Batman Road To Arkham Download

Hey guys, Jason Todd here, for those who didn't get the Batman Arkham Asylum game via Amazon.com someone uploaded scans for us, so you can download it below, remember it was brought to you by Batmania Reviews, so show us some friggin love lol. Download it below, Hope you enjoy it.

Road To Arkham

Batgirl Vol. 3 #1

Good evening my wonderful blog readers. Poison Quinn here to bring you a wonderful review for the new Batgirl comic that has dropped this week. So, I'm a day late and a dollar short....lol go on sue me! :)

I wasn't one to follow up on the Batgirl Comics, BUT, since they're starting a new Volume, I figure what the heck? Why not start now. This was definitely a good start to this new series that caused me wanting more after I finished the issue. So, enough of me babbling on with the review.

The issue starts out with some minor trouble makers having a street race in the streets of Gotham City. The usual trash talking is tossed between both men in their cars and the race beginning with the drop of the flag. Here we get a glance at Batgirl making her appearance to bring this deadly race to a halt. We immediately get pulled into some action with Batgirl using her gadgets to stop the race leaving everyone safe and unharmed. Of course this leads to some misunderstanding of who truly won the race and Batgirl stepping in between the two, one pulling out a gun and her quickly disarming the trouble maker.

We see Batman and Robin over looking the scene getting a look at the new Batgirl in action. Soon after, she is revealed to be......Stephanie Brown. Now the only Batgirl I've really read about is Barbara Gordon, so seeing this new chick kind of made me iffy about if she can do the job, right. Let's just say she changed my mind by the time I finished the issue.

We are taken into a flashback of earlier that day with Stephanie awakening to her mother and what look like some cookie shaped waffles, lol. We get a hint at how old Ms. Stephanie is, a freshman in college attending Gotham University. Stephanie and her mother have a converstaion about her living a "normal life" giving info that her mother knows about her nightly duty of protecting Gotham. After their converstation we get a look-see on what Barbara Gordon is doing. Here we see Barbara having a conversation with Dr. Leslie Thompkins, as many of you may know is Batman's personal physician. From the vibe I was getting....seems to me Barbara was avoiding Dr. Leslie but, still made an effort to visit. There conversation involves trying to figure out why Barbara has been MIA along with Barbara's concern with Dr. Leslie's new patient, former teen titan Wendy Harris. Barbara clearly shows she has no further interest in conversation with Dr. Leslie and leaves after small talk with her. Next we see Barbara on a subway train where three fellas looking for trouble enter the scene, not worried, Barbara quickly takes care of them.

Now to the good stuff, as we continue to read folks, Stephanie is in class, of course her mind being else where, to a flashback three weeks previous to now. Spoiler and Batgirl are teaming up to give a few knuckle heads a butt whooping and what the two are talking about. After their battle we see the two of them talking, of course seeing Stephanie is spoiler and Cassandra as Batgirl. Cassandra pretty much gives up the role of batgirl, tired of fighting for Batman. Stephanie only stands there confused as to what to think of the situation, Cassadra is taking off the Batgirl suit and tells Stephanie the fight is hers. And here ladies and gentlemen we are presented with who the new Batgirl is, Stephanie Brown.

Presently, Stephanie is quickly awaken from her little nap at the end of her class and we zoom right into Barbara and Commisioner Gordon having a little luncheon together. Gordon is showing concern for his daughter and her mood as of lately. Thinking that not having a man is the problem he hints at a single guy that works at the precinct. They go back and forth of the situation of whether or not Barbara is really happy.

By this point...I'm on the edge of my sit with so many thoughts running through my head on this new Batgirl as well as Barbara. We transition into Stephanie back in her room listening to the police radio for any crimes she can help stop. Suddenly the Bat signal is glowing in the air, and of course, Stephanie suits up and goes to help out with a situation where more folks look for trouble are holding someone, whats looks to be a detective, at gun point. Batgirl swoops in and gets a battle going on with the criminals defeating them and helping the detective escape. Doing her job, she in and out of there and back home. The next morning Stephanie is preparing for her day with a nice hot shower and getting dressed and heading downstairs. Once in the kitchen, she is not faced with her mother, but, Barbara Gordon ready to have a little word with Stephanie.

And that is where we are left grasping for MORE. At least I am, lol. I found this issue to be a good paced opener to the new series. I liked the art and story was pretty good and steady paced. However, I felt there was so many things going on at once, not that it was confusing, but quite a few trips to flashbacks just to see what was going on leading up to Stephanie walking into the kitchen to see Barbara sitting there. This defintely left me wanting to read more, I'll be awaiting issue #2. I am going to give this issue a 7.5/10. As action packed as it was....I felt there was still something missing.

Thanks for joining in for my first review of Batgirl. Catch you all next time.

