BATMAN versus HUSH
Heart of Hush: The Demon in the Mirror (DC)
Where: Detective Comics #850 When: January 2009
Why: Paul Dini How: Dustin Nguyen

The Story So Far...
Thomas Elliot was once the childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, but as they grew apart into adulthood, a parent's constant references to the budding young billionaire fostered a deep resentment in Elliot. Tethered to an ailing mother who survived the severed brakes that killed his father; Elliot's dark urges only grew deeper as she held him to ransom with an inheretence and her ill condition, never passing an opportunity to belitte or berate.

After smothering his mother in a fit of rage, Elliot finally attained the level of freedom he had envied Bruce Wayne for. With his family fortune, Elliot travelled the world, studying various disciplines, before finally fulfilling his dream of practising medicine. A revered surgeon, it was an easy manipulation to return to Bruce Wayne's life when he orchestrated a mortal fall for the Batman, who had unwittingly been subjected to months of hypnotic suggestion.

Dedicated to his vendetta, Thomas Elliot faked his death to remain in Gotham, forever transformed as the villainous underworld figure, Hush. Enduring through battles with other prominent rogues, such as Joker and Poison Ivy, Hush remains a lurking threat present in the shadows of Gotham City and the darkness of Batman's subconscious. At least, he was, until returning to strike at his nemesis once more, this time with the intent to seize Batman's fortune. Once again relying upon a grand orchestration to strike at the Dark Knight from all sides, Hush removes Selina Kyle's heart, forcing Batman to recruit Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite in a race to save her life, while Elliot himself enters the sanctum of Wayne Manor under the guise of Bruce Wayne himself. His gambit brings him to the threshold of victory, but the Batman is not so easily manipulated...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Batman 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Power: Batman 4 (Arsenal)


- After witnessing the street murder of his parents, the young Bruce Wayne's destiny was forever shaped to be one dedicated to an ideal. Having spent his formative years studying the various sciences, martial arts, and crime fighting techniques, Bruce is ultimately inspired to become the one-man war on the criminal element in Gotham City: Batman.

Perhaps Batman's greatest power is the millions inherited from his industrialist parents, and the various facilities that came with that. They prove crucial in the design and construction of his many weapons, which are typically non-lethal, and have a variety of uses.

Complimented by his keenly strategic mind is Batman's expertise in the martial arts. He is extensively trained in multiple fighting styles, and commonly regarded to be one of the greatest hand-to-hand fighters in the world.
He is also extremely proficient in urban warfare.

- Born into wealth; Thomas Elliot spent his childhood in loathing of his parents. In an effort to gain independence and control of his family's estate, the child orchestrated a murder plot to sever the brakes on his parent's vehicle, after convincing them to pardon their driver. The horrific accident that ensued would bring the socialittes under the knife of Dr. Thomas Wayne, father to Elliot's best friend, Bruce Wayne. The doctor would fail to save Tommy's father, but leave him an ingrate mother to suffer and care for.

As Hush; Elliot is soon revealed to be the manipulator whose influence had led Batman to call upon his services as a surgeon when he suffered head injuries from a fall, also part of Hush's plan. Having teamed with The Riddler and an adult Jason Todd; a spiteful Elliot fulfils a lifelong goal of revenge for the Waynes' part in his mother's survival, and the jealousy felt toward Bruce for living the life he wanted and was constantly measured against. Taking this vendetta to new a level, Elliot underwent radical plastic surgery to alter his appearance to actually look like Bruce Wayne. His disguise failed to fool Wayne's confidants.

Additional: Their only previous reviewed battle was the penultimate chapter of Hush's introduction, in Batman #619. Though Batman technically suffered a physical defeat at the hands of his newest enemy, it was his relationship with Harvey Dent that saw victory slip through Hush's gloves, awarding Batman only an assist.

History: Inconclusive (0-0-1)
Math: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...
Foiled in his attempts to fool Alfred into believing him an injured Bruce; Elliot prepares to descend the Batcave with the brutalized butler in tow. Unbenknownst to the villain, Batman was able to escape his crazed staff, returning home to launch a final assault against his arch-nemesis!

Hush fires his twin pistols at the moving shadow of the Bat, jeeringly noting the suitability of their encounter beneath the watchful stare of a painting of the deceased Waynes. Batman strikes silently in retaliation, diving at Hush to send them both tumbling down a hidden stairwell to the Batcave.

On his home turf, the Batman descends from the shadows, disappearing from a landing kick that fails to slow Hush. With his surgical scars beginning to bleed, Elliot wraps his head in his trademark bandages, sticking to the light whilst admiring the magnificence of the secret cave.

Elliot reveals some of the unknown complexities of his history, walking through the trophy area of the cave into the Batman's sights. A stiff left hook does well to snap the killer's face around, but a two-pump burst from his pistols knocks Batman through the glass of one of his trophy domes.

Elliot looms with his guns drawn promising the final blow, but a thunderous "thoom" serves a fitting distraction. Batman pulls himself from the glass, while Hush goes on the hunt for Alfred, who, manning the Batcave computer, shows a steely resilience against Hush's murderous confidence...

