Geek Tee Friday - Gotham City Villains

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I love this shirt!! It's so cool, featuring some of the worst villains that have ever plagued Gotham's finest hero over the decades. I got this shirt as part of the random 4 T's for £15 deal that I did the other day, check out the blog about that for more info.

So let's go into depth about the quintet of villainous vileness my new shirt is adorned with.

1st of course is that clown Prince of crime, The Joker, I actually went into more depth about him last week as I got a Joker solo shirt too, check out last week's blog for more info on him.

Then top-left is the only lady of this felonious fivesome, the lovely but deadly Poison Ivy. Pamela Lillian Isely loves plants more than people and they seem to love her too as she is able to get them to do her bidding! She has toxins in her blood giving her a kiss that is able to control the minds of men as well as kill them if she chooses. She commits crimes to fund her eco-terrorism and is somewhat fixated on Batman after he showed himself able to resist her toxic charms. 

In current continuity she gained her powers and perhaps her madness through the experimentations of Dr. Jason Woodrue who later became the Floronic Man. She is very good friends with Harley Quinn, perhaps the only human she likes and I am sure I read that they had moved on to being more than just friends but I am not up on current stories cos I don't have the funds anymore 😥

She appeared first in Batman #181 in June 1966!! (Happy 52nd birthday Pam, you're still looking good!) and was created by Robert Kanigher & Sheldon Moldoff.

In the 1997 movie Batman & Robin she was played by Uma Thurman and has been played by Maggie Geha and Peyton List in the tv show Gotham.

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He's not on the cover of Detective Comics #58 but here's a great cover with him

The middle villain of the piece is that waddling, trick umbrella obsessed ornithologist Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, otherwise known as The Penguin. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane he 1st showed his big-nosed face in Detective Comics #58 in December 1941. Inspired from the then advertising mascot of Kool cigarettes – a penguin with a top hat and cane. Finger thought the image of high-society gentlemen in tuxedos was reminiscent of emperor penguins. He is rare amongst Batman's rogue's gallery in the fact that he is completely sane, although he is no less dangerous or ruthless because of this. 

He's been played superbly in film and television over the years as well by Burgess Meredith in the classic 60's TV show, by Danny DeVito in Batman Returns and Robin Lord Taylor in Gotham.

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Detective Comics #66

To the right of Penguin is the tragic Harvey Dent AKA Two-Face, he was once Batman's closest confidante in his early days as a crimefighter. As a District Attorney he would help Batman target the villains and then ensure that he could put them away for a long time. Then one fateful day in court Sal Maroni threw acid into Harvey's face, leading to the terrible disfigurement and helping to trigger the latent split personality within Dent's psyche. Obsessed with duality, the number two and chance he utilises a double-headed coin to make his decisions for him. One side is normal the other scarred like himself, he tosses the coin and if it comes up scarred then you're in trouble.

The character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane and first appeared in Detective Comics #66 (Aug. 1942). He's featured in two Batman films played by Tommy Lee Jones in 1995's Batman Forever and Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight (2008)

In animation he's been voiced by Star Wars star Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and Star Trek star William (Captain James T. Kirk) Shatner!! Also fun fact if the Batman 60's series had got a 3rd season none other than Clint Eastwood was tipped to play the role!!

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Finally on this most epic of shirts we have that enigma Edward Nigma himself, aka The Riddler! This mastermind of crime delights in the employment of riddles and puzzles to confound the forces of law and order. Since an early age Ed loved puzzles and this led him to commit flamboyant crimes, leaving clues to match wits with the police, he sees Batman as a foe worthy of his intellect. The fact he is often caught makes me think that he's not as smart as he likes to think he is.

He was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang and 1st took to crime in Detective Comics #140 in October 1948. He was very much a c-list villain in the comics though and pretty much forgotten, not featuring again until 1965. It was his portrayal by Frank Gorshin and John Astin in the 60's Batman series that boosted him to the major popularity he has today. He was also played by Jim Carrey in Batman Forever and Cory Michael Smith in the TV series Gotham.

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