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Halloween special:The Best Of Batman Villains: Part 1

by Admin
written by Admin

Halloween is just upon us and what better way to celebrate than by honoring Batman’s frightful rouge’s gallery. One could certainly make the case that Batman has the best villains of any superhero. Think of how many you could name off the top of your head if you’re an average fan. Now think of how many you could name if you were slightly more hardcore.

Now try to name as many Daredevil villains… Not to bash or diminish Daredevil in any way. Just an example of how deep Batman’s rouge gallery goes.  Here’s a quick peek at some of my favorite stories for some of The Dark Knight’s most formidable adversaries.

Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot

 

He’s come a long way from his campy beginnings. Often dismissed in the past as one of Batman’s more ” nonthreatening” foes by many. That’s not really the case anymore. At a certain point Penguin took a turn as a more sinister and brutal villain. Sometimes portrayed as an intellectual mobster and other times as a misunderstood monster. All of which work well with the character. Like many of Batman’s villain’s, he’s almost sympathetic. Perhaps a victim of cruelty in a cruel world. An obvious parallel to Batman himself. Did Penguin turn out this way because he is inherently evil or did society make him so? Currently, Penguin plays one of the central antagonists on “Gotham”. For some great Penguin stories check out these recommendations.

Joker’s Asylum: Penguin ( one shot) By: Jason Arron & Jason Pearson

 

 

This is my personal favorite Penguin story of all time and it’s only a single issue! Written by fan FAvorite Jason Aaron during a time when he was still a relative newbie to the comic scene. To me, it perfectly encapsulates everything he’s about. He’s portrayed as a respected man who holds a great deal of power, and yet he still remains insecure about his appearance. This leads to a very important lesson for a few in this story… Don’t embarrass the Penguin. Both parts chilling and heartbreaking. Sort of like Tony Soprano without the imposing physical stature.

 

Other recommended readings include…

  • Batman Annual # 11  by Max Allan Collins & Norm Breyfogle

  • Penguin: Pain & Prejudice 1 – 5  by Gregg Hurwitz & Szymon Kudranski

  • Secret Origins Special # 1 by Alan Grant, penciled and inked by Sam Kieth

Two-Face/ Harvey Dent

 

If you like your villains with pathos, look no further than Two-Face. Harvey Dent is another classic Batman villain that succumbed to the evil and temptation of the outside world. Gotham’s favorite son that lost everything and crossed a line he never thought he would. The character has had a number of interesting portrayal’s. The Dark Knight film treated him more as a good man pushed to insanity. The accident that scars his face is simply the last straw. Some comics, and even Batman T.A.S. play on the fact that Harvey had always had a violent multiple personality and that the accident simply brought it out permanently. There have been a number of tweaks here or there in Two-Face’s history. One such case happens to be my favorite Two-Face story of all time.

Batman Annual# 14 – Eye Of The Beholder by Andrew Helfer & Chris Sprouse

 

An excellent story that delves deep into Harvey Dent’s tortured past. It manages to bring a different idea to what made Harvey Dent become Two-Face. The multiple personality angle is there, but this time we learn the reason when and why it began. Parts of this story inspired the famous Long Halloween comic series. We find out that Harvey’s father was quite abusive to him in his childhood. The psychological ramifications of that abuse come out in full force throughout this story. The edgy and dark artwork by veteran Chris Sprouse really adds to the already fantastic script. A risky story for DC to put out back then but a keeper for sure.

Other recommended readings include…

  • Batman: Faces by Matt Wagner

  • Gotham Central #6- #10 : Half A Life by Greg Rucka & Michael Lark

  • Batman: Black & White – Two Of A Kind by Bruce Timm

  • Two-Face ( One Shot) Crime & Punishment by J.M. DeMatteis & Scott McDaniel

 

Ra’s Al Ghul

 

 

Translated to English, his name means the demon’s head. One of Batman’s most powerful enemies by a long shot. His reach extends throughout the globe with an army of assassins behind him. It doesn’t help that, thanks to his Lazarus pits, he is immortal.  A complex villain that seeks to help humanity by destroying it first. An idealist of an extreme sort. Throw in a romance between Talia( Ra’s Al Ghul’s daughter) & Batman and you get just how complex Ra’s Al Ghul can get. Ra’s has always been a fan favorite for Bat fans but his stock rose to new levels thanks to The Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. He’s even manged to transcend the Bat-world to make it on the TV show Arrow.  Here are some of my picks for his best stories.