... His confidence becomes clear as the cave's model dinosaur lurches to life!
A hail of bullets reduce the towering monster's facade to nothing, exposing the robotic under structure to his shots. It tumbles to a hault, destroyed, but serves a purpose in delaying the villain.

Robin and Nightwing drop from the upper levels, challenging Hush to an acrobatic scrum. Elliot, not without his own combat training, fends off Robin with a kick, while Nightwing leaps over his head. Hush avoids a baton strike, striking Nightwing at the base of the skull a whip of his pistol. Outnumbered, he abandons his plans, instead seeking a means of escape.

Batman reemerges; tossing his cape aside to pursue Hush as he commandeers a one-man autogyro. The Batman leaps onto the bottom of the "whirlybat," clinging gingerly to the contraption as it becomes airborne.

Elliot sneers at his opponent's decision to hang from the machine, taunting him with references to childhood games, whilst gloating over his opportunity to return to claim the Batcave at any time. His words are accompanied with the tip of a blade that slashes the Batman's hand. The last laugh, however, belongs to him.

With Elliot's bandages partly unfurled, the Batman draws his attentions to the hazards of live rotor blades and loose materials. The realisation comes far too late for Hush who becomes entangled as Batman dives into the waters below, leaving his doppelganger to careen out of control into the cave wall in a spectacular explosion.

The Hammer...
With the vital assist provided by Alfred, Nightwing, and Robin, we give to you the first winner of Season 2009: Batman!

Wow! At this point we're running nearly three weeks behind schedule, but it's nice to open the account for the year with a really great recent issue! Christmas was good to us, on the Wars.

"Batman RIP" branched out from the Grant Morrison plotline that pitted Batman against a strange new menace; Dr. Hurt's criminal organization, The Black Glove. The story featured a host of Silver Age touchstones revived for a plot that drove Batman to the edge of insanity and forced him to challenge the very notions of how he operates as a superhero.

The story made international headlines, with major press outlets reporting under the impression that Batman had died in a smouldering helicopter wreck. The truth, however, would prove to be much vaguer. Fans keen to learn the true fate of Batman in "RIP" were steered to Final Crisis, specifically, issue #6, where the final fate of Batman was said to finally be revealed.

Right around this time you might be wondering where Hush factors in.

Initiated fans will be well versed in the marketing strategies of major comics publishers. If one title is gripped by a major storyline, then there's often no reason surrounding titles can't benefit from that same attention.
Admittedly, in it's capitalist principle, it's not a very admirable method of doing business in a creative medium, but I have to give Paul Dini and the gang some measure of credit. Why? Because it's bloody good!

Good logic tells us Heart of Hush probably sits somewhere just prior to Morrison's core story, sharing nothing in common with the psychadelic trip of RIP-proper. Instead, this tale provides yet another emotionally draining struggle for the Batman to overcome. For a dark hero as closed-off as he; dealing with the sight of one of his few loves sliced open and filled with pipes (where a heart should be), is sure to be a particularly disturbing situation. Particularly given his sense of responsibility.

The real triumph of this story isn't what it does for Batman, however. Rather, Dini assures a future for two major supporting characters in Catwoman and Hush, who have returned quickly to the pages of an empty book.

As disappointing as the conclusion to the year-long mystery of Hush was, I have to admit, I haven't had the venom for the character other readers have. Though dependent on conveniences, I felt Jeph Loeb contributed a bold new character to the Batman universe with great opportunity for potential. Potential that has been exploited with a beautiful simlpicity in Heart of Hush, by Dini.

Amidst a fairly typical arc of mental and physical confrontation, Dini and Nguyen lace in further exploration of the character's backstory. What they add really only embellishes what we already know, but does so as an organic step forward in taking the cypher of Hush as a character, and building something more specific around it. This exploration shows foresight for extending the character in both directions -- adding further complexity to Thomas Elliot's origins -- while also redefining his obsession with Bruce Wayne and the nature of his vendetta.

By engaging Batman on such a personal and dramatic level, some might feel Hush, from inception, bares a disturbing resemblence in nature to destructive characters from the mid-nineties (ie; Bane). With this follow-up, however, I think we see the character's future significance assured, even if it walks a tight-rope that will no doubt be exploited in the upcoming Battle for the Cowl. Afterall, a villain who possesses Bruce Wayne/Batman's face is a very intriguing thing, not just for the psychological implications, but his potential to usurp the mantle.

Dustin Nguyen deserves full credit for his work on Heart of Hush.
I've mentioned before that he really does deliver a Batman balanced beautifully between stylized darkness, cartoon simplicity, and hyper-realistic brutality. His style almost seems to mirror a Mignola sensibility, lending itself moreso to action, versus Mignola's skill for moments of still.
Derek Fridolfs (inker) and John Kalisz (colours) also deserve heady praises for interacting with the artist's pencils with a touch that truly enhances the mood of the story, and the art of the pencils. I might miss the grey tones of a more recent gritty era of Detective, but the vibrant and cool colours are welcome.

