial appearance, the Clock King becomes one of many joke villains, easily dispatched due mor...

Another new character appearing during Scott Snyder's Batman run, The Dollmaker is not to be confused with previous DC villains also using the same name. Created by Tony S Daniel and Ryan Winn for their run in Detective Comics, this Dollmaker first appeared in 2011 in Detective Comics vol 2, #1. Almost as soon as he debutes, Dollmaker disappears, in the shadow of another bigger villain. He helps the Joker  escape from Arkham. Joker has his face removed and reattached, aided by the Dollmaker. Once the Joker is out, Snyder's Death of the Family storyline begins. Despite Dollmaker's seemingly throwaway role to launch Death of the Family, he actually is a pretty interesting villain. In summary, he is a 2nd generation serial killer, obsessed with body parts in a very Frankenstein-like way. He wears his father's face, Wesley Mathis, a serial killer executed by Jim Gordon in self defense. Dollmaker has created a "family" of Frankenstein monsters which includ...

This character will be forever attached to a few other characters. However, Talia is as important to Batman and his character arc as the Joker, the Riddler, and Bane. She is Talia, daughter of Ra's al Ghul, who has his own post here . Sometimes she is given the surname al Ghul, or Head, but that doesn't seem to be necessary, as her father's name is more of a title than a formal name anyway. Also, mononyms are way cooler. Created in 1971 by Dennis ONeil, Dick Giordano and Bob Brown for Detective Comics #411. She actually appears a month before her father, and returns in Batman #232 during Ra's Al Ghul's first appearance. Writers early on attempted to make her the next Catwoman, a femme fatale character worthy of Batman's new global, mysticism, macabre storylines. While her relationship with Batman is never truly romantically reciprocated, they are mostly amicable to each other. Her character is tied up pretty closely with her family. Throughout her publica...

Science fiction, and comics especially, have played with the idea of a string theory multiverse concept for a very long time. Some authors/writers are better at it than others. HG Wells, Philip K Dick, Philip Roth, Harry Turtledove, and Robert Harris all play with these ideas of alternate histories and multiverse concepts. This idea of an infinite multiverse was first introduced by Erwin Schrodinger in 1952. Creatively, the nature of an infinite multiverse allows writers/artists to come up with a seemingly endless line of what-if scenarios. Marvel just made an award winning Spiderman movie on this very concept. Creators were allowed to create Spiderman if he were a Japanese girl with a robot, or a cartoon pig. Into the Spiderverse scratched the surface of what is creatively possible (spoiler: everything is possible in this scenario). This is not a new thing for DC comics, or Batman in particular either. I wrote before in my other blog about the DC Elseworlds imprint. Batman has ...

As an obvious reversal to our hero, the Batman, Frank Robbins and Neal Adams created an actual bat man for Detective Comics #400 (1970). Kirk Langstrom is a scientist, another in a long line of unregulated, crazy, comicbook scientists. Dr. Langstrom studies chiropterology (the study of bats) and specifically their ability to use sonar. He tries to develop a way deaf people can utilize bat sonar, and creates a serum. Naturally, he tests the serum on himself, and things go sideways. Kirk Langstrom turns himself into a human sized bat monster, The Man-Bat. At first, this character is a frenzied wild animal, and Batman has to save the day by finding an antidote. Sometimes, Dr Langstrom is a Jekyl/Hyde character, unable to keep himself from turning into his evil alter-ego. Other times, he's a naive and victimized scientist and inventor that other villains use to build armies of man-bats, or sow public chaos (or both). Sometimes his wife Francine is involved and becomes She-bat. T...