-Poison Quinn

Superman Vs. Supermen (Blackest Night - Superman #1)

Hey guys, Jason Todd here with your continuation of Blackest Night Coverage. This week marks the beginning of Blackest Night Superman, and based on what issue you have, you may have the Variant cover listed above, which I used the picture of because it looks SO bad ass, I couldn't help it. So, before jumping right into things, I'm gonna go right ahead and say, I didn't used to be a big Superman fan but JLA/JLU and Superman/Batman comics changed that, either way I haven't been following the New Krypton series, but basically from my understanding, Planet Krypton is back with a bunch of Kryptonians and Earth isn't taking too kind to them. Either way, this is mentioned in BN Superman.

Our story starts off with the grave of Kal-L, Earth-Two's Superman, being resurrected from the dead like all the other Black Lanterns we've seen so far. Then we see the residents of what may be the most boring town on the place of the Earth, Smallville. Even they complain on the boring lives they live and how nothing ever happens. We see from the point of view of a Black Lantern for the first time, and we see that they see people based on emotion, and the colors correspond with the Lantern Corp of that emotion. Fear for example is yellow like the Sinestro Corps, Rage shows as Red, like the Red Lantern Corps, and Will of course is Green, like the Green Lantern Corps. It appears as if Black Lantern Superman is feeding off of the fear of these people in the city when he shows up, as each time his power level rises.

We then join the Kents, "Ma" Kent, Clark "Superman" Kent, and the recently resurrected Connor "Superboy" Kent. Their discussing the recent New Krypton news and the dinner their having in memory of the late "Pa" Kent. Then, The Kent boys and Krypto the dog hear something in town, so Clark and Conner go to check it out. They find the Black Lantern Superman resurrected and has dug up the grave of Pa Kent, and is intent on bringing him back as a Black Lantern.

Now as you guys know, I hate ruining the story, so I won't but I will say that I Loved the fact that Lanterns can see in emotion. That is what put this story into overdrive for me, the art was wonderful and the story is very very well written. As someone who hasn't been a fan of Superman for a longtime I was a bit weary about doing this review but the story sucked me in and I honestly don't know if Im more anxious for Blackest Night Superman #2 or Blackest Night Batman #2.

Now Superman isn't the only Black Lantern in this issue but I'll leave the surprise to you guys. But, Like I said earlier, The Art is excellent, the story is quite good, one of the Black Lanterns showing up kinds killed the momentum for me, I won't say which one, but that coupled with the fact that the story seemed so short, right when I was really getting into it, It just ended. It did leave me waning more so that was a big bonus. If you're following Blackest Night, it's definitely worth it to invest in one of the flagship heroes of DC, and check out Blackest Night Superman. Besides the momentum being slown down by the arrival of one of the Lanterns the story was great, the artwork was so detailed that this may be one of my favorite Tie-In's if not my current favorite. Thats why I give Blackest Night - Superman a solid 9/10.

See you guys next week when I continue my Blackest Night Coverage with Blackest Night Titans and Green Lantern #46.

- Jason Todd

Killer Croc

Welcome my devoted readers!!! Today we're going to go over a mean and green villain that you'll get a chance to see in Batman: Arkham Asylum. *By the way, ONE WEEK LEFT!!!!*

Now let's take a look at Killer Croc.





Real Name: Waylon Jones
Alias: Killer Croc
Gender: Male
Height: 7'5"
Weight: 686 lbs.
Skin: Green and Scaly

Powers: Killer Croc possesses super strength, along with superhuman regenerative powers, abilities to heal lost limbs. Croc's skin has hardened to the point where it is invulnerable to most forms of abrasion.

Abilities: Street fighting, wrestling

Strength Level: Superhuman

Waylon Jones, a.k.a Killer Croc is what I call an inhumane criminal and nemesis of Batman. He was born with a medical condition that caused him to grow progressively more like a crocodile, hence the name Croc. Croc became an orphan due to his mother dying in childbirth and his father abandoning him. Soon he was then taken in by his aunt , although she was an alcoholic, he made the situation work. Croc was drawn into being made fun of as a teenager since he had no friends. Having such a hard teenage life, once he reached adulthood, he found a job wrestling alligators. This point in his life he began referring to himself as Killer Croc. He was beginning to see his strength level progressing at a great rate, beyond that of a normal human.

Realizing wrestling alligators wasn't bringing in enough money, he turned to crime, setting out to become Gotham's most powerful underground figure. One of his most significant crimes was him murdering Joseph and Trina Todd, the parents of Jason Todd. Killer Croc's crimes led him to conflict with Gotham's night guardian, Batman. Croc and Batman battled it out resulting in Croc being taken to Arkham Asylum where he recieved electroshock therapy.