Nguyen also provides gorgeous cover art that not only lends a unique ink wash finish to his pencils, but possess a design sense that really made these issues of Detective stand-out above the Alex Ross fare of Batman. Superb!

The true fate of Batman is something we'll discuss at a later date. I'm particularly looking forward to getting January traditions out of the way to dive into Final Crisis -- a series I have found myself thoroughly enamored with over the holiday season. From the central issues, to the spin-offs, this is the event that defined 2008!

That's a subject for a later date, however.
Next up: More Batman!? Stay tuned!

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 6

Heart of Hush might just be the best Batman story of 2008!
If you want to get hold on it yourself, why not take advantage of Amazon's prices and customer service? By using purchase links provided, you help sponsor the Infinite Wars, which is important! You can find this story, as well as collections of most other reviewed tales, all on sale in the Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe! Happy New Year!

BATMAN/SUPERMAN versus DARKSEID
Torment Part 6: Release (DC)
Where: Superman/Batman #42 When: Early January 2008 Why: Alan Burnett How: Dustin Nguyen

The Story So Far...
After negotiating his way out of his imprisonment within the mythic Source Wall, the New God, Darkseid, finds himself with only a fraction of his titanic power.

In an effort to reclaim the Omega Power; Darkseid has his loyal minion, Desaad, recruit the fear obssessed villain, Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka; Scarecrow. The Gotham madman aids in the manipulation of Superman - the man originally responsible for trapping Darkseid in the Source Wall.
With Superman under his control; Darkseid damns him to an act of irony, sending the Man of Steel to recruit the staff of the Highfather - a conduit for the power Darkseid seeks, housed at the Source Wall.

In an effort to find his ally, Batman travels into space to face the overwhelming odds of a New God on the planet Tartaros. There he finds a valued ally in Bekka, the fighting wife of the New God, Orion. Together they track Darkseid to the threshold of the Omega Force where they share one final passionate exchange, before an act of treachery by Desaad affords them the ultimate time to strike...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Darkseid 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Darkseid 5 (Professor)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach-Speeds)
Stamina: Darkseid 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Darkseid 7 (Warrior)
Energy Power: Darkseid 5 (Lasers)


- After witnessing the street murder of his parents, the young Bruce Wayne's destiny was forever shaped to be one dedicated to an ideal. Having spent his formative years studying the various sciences, martial arts, and crime fighting techniques, Bruce is ultimately inspired to become the one-man war on the criminal element in Gotham City: Batman.

With the planet Krypton on a path toward destruction, a scientist, Jor-El, bundles his only son into a rocket ship designed to take him far from the impending doom. The young Kal-El would be rocketted far from his home to come to land on the planet Earth, where a yellow sun would grant him the powers to become the man of steel - Superman!

Known affectionately as the "World's Finest," Superman and Batman are among the most senior superheroes in the DC Universe. As founding members of the Justice League of America, the duo maintain a tense relationship built of mutual respect and recognition for each others unique skills. Batman's brilliance is matched only by Superman's empathy and natural superhuman abilities, which off-set the Batman's reliance upon man-made technologies.

- Born to Yuga Khan and Heggra; the New God named Uxas would ultimately change his name to Darkseid as part of a reinvention that would include the assassination of his mother, and ascension to ruler of the planet, Apokolips.

In his desire for universal domination Darkseid seeks the Anti-Life Equation; an ability that will grant him omnipotence over all thought and being. This quest has brought him into regular conflict with the denizens of a distant planet called Earth. It is Darkseid's belief that the recesses of the human mind retain lost fragments of the Anti-Life Equation.

Darkseid's power rivals and maybe even dwarfs any of his New God peers, or even those from other pantheons of godly order. Ungauged levels of strength and invulnerability provide a baseline for the enduring despot, with other abilities, such as his Omega Effect, providing a lethal projectile offensive said to be inescapable and nigh impossible to survive.
Also at Darkseid's disposal are the endless hordes of his parademon soldiers, fiercely dedicated, and willing to die in his name.

Math: Superman/Batman (Ttl) Darkseid (Avg) Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...
Having reenergized the powers of the Omega Force through his traitorous minion, Darkseid claims the Highfather's staff for himself, squashing the brief moment of rebellion by Desaad. Just as Darkseid punishes his underling with an Omega Beam, a ship explodes through the wall, pilotted by Bekka and Batman!

The dark lord's daughter-in-law leaps from the ship alone, armed with a futuristic gun that has little effect on the New God. Darkseid easily disarms his son's wife with an Omega Beam, playing unwittingly into a diversionary tactic that has Batman charging the New God under the invisible veil of Bekka's phasing tech.

The Dark Knight launches into a flying kick that connects with the titan's jaw and successfully stuns him enough to knock the Highfather's Staff from his grip! The moment Batman takes hold of the powerful object, he gains vision to see Superman moving faster than a speeding bullet, but not at all.

When Batman snaps back to reality he finds the staff has disappeared, but in it's stead is Superman, who, by means unknown, was able to escape the confines of the Source Wall! Darkseid gloats over Bekka as she tends to the human with which she experienced love - a distraction that proves the despot's undoing!

