Villains and their best stories

[swing kinker]

Just as the title says I'm going to give a template of some Bat villains and you tell us what your favourite story for each is. Comics only, Let's go

KILLER CROC. Batman 471 requiem for a killer by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle. Grant made Croc a villain some actual pathos rather than just some hired muscle or an actual giant monster.

TWO FACE. I'd say the long Halloween but since it involves many villains I'll go with Half a life from Gotham central. Greg Rucka really nailed the relationship with Montoya

MR FREEZE. Slim pickings in the comic world......maybe Snow?

CLAYFACE. The Mud Pack

MAD HATTER. Probably madness from Haunted Knight by Loeb and Sale

RIDDLER. Dark Knight Dark City by Pete Milligan.

POISON IVY. Think it was called A Walk In The Park. It was during No man's land.

These are off the top of my head. What have you guys got?

[son of booyah]

I assume we're talking only comics.

KILLER CROC. Batman 471 requiem for a killer by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle. Grant made Croc a villain some actual pathos rather than just some hired muscle or an actual giant monster.

Personally I like the story in Joker's Aslyum 2 where he bites off his own hands. Or Broken City's version.

TWO FACE. I'd say the long Halloween but since it involves many villains I'll go with Half a life from Gotham central. Greg Rucka really nailed the relationship with Montoya

I think there hasn't been a REALLY good Two-Face story, honestly, but I'd go TLH.

MR FREEZE. Slim pickings in the comic world......maybe Snow?

Snyder's annual! ...just kidding. I always think Heart of Ice, again not a really good comic one out there, I didn't like Snow. Freeze in Arkham Manor was done well tho

MAD HATTER. Probably madness from Haunted Knight by Loeb and Sale

I second this, although an honorable mention for me would be his Gotham Central arc.

RIDDLER. Dark Knight Dark City by Pete Milligan.

I prefer Zero Year.

So many of my favorite takes on villains are from the Animated Series, but anyway...

JOKER - Joker by Azzarello. I like my stuff dark. Or the second issue of Snyder's End Game, that was creepy as all hell. Definitely my fav Joker origin is the Secret City arc in Zero Year. Oh and Arkham Asylum was a good characterization. And DKR, and End Game by Fridolfs

HARLEY QUINN - Mad Love.

PENGUIN - The Joker's Asylum story Pain and Prejudice was based off of, by Jason Aaron.

VENTRILOQUIST - Probably Broken City.

HUGO STRANGE - Strange Apparitions

CATWOMAN - the Valentine series, I like what she did with Selina

Seriously though, TAS has all my favorite incarnations. I feel like watching that show now...

[Caivu]

KILLER CROC. Batwoman #21. It's the first thing I read Croc in and the only thing I've yet read of him where he's more than just dumb muscle. This is a filler issue and just sort of okay, but it was my intro to him and I liked him in it. Batman #471 sounds really similar, so I'll seek that out.

TWO FACE. Arkham Asylum. Doesn't showcase him as a villain so much and it's not strictly canon (to say the least), but I liked his arc in it, learning to make his own decisions and not be so dependent on chance.

POISON IVY. She had an issue during Gotham Central I really like, where she entices and murders two corrupt cops who killed a kid who was under her protection. A small role, but impactful.

JOKER. The Killing Joke, and some stuff from No Man's Land; too many issues there, can't remember specifics but I know I liked it.

HARLEY QUINN. I actually kinda like the way she's written in Injustice. Plus, every other appearance I've read of her has been too short to really form an opinion on. NML too, I guess? Again, it's been a while since I read that in full.

BANE: Does it have to be strictly as a villain? I like him best in Secret Six.

CATWOMAN. I've liked her New 52 series well enough.


Wow, this has made me realize I haven't actually read that many Batman villains. Not enough to get a good idea of them, anyway. I need to fix that.

[swing kinker]

I was meaning to stick to the ones I posted for now but I'm liking your ideas. Caivu it can be any story with them as a major part, anti hero or villain.... All good.

[Slim Shady]

Killer Croc - Batman 521 & 522 (Fast Train to Wet Dark/Swamp Things). More focus on the animal instinct side of Croc, but it actually digs pretty deep. Kind of makes you feels sorry for the old guy. Plus a cool Swamp Thing cameo and some sick Kelley Jones art.

