Friday, 20 February 2009

#13 - The Scarecrow

First Appearance - World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941)

The Scarecrow (Dr. Jonathan Crane) is a former psychiatrist who uses a variety of drugs and psychological tactics to exploit the fears and phobias of his adversaries. He does not commit his crimes for wealth, but rather as a form of "research" to further study the effects of fear on humans, making the innocent citizens of Gotham City his unwilling guinea pigs. While he will occasionally commit robbery or other types of larceny, he does so only to get the funding he needs to carry out his experiments.

#12 - Quakemaster

First appearance - DC Special #28 (June-July 1977)

Robert Coleman is an architect of some note in Gotham City. His reputation is irreparably damaged when an apartment complex he designed and built does not withstand a hurricane. Feeling that he has been wrongly branded, Coleman creates the alias of the Quakemaster and uses his super-charged jackhammer to create earthquakes in Gotham City. His scheme backfires and only his buildings are damaged in the quakes. Quakemaster is defeated and captured by Batman.

#11 - The Reaper

First Appearance - Detective Comics #575 (June 1987)

Judson Caspian is a socialite by day, and a vigilante by night. After losing his wife to a robber in the streets, he becomes The Reaper, who prowls Gotham City during the 1950s, murdering juvenile delinquents by impaling them with a scythe.

#10 - Mirror Man

First Appearance - Detective Comics #213 (November 1954)

#9 - The Joker

First Appearance - Batman #1 (Spring 1940)

The archenemy of Batman, the Joker is portrayed as a master criminal whose characterization has varied from a violent sociopath who kills people and commits crimes for his own amusement, to a goofy trickster-thief. He has also been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life; including, but not limited to, the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd.

The Joker's real identity is unknown. Throughout the character's long history, there have been several different origin tales; the most common theme depicts him as falling into a vat of chemical waste, which bleaches his skin and turns his hair green and his lips bright red, giving him the appearance of a clown. Wizard Magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Villains of All Time ranked the Joker as #1.

#8 - Mirage

First appearance - Detective Comics #511 (February 1982)

Mirage used a gem that caused people to see elaborate illusions and committed crimes while his victims were occupied fighting against these illusions. This crime wave brought him to the attention of Batman. Batman faced Mirage several times before coming up with a strategy to beat him. During the encounter, Mirage's gem was destroyed. Batman was able to defeat him and sent him to jail. While in jail, Mirage managed to create contact lenses from fragments of his jewel. He proceeded to create the illusion of himself in jail and escaped to the circus he once worked for. Starting another crime wave, Batman was once again alerted to his actions. This time, Batman easily beat him and sent him back to prison.

#7 - Cluemaster

First Appearance - Detective Comics #351(May 1966)

The Cluemaster (Arthur Brown) is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and enemy of Batman. A failed game show host, he became a criminal who left clues to his crimes, though unlike the Riddler's, they were not riddles.