Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot has long been my favorite Batman villain. Maybe I like his stylish attire, debonair wit, and bird puns. Or maybe I relate to other rotund, diminutive types.

For whatever reason, I tend to prefer the original version of the character- a funny little con man who somehow managed enough brains to occasionally outwit Batman and Robin. The mob lord and freaky bird-man versions came later, and I never really liked them.

The appeal of the character, I thought, was simply that someone who was clearly outmatched by our heroes still managed to give them a hard time. And his umbrella was a flame thrower.

The decision to depict him as a Victorian-style silhouette was inspired by a Jonathan Goldstein story from this installment of This American Life. Listen to the whole program- it’s worth it!

Solomon Grundy was originally the title and subject of a 19th Century nursery rhyme, but in the world of DC Comics, Solomon Grundy is the name of of a giant, swamp-zombie gangster supervillain. (more…)

Apparently, in comic books, The Creeper wasn’t exactly a nemesis of Batman. However, he was sort of presented that way in an episode of the animated TV series, so that was enough as far as the esteemed panel choosing Rogues’ Gallery subjects was concerned.

I don’t know much about the character beyond that. Wikipedia tells me that he was a late-1960’s invention of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko. I don’t really think it’s any surprise that this didn’t hit as big.

Anyhow, I thought “late 60’s” and “creepy” and nothing combines those elements quite like the Yellow Submarine artwork of Heinz Edelmann. This is my pale imitation.

There have been many bat-foes to go by the name of Clayface, but they’ve all pretty much been amorphous blobs of goo. Sometimes the character originates as an actor or a scientist, but they always end up as horrifying, criminal mud-monsters.

That’s got to be a depressing existence, even if (especially if?) you own Elliot Smith’s From a Basement on the Hill on vinyl.

Most of Batman’s famous foes have been around for decades, and have had the benefit of being depicted my multiple artists in different eras. Bane is a relatively new addition, having first appeared in the mid-1990s.
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A couple things kept nagging at me while I was working on this week’s Batman villain. The first is this old song by the Coasters, which I now can’t get out of my head. You’re welcome. (more…)

Here’s another batman villain! Well, a Batman/Superman team-up villain. The Composite Superman was a disgruntled janitor who gained a myriad of powers (including shape-shifting) in a freak accident. He decided the best way to exact vengeance…on…the World…I guess…was to shift into the shape of a Half-Batman, Half Superman green-skin guy.

Jimmy Olsen and Robin are as confused as you and I.

If you know me, you know I love Batman, and more than the Caped Crusader himself, I love Batman villains. (more…)