Just Another Batman Blog

  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...

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...

   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...

  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 ...

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...

  This is probably the most obscure villain to be featured yet here. With only a handful of appearances, and only two being more than a cameo, this guy is for the weirdo diehards. First appearing in 1966, The Monarch of Menace was created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff. He had only one other full appearance in a Batman story in 1981, 15 years later. Mark Russell brought him back as a cameo in 2020, and he's made 2 other cameos since.  Introduced in Detective Comics #350, Batman describes the Monarch of Menace as the only criminal to elude him and escape into presumed retirement. However, the Monarch's son gets caught committing crimes using his father's alias. Batman and Robin use the son as bait to lure the Monarch back to Gotham and have him arrested. When Batman goes missing after a battle with Ra's al Ghul , the Monarch resurfaces again. He capitalizes on Batman's disappearance and claims he has captured the Batman, using that lie to defraud other crimin...

  There is a long list of assassins in Batman's villains gallery. I have a post devoted to a gang of them .  Deadshot is another assassin, another character with excellent training, no superpowers, and impeccable aim, who "never misses" his intended target. The most recognizable iteration of this character was resurrected in 1979 for Detective Comics #474 by Terry Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin. They gave him his signature iron clad, robot eye, arm mounted guns look. Technically, the character was created by David Vern Reed and Lew Schwartz in 1950 for Batman #59. However, as the image below shows, there doesn't appear to be anything similar. They could be considered 2 separate characters. However, they do share a name and origin. Floyd Lawton debuted in 1950 as a child of rich parents, like many other characters on this blog, including Bruce Wayne, Tommy Eliot , Jaina Hudson ,  Roman Sionis , Charise Carnes , and Oswald Cobblepot . Like these other char...

  The Royal Flush Gang aren't really a Batman exclusive team of villains. They were created in 1966 by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky for The Justice League of America #43. So, technically, since Batman is a member of the Justice League, this counts. But also, I like this concept, and it's my blog... This is a gang of thieves, the theme is playing cards, obviously, and the five members of the team identify with a different face card. There are a few different iterations of this group.  The first group dressed all as Clubs, and then changed to Spades. Kerry, Queenie, Jack, Thomas Dillon (the Ten), and Amos Fortune used "stellaration" to change their luck and help commit burglaries. They fought the Justice League three times, and the Joker . They were all killed during their last battle with the Justice League.  The second group is the most recognizable. Created in 1982 by Gerry Conway and Don Heck. I'll come back to them...  There are a few other versions of the Roy...

Jaina Hudson, the White Rabbit, was created in 2011 by David Finch and Paul Jenkins for Batman the Dark Knight vol 2 #1 . This storyarc is a rewrite of the early 90s Vengeance of Bane and Knightfall storylines . Jaina Hudson appears to be a gun for hire, and assumes the roles of Zombie and Bird from the original story, working with Bane and several other villains to run Batman ragged so Bane can break him.  This character has a strong upside. Like Bruce Wayne, Jaina Hudson is a rich socialite. An Indian American daughter of a diplomat, and heir to her mother's Bollywood money. She has some kind of condition that allows her to split herself into two separate entities, forming a second persona, the White Rabbit. The character hasn't been developed aside from this. Her motives are a mystery, the origin of her powers are also undisclosed. How she is connected to Bane in the first place is also vague. She has only 24 appearances in the comics, usually in cameo.  The White Rabbit p...

  Another in a short list of compelling female Batman villains, Natalia Knight, Nocturna, was created in 1983 by Doug Moench, Don Newton, and Gene Colan for Detective Comics #529. I am surprised I hadn't heard about this character more, or why she hasn't been used more frequently, as she ticks off a lot of boxes character-wise.  An orphan, like our hero, Batman, Natalia Knight is adopted by a Gotham mobster. She attempts to turn away from her criminal family and becomes an astronomer, working at Wayne Enterprises. Another in a long line of science-based Batman villains, Natalia is a victim of a lab accident (obviously), which essentially turns her into an albino. After this, she rejoins her adoptive brother Anton Knight and his inherited crime family. The two of them start a career of breaking and entering, and burglary. So, to recap, Nocturna is a female thief, and gangster, a scientist, and an accidental monster, and creature of the night. On the surface, she appears to be a...