Killer Croc was broken out of Arkham thanks to Ra's al Ghul plan of freeing all the patients of Arkham. As favor for freeing them, many of the patients agreed to help bring down Batman. Croc's part in this plan was to break into Wayne Manor and kidnap Alfred. Not knowing the connections Alfred had to Batman, he still brought him to Poison Ivy's Exotica Emporium, where four others were hostages. Of course, Batman soon arrived to rescue the hostages and had another battle out with Croc. Once again defeating him by subduing him with a gas pellet and returning him to Arkham Asylum.

Killer Croc eventually escaped from Arkham and began running the criminal life again. After robbing a shopping store, Croc came across a secret stairwell that led to an unfinished subterranean highway. The tunnel was shelter to many homeless people, which Killer Croc befriended them and wanted to start a new lifestyle. Happy here, this would all come to an end once Batman investigated the store robbery, tracks leading to Killer Croc's new shelter. Here they battle it out once again only to be disrupted by water being flushed into the tunnels from the river where Croc was washed away. Many of the friends he made thought he was washed away and died, BUT, Croc took shelter in the alleyways of Gotham City. Killer Croc has made his presence in Gotham City being heavily involved in the crimes of Gotham as well.

Killer Croc is one disturbed and cruel individual who seems to feed off of not only some of his victims, but crime as well. I can't wait to see his role in Arkham, I've seen the trailers and the pictures.....time can't go by fast enough for me.

Until tomorrow my good people.

--Poison Quinn

Blackest Night: Batman #1

Hey guys, I'm back again, I've been having computer trouble so bare with me, either way,I'm here to jump right into Blackest Night: Batman #1. As you all know I've been the Batmania correspondant I guess you could say for The Blackest Night, and I've also decided to take on the duties of Blackest Night Batman & Superman series. So without further adieu, Lets get into Blackest Night: Batman.

Blackest Night: Batman starts off with the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder at the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and the unmarked grave of former Batman, Bruce Wayne. After Bruce's body was stolen, Alfred was the first to find out, which explains why our newest Dynamic Duo is here. Here we see a rare moment between Batman and Robin, for one of the first times ever we see Damien as vulnerable, emotional and probably afraid, it's not too often I even care about Damien personally so Kudos to the writer, Peter Tomasi.

After gathering the bodies of the Wayne's, we see Deadman a.k.a. Boston Brand watch as his body leaves its grave as a Black Lantern while he can do nothing to stop it. Also en route to the newest JLA... morgue I guess, where the bodies of villains are being held, we see a flurry of Black Lantern rings, going through police officers to their newest owners, including former Batman villains Magpie, KGBeast, Blockbuster and even former Ventriloquist Arnold Wesker.

Later on, Boston Brand decides he needs help and runs to Bruce Wayne, only he doesn't know that Bruce is no longer in the Batsuit so he's shocked to find out he just possessed Dick Grayson. Afterwards he possesses Damien as well, I felt this scene didnt really push anything forward...It just bored me for some reason. I won't ruin the story, but I will say, I loved the Broken Batsignal, because it was a Nod to Blackest Night #2. As well as the appearance by Red Robin I'll say Batman is in for a hell of a time, and Blackest Night was a good start. With Wonderful art work and a well written story, I give Blackest Night: Batman a 8/10

- Jason Todd

Comic Review: Batman #689

Well here we are with Batman #689. What did I think? Do you care? Why was there a Batman: Arkham Asylum ad in my Spider-Man comic? All of these questions (not actually all of them) and more will be answered in my review.

Our story opens with Batman's raid on Penguin's 522 Club. It's a place for the who's who of the Gotham Underworld to party like they do in Vegas. Dick feels the need to narrate to himself everything that he does differently than Bruce during this sequence, which I wasn't too keen on. Still, I like seeing the different approach that Dick takes and what he get's out of it. I just hope it doesn't continue to be hammered into us as seems to be the trend with the recent flood of Batman titles.

We jump to Two-Face for a bit and see that he is still thrilled about the "new" Batman. He obviously has something planned, and am sure that it leads to the confrontation that was seen in the previous issue. While we don't really get any light shed on this, we do see that he still plans on screwing with Penguin's own plans. Back at the "Batcave" we see some pleasant conversation between Dick and Alfred. Things are getting better for the two as Alfred is somewhat eased knowing that Dick is at times, enjoying the business. Something "Master Bruce" couldn't seem to do very often.

Penguin on the other hand is not enjoying his work at the moment. Due to Two-Face's works, Batman is closing in on him. But we see that as any worthy villain, he has a plan of his own. All thanks to the mysterious masked figure. Who is this new threat? I'm sure we will find out soon enough, but we do know that his "provisions" will cause our Caped Crusader some major headaches.

We cut back to Batmobile in the city. It seems that Dick is running some tests with the vehicle when he comes across a large fire. He uses a foam projectile to put out the fire (very similar to the gun he used in Streets of Gotham.) But this is the least of his worries as a very familiar face shows up to be the cause of this mayhem. Interesting indeed.