Two Face - Eye of the Beholder. It's an annual, the exact number slips me. Pretty much an origin retelling, but a damn good one. Crime & Punishment one-shot by JM DeMatteis.

Mr.Freeze - Snow

Clayface/Poison Ivy - There was a pretty good story with both in the nu52 Tek, I think #14 and #15.
Clayface - The Mud Pack. Joker Asylum Clayface
Poison Ivy - Batman/Green Arrow one-shot: Poison Tomorrow

Mad Hatter - i got nothin'

Riddler - Dark Knight Dark City. The Riddle Factory one-shot. When in Rome (more of a Catwoman story, but he plays a good, big role.)

[Metamorphosis]

Killer Croc - Batman 521 & 522 (Fast Train to Wet Dark/Swamp Things). More focus on the animal instinct side of Croc, but it actually digs pretty deep. Kind of makes you feels sorry for the old guy. Plus a cool Swamp Thing cameo and some sick Kelley Jones art.

Two Face - Eye of the Beholder. It's an annual, the exact number slips me. Pretty much an origin retelling, but a damn good one. Crime & Punishment one-shot by JM DeMatteis.

Mr.Freeze - Snow

Clayface/Poison Ivy - There was a pretty good story with both in the nu52 Tek, I think #14 and #15.
Clayface - The Mud Pack. Joker Asylum Clayface
Poison Ivy - Batman/Green Arrow one-shot: Poison Tomorrow

Mad Hatter - i got nothin'

Riddler - Dark Knight Dark City. The Riddle Factory one-shot. When in Rome (more of a Catwoman story, but he plays a good, big role.)

Yeah, the Two Face story was in Batman annual #14, written by Andrew Helfer. Really gritty origin tale for Harvey / Two Face, and has been unsurpassed IMO.

Riddler: Zero Year

Preston Payne Clayface: the Alan Moore story in one of the Batman annuals.

Scarecrow: the first Loeb / Sale Batman Halloween special.

[swing kinker]

Some more based on you guys jogging my memory!

HUGO STRANGE. Either strange applications or Monster Men

SCARECROW. Ooft there's a few I love. Fear for sale, haunted Knight and the shadow of the bat story that ran through Knightfall

VENTRILOQUIST. Either his debut or the return of Scarface.

HARLEY QUINN. Mad Love is the only feasible answer for me

PENGUIN. Ode to a penguin. My local comic dealer here in Scotland actually got something of a co writer shout out from alan grant on this one.

CATWOMAN.
http://bigglasgowcomic.com/kinker-ko...ies-in-comics/ here's my list of them

[Unfinishedsentenc]

Mad Hatter's best story is easily his classic Animated Series episode.

Other than that, yeah, he's a pretty underused character. I'd like to see writers do more with him, personally. He's basically DC's Purple Man.

[swing kinker]

Mad Hatter's best story is easily his classic Animated Series episode.

Other than that, yeah, he's a pretty underused character. I'd like to see writers do more with him, personally. He's basically DC's Purple Man.

It's a great episode indeed. Strictly comics here though ha

[LifeIsILL]

MR FREEZE. Slim pickings in the comic world......maybe Snow?

SCARECROW. Ooft there's a few I love. Fear for sale, haunted Knight and the shadow of the bat story that ran through Knightfall

In my opinion, these 2 are the best Scarecrow stories ever:


"Die Trying"


"Only Happy When It Rains

[swing kinker]

Ooh haven't read that. What's the deal?

[LifeIsILL]

The mother of a kid from a crime-ridden neighborhood dies, Batman finds her pimp etc etc..it makes you think it's gonna be a gang/mob storyline. Then everything strangely leads to Mr.Freeze.

[MajorHoy]

Over two years later, are there any additions / changes to what's already been suggested?

[godisawesome]

I'd add:

Poison Ivy - Gotham Central 32: A pair of corrupt cops kill a young girl for witnessing their corruption. It turns out the little girl was under Ivy's protection...

Bane - Bane of the Demon: A whole miniseries about Bane coming into contact, conflict, and eventually a partnership with Ra's Al Ghul.

[ChaosIncarnate]

Clayface- Easily Tynion’s detective comics, but if I had to pick a single issue, the annual showing his new backstory. It’s the only version of Clayface that I like aside from the animated series.