Just Another Batman Blog

Another installment of my Batman Villains series... I find this particular rogues gallery far more interesting than any other in comics. Today's villain is the Mad Hatter. Usually dismissed as a lesser, goofier foe, Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, was introduced in Batman #49 in 1948, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. His origin suggests he is some sort of scientist, but does not use a Dr. title in front of his name, unlike other villains in Gotham with scientific backgrounds.  He has an obsession with hats, and, more importantly, with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland . This is the first of many villains to turn up in Gotham with Wonderland themes. This one-time appearance would be his last until 1987.   There is also a period during the campy 50's and 60's where a different Mad Hatter appears, created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff. This hatter does not appear to have a Wonderland theme, and over emphasizes his obsession for hats. Like all campy villa...

I've written about arguably the best hero/anti-hero in the history of comics before. The Batman was introduced in 1939 by DC comics in their Detective Comics issue number 27. The creation of Batman was influenced obviously by Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, The Shadow, and the Phantom, and less obviously by Sherlock Holmes and Doc Savage. However, as I've stated before, what has made this particular hero the most popular among the pulp heroes listed above is not so much the flying rodent paraphanalia, or even the comic medium, but rather his villian/rogues gallery. For example, the most famous Sherlock Holmes villain is Dr. Moriarty, but most would have trouble identifying another. I'd be surprised if anyone could name a Doc Savage villain (John Sunlight), or Zorro, or The Shadow (he knows, though, he knows). Villains, in fiction, are pretty necessary when telling heroic stories. Heroes, especially in comicbook mediums, need antagonists, foils, to match up against. Witho...

Batman. What a great character. Of all the super heroes created in the last 100 years, Batman is definitely the most intriguing. There are tons of other comic book superhero characters out there, some have more interesting premises and themes like the Wolverine, Hellboy, Spawn. Even lesser known characters from Batman's same publishing company (DC) on the surface have potential to be more interesting like Firestorm, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Doctor Midnite, and Deadman. However, Batman towers above everyone else in popularity in the comics universe, and in pop culture. The fact that until recently, Batman (Bruce Wayne) was one of the few DC heroes from the Golden Age (1938-1950) to not die or retire and be replaced by another younger character attests to his popularity and staying power. Boom Tron made him their Badass of the Week  in July. Batman's origin has been told by numerous writers in numerous mediums. Not only is Batman printed monthly in several comic titles, but...