Overall, the story didn't have anything major happening, but it was a solid, enjoyable read this month. Sometimes, that's all you need. The art was well done, though a bit too"'cartoony" at times, but Bagley still managed to capture a good balance of the action and story portions. I also, wanted to at least see some mention of how Dick came to be beaten in the Batcave. As I mentioned though, it will most likely be answered soon enough and may just flow better overall when you read the issues in succession.

Final Score: 8/10

-Amputechture

Blackest Night #2

In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night....Look out DC Universe, the dead are back for a fight. This month's installment of Blackest Night jumps from various parts of the DC Universe but does it's job, it does it seamlessly as well as leaves you wanting more. With so much action there's has to be other comics to convey how big Blackest Night is, hence the installments of Blackest Night: Batman and Blackest Night: Superman. So lets jump right into Blackest Night #2.

Our story starts off with The Atom, Ray Palmer, still mourning over the loss of his wife, he calls Hawkman once again to try to get him to join him in going to see the grave of Jean Loring, which picked up from B.N. #1, which lead Ray Palmer to going to see Hawkman, if only he knew it was a trap. Then we jump to the roof of the GCPD, where we see Oracle (Barbara Gordon) and her father Jim Gordon discussing things while the Batsignal is shown lit. While discussing things like the disappearance of Batgirl, and they have a touching moment ... until Hal Jordan is thrown into the Batsignal, shattering the glass. This is where we pick up from a fight in Green Lantern #44
between the returning Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern & the Flash.

We also see the return of the King of the Sea, Aquaman, Arthur Curry in this issue, as well as the arrival of more Black Lanterns. Which may strike some as weird, especially, is the return of Hawk, and not Dove. When Dove's ring is presented, it said he was at peace with Earth. So does that mean every other superhero had grudges they secretly held? Only time will tell.

With the return of Aquaman, the fate of Ray Palmer currently unknown, the Spectre's fate that I won't ruin for you guys, and the confusion of why Dove did not return as a Black Lantern and many more. There are many small things about Blackest Night that are little yet very notable. Some people may read past Dove not returning, I'm sure there's a big moment in there. Also I loved that the Batsignal was shattered in this issue, and then is shown broken in Blackest Night: Batman, I love small things like that, that show consistency.

Blackest Night seemed a little drawn out, so for that reason, even though It's action packed, I can't give it a 10/10, it's not perfect YET, but I am confident it will get better, So That's why I give Blackest Night Issue 2 a 8.5/10.

See you guys tomorrow for my review of Blackest Night: Batman #1.

- Jason Todd

Talia al Ghul

Good afternoon my Batman and DC fans, I welcome you to another wonderful Women of DC Wednesday. It's hump day, hope your week is going by smoothly. :) Today's pick of the bunch will be a woman VERY close to Batman, Talia al Ghul.




Name: Talia al Ghul
Alias: Talia Head, Daughter of the Demon
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 141
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown

Occupation: Professional Criminal

Powers: Longevity (Thanks to her father's Lazarus pits)

Abilities: Business woman, advanced combatant, skilled assassin and high intellect.

Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul, began her journey as an assassin at an early age. As a young girl, Talia traveled the world with her father getting a first hands-on opportunity to learn and adapt his intellect and skills. Over time she proved to be more competant than any of Ra's other children. Having this opportunity she excelled to the point in managing his criminal and legitimate operations. She was appointed as Ra's primary secondary, despite his feelings for women and feeling they were inheritantly inferior to men, he is still very supportive of his daughter.

As far as how Batman and Talia came to meet aquintances, was on the account of him rescuing her from Dr. Darkk, leader of the League of assassins. Dr. Darkk turned against Ra's and resulted in her being captured by him and Batman coming to the rescue. This battle ends with Talia shooting Dr. Darkk and saving Batman.

After being rescued, Talia develops feelings for Batman. Dick Grayson (Robin at the time) is kidnapped and Batman is caught off guard with Ra's showing up in the Batcave reavealing that he knows Batman's secret identity. He reveals that Talia also has been kidnapped with Dick and sends Batman on a chase along with Ra's to find Talia and Grayson. After this wild chase, Batman is told that Talia is in love with him and the kidnapping was setup by Ra's as a final test of whether Batman's suitable as an Heir. Batman rejects the offer but shows that he has the same feelings for Talia, as she does for him. Years go on after her meeting Batman and she is constantly torn between the loyalty to her father and her love for Batman.

