When I'm sick, I usually keep that stuff tomorrow, cuz I usually can't do stuff when I'm sick....and I usually end up finding out that I'm not sick, rushing out 2 weeks' worth of homework in 15 minutes. The Moral: I'm sooper efficient at doing hw. Never leave you homework until the last minute.

Scarecrow is such an underused character in the Batman stories out there

That's why I bought Scarecrow Tales, a whole collection of nothing but Scarecrow stories.............

The problem with Scarecrow, though, is that its kinda hard to write a new story for him without getting repetitive and running out of ideas............However, its a little easier when he doesn't have to be child appropriate.............

Scarecrow is such an underused character in the Batman stories out there

 

That's why I bought Scarecrow Tales, a whole collection of nothing but Scarecrow stories.............

 

The problem with Scarecrow, though, is that its kinda hard to write a new story for him without getting repetitive and running out of ideas............However, its a little easier when he doesn't have to be child appropriate.............

I bought that too. The story with Jason Todd is PROOF of how much of a homosexual Batman and he were int hose days...especially in the writing. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; I'm just stating facts.

In truth, Peter Milligan's story was the only decently written one there, and even that only scraped the surfcae of the character. The 'New Year's Evil' collection was meant to emphasise change, as in Grant Morrison's 'Prometheus', but nothing at all changed with Scarecrow. It would have been betetr if Becky became the Scaregirl rather than simply sink back ino the background like the others.

Anyone else here hate the Scarebeast? Oh, me too. Man. That is the most lazy idea or character development I have ever seen.

Recommended reading: The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman. Scarecrow is...amusing?

Arkham Asykum: A Serious House On Serious Earth, by Grant Morrison. Scarecrow is...catatonicly carving out a small book on his cell floor?

New Year's Evil: Scarecrow, by Peter Milligan (found in collected edition Batman: Scarecrow Tales). Scarecrow is...a Stalker?

I want Arkham Asylum SO badly! I can't find it anywhere!..............I wish I could find more artwork online than just that uberfreaky Joker............

Thing is about Arkham, that Morrison does his usal shidnig with the reinvention of characters (as he did in ''New X-Men''). In his version, Dr. Destiny isn't a contradictory musclebound skeleton but a shrivelled corpse in a wheelchair, Clayface is slowly dying of some sort of venereal Disease, and Killer Croc is Gotham's own Elephant Man...except with Crocodiles. And Mad Hatter...don't get me started on Hatter...

The Best character in the whole thing is A.Arkham, the man himself; we get to see how he is affected by the future of the Asylum. He even hears the Joker (supposedly not born at that point) screaming with laughter in his East Wing.

I read the 'Directors Cut' 25th anniversary edition. Originally, they planned to have Joker dressed as a Porn star, lots of creepy lipstick and flirting with Batman to freak him out...and a little sub-plot with Robin reading up ont he Asylum. Dave Mckean, the illustrator, feared that he had sunken low enough to draw Batman and wouldn't dare Robin, even in an overcoat, and the censors didn't like 'Flirty Joker'.

So they just put Joker in the overcoat, gave Robin a small mention ('How's the Boy Wonder? Old Enough to shave yet?') and made Joker actually look like a human dipped in a vat of chemicals would really look - all rabbit teeth and frizzy hair and mad, staring eyes and bizzare Horror Jokes.

Ooh yes, Two-Face. In ''Arkham'', they take away his coin and start to ease him into new therapy, starting first with Dice and then Tarot cards. The Upside is that he doesn't think in Black and White; the Downside is that it takes him half an hour to decide whether to go to the toilet or simply wet himself.

 

I read the 'Directors Cut' 25th anniversary edition. Originally, they planned to have Joker dressed as a Porn star, lots of creepy lipstick and flirting with Batman to freak him out...and a little sub-plot with Robin reading up ont he Asylum. Dave Mckean, the illustrator, feared that he had sunken low enough to draw Batman and wouldn't dare Robin, even in an overcoat, and the censors didn't like 'Flirty Joker'.

 

I always thought that, if you wanna scare people, make a really creepy looking male villain, and give him subtle feminine and sexual qualities........Its a much better way to frighten an audience than just stabbing a guy, its a fear that gets into their minds, not their eyes.........

Anyone who's read Dead RPG 2 knows that I've done that with a cerain character............

I think I remember reading about that... Have you read Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller? It's one of the all-time best graphic novels... It did set off a wave of gritty-style imitators, but it was great nonetheless.

Mm. That was spectacular. Word of advice, however: don't read the sequel, Dark Knight Strikes Again. It's like soaking your eyeballs in Poster Paint and your brain in Vinegar.

I would, however, recomend Batman: Year One, also by Frank Miller and the inspiration for Batman Begins; and Batman: Crimson Mist, the best of the 'Batman vs Dracula' Trilogy.

