Retro315 no more. Anonymity is so 2005.
retrowarbird.blogspot.com
Well, I've always loved Croc with a tail. Don't know why though. Maybe it's because a more monstrous appearance really brings out the contrast between his human side and the way everyone has acted towards him in the past; treating him like this man-eating, disgusting, aquatic reptile with no semblance to mankind so much that finally . . . he becomes one. I think he finds comfort in conforming to what everyone else believes about him. Living the dark, green waters below the city, a true monster lurking in the shadows. I think he likes to think of himself that way, always going into detail when reminding Batman of how he will devour him and everything he holds dear.
Occasionally, glimpses of his fleeting humanity will seep through the cracks. Like in some stories, when he stands up for those who have also been similarly abused and mistreated. Or when he holds doctors hostage so that they can "fix" him. But ultimately . . . his wild, animal instincts take over and he just vows to eat everyone.
But Bruce will always call him a "he." And it's one of the many reasons I love Batman.
Anytime someone makes him too human, I think it's being unfaithful to his personality and how he views himself. A wild, abused animal can be just as complex and interesting as a criminal mastermind. Besides, Batman has sooooo many of those, it's nice to see some horror motifs imbedded in his mythos. Croc can also serve as an inverse to Man-bat. Human turned monster, but in very different ways (Croc being more shunned from society and now a true being of carnage and fear, Manbat being living tragedy, almost a Greek fable, like Prometheus or Sisyphus; cursed to re-enounter his torture over and over again no matter how many cures are found).
Last edited by Unfinishedsentenc; 01-31-2016 at 11:42 AM.
Well, considering how bad Waid is at writing villains in a DC/Marvel environment, I can't say I'm surprised.
Agreed. Now, if writers could stick with that interpretation and not just make Croc someone for Batman to punch in the first act of a story that doesn't directly concern him, we'd really be going somewhere.
BTW, I also think that it would be a neat idea to leave Croc's status as a cannibal up in the air. He might brag about eating people left and right as a scare tactic, but is should never really be confirmed one way or the other. Makes him look smart as a character, adds a bit of mystery, and also makes him a bit easier to buy as a good guy for the stories when he's more sympathetic.
As of now:
All-Star Batman, Batman, Doom Patrol, The Flash, The Fix, The Flintstones, Green Valley, Hadrian's Wall, The Hellblazer, Moonshine, New Super-Man, Suicide Squad, Superman, 'Tec, Unfollow
Worst versions would be the "I'll suck the meat from your bones" Croc or Azzarello's Pimp Croc in Broken City
I thought Pimp Croc was the bomb in Broken City, yo! It's admittedly not in line with my above mentioned preferred take on him, but if you're going to write Croc as a straight up thug there are few funnier ways of doing it. Azzarello does seem to be a pretty big fan of Croc, as he uses him fairly significantly in Broken City, Joker, Knight of Vengeance and Batman Europa.
As of now:
All-Star Batman, Batman, Doom Patrol, The Flash, The Fix, The Flintstones, Green Valley, Hadrian's Wall, The Hellblazer, Moonshine, New Super-Man, Suicide Squad, Superman, 'Tec, Unfollow
Not sure why everyone wants every Batman villain to be a good guy
Its basically turning them all into woobies for Batman to punch at the end of the day
His name is Killer Croc you aren't going to get by with saying "oh he's just like the Hulk in that one story, he doesn't really eat people"
People don't have this problem with King Shark who is a shark man who eats people and sometimes feels bad about it but can't fight his urges all the time.
Why not. Its fun to see a killer crocodile in charge of a crime organisation.
from Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol. V (July 1985)
Isn't Croc supposedly sane?
I certainly wouldn't object to Killer Croc being portrayed as a crime boss again, The stories that portrayed him that way were some of his absolute best. If anyone saw fit to do another story about someone taking over the Gotham underworld, I'd prefer him to the overrated Black Mask.
You know, I've read Croc's original appearances and I can say they were indeed some of his best. The crime boss he started to work for didn't think much of him and he was constantly undermined and thought of as a dumb beast, a stupid thug. There's similarities to the Penguin in the fact that they are both underestimated; in that Penguin is thought to not be as much of a threat, where's Croc is thought to be a mindless goon, dumb muscle to be used. There is quite a few stories that can be told from that. There have been some that utilize people using Croc as muscle like that one I think that was in Joker's Asylum, where he was used by a mob family (as muscle) where they eventually betray him. Croc wants to be respected, his looks and build definitely have people have a certain perception of him.
They need to follow "The Batman" and make Killer Croc like that version.