Spoilers Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum #1 Discussion Thread (with Preview)

[General grievous]

I could see No-Face coming back as a villain, mainly due to the last page. The other two didn't seem like villain material at all.

Raydawggie

Mirror man could be interesting in paul dini's hands.

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If i were a Gotham citizen, i would feel the same. But since i am a comic reader,i would really like a new villain, but a villain who could stand out and be interesting.

Morpheus

So would I, but that shouldn't automatically mean they were pychopaths.

I could see No-Face coming back as a villain, mainly due to the last page. The other two didn't seem like villain material at all.

Raydawggie

What's the name of the third one, as Doctor No Face and Mirror Man aren't new names, but very OLD ones.

Mirror Man appeared in Detective Comics #213 in 1954

Dr No Face appeared in Detective Comics #319 in 1963

[oddballuk]

What's the name of the third one, as Doctor No Face and Mirror Man aren't new names, but very OLD ones. Mirror Man appeared in Detective Comics #213 in 1954 Dr No Face appeared in Detective Comics #319 in 1963

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I didn't no that, but now I do I assume it must have been intentional on Hine's part.

Are his takes here original ones or based off the gimmicks of the original versions?

Either way, I really like the No Face character. I'm not hooked on the other two yet but I assume Hine has a plan in mind for them, or for another writer to follow.

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I didn't no that, but now I do I assume it must have been intentional on Hine's part.

oddballuk

Pretty much has to have been, I'd say.

Are his takes here original ones or based off the gimmicks of the original versions?

What gimmicks do they have.

Doctor No Face - A mysterious man who possesses no face - Whose eyes, ears and nose have been totally obliterated - and who embarks on a seemingly "senseless rampage of destruction", destroying statues, clocks, masks, and anything else that may be regarded as having a face.

Everyone believe him to be Dr Paul Dent, inventor of an experimental "skin rejuvenation ray" which malfunctioned during a demonstration.

As it turns out he's really a criminal called Bart Magan, who had tried to use the device to remove a distinguishing scar and who DID lose his face when the machine malfunctioned. He's now using it as part of a complicated plan to make money by A) letting everyone assume that he's Dent and B) Appearing to destroy valuable things with faces, when he's actually already stolen them, and then destroying the fake replacements he'd substituted, so that no one will suspect the original theft.

Mirror Man was Floyd Ventris, a criminal who used gimmicked mirrors. He even had an "X-Ray mirror" which reflected things shown in it without clothing (I kid you not...) and uncovered Batman's secret ID. Cue standard insanely complicated Silver Age plot to convince him he was wrong..

Both of them were criminals, not Arkham material.

[oddballuk]

Doctor No Face - A mysterious man who possesses no face - Whose eyes, ears and nose have been totally obliterated - and who embarks on a seemingly "senseless rampage of destruction", destroying statues, clocks, masks, and anything else that may be regarded as having a face. Everyone believe him to be Dr Paul Dent, inventor of an experimental "skin rejuvenation ray" which malfunctioned during a demonstration. As it turns out he's really a criminal called Bart Magan, who had tried to use the device to remove a distinguishing scar and who DID lose his face when the machine malfunctioned. He's now using it as part of a complicated plan to make money by A) letting everyone assume that he's Dent and B) Appearing to destroy valuable things with faces, when he's actually already stolen them, and then destroying the fake replacements he'd substituted, so that no one will suspect the original theft. Mirror Man was Floyd Ventris, a criminal who used gimmicked mirrors. He even had an "X-Ray mirror" which reflected things shown in it without clothing (I kid you not...) and uncovered Batman's secret ID. Cue standard insanely complicated Silver Age plot to convince him he was wrong.. Both of them were criminals, not Arkham material.

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Thanks for the info. The old Mirror Man sounds hilarious.

Interesting though how No Face's name was Dent when we have a Dent with Two-Face.

[General grievous]

Here is no face!



and more

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Here is no face!

General grievous

Interesting... but isn't that just a LITTLE bit too close to Black Mask's origin "Villain created by bonding mask onto face"... though I think I would prefer this notion to the current (or most recent) Black Mask

[General grievous]

Interesting... but isn't that just a LITTLE bit too close to Black Mask's origin "Villain created by bonding mask onto face"... though I think I would prefer this notion to the current (or most recent) Black Mask

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But this guy doesn't have the mask anymore, he has nothing really.

his face is a palette waiting to be painted!

[Tamaran]

I agree with all the others who think No Face has lots of potential.

I wasn't expecting much of this issue, but boy, was I pleasantly suprised! Very, very good writing, pacing and characterizations by Mr. Hine. And the artwork was beautiful, too.

I hope Mr. Hine will continue to play in the Bat Universe. I'd love to see a mini (or ongoing) series focusing on the new Arkham Asylum. Kinda like the tv series "Oz", but set in the infinitely more interesting and twisted Bat Underworld. The last mini gave us great new villains like Jane Doe and Humpty; and I think Mr. Hine could do an even better job.

Just imagine the daily interactions and mind games between Joker, Croc, Calendar Man, No Face, Ivy, Hugo Strange, Stirk, Humpty, etc. etc. etc.

[oddballuk]

I hope Mr. Hine will continue to play in the Bat Universe. I'd love to see a mini (or ongoing) series focusing on the new Arkham Asylum. Kinda like the tv series "Oz", but set in the infinitely more interesting and twisted Bat Underworld. The last mini gave us great new villains like Jane Doe and Humpty; and I think Mr. Hine could do an even better job.

Tamaran

I think this is a great idea.

[DarkeSword]

I loved what Arkham said to No Face at the end.

"Put on a happy face."

So creepy! XD

[superboy650]

I didn't really find the characters that interesting. No Face had a good origin, but what else? Narcissus, aka Mirror Man, seems like another Maxie Zues type character who believes himself to be the character of myth. And the woman? I think she's left up in the air until she actually does something, that we can see.

Would No Face be painting his face in the middle of a fight?

I can imagine No Face being used as a copycat. He would be using some of the gimmicks of other villains like Joker, and then when he's caught he's discovered with that villain's face painted on his.

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I can imagine No Face being used as a copycat. He would be using some of the gimmicks of other villains like Joker, and then when he's caught he's discovered with that villain's face painted on his.

superboy650

See now, THAT I like as an idea, allowing for a very varied bad guy, and maybe not limited to copying villains. As an artist he's paint what interested him, and if he was struck by a whim to paint himself as Commissioner Gordon, or Robin, would he start acting like THEM, or want to replace them.