Mm. I once had the perfect Idea of having a story in which Scarecrow becomes totally cured of his insanity, for no reason at all, and settles down to be an English Teacher - only for Batman to discover another villain has started to take Scarecrow's Place, and the only way to get at him is to send poor Dr. Crane mad again. There'd also be a cameo from Doc destiny as Crane's cellmate, permanently comatose as a result of ''Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes''.

However, with this 'Scarebeast' ###### that idea's totally obsolete. Sigh...

A weird scientific mutation they put on Scarecrow to turn him into a big, monster version of himself. Yes, very, very lame. Check it out on Wiki.

I'd love to be a writer for the Batman comics, after all, Scarecrow is, as I've pointed out, underused. There are plenty perfect scenarios I could create...

If I wrote Batman comics, aside from obviously writting Scarecrow stories, I'd also like to glorify poor quality villains, just like how they did for Freeze...........My main focus is Calendar Man, inspired by Jeff Loeb's version.......I wanna turn him into a psychotic killer with a vast historical knowledge, commit crimes and the "anniversary" of certain events..........I also wanna make him a little obsesive compulsive; if he doesn't finish his task one year, he waits until the next year, and so on and so forth...............I've also thought about working with Killer Moth, bringing back the "Anti-Batman" factor to him, but, storywise, I don't have any good ideas.............

This Batman discussion sounds good, can I join?

I agree that the Scarebeast thing is completely... stupid? Weird? I don't know. And the reason they gave for it? Please. Scarecrow's genes were altered, and he becomes a gas-exhaling giant beast?

I agree that he should be used more.

BTW, GMan, yes, Clayface should be more prominent. Although Hush likes to use Clayfaces in his schemes in Gotham Knights (Always hiding and changing identities), and Jeph Loeb usually uses him in his stories (I'm a bit behind, since newer comics take time to get translated to Spanish here in Chile). His most recent appearance, at least in what I've read, was against Supergirl in one Superman/Batman comic, posing as Batgirl (Barbara).

BTW, GMan, that Scarecrow/Poison Ivy duo sounds interesting...

Khote

Really? Loeb likes Clayface? Hmmm.......I wonder why he left him out of Long Halloween and Dark Victory then............

I just read all of Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth today (yes, the whole thing, its just that good!), and, can someone please explain how Crock was similar to the Elephant Man?..........He didn't look all too different from the Crocks I've seen.........He didn't even have a single line............Can you also explain why Scarecrow's short scene was so irrelavant?

Hello GMan. I have been checking out your art in COT and read this blog a few times and have come to the conclusion that you are a twisted fellow. I am twisted too, as my friends and classmates say. You draw very well, and I enjoyed viewing your art. I haven't had the time to post yet, but I will. I like the cat picture.

<Spartan Xeso>

This Batman discussion sounds good, can I join?

I agree that the Scarebeast thing is completely... stupid? Weird? I don't know. And the reason they gave for it? Please. Scarecrow's genes were altered, and he becomes a gas-exhaling giant beast?

I agree that he should be used more.

BTW, GMan, yes, Clayface should be more prominent. Although Hush likes to use Clayfaces in his schemes in Gotham Knights (Always hiding and changing identities), and Jeph Loeb usually uses him in his stories (I'm a bit behind, since newer comics take time to get translated to Spanish here in Chile). His most recent appearance, at least in what I've read, was against Supergirl in one Superman/Batman comic, posing as Batgirl (Barbara).

BTW, GMan, that Scarecrow/Poison Ivy duo sounds interesting...

Khote

It's just wrong to turn the characteristically lanky and grim Jonathan Crane into a big, hulking thing. It's just so WRONG! There need to be lots more stories, definitely... He's a great villain, I wish he'd get more mentions and appearances... When the main hero of the comic book is dark and scary, in a dark and scary setting, why not play up the darker and scarier villains? Joker makes plenty appearances, but no, Clayface and Scarecrow, even the famous Two-Face, they're not in the limelight. Clayface is a great villain, although I prefer the Batman: The Animated Series version to the comics version. Clayface is however a great villain.

Yeah, thanks... I could probably write a story or two for DC...

Just my personal view, though, is that Clayface works better as a henchman for some other schemer/mastermind villain, just as Hush has used him.

But I agree in the Scarecrow thing. They can't keep things as they are supposed to be -- making Crane a monster is like giving Luthor Superman's powers forever. It isn't supposed to be that way. Scarecrow is an intelligent villain that uses fear to defeat opponents, psychological tactics, not his ugly-mutated-monster face. He was weak, and so he needed to use his intelligence against Batman. When he becomes the Scarebeast, though, it's just another superpowered Hulk that must be beaten with force.

EDIT: BTW, I'd recommend reading Helllboy. It's a great comic, influenced by H. P. Lovecraft. I really like it, so maybe you would like to give it a shot. You can read some short stories in the next link (erase the extra "L" in the name (It's for the filter ):

http://www.helllboy.com/3_onlinecomics.html

Khote