  Created in 2020 by James Tynion IV and Guillem March, the Underbroker is a cool addition to the Gotham underground. I've written extensively on this blog about the difference between cartoon villains, and grounded criminals. I have brought up the idea that most criminals do not see themselves as bad people, and commit crimes for a variety of reasons and motivations. As I've said before, there are no Snidely Whiplashes running around tying damsels to train tracks, but there sure are plenty of Bernie Madoffs and Whitey Bulgers running rackets and pyramid schemes.    The Underbroker appears to be what the Terrible Trio could have been. Through his law firm, Graves Willock and Crain where he is a senior partner, Harlon Graves launders money for Gotham's criminals by hiding it in the hedge funds he manages. The Underbroker is THE banker for Gotham Crime. His clients must include most of the other characters on this blog...  Catwoman , the Penguin , Black Mask , Two Fac...

  This is a group whose membership changes depending on the era, the writer, and the medium. The League of Assassins, also known as the League of Shadows, was originally created by Danny O'Neil and Neal Adams for Strange Adventures #215 in 1968. I already featured a few members of the League in this blog.  According to DC canon, The League was founded by Ra's Al Ghul in 1013 AD. However, if Ra's Al Ghul is intended to be the historic imam Hassan-i Sabbath, than the League was actually founded in 1090. The League carries out missions to destabilize, destroy and allow reformation of what they consider to be decadent and irredeemable societies. The League is a global terrorist organization, with a purpose seemingly higher than usual terror groups whose goals are more oriented toward national or religious solidarity.  The League first appeared in a Deadman story, but due to its global nature, is also an opponent of the Green Arrow, Richard Dragon, Black Canary, The Question...

  Thomas Blake, the Catman, was created by Bill Finger and Jim Mooney in 1963 for Detective Comics #311. His origin revolves around his costume. The cat costume is made from mystical cloth from Africa, gives him enhanced abilities, including possibly 9 lives, which he uses to commit high-end heists. This origin is much like many other pulp fiction characters from the same era, reliant on mysticism and magic from far away, under developed lands, and misunderstood, "uncivilized" cultures. This can kindly be described as colonized fiction, but harshly and truly described as racist.  Just like several other characters written in the 60s, Catman had a distinct cat theme, much like his older female counterpart  Catwoman  (duh). He even had a tiger as a pet. At first, Catman's capers (crazy themed crimes probably are best described as capers) revolve around cat-themed merchandise. Often Catwoman is wrongfully accused of Catman's crimes, and she retaliates.  Eventually ...

 Tell me if you've heard this one...  "the only good criminal is a dead criminal". This idea of a character going on a crusade to rid the world of the criminal element can be found all over. It's the plot of The Boondock Saints. Kick-Ass is built around this premise. In Gotham there are a few characters that attempt to be vigilante killers. The Red Hood kills. Anarky kills. The Clownhunter kills. Nobody kills. This Batgirl villain, The Spoiled Slaughterer, Daybreak, the Butcher Brat herself, Knightfall also kills.  Created in 2012 by Gail Simone and Alitha Martinez for Batgirl #10, Charise Carnes has an interesting origin story. Daughter of a shady Gotham real estate mogul, Carnes is betrayed by her first boyfriend, forced to watch him torture and murder her family, and then gets framed for it.  While in Arkham, Carnes befriends Jim Gordon Jr, Commission Gordon's serial killer son. She decides certain criminal minds can't be rehabilitated and should be termin...

  Cornelius Stirk has probably the least scary name for someone truly horrifying. Created in 1988 by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle for Detective Comics #592, Stirk is a cannibal with mind altering powers.  A serial killer is bad enough, there is already one of those in Gotham. Stirk, though is a cannibal. And to make things worse, he can make people see him as someone else. Apparently, a hypothalamic disorder allows him to change his appearance in other people's minds. This allows him to camouflage himself as someone his victim trusts, long enough to murder them.  He eats hearts. He believes by eating the hearts of his victims, he can gain norepinephrine and extend his life. Norepinephrine is an actual hormone produced by the human body in bigger doses, like adrenaline, when the body is under stress. Stirk believes fear brings out the hormone, which he desires, so he scares his victims first. This seems like it would be pretty easy to do, considering he's going to murder...