Talia plays a major role in the return of Jason Todd. Jason Todd is killed by the Joker and is resurrected with a reality-altering punch brought by Superboy Prime. Returning to life, Jason's mind and body are still damanged tremendously. He's is discovered by the League of Assassins and Talia takes him in spending months caring for him. His body is recovering well, but his mind is still in shambles. Talia sneaks Jason down to the Lazarus Pit and throws his body in while her father is regenerating himself, reviving Jason mentally and physically. Knowing this would upset her father she immediately spare's his life by helping him escape informing him that Batman had let his killer live, thus my good people we get The Red Hood.

As you can see, Talia has a thing for Batman evolving into love thing, lol. Seems hard to have to decide between your father and your lover. She plays roles in the comics she appears in that defintely involve Batman, and in my book is a pretty cool woman in the DC world.

Until next time, catch you guys next week :D



-Poison Quinn

Nightwing Year One Review

Hey hey hey, Jason Todd back with another edition of Graphic Novel Mondays. Of course it's now Tuesday but hey, what can you do, I was busy. So two weeks ago we saw the birth of Dick Grayson's crime fighting career when I reviewed Robin: Year One, this week I decided to continue on the trail of Dick Grayson. Robin: Year One writers Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty team up again in the evolution of Batman's first sidekick. So I present to you, Nightwing: Year One.

Nightwing: Year One starts with Robin on his way to help our Caped Crusader out with Clayface, who's kidnapping a baby. After he's eventually stopped, it's revealed that the kid is Clayface's son, and words are had between Batman and Robin. Batman claims Robin is never around when he needs him, which he should be, considering he's Batman's sidekick, yet Robin's always busy with college and the Teen Titans. After an argument, with three little words, the Dynamic Duo is split up. "You're Fired,Dick .... Get out of my cave." And there it is, Dick Grayson is no longer Robin.

After being fired, Dick travels to have a talk with his favorite superhero, ironically it's not Batman, but Earth's favorite Kryptonian, Superman. After a talk about what a hero is, the Man of Steel tells Dick about a hero on his home planet of Krypton. A hero who was cast out by his family as well, a hero who became a Legend, a hero, named Nightwing. So with a new name, and a new understanding, Dick heads off to what can only be considered his Fortress of Solitude, Haley's Circus.

Nightwing: Year One is somewhat of a who's who of comic books, with many appearances, we see that Dick Grayson has friends in high places. Over the course of Year One we see Grayson meet up with Batman, Superman, Batgirl, Deadman, Donna Troy, The Second Robin; Jason Todd, and even his arch-enemy Two-Face. Nightwing: Year One, like Robin: Year One is written by artists who understand the inner most thoughts of Dick Grayson. You feel his emotions, his reactions, his determination to show that Batman made a mistake in casting him off.

Coupled with Great writers and a Great story Nightwing: Year One has it all, the art is very colorful and more animated series style but it fits some parts of the story better than other. You'd be hardpressed to find someone, Grayson fan or not, that dislikes this story, it shows the evolution of a man who would one day become the Guardian of Gotham. I give Nightwing a Year one a solid 9/10 and Highly recommend it to any comic book fan.

- Jason Todd

Edward "The Riddler" Nashton

Hello bat world, Poison Quinn here to bring you you're weekly villain lesson. With Batman: Arkham Asylum finally being released to you gamers in 13 days, I thought over the next two weeks, I'd do some characters, that are in the game as well as playing a role in Batman comics. Get you even hyper for the game. :)So today's pick is The Riddler. So, sit back and enjoy this lovely article and fill your brain with knowledge. :D



Name: Edward Nashton
Aliases: The Riddler, Edward Nigma
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 183
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black

Abilities: Genius Level of Intelligence, Expert Detective
Powers: N/A

Edward Nashton was born into an abusive and broken home. His mother was absent and his father was very abusive. Edward started his riddling life at an early age. When he was in school, there was a puzzle contest being held and he was excited about actually winning. Showing signs of being obsessed with puzzles, he snuck into the school at night and worked on the puzzle until he was able to solve it with ease. Having this advantage, Edward won the puzzle contest and was awarded a puzzle book. Upon recieving the book, Edward completed the book with ease mastering puzzles, mindgame and riddles. He was a very intellgient young man and passed exams and tests with ease, which led to his father doubting him and becoming very jealous. Figuring that Edward was cheating, his father supposedly caught him cheating and beat him repeatedly so he wouldn't lie and stay out of trouble. From the abuse, Edward developed a compulsion, he is known for, constantly telling the truth to prove his innoncence. The abuse led to his obsession with riddles as well as driving him into the life of crime.

When Edward got older, he moved out becoming a carnival performer cheating the carnival goers out of their money with his skills. Feeling he needed something more, he creates the persona, The Riddler, and decides to pick Batman as an adversary in his riddles and games. The Riddler felt Batman was an intelligent and worthy opponent. He started out as a simple informant and criminal profiler for the underworld of Gotham City, as well as for Batman. Over time Riddler became more of a villain to Batman, becoming an adversary to the Dark Knight constantly testing his analytical abilities to the limits.

