by Jade Lindley
Are you sick of hearing about the same ol' villains from Gotham's Rogue Gallery? As awesome as it is reading up about The Joker, Penguin and Catwoman, one must ask, is it getting a little repetitive?
As a Batman comic reader since the age of 5, I have always been interested in the villains, and as I hit my teens I was interested in the psyche behind each one of Batman's adversaries. I wanted to know what drives them to do the evil things they do, and what runs through their mind in doing so. And as much as I do love the more well known villains who tend to be given the spotlight a little more, there is one villain which has stood out for me for years and that is Victor Zsasz.
Are you sick of hearing about the same ol' villains from Gotham's Rogue Gallery? As awesome as it is reading up about The Joker, Penguin and Catwoman, one must ask, is it getting a little repetitive?
As a Batman comic reader since the age of 5, I have always been interested in the villains, and as I hit my teens I was interested in the psyche behind each one of Batman's adversaries. I wanted to know what drives them to do the evil things they do, and what runs through their mind in doing so. And as much as I do love the more well known villains who tend to be given the spotlight a little more, there is one villain which has stood out for me for years and that is Victor Zsasz.
All of Batman's villains are very eclectic, unique and all stand out in their own way, whether it's how they look, dress and behave. But I would say Victor Zsasz looks the most frightening because when covering up all those scars on his body, he looks the most 'normal'. Oh and in case you were wondering what those scars all over his body are, they are a number tally to represent every person that he has murdered...yep sick huh? But his backstory is all the more intriguing. It is revealed that Zsasz was a head of quite a successful company as well as coming from quite a wealthy family, but his life spiralled into a deep depression once his parents passed away. So in a state of melancholy he gambles his entire fortune and loses it all to The Penguin...yep, so far not the best luck right? And just when he is trying to commit suicide a homeless man, tries to rob him, and Zsasz murders him in retaliation. Now you may be thinking 'Hrm okay well technically wouldn't that be in self defence?" - NO! You see he felt that in this homeless man's aura he had no hope in life and needed to be killed which in Zsasz's eyes was 'liberating' or 'freeing' him. Now this could be seen as one of two things; the depression got to Zsasz so much he wasn't aware of what he was doing OR he was already bat-shit crazy and always had been...it just took a moment of vulnerability weakness to bring it out.
Victor Zsasz made his first appearance in Shadow of a Bat #1 which was produced in 1992, and since tracking that issue down, I have been hooked on the character of Zsasz ever since. The thing that stands out for me is the realism of his character. While serial killers are known for keeping souvenirs of their victims whether it's a piece of clothing, photo's, newspaper articles, it's the tally marked on his arm which is so damn chilling. Every day he is aware of what he has done, these murders are with him, but it's as if he struts around wearing these scars in a proud manner. He see's his crimes as a duty, something that NEEDS to be done, as if it's a dedicated cause. But it really isn't, he is just as manipulative as some of the other villains; if not more so. His signature murder style is to slit his victims throat and pose them in a certain manner, and he really doesn't play favourites with who he selects as his victims but he does have a weakness for young women. We can read comics which show just how loony this guy is, and how he look a bit weird, but it's the fact that he is a chameleon and can blend in with everyone else that is the most frightening thing.
Zsasz has never been seen as a major villain, but in 2006 he makes his return in Victims by escaping a psychiatric review and murdering guards in the process, and Batman is unable to catch him...until he notices Zsasz at a charity ball..stabbing Alfred! Poor guy! I found this story so interesting because he doesn't kill Alfred, so he can't have a murder left unfinished because that means his tally on his arms are incomplete. I think he may be suffering from OCD slightly, or maybe he is a perfectionist, either way he feels unsettled that a crime is left unfinished. It was that story that really made me want to seek out more story arcs and learn about his character. While he has appeared several times in the New 52's, there isn't a concrete story arc which just surrounds him and the hellish qualities that he possesses. So maybe DC need to uh...get their shit together and stop wasting ink and paper on New 52 stories like All Star Western and Men of War and really create an arc which can showcase just how insane, unpredictable Victor Zsasz. While the character is violent, this could be written in such a way that can give you chills and leave you unsettled...I say we get Scott Snyder onto this...right now...Please?
Victor Zsasz made his first appearance in Shadow of a Bat #1 which was produced in 1992, and since tracking that issue down, I have been hooked on the character of Zsasz ever since. The thing that stands out for me is the realism of his character. While serial killers are known for keeping souvenirs of their victims whether it's a piece of clothing, photo's, newspaper articles, it's the tally marked on his arm which is so damn chilling. Every day he is aware of what he has done, these murders are with him, but it's as if he struts around wearing these scars in a proud manner. He see's his crimes as a duty, something that NEEDS to be done, as if it's a dedicated cause. But it really isn't, he is just as manipulative as some of the other villains; if not more so. His signature murder style is to slit his victims throat and pose them in a certain manner, and he really doesn't play favourites with who he selects as his victims but he does have a weakness for young women. We can read comics which show just how loony this guy is, and how he look a bit weird, but it's the fact that he is a chameleon and can blend in with everyone else that is the most frightening thing.
Zsasz has never been seen as a major villain, but in 2006 he makes his return in Victims by escaping a psychiatric review and murdering guards in the process, and Batman is unable to catch him...until he notices Zsasz at a charity ball..stabbing Alfred! Poor guy! I found this story so interesting because he doesn't kill Alfred, so he can't have a murder left unfinished because that means his tally on his arms are incomplete. I think he may be suffering from OCD slightly, or maybe he is a perfectionist, either way he feels unsettled that a crime is left unfinished. It was that story that really made me want to seek out more story arcs and learn about his character. While he has appeared several times in the New 52's, there isn't a concrete story arc which just surrounds him and the hellish qualities that he possesses. So maybe DC need to uh...get their shit together and stop wasting ink and paper on New 52 stories like All Star Western and Men of War and really create an arc which can showcase just how insane, unpredictable Victor Zsasz. While the character is violent, this could be written in such a way that can give you chills and leave you unsettled...I say we get Scott Snyder onto this...right now...Please?
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