The Man of Steel collides with Darkseid with devestating voice, exacting revenge for his manipulation. Reeling, the New God suffers a combination of strikes, two more that spray more blood from his mouth as his face contorts in line with the super-fast swing of Superman's fists!

On his knees, Darkseid chooses to flee from battle, rather than run the risk of being trapped by Superman within the Source Wall once more.
His exit coincides with a disruption in the planet Tartaros as the break in the Source Wall caused by Superman's escape begins to suck away at the universe. The planet itself, a vile construct of war, is sucked in to fill the gap, becoming one with the cosmic barrier.

The destruction allows Bekka to open a boom tube, providing the heroes a method of escape.
On Earth, Orion claims his wife. The New God has only a stern gaze for the Dark Knight that came to know her love, unaware that he is about to carry his wife to her doom as Darkseid's true plans carry on in secret, and death is brought to all the New Gods.

The Hammer...
Like a boss battle in MKvsDC, the winners are Superman and Batman, but not without the assist from site debutante, Bekka!

If you've been following the site in our seemingly endless November, you'll know we've been banging the drum for the crossover video game release, Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe. Following the cues of the merged final boss, we thought it would be fitting to wrap up with a shot of Shao Kahn, and today, Darkseid!

Traditionally I can't say I've really been much of a New Gods/Darkseid fan, but 2008 proved that I'm pretty easily won over. It's been a big year for ol' stone-face as he marched through both the MK and DC universes! One of the highlights of the year was undoubtedly his supposed death at the hands of Orion [Countdown #2], to say nothing of his total domination of the Earth, in Final Crisis.

As has been a tradition for DC over the last few years, it's interesting the way this seemingly innocuous cosmic arc of Superman/Batman plays a much more significant role in the landscape of the DCU in 2008 (connecting to Death of the New Gods, and by relation, Final Crisis). It reminds me a little of Brian Azzarello's Superman story, For Tomorrow, which forecast elements of Project OMAC/Infinite Crisis, albeit, a bit more obvious to anyone paying attention.

If one were to buy in to the popular theory that Final Crisis is preparing the landscape for an ascension of heroes to New Godhood, then this story might take on even greater significance. I still find myself a little less than convinced, even with the recent "death" of Batman in RIP, but as an adventure to connected events, it's certainly a story that leaves you believing in Batman's ability to become a creature of far greater cosmic significance.

Burnett (and presumably, editorial) deserve credit for tackling some of the big ideas that have rumbled implicitly beneath the Bat-mantle -- namely Bruce Wayne's sexual and romantic desires. Here he finds a moment of both with Bekka, referring in his own pensive internal dialogues to the way he has channelled those impulses into "the Almighty Will."
Bekka emerges naked from warm vats that stave off the threat of hypothermia to console the notably disturbed (and unmasked) Batman, which creates the slightly hilarious scene of Bruce recoiling into the shadow with a dramatic, "No, Bekka. Stay back...!"

By focusing on the human cost paid by Bruce Wayne in order to function as The Batman the story implies an interesting dual point. While it highlights the underlying humanity that is within Wayne, it quickly replaces that comment with the suggestion that he can exist on the same level as (New) Gods, completely removed from humanity! It is a very interesting perspective to observe.

Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are all departing once again, but is it simply a vacation this time, or something more? We saw the trio take time out during 52 to recharge, but what if this time around it is to leave behind the DCU to ascend to a new purpose? As disappointing as it would be to lose these legends, do they not deserve the implied next stage? It would surely be a very bold move from the corporate DC Comics! More palatable that the veiled threat of another line-wide Crisis reboot, also!

I've got to make at least one mention of Dustin Nguyen's artwork!
I really enjoy his heavily stylized take on the character! His figures balance an energetic cartoon style with the emotive darkness one expects of a good Batman. Some of those shadows sometimes feel almost Mignola-esque, but are unmistakably Nguyen's! The digital colours on this issue's cover don't do the artwork justice, but interior colours, by Randy Mayor, do the trick!
This is polar opposite to Nguyen's recent pseudo-painted treatment on Detective Comics, but that's a review that will have to wait for another day...

We'll leave you with these vague ponderings as we press ever onward toward today! The next big checkpoint is the December Punch-Up where we'll be bathing in the statistical ramifications of all our Mortal Kombat/DC Universe posturing!

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 5.5

You can check out the collected edition of this hidden DC gem, as well as collections of the many other issues reviewed in the Secret Archives, by checking out our Amazon Gift Shoppe! With the holidays barrelling down on us it's the perfect way to shop for that comics fanboy in your life, or maybe even yourself! By using links provided on the Infinite Wars, or deviating from the same, you help sponsor future entries with every purchase you make! So take full advantage of Amazon's prices and convenience! Yays!