Later Riddler was diagnosed with brain cancer and cleverly found one of Ra's al Ghuls Lazarus pits and cured himself of his diesease.

The Riddler was first introduced into the DC world in the Detective Comics #140. Riddler has made his apperenaces in a number of comics, for example, The Long Halloween. Riddler appears as a smooth talking informant who was hired by Carmine "The Roman" Falcon in search of who kills the Holiday Killer. Riddler is also seen in Batman: Dark Victory, in which is opponent Batman turned to him to figure out the significance of the lost games of hangman that are left at the scenes of the Hangman killer's crimes.


As you can see the Riddler plays a big role in the Batman comic world using his obsession with riddlers to help where he is needed or a nuisance . Knowing that The Riddler is in Batman: Arkham Asylum, I'm sure we all will be faced with some mind busting riddles through out the game, which I'm absolutely excited about.

Here some fun Trivia about Mr. Edward "The Riddler" Nashton.

• The Riddler is one of the few rogues that has deduced the true identity of the Batman. However, there is no major concern that the Riddler will leak the information. As Batman explains: "What good is a riddle which everyone knows the answer to?" playing with the Riddler's obsession with riddles and the greatest riddle of all: "Who is Batman?"
• He often has two female assistants that help him, usually named a combination of Quiz, Query or Echo.
• The Riddler has a counterpart in the Antimatter Universe called the Quizmaster who is a member of Lex Luthor's Justice Underground.
• In an episode of the BBC television series Wire in the Blood entitled "Torment", psychologist profiler Tony Hill explains at length the Riddler's obsessive/compulsive nature to a young boy.
• The Riddler is one of the Batman's few foes who has actually managed to discover his secret identity. Others include Professor Hugo Strange, Ra's al Ghul and Catwoman (although Batman willingly revealed his secret identity to Selina).
• The Riddler's online screenname is "Wizard101."

*Trivia was used from DC Comics Database, this is not my own writing.*

Thanks for joining me for another Treacherous Tuesday. :-)

See you guys tomorrow when I'll be discussing a female who's real close to Batman, Talia al Ghul.

-Poison Quinn

Zatanna Zatara

Welcome back my wonderful people to Women of DC Wednesday. Today's lucky woman is a close friend of Batman and a has a magical touch. (lol) I know I seem to say every week that each character is my favorite...but she's another favorite I've added to the list. Shoot me I have a lot of favorites. :-p So...here you go guys Zatanna.

Real Name: Zatanna Zatara

Current Alias: Zatanna

Height: 5’7”

Weight: 127

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black

Powers: Sorcery (Elemental Magic, Telepathy, Chlorokinesis, Enhanced Strength and Durability, Flight, Telportation, Dimensional Travel, Probability manipulation, Sense Magic, Dispel, Telekinesis, Elemental and Molecular Conversion, Regeneration, Size Alteration, Spectral Sight, Elemental Transmutation, Magical Manipulation.)

Abilities: Stage Magician, Good Combatant, Occultist, Hypnotist, Improvisation

A member of the Homo Magic race, Zatanna Zatara is the daughter of famed magaician Giovannit “John” Zatara and Sindella. Zatanna is a direct decendant of the artist and magician Leonardo da Vinci and is also related to Nostradamus, Alessando Cagliostro, Nicholas Flamel, Evan Fulcanelli and Lord Arion of Atlantis.

Before she discovered her true magical powers while investigating the disappearance of her father, Zatanna was a successful stage illusionist. She was successfully reunited with him with the help of the Batman, The Atom, Elongated Man and others. Unfortunately, their time together was cut short due to the death of both of her parents, on separate occasions, while trying to save her life.

Before being elected to full membership of the Justice League of America, Zatanna assisted them with a number of cases proving herself worthy of the team. During her time with the JLA her powers levels had diminished briefly allowing her to only control the four elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. After a while her powers were fully restored due to unknown causes. Deciding that her father's style of magic wasn't her cup of tea, she then decided to explore her mothers mystical heritage.

If you've read “Identity Crisis” which I highly recommend you read, lol, you all know Zatanna was apart of the incident that happened when they caught Dr. Light. Zatanna used her magic to screw around in Dr. Lights mind a little bit to erase a tragic memory that involved Sue Dibny. She also erased Batman's memory after he tried to stop them from what they doing to Dr. Light.

Batman and Zatanna were very close, childhood friends even, until he found out what she had done to him. This led to him distrusting her and his other friends in the super hero community. Over time their relationship began to re kindle and he came to her when he needed help and even gave her the nickname Zee.