As we all know, themes are what makes comics heroes and villains. Just in Batman comics alone there are plenty. Bats, cats, clowns, plants, birds, etc. Many posts ago I wrote about Mr Freeze and his ice theme. Of course there is a villain with an opposite theme: Fire. The fire theme, like most other Batman themes, also plays on a very real fear. The fear of fire seems to be ancient, primal. Fires can be devastating, uncontrollable, deadly. This villain harnesses this unpredictability, weaponizes it, and uses it to terrorize. Garfield Lynns was created in 1952 by France Gerron and Dick Sprang and first appeared in Detective Comics #184. A special effects designer for films, this character began as a simple crook who used his effects background to mask his crimes. Firefly was rebooted, however, in the late 80's as a special effects designer turned pyromaniac and serial arsonist. This Garfield Lynns builds himself a jetpack suit with wings and a flamethrower. He has turned u...

Marv Wolfman and George Perez created Slade Wilson, Deathstroke the Terminator, 4 years before the James Cameron's film the Terminator. Originally an antagonist for the Teen Titans, Deathstroke has grown into a credible threat to Batman, the Green Arrow, and others. As a mercenary and assassin, Deathstroke's motivation is always tied to someone else's bank account. He operates in a similar fashion as Killer Moth was probably meant to function. Deathstroke's motivations revolve around money, but he also forms grudges against Dick Grayson (Robin/Nightwing), Green Arrow, and Batman. All three of these heroes frequently get the better of him. Originally, Deathstroke came off as pretty creepy, and kind of lame. A middle-aged mercenary who teams up with a teenage girl (Terra) to infiltrate and destroy a team of teenage superheroes (Teen Titans) seems as cringey as it is pathetic. Certainly a dude that stoops to fighting underage heroes cant possibly be a serious threa...

Pulp fiction seems to have a villain motivation problem. Back when I wrote the first post for this blog, about the Joker , I included a quote from Ben Bova. He states, "in the real world there are no villains. No one actually sets out to do evil [. . .] There are no villains cackling and rubbing their hands in glee as they contemplate their evil deeds". Villainy, in pulp fiction, is just bad guys doing bad things for no other reason, presumably, than to be bad. Snidley Whiplash hasn't any reasons for tying women to traintracks, normal people don't do that. But, normal people do hatch plans like Iago to psychologically control others through gaslighting, manipulation, rumors, and drama. Real people do cheat and steal to amass wealth. There is no believability or realism to Snidley Whiplash's villainy, but sociopaths and white collar criminals do exist.   These characters, the Terrible Trio, are far more like Snidley Whiplash. Created in 1958 by Dave Wood a...

Phil Cho's commission Another in a list of stupid villains that could be cool and scary under the right writers, Killer Moth was created in 1951. Bill Finger, Dick Sprang, and Lew Schwartz created the character for Batman #63. Introduced as a common criminal already in prison, Killer Moth has no original identity. He sees Batman as a vigilante resource for the police, and upon release, decides to set himself up as an "anti-Batman", a resource for criminals. He becomes a grifter, and creates for himself the identity of Cameron Van Cleer, a wealthy businessman and philantropist. As an alter ego to his alter ego, he also becomes Killer Moth, a henchman for hire with a moth motif, complete with workable wings and a spiderman webslinger-esque cacoon gun. Now, the premise of a Batman for criminals, a gun for hire that anyone can call with a beeper, is a pretty cool idea. Later on, other mercenary/hitman characters get created, but Killer Moth had the idea first. However, ...

The 12 issue miniseries Hush was published in the regular  Batman monthly title in 2003. It was amazing, and really got me hooked on Batman stories. The title character Hush, created for this particular story is one of those retconned characters that don't feel forced and helped to give Batman's infamous backstory a bit more foundation. Tommy Elliot, first appearing in Batman #609, was created by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee as one of Bruce Wayne's childhood friends from the same social status. Elliot is a sociopath, murdering both parents for the family fortune, jealous of Bruce Wayne for losing his parents first, and devoting a life to plotting revenge, for some reason. Eventually he returns to Gotham, partners with the Riddler and puts together a scheme involving many Batman villains with the goal of taking down Batman/Bruce Wayne. This makes the 12 issue Hush storyline great, as it incorporates a large portion of the Batman villains gallery, mixes it with a who-dunnit my...