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Nothing but fear itself!
BATMAN versus THE SCAREBEAST
As The Crow Flies Part Three: Scary Monsters (DC)
Where: Batman #628 When: Late July 2004
Why: Judd Winick How: Dustin Nguyen

Quick Fix...
Well, at this point we can deduce several things:
Clearly daily posting has been completely derailed; apparently freeing up Mondays has left me completely lost; and this is clearly another belated opportunity for an exciting dose of Halloween hangover!
Let's be honest, it wouldn't be a comic site Halloween without a solid appearance clocked by the Scarecrow!

If zeitgeist is the theme of the website right now, it's fair to say season 04/05 was Scarecrow's time! The good Dr. Crane received a mainstream shot in the arm when he made his overdue big screen debut in 2005's, Batman Begins. The feature film not only reinvigorated his stock in the comic books, but also introduced the character to the uninitiated, creating a whole new fanbase out of fans of horror, and fan-fiction sub-culture.

Joining Golden Age alumnists like the Joker and Catwoman; for my money, Scarecrow ranks amongst the quintesential Batman villains.

Working in the character's favour are many attributes found in the most successful villains to endure the decades of the Bat-franchise. Crane, a former psychologist, possesses the necessary degree of intelligence to properly combat the dark knight detective, and much like Joker or the Riddler, marries it to a special brand of crazy.

For the most part Scarecrow connects to the underlying theme of mental illness in Batman, which in an obscure way stems directly from the character himself. Though usually only by implication, the theory that Batman is as damaged as the crooks he brings in, has been well explored with projects like Arkham Asylum, Dark Knight Returns, and various other stories.

A majority of Scarecrow's earliest appearances typified the character as a more standard career criminal. Despite his flair for theatrical gimmickery, Scarecrow did not regularly utilize his trademark fear gas until decades after his first 1941 appearance. This came after the character endured one of the most noteworthy disappearances of a villain spanning from the mid-fifties to the sixties.

Though the lead-up to Begins saw a wave of refresher and introductory appearances of Scarecrow in comics, an unlikely change was about to occur in the character as the high-flying Batman experienced it's own period of transition.

In the past we've touched upon a boom period of Batman that propelled the title back to the top of the sales charts with the blockbuster teaming of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, for Hush. After such a success the follow-up task went to the unlikely team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (of 100 Bullets fame), before a concerned hand over to Eisner-nominee, Judd Winick [and Dustin Nguyen].

With Hush having moved such substantial quantities, any team was going to have a struggle on DC's renewed flagship title, but after the culture shock of Broken City, Winick's credentials were quickly characterized as few and removed. The only thing worse than a perceived untested writer was the prospect of a major change in franchise characters, which probably wasn't as publicized as it might have otherwise been...

In an effort to expand his criminal interests, the Penguin employs Jonathan Crane with a mandate to develop a new generation of fear toxin.
Working under the thumb of the mob proves uncomfortable for Crane, who lives at the mercy of Penguin and his funding. Finding solace in his supplied laboratory assistant, disgraced physician, Linda Friitawa, Crane conducts secret experiments which make him the prime suspect in a spate of underworld murders perpetrated by a monstrous Scarebeast. Crane swears his innocence.

With many of his associates already murdered by the Scarebeast, Penguin moves Crane to a new location and calls a meeting for his generals. During the heated debate he has the misfortune of spying the monster coming for them.

As the Scarebeast smashes through the massive windows of Cobblepot's mansion, he screams the order to fly to his flat-footed associates. The squat gangster runs for his life while his fellows kiss theirs goodbye, opening fire on a monster that seems as invulnerable as it is unfeeling.

Marching a bloody path through Penguin's mansion, the Scarebeast runs afoul Batman, perched behind the balustrade of a higher level. He tosses a batarang and line around the beast's maw, but it is for naught.
Foregoing stairs, the Scarebeast bursts through the second-floor balcony, surviving broken teeth and the burying of a taser in it's motley hide.

Batman moves into close quarters, tossing a grenade down the monster's gullet. Though the explosion does some damage, it fails to topple the Scarebeast.

Batman, hoping to restrain the creature, draws his grapple gun, but finds he has under estimated his opponent's resilience. In the grip of the terrible Scarebeast, Batman struggles for another explosive, only to cop a face full of gas breathed from the Scarebeast's toothy maw.

With his lung filled with gas, Batman soon recognises the concoction of the fright gas.

Falling into the abyss of terror, the issue closes with Batman's head engulfed in green fear gas, the Scarebeast speaking a soft request, "Scream. Scream for me."

By the end of As the Crow Flies we would learn that much like Hush, the presumption of the obvious being a diversion was inaccurate. Despite his claims of innocence, Jonathan Crane is indeed revealed to be the terrifying Scarebeast, though totally unaware of it.
The transformation proves to be part of a much larger plot, but that is a discussion and reveal for another day of Infinite Wars!

I'm told the Scarebeast eventually appeared again during War Games, but I can't vouch for that, having endeavoured to skip the multi-title crossover. War Games followed this story immediately, dividing it from Winick's induction as regular writer on the series -- a period we have discussed many times in the past.