  I've said it before on this blog, and I'll say it again, good villains in fiction need good criminal motivations. Good Batman villains need to be more than obsessed with beating Batman. The idea of a villain plotting and scheming to take down Batman, like some Western gunslinger kid looking to out shoot the most notorious outlaw, is only really good and compelling maybe one time. We had that one time in Batman comics, it was called Knightfall . After Bane's storyarc, we didn't need to revisit a personal crusade to tear down and ruin Batman for no other reason than bragging rights. However, comicbook writers continued to do just that. We got Bane, followed by Hush . The Joker  has done it multiple times. This is getting out of hand.  Simon Hurt was created by Grant Morrison in 2008, based on an unnamed scientist character created by Sheldon Maldoff and Charles Paris for a one issue story in Batman #156 in 1963. His backstory is a bit of a crazy retcon, but stay with...

  This character is actually an antagonist of Batwoman, but since all these heroes are connected, Red Alice is also a Batman villain. Alice, or Red Alice, is very much like the Mad Hatter , in that not only does she use the Lewis Carroll theme (also like the Wonderland Gang ) but she also speaks only in Alice in Wonderland quotes. Created in 2009 by Greg Rucka and JH Williams for Detective Comics #854, Alice is in fact Kate Kane's twin sister Beth. She also, despite the similarities, has no affiliation with the Mad Hatter, or the Tweedles.  Being a Kane, both Beth and Kate are Colonel Jacob Kane's daughters, and Martha Kane's nieces. And Martha Kane is also known as Martha Kane Wayne, Bruce Wayne's mother. This makes Kate and Beth also (drumroll) Batman's cousins. In addition to Batman, the Flamebird/Bat-girl character Bette Kane is also a cousin, which means Jacob and Martha had another brother.  This origin story has issues, just like every family character that i...

 Throughout Batman's publication history, there have been several Alice in Wonderland themed characters. The Mad Hatter appeared on this blog before. There are several others, and in 2008 Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen brought them all together for a crossover event, creating a few characters in the process. Below is a membership breakdown:  The Mad Hatter was created in 1948 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. His full write up is here .  The Tweedles : TweedleDee and TweedleDum, created in 1943 by Don Cameron and Jerry Robinson, are a pair of nearly identical mob bosses. Together they mastermind the crimes they commit, and direct others to implement them. During War Games, the original TweedleDum is killed, and his twin takes his place... which is a writer's ploy to undo another writer's dumb decision and make continuity work. Obviously. The Tweedles have this weird obsession with Lewis Carroll's Alice books, independently from the Mad Hatter, and a few other characters who ar...

  Earlier I wrote about the Terrible Trio . This gang of three white collar criminal dudes hide behind animal motifs, The Great White Shark, the Vulture, and the Fox. Gotham also has another threesome criminal gang, all women, all arthropod aliases, all criminal.  Created in 1966 by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff, these three vamps debuted together for a Poison Ivy driven story. The Silken Spider, Tiger Moth, and Dragonfly made such a name for themselves criminally, that they became known as the World's Public Enemies, and went by the aliases Public Enemy Number 1, Number 2, and Number 3. They appear to be high stakes thieves in their original incarnation. Poison Ivy apparently is jealous for some reason and wants their fame.  Later, they are rebooted as members of the League of Assassins. I'm a fan of this idea, I don't think you can have enough agents for the League. Kevin Smith gives Tiger Moth a cameo in his unfinished Batman run.  This Tiger Moth incarnatio...

  The first Batman villain based on a philosophy, Anarky was created in 1989 by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle. Grant created the character around the ideas of anti-statism and populism, but eventually his philosophy turns more toward rationalism, atheism, and free market capitalism.  Lonnie Machem is a child prodigy, based on Chopper from Judge Dredd, V from V for Vendetta, and Spy vs Spy. Heavily influenced by radical philosophies, he calls himself Anarky and begins a violent vigilante campaign against the "corrupt system" in Gotham. Naturally, Batman stops him, and realizes Anarky is only 12 years old.  The character could be interesting, he appears to be built as an anti-hero from the start. Grant had admitted he created the character hoping he'd become the next Robin. That obviously did not happen, and instead, he becomes symbolic of misguided leftist terrorism, much like Poison Ivy .  There have been several attempts to make this character stick. He had his prim...