SEEKERS OF THE BAT

Batman is the master of fear. Even the fear gas using Scarecrow is merely a fear addict. The only reason Bruce Wayne chose to become Batman was because Bats were something that he feared. He figuratively conquered the concept of the bat and took it for himself.

So it would make sense that when the fear based Sinestro Corps was formed, Batman would be recruited to wield a yellow ring. Of course doing so would enslave him to Sinestro, so it’s probably for the best that he turned it down. Still, it would have been cool to see him throw glowing yellow bats at criminals all over the universe.

The Joker/Riddler;   Two-Face/Solomon Grundy?; Mad Hatter/Scarecrow

Killer Croc/Bane;  Mr. Freeze/Penguin;  Catwoman/Poison Ivy

Being thrust into life threatening scenarios on a daily basis can make anyone just a little bit jaded. As a result, Batman can handle situations like being set on fire with complete aplomb. Logically, there’s no reason to panic, it’s probably just a new strain of fear toxin. Ho hum.

Dustin Nguyen gives us this awesome group shot of the major characters in the Bat universe. It must have been a blast to put together. The only character I had trouble identifying was the little girl sitting on Clayface’s shoulder. It turns out she’s Annie, Clayface’s “daughter” from the animated series. For such a loner, Batman sure does have a lot of people in his life :)

Dr. Jonathan Crane was a renowned psychologist who taught at Gotham University and worked at Arkham Asylum before becoming the criminal Scarecrow. With a deep phobia of bats, he spent his academic career researching fear, but went too far, often exposing his patients to experimental hallucinogenic gas to induce terror. This fear gas would later be his calling card. He was later written to be literally addicted to fear, but having developed an immunity to his own gas, was now only afraid of Batman, thus fueling his crime spree in an attempt to regain that thrill.