I don't know what general fan reception was for the concept, but I kinda like the Jekyll & Hyde aspect of the Scarebeast. Though there have been variations, I generally prefer to think of Scarecrow as one of the least effective combatants in Batman's rogues gallery, making this a useful twist for inventing a physical threat of the Scarecrow.

I wouldn't want to see it overwhelm the heart of the character, but as an underlying potential in any situation, it's a bit of fun. Of course, there are much more interesting takes on the character, which leads us to the next issue in our double feature...

The Fix: 5.5 The Issue: 4.5
Winner: Scarecrow

Though the conclusion of the issue spills over into the next, for the sake of book keeping, the Infinite Wars regard issue-end as a point of conclusion. Thus, this is considered a victory for Scarecrow, irrespective of the following events in Batman #629.

---

BATMAN versus SCARECROW
Fear is the Key (DC)
Where: Batman: Gotham Knights #49 When: March 2004 Why: Geoff Johns How: Tommy Castillo

Quick Fix...
... It seems just about every major Bat-character has at least a few shades of characterization. Certainly the seventies shift to grim darkness recast characters in steady contrast to their fifties counterparts, but even then, it's in the minutia that we find many alterations.

Depth of origins and motivations tend to vary, but I think it's safe to say a definitive Scarecrow is intent on invoking fear in his victims. His methodoloy may as well be as specific to a story as the circumstances of his involvement.
In this black and white back-up story, written by Geoff Johns, we get a fresh perspective on the character and his relationship with fear. Essentially a vignette; Crane narrates as he tortures a trio of GCPD officers, noting each of their fears as he sends them to brutal deaths. This narrative culminates in the reveal that Jonathan Crane himself has ceased to feel fear.

Spinning out of the defense of Bendis' references to real-world scenarios [Daredevil #75], I like the potential application of fact in the Scarecrow's methodology. It's this grounded logic and relative humanity to the Bat-villains that makes them among the very best, and beloved.

It's reasonable to assume that prolonged and repeated exposure to his fear inducing toxins would leave Scarecrow immune to their effects, in fact, in more cartoony terms, that's been explicitly stated, perhaps along with some form of innoculation. Likewise, cognitive therapies practise repeated exposing events in an effort to desensitize a patient from obsession or anxiety. Scarecrow's repeated exposures to fear and the results of fear could, in a comic book super-logic, also contribute to his total disassociation with horror and phobia.

I love the idea of characterizing the Scarecrow as desiring the experience to feel fear. We can imagine this as the numb desire of the disassociated desperately seeking to engage and experience the visceral quality that we might all associate with excitement or eroticism -- likewise, there's the intellectual quality of Dr. Jonathan Crane, who may desire the pursuit of this seemingly unattainable goal. He becomes a type of adreneline junky, desperate to push the boundaries to find what finally sets him off.

I'm a big fan of Jeph Loeb's eerie depiction of the character as a silent and disengaged individual whose motives are somewhat disguised. I feel the marriage of these ideas can root an erratic agenda in the logic of Scarecrow as a volatile character willing to take unexpected risks and turns in an effort to experience fear.

Johns takes us through an implied history of a sociopath who has commited a variety of crimes over a lifetime, and has been unafraid to stare down the barrel of a loaded gun; all of which logically culminate in the Scarecrow. "I wanted to share my fears. Share them with the world. So I did what everyone with an idea does in Gotham City -- I put on a costume."

The conclusion is the obvious solve to the Scarecrow as a riddle.
Emerging through the downpour of the Gotham gloom, Batman descends like a dark angel of death. Too late to save the policemen, he pursues the lithe Scarecrow across the smock stacks and rooftops of industrial-suburban Gotham.

The Dark Knight is there waiting, cutting the Scarecrow's path off with his bulky visage and a black glove that moves like a predator's sting. It pounds Crane's already malformed face, before snatching the safety of his ragetty mask away.
Jonathan Crane loves every bone chilling minute of it.

Here, we peel away everything that makes the Batman crucial to Scarecrow's life as a costumed villain. The argument that Batman fuels the fire inevitably creeps up here, but is arguably quashed by the promise that Crane would have continued to seek the fear he desires, perhaps killing hundreds of thousands on a rampage that had no logical end. Instead, Batman is the beacon that attracts him, like the moth to the flame, delighted by the light that will burn him.

For Crane, the Batman represents fear.
Batman is every bit the brawny bully that taunted him through the high school years of shame. Every bit the disapproving surrogate guardian that slapped him for his many mistakes. Every bit the pretty person that laughed at his crooked frame, and stooped shoulders.

Perhaps worst of all, Batman is the intellect that can challenge this rarely opposed, criminally brilliant man. The mind who can undermine his every thought, and reduce him to the terror of redundancy, just as the disapproving board of his college work did. Batman controls fear without toxin. For Crane, Batman is toxin, and for that he is ever grateful.

And boy shouldn't we have talked about this one on Halloween?
Friends, this is Criminal Intent calibre stuff. You have just been inside the mind of a killer. I highly recommend you rinse your psyche off with a healthy dose of wide-eyed manga style multi-colour Street Fighter treatment! Me? I'm going to go down some fruit juice, step into the warmth of the sun, and maybe have a shower to wash away the insane... Remember kids, I'm a trained writer schooled in comics-crazy. Don't try this at home!