 

Batman: Death & The Maidens 1 – 9 by Greg Rucka & Klaus Janson

 

 

A fantastic story written by one of my favorites: Greg Rucka. It shows just how far Ra’s Al Ghul has gone and is willing to go for his mission. The story also speaks to the importance family. Particularly for Batman. In a rather interesting twist of fate, Ra’s asks Batman for help against a mysterious woman, hellbent on killing him. What would Batman get in return for his assistance? How about a chance for Batman to speak one more time with his dead parents? An offer that may well tempt the dark knight. It’s a delight to read an to look at. Penciled and inked by the underrated Klaus Janson.

 

Other recommended readings include…

  • Batman: Birth Of The Demon by Dennis O’Neil & Norm Breyfogle

  • Batman: The Saga OF Ra’s Al Ghul 1- 4 by Dennis O’Neil & Neil Adams

  • Son Of The Demon by Mike W. Barr & Jerry Bingham

  • Trinity by Matt Wagner

 

Riddler/ Edward Nigma

 

 

Easily one of Batman’s most recognizable villains, from a pop culture standpoint. He has a great look to him and an intriguing shtick. Of course, said shtick can and did get tiresome by the late seventies. Batman Forver didn’t exactly help his cause either. Since then, he’s now been reinvented and reinvigorated, thanks to the New 52 reboot in 2012.  Personally my favorite portrayal would have to be ” Batman T.A.S.  Edward Nigma was portrayed as a man who was smarter than everyone who should be at the top. His quest to prove that at all costs led to some, criminal dealings of sorts. These dealings eventually always lead him to Batman. Time and again, Riddler is defeated by the only man smarter than him. Of course , The Riddler refuses to accept this and therefore, does his best to outwit the DArk Knight. That’s the general take on him that I loved on the Animated TV show. Nevertheless, there are some great reads out there.

Batman; Zero Year # 21- 27 & #29-33 by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo

 

 

Scott Snyder has been making his mark on Batman and his world. no character more than the Riddler. Jeph Loeb’s Hush did a good job at showing why never to underestimate The Riddleer. Snyder went a step further and made him extremely formidable. The Zero year story was a remarkably fresh take on Batman’s origin. It boldly gave Riddler real relevance by making him one of his first major villains. The whole story unfolds in epic fashion and Riddler is deservingly at the forefront of it.  He’s written mucher colder than I can ever remember. Just different enough to be interesting but also familiar enough not to offend.

 

Other Recommended stories include…

  • Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb & Jim Lee

  • Batman: Dark Knight Dark City by Peter Milligan & Kieron Dwyer

  • Riddler ( One Shot) The Riddle Factory by Matt Wagner & Dave Taylor

  • Batman: Run Riddler Run by Gerard Jones & Mark Badger

Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon!

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Arrow

Arrow – Season 1 (Episode 1 & 2)

by hutchm
written by hutchm

I know you’re probably thinking its a little bit insane starting up another TV show when you’ve got so many currently on the go – Agents of Shield and Once Upon a Time are both in progress as you know, and we’ve just finished Agent Carter – but sitting on the couch watching The Flash (another show that will need some posts written) recently on TV I kind of wanted to see you where he came from and I knew that the linked show and where he first appeared was Arrow.

Now while I generally try to cover shows on an episode by episode basis even those that have been around for awhile – you can see what I mean with Supernatural (that Nia and I are both covering) and also with Once Upon a Time – I don’t think I can devote the same amount to Arrow even though I would definitely say it is worthy of that treatment. What I will do however is instead of giving you a full season recap, I will rather do a multiepisode recap / review instead so that over the course of a couple of posts we’ll both be on the same page with this show and we can then do an episode by episode review of the season that’s currently on. So without further ado let’s jump into the first couple of episodes from Arrow Season 1.

Green Arrow

Green Arrow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Episode 1 – Pilot (Recap)

As in most superhero and movies and television shows the key criteria is to introduce the character as well as their motivations and reasons for acting the way that they do. In the pilot episode of arrow we are introduced to Oliver Queen who was shipwrecked on a remote Pacific island for 5 years.