Zatanna departed from the JLA and continued her stage career and her vocation as a defender against mystical threats, becoming a member of the Sentinels of Magic. Currently Zatanna is a reserve member of the Justice League aiding them from time to time when her magical expertise is needed. Feeling a need to take a break from heroics she declined a full membership to the JLA. But she still serves as a regular guardian against mystical threats.

And there you have it folks Ms. Zatanna "Zee" Zatara. Catch you all next week.

-Poison Quinn

Thomas Elliot

FYI, a small spoiler alert. I tried, but the information about Thomas Elliot is pretty much straight from Hush Vol. 1 and 2. I promise I didn't spoil TOO much, I hope. :D lol

Welcome back to Treacherous Tuesdays my fellow Batman fans. Today I'll be going over a close friend turned foe of Batman, Thomas Elliot. For those of you who keep up on your graphic novels, I'm sure you all have read the great Hush novels that give you a nice tale of Dr. Thomas Elliot. So without further babbling on...I present Dr. Thomas Elliot.

Name: Thomas Elliot
Alias: Hush
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 220
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red
Place of Birth: Gotham City
Occupation: Surgeon

Powers and Abilities: Although Thomas Elliot doesn't have any superpowers, lets not underestimate him folks. Elliot has spent a vast amount of time mastering the skills to be a match for the Dark Knight. Elliot is also a master planner with tactical skills equal if not exceeding those possessed by Batman. Hush's greatest skills is his ability to think like his opponents and use their motivations against them. Hush is an expert marksman who is able to shoot two batarangs out of the air and set off C4 using twin M1911.45 caliber pistols, his very own weapons of choice.

Dr. Thomas Elliot is a close childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, and just like Bruce, born into a wealthy family. Elliot was the complete opposite of Bruce when it came to the love of his parents. Elliot hated his parents and despised his drunk and abusive father along with his frail mother, who happened to come from a background of poverty and willingly endured the abuse to her and her son to keep the lavish lifestyle Elliot's father provided. Instead of taking the role of a loving mother, she forced him to memorize Aristotle, as a way to deal with the abuse from his father, which Elliot never forgave his mother for.

Elliot had a strong desire for wealth and independence, he cut the brakes of his parents' car causing them to be in a fatal crash that killed his father. His mother was saved in an emergency operation done by Dr. Thomas Wayne, which only lead to Elliot being enraged and very angry. While at summer camp with young Bruce, Thomas attacked a boy and ended up in a psych ward. He blamed Bruce and Martha Wayne for his outburst, but was soon released by an intern named Jonathan Crane. Thomas was forced to take care of his mother over the next few years. And well as I see I get further into this...I feel I'm telling FAR too much. I don't want to ruin too much for those who actually want to read the Hush novels. For those who have read it...you guys already knows what happens between Thomas and his mother. Let's just say..Thomas becomes a very disturbed individual, this is when he created the persona Hush.

Having a great deal of hate for Bruce Wayne, he decides to team up with the Riddler to bring Bruce down. Hush begins with with their attempt to destroy Batman, they convince and manipulate other villains to help. This included Joker, Harley Quinn, Jason Todd, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Killer Croc and Clayface. Part of this scheme includes fooling Bruce that Tommy is the latest victim of the Joker. This results in Batman almost killing the Joker but is stopped by Commissioner Gordon. Hush manipulates his way into trying to bring down Batman. Although Batman believes Hush is Thomas Elliot...he isn't able to unmask him. Being the great detective Batman is, we all know he eventually finds out who Hush is.

And that is it for today folks. I honestly wish I could go into more detail about hush, but it will ruin far too much if you were interested in reading about him.

Here's where you can read more about Dr. Thomas Elliot and his transformation to Hush. I really enjoyed reading about Hush and I definitely recommend reading Hush Vol. 1 & 2 and Heart of Hush. I haven't read Hush Returns...BUT...knock yourself out. :)

Hush Vol 1, Hush Vol. 2, Hush Returns and Heart of Hush

Thanks for reading, catch you guys tomorrow where I'll be discussing another close friend of Batman, Zatanna.

*Three Weeks until B:AA* :-D

-Poison Quinn

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Batman: Face The Face

Hey guys, after a very slow week in Batman comics, I'm back with this week's Graphic Novel Monday. This week's review gives center stage to one of the most prolific characters in Batman continuity, Harvey Dent a.k.a. Two-Face. With a story penned by James Robinson that takes place after the events of Infinite Crisis, one could say that this may be one of Harvey Dent's finest moments. We'll see in this review of Batman: Face The Face.

Infinite Crisis was a huge moment in DC Continuity, it marked the death of Tim Drake's best friend, Connor Kent. The return of the fallen Robin, Jason Todd, and caused the three biggest names in DC, Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman to take a year off from the superhero business. A year later, a rejuvenated Batman and Robin return to Gotham City, and are greeted by cheers from the Gothamites and the GCPD (even Harvey Bullock.) Batman and Robin (Tim Drake) are better than they've ever been, one person even remarks that their cohesive as Batman and the first Robin (Dick Grayson) were, which could prove that Gotham is on it's way to being resurrected as a safe city. But Batman wouldn't dare leave Gotham unprotected for a whole year, so he gives control of Gotham to former distract attorney, former psychopath, the rehabilitated Harvey Dent.