The Fix: 3 The Story: 6
Winner: Batman

If you don't feel like scouring the back issues or online stores for Gotham Knights back-up stories, why not click your way to Amazon, where you can pick up the collected Black and White stories? Some of comics' biggest names feature, doing what Alex Maleev has often described as a goal!

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Under the Influence/Ones We Love
ROBIN versus BATMAN
As the Crow Flies Part Four: Shotgun (DC)
Where: Batman #629 When: August 2004
Why: Judd Winick How: Dustin Nguyen

Quick Fix...
So, Galactus and I might not have a lot in common, but there is one indisputable commonality: We're both sticklers for rules, especially our own.

Which brings us to now. Up against the wire, I feel an obligation to turn in a Street Fighter post for Sunday, a Marvel Ultimate Alliance post for Monday, and, well, okay, that's really about all... But still, here we are, as the clock ticks over to Sunday (here in the future), and I'm starting a post for Saturday! Egads, what sinister plot could provoke such madness?!

A couple of days ago The Fortress Keeper had some interesting things to say about the state of Batman, with a particular slant towards an evolution away from the grim and gritty mania that has gripped the character for the best part of three decades. I, of course, subscribe to that classic take within reason, actually fairly disinterested in progress being made by Grant Morrison to return the hairy chested love-god to his globe trotting throne; but I digress...

Inevitably one travels from Batman's world and state of mind, to the relationships important to his life.

There's a purveyance of opinion that says Batman, in his grittier and more obsessive incarnations, is a two-dimensional character devoid of layers. It's perhaps because of that opinion that many people draft their complexities onto the characters surrounding the Dark Knight Detective. Right or wrong, it provides us another nice segue to use a dangling quick fix from our last entry, but first...

It's actually been quite a while since I've fawned over Judd Winick's run on Batman. Or maybe it isn't, and the increased activity just makes it seem like it's been a while. Regardless, not the case today, as we take a look at the standalone "As the Crow Flies" arc, which preceded Winick's bulky, on-going stay on the book, which I am particularly fond of. Incidentally, it was the graceless intrusion of the interrupting War Games story that broke-up Winick's work, but incidentally set-up much of what I enjoyed so much.

The majority of this story revolves around the cagey relationship between Jonathan "Scarecrow" Crane, and the Penguin, who has employed the former to contribute to his criminal investments. Coinciding with this alliance is the emergence of a hulking Scarebeast, more monster than man, who terrorizes Gotham City and the criminal underworld by night.

Despite his best efforts, Batman is unsuccesful in confronting the Scarebeast, succumbing to it's own unique brand of fear toxin.

Falling into the abyss of fear and panic, Batman's dedicated training sees him able to escape to the Batmobile, where it's autopilot technology can navigate to the Batcave. The mobile also puts Batman in much needed contact with trusted butler, Alfred, who is able to talk him down from his panic for at least part of the long journey home.

With hallucinations setting in, Batman flails his limbs at an imaginary Joker and Two-Face. His fevered attacks damage the Batmobile console, severing his connection with Alfred, and perhaps even sanity. Concerned, Alfred summons the aid of the boy wonder, Robin, who pursues atop dirt bike.

Where there rides a Robin, the unsettled Batman sees the demon of his greatest failure, the supposedly deceased Jason Todd. Still haunted by the tactics employed by the villainous Hush (and Todd), Batman pops the Batmobile hatch and yanks the young Tim Drake from his motorcycle.

Though Robin lodges a verbal appeal in an attempt to navigate Batman back through the forest of hallucination, he continues only to see Jason Todd. Prompted by imagined taunts, the Batman clutches at Robin's throat, squeezing.

Barely able to overcome the hostility of his adopted-father, Robin manages to lift from a whisper to a call, requesting Alfred to blow the rooftop via remote from the Batcave headquarters.

The sudden rush of air rips the tiny Robin from Batman's vice-like grip. His acrobatic training helps the young hero maneuver himself to catch the tail of the Batmobile as it thunders into the hidden entrance of the secret Batcave.

Batman is thrown from the convertible vehicle, coming to land in a tangled, bloody mess. Robin makes a far more graceful landing, joining Alfred at his master's side to administer an anti-toxin. For the sidekick, a job well done.

I touched on the fact that I'm one who quite enjoys the darker side of Batman.
Traditionally I'm not a fan of Robin the side-kick as a part of that, but here actually lies a pretty good example of ways to make the character acceptable.

I tend to think Robin is at his best as a character who has grown up to leave the nest. I think that relationship of father and son is one of the most dynamic qualities of the duo, and that's played to particularly strong effect here.

While it doesn't really seem to be examined as the soul focus of what is essentially a strong, if grounded, episode in a superhero adventure; there's a strong undercurrent of fear and what is fear. For a child, I think there are few scarier scenarios than this, where the father is completely out of control.