After being rescued he is returned to Starling city where he is reunited with his mother (Moira) his younger sister (Thea) and his best friend (Tommy). Oliver informs them all that his father died when the ship went down along with a girl – Sarah – taken on the trip with him. Unfortunately Sarah’s sister – Laurel – was actually Oliver’s girlfriend at the time and she is less than pleased to see him return from the dead. In addition Laurel’s father – police detective Quentin Lance – also has a bone to pick with Oliver as blames him for the death of his daughter.

However what none of them really realize is that while they can see Oliver has changed during his time away they have no idea how much. Oliver has been given the mission by his father to “right the wrongs of his family; to fight the ills of society and to restore Starling city to its former glory”. Oliver similar to the Batman myths and legend takes it upon himself to right these wrongs by becoming a vigilante and using his skills to find and defeat the men on the list that his father provided.

Oliver’s first mission and his introduction to Starling city is an attack on Adam Hunt. Adam has scammed millions from the citizens of the city and it is up to the Arrow to get it back. The police chief detective obviously does not want vigilantes running around in his city and takes it upon himself to capture him.  We also find out that his mother has an ulterior objective as she organized a fake kidnapping of her son to find out if her husband and actually told him anything.

Episode 1 – Review

As introductions go its actually not bad as we get to see all the main characters, we get to understand the motivations and while I don’t know DC as well as I do Marvel so can’t really tell you whether or not this introduction is accurate to the comic, it’s got me interested and wanting to see more. I do know that the Green Arrow has been around for a while and that he’s a member of the DC equivalent of the Avengers (the Justice League), but his books are definitely not as popular as Superman and Batman.

Oliver Queen is a billionaire’s son. He’s a playboy. He’s neither a genius nor a philanthropist. While on a boat trip with his father and his girlfriend’s sister, the boat goes down and Oliver is left as the sole survivor, forced to try to survive on a remote island for another five years. Personally I would state that a bow and arrow seems a little bit old school in today’s world however that’s probably what makes it work. There are many, many similarities to Batman

  • the billionaire playboy with parent issues
  • a deep seated need to right the wrongs of the world etc…

but it still stands alone quite well as the constant flashbacks gradually give us an idea of how this boy became a man!

Well I know if I mentioned that I got into the show because of the Flash … I’m actually very curious to see if they have plans on doing another crossover in the future – perhaps this time with Gotham as I think that would be very interesting!  On to Episode 2!

Episode 2 – “Honor Thy Father“

OK this is where other characters from the DC Universe also come into the picture so I’ll try to provide you with some detail on them also as I think I’ve mentioned previously I’m more of a Marvel geek vs. DC.

In this episode we’ve got another target – Martin Somers – that is also on the list (mentioned above) … Martin is being targeted for prosecution by Laurel as she is representing the daughter of a man that Martin Somers had killed.  Oliver confronts him as the Arrow and forces him to make a confession (not too sure how admissible this would be?) but is forced to fight China White, an assassin working for the Chinese Triads.

On the island we see Oliver attacked by a hooded figure (similar to his Arrow persona) wielding a bow and arrow.

China White

In the comics China White is a drug czar and has enslaved the inhabitants of an unnamed Pacific island.  She gets these people to work in her heroin fields and supplies the bulk of the drugs throughout the Pacific rim.  On the Arrow however she is the leader of the Chinese triads in Starling city although in her first appearance she seems to be more of a paid gun for hire.  She has a recurring role in the show however and I’ll provide more details in subsequent posts.

Episode 2 – Review

Overall not too much advancement here in terms of Oliver/Arrow.  Its good to see other characters from the DC universe included at such an early stage of the show as it indicates that they will be bringing more characters into the mix at a later stage.

To be honest due to my slowness in writing this, they’ve already had a cross over between Arrow and the Flash and I expect that we’ll see more secondary characters and shows introduced in the future.   I’d probably state that the best part of this episode is the end when Oliver is struck by an arrow by the unnamed bowman on the island.  It gives a clear indication of the trauma he went through and hopefully starts to explain how and why he became the person he now is.

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