Harvey Dent is no longer Two face, and after a rough month of training, he's ready to take control of Gotham, which he sucessfully does for fifty two weeks. But when villains start turning up dead by the two's, with two bullets in their brains, all the signs point to the former DA. Batman believes Harvey is Innocent, but it wouldn't be the first ...or second time (pun intended) that Harvey Dent has gone rogue.



This story has it all, I won't ruin it, but murders, deception, mystery, everything that makes a good Batman Novel is in Face The Face. That being said it's not perfect, some of the artwork is rather dark, and although it fits the theme it may turn off some readers. Also we don't get the epic clash that we're waiting for, which made me feel a little disappointed to say the least. Overall Face The Face isn't perfect, but it's far from bad, That's why I give Batman: Face The Face an 8/10.

"History of Batman in Video Games" (Part 4)

This week we have something a little different ... Darkwing Duck, a fellow member from the Batman: Arkham Asylum forums is doing the review of our feature this week, Batman: Return of the Joker! Enjoy!

Batman: Return of the Joker (NES)
NES, Sega Genesis

I could not possibly tell you how excited I've been to get to review this game. It's one of my earliest memories of gaming, alongside one of my earliest memories of Batman, and thankfully I've been given new reason to play this classic once again.

The plot is as basic as you get, so don't expect any award-winning material here. Put simply, the Joker is back wreaking havoc in Gotham and Batman has to stop him. Nothing more is explained, but I'm not worried about that, I'm here for some basic shooting fun.

Yes, that's right. Batman has a gun. Of sorts. You can power up your so-called "Batarang Launcher" using icons found in boxes throughout the game. Explained only by the letters N, S, C, and B. No, I haven't got a clue what they stand for either. All you need to know is that C is the best power up.

In terms of gameplay, it's really about as simple as it gets. But it seems I'm a simple man of simple pleasures, so I find it enjoyable. It is a welcome break from the complexity of modern gaming, I must admit. The game is a side-scroller in which your job is pretty straightforward. Shoot the enemies, avoid the obstacles and jump the gaps. Yet the game somehow makes this challenging, and I love it for that. The only forgiving element in the game is the password system. So when you throw your controller through the wall and pull the plug on your beloved Nintendo Entertainment System, you can come back later and have your rear end handed to you again.

There are twelve stages for you to battle through, including a snowy landscape, moving train, military base, and sewers. The first level is in a cathedral, possibly in tribute to the location of the Joker's demise in the Burton film. You will continually jump from location to location, but if you're really looking for an explanation about anything at this point, you should probably move on now. Or you could stick around for probably the best moments in the game.
Jetpacks.

Yes. Batman has a jetpack. These were the greatest levels in the game to me as a young'un, and the novelty hasn't worn off after all these years. You fly up, down, left, right, shoot and dodge. But it's Batman, on a jetpack. If that doesn't make you want to play this game, I don't know what will. It's Batman on a jetpack people!

Now for the boss battles ... These were probably the only part I didn't like about the game. Boss fights are generally pretty intense, but fall back into the pattern finding fights in which you have to figure out the pattern and exploit it. Also, who are these people? It would've been nice to have some familiar faces in there, but maybe I'm asking for too much in a NES game with no film tie-ins.

Visually, Return of the Joker looks good enough to be compared to some of the 16-bit games of the same era. While there is some room for improvement with breakdown in the images, the theme of dark shadows and dirty streets as well as intense battles is kept up fairly well. The different motions that Batman goes through in either looking straight ahead or upwards will captivate you for a while, though there isn’t much other than that. The weapons effects and the locations that you encounter are all top notch for an older Nintendo game and it shows.

The music is what you'd expect from a adventure game from the early 90's, just with a little attitude thrown in for good measure. To me, it matches up with the feel of this dark Batman venture. But others will disagree. Each to his own I suppose. The sound effects don't make much of an impact on what you do with Batman and really don’t have much demand on the overall experience of the game.

Return of the Joker is a decent game that will keep Batman fans happy throughout the various stages. You’ll find that the password feature helps to keep you in the game, even if you don’t play it for weeks on end and is always a welcome addition to the older action games. The difficulty is a little steep to start with, though seasoned vets of the action game genre should be able to kick through it with some ease. All in all, this is an above average game that belongs in any collectors bookshelf and is worth playing time and time again, that has stood the test of aging with this reviewer.

And you know, I'm still yet to complete it ...

-Darkwing Duck