I don't mean that just in the violence of the way Batman lashes out, but the fact that Batman is such a staunch pillar of certainty. I suppose stability is an important part of a child's life, and as much as an unstable environment can be damaging, it also reshapes a sense of normality. For someone who has viewed a personal aquaintance as an unshakable force of of strength, few things can be more frightening than the dissolving of that.

It's looking at the character's psychological flaws and darkness in manners like this that make me greatly appreciative of the grim and grit of the character.
I tend to feel I can find well-adjusted superheroics, and gadget filled adventure from a lot of avenues, but few characters bring such a rich tapestry of psychological layers, and motivations.
I personally feel in the assumed flat characterization, there is actually more juice than in the showy, gallavanting Batman. The more he supposedly shuts down, the more we learn about the character. The less spoken, the more said.

Winick does well to inject that into what is essentially a monster story, even if Nguyen's kinetic pencils ground it in a more superhero, capes and tights motiff.

The Fix: 5 The Issue: 6
Winner: Inconclusive

[No one really wins or loses in this quick fix, but it should be noted as but a tiny portion of what turns out to be quite a fun comic.
If most Bat-villains are justified as mirrors held up to Batman, Scarecrow represents the detached. A character who does not distract his reflection through a filter of antagonism, forcing Batman to confront himself quite literally, rather than through a green and white abstraction.]

---

BATMAN versus CATWOMAN
Crisis of Conscience: Part Four (DC)
Where: JLA #118 When: Early November 2005
Why: Geoff Johns & Allan Heinberg How: Chris Batista

Quick Fix...
I like the idea that Gotham is an old fashioned city.
A city with a certain musk to it's looming skyline, that eventually colours the denizens within it. It wasn't always as corrupt as it is now, but even the Green Lantern (Alan Scott) will tell you, it had that intangible quality to it.

Robin, in all his colourful glory, tends to represent much of the hope, promise and innocence lost to Gotham City, and to Batman. He personifies, in many ways, a future where Gotham might not need the protection and aid of a man garbed in emotionless black and grey. A man, who like many of Gotham's others, has been dragged so deep into the skirmish that he is almost what he fights.

I like to think Martian Manhunter represents a bit of that, too.
As much as he has walked the streets and tasted the dusty air of Gotham's criminal underworld, he remains the city's secret Superman. An alien from a world outside Gotham, who hides beneath the muted browns and greys of his store bought suits the vibrant green of blossoming nature, and a perspective of everything the city may be.

They don't necessarily enjoy each other's company, or agree on the degrees of what's required to achieve good in the world, but I like to think Batman and Martian Manhunter are always bound by the mutual understanding of Gotham.

While Batman represents a brutal, corrupted version; he remains a pillar on the non-lethal side of the justice scale we've been talking about. Far more harsh than anything Martian Manhunter would usually subscribe to, but still on the same wave length of what is and isn't crossing the unspoken line.

It's this commonality that brings the two characters together in the pages of Crisis of Conscience, which deals with the aftermath of the revelation that Zatanna spent her career with the League wiping the minds of villains and heroes alike.

For Batman, the matter is a direct issue of intellectual intrusion and doubt, while for Martian Manhunter it's a question of power versus responsibility. As a telepath with the capability of carrying out the same function, he holds dear a moral code that denies any such invasion of personal space.

It is on this level that Martian Manhunter is challenged by the master manipulator of events surrounding the exposure of Zatanna and the League's secret -- Despero. After defeating both J'onnz and Aquaman [JLA #118] he marches them to the Batcave, where he seeks to usurp control of Batman aswell.
Confiding in Catwoman over the anguish and uncertainties brought on by the gaps in his memory, Batman is vulnerable to the surprise attack. Despero quickly takes control, and turns him against the potential interference of his lover.

The Batman swats Catwoman into his computer console, following quickly with a stiff kick narrowly blocked by the beseiged burglar. She retaliates in a characteristically independent manner, shedding any personal loyalties to slash Batman across the head.

Though unsuccessful in harming the possessed Dark Knight, it does reveal a glowing third-eye beneath his cowl, the trademark of Despero's telepathic control.

Catwoman is obviously a big part of the Bat-family, even though the two have been somewhat distanced of late.

I like to think she represents a part of the corruption brought about by life in Gotham. I think she connects to the thought processes that govern Batman's brand of harsh justice. She highlights the fact that he has taken the fight so close to villainy, he freely associates with a thief on the merit of her inner goodness. For Batman, the cramped highrises of Gotham prevent scope of the bigger picture, leading him to hold onto only what he knows is explicitly right and wrong.

Sometime in the next week or two I'd like to take a more specific look at the relationship between Catwoman and Batman, but in the mean time, I think it's been a long warm day, and I've become too distracted to wrap this up well.

The Fix: 3 The Issue: 4
Winner: Inconclusive

[The briefest of quick fixes to be sure, but now you have the full picture for that particular issue. As much as I enjoy Batista's pencils, there a frustrating resemblance to Michael Keaton in his Batman that really bugs me. It's probably just because of the way he draws lips, I don't know... Leave me alone!]