Matt Lazorwitz
Jul 1, 2004, 11:30 am
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/headshots/dc/nopic.jpg" align=left alt="No Image Available">Real Name: Victor Zsasz
Known Aliases: Zsasz the Slasher
First Appearance: <i>Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1</i>
Know relatives: None
Major Enemies: Batman, Batgirl I (Oracle II), Nightwing
Height: 5'8''
Weight: 150 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
The man who would become the serial killer Mr. Zsasz was born to a life of luxury. He spent his young life spending his family money, doing nothing but seeking pleasure. He never seemed to find it, to find anything to make him feel a connection to his fellow man. And eventually, all the money he had ran out.
The young man stood on a bridge, preparing to throw himself off, when a bum came up to him, asking for a handout. When he refused, the bum came at him with a knife. There was a struggle, and the bum was stabbed with his own weapon. As he watched the life drain from the bum’s eye, he realized a great truth: all humans are nothing more then machines, and so nothing anyone does matters. In this, he found the feelings that had long been denied him, and Mr. Zsasz was born. He took the knife he had used and cut a mark on his arm. As he claimed each of his victims, he would add another tally mark to his skin.
Zsasz began a spree throughout Gotham, and became notoriously difficult to catch, as there was no pattern to the victims, just the method. He would slit there throats, and leave them in lifelike positions. Of course, Batman eventually caught him, and brought him to Arkham. He escaped, as all Arkham inmates do, and was brought to justice again by the first Batgirl.
When Jeremiah Arkham took over his uncle’s Asylum, and had it refurbished and rebuilt, he took Zsasz as a personal patient. He kept him immobilized all day, and was only removed from the tank that held him at night to sleep. And it was after this that killings similar to those that Zsasz had perpetrated began appearing again. Knowing of no other way, Batman faked insanity and had himself incarcerated in Arkham.
Zsasz began using his time with Jeremiah, playing on his own insecurities, and using Batman’s defiance to get Jeremiah to try to break him. Batman proved resistant to Jeremiah’s attempts, but Jeremiah was pushed further along a path to his own insanity by Zsasz’s whispers. Eventually, Batman discovered the truth: as Arkham was being rebuilt, Zsasz had bribed one of the contractors to build him a secret passage out of his cell, so he could kill at night. Batman and Nightwing stopped him, and this killing spree was stopped.
Zsasz escaped next during the breakout set off by Bane, and took a class of girls at a boarding school hostage. Batman and Rene Montoya slipped into the school, and although Zsasz talked to Batman during the fight, driving him to beat Zsasz vicously, he was returned to Arkham. He was also released during the No Man’s Land, and continued his killings throughout the lawless city, and was returned to Arkham afterwards, where he still remains.
Zsasz is an excellent physical specimen, but his real power is in his mind. His IQ is near genuius level, and he is utterly without feeling for anyone or anything. He seems to have the ability to know exactly what buttons to push to get any of his victims and enemies to open themselves up for his attacks. He is ruthless, determined, and entirely insane.
APPEARANCES:
Batman #493
Batman Chronicles #3, 18
Batman: Gotham Knights #8
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1-4, 80-82, 86
Detective Comics #775, 796
Girlfrenzy: Batgirl #1
Hitman #2
Joker: Last Laugh #5
Robin (2nd series) #95
Showcase '94 #3
Known Aliases: Zsasz the Slasher
First Appearance: <i>Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1</i>
Know relatives: None
Major Enemies: Batman, Batgirl I (Oracle II), Nightwing
Height: 5'8''
Weight: 150 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
The man who would become the serial killer Mr. Zsasz was born to a life of luxury. He spent his young life spending his family money, doing nothing but seeking pleasure. He never seemed to find it, to find anything to make him feel a connection to his fellow man. And eventually, all the money he had ran out.
The young man stood on a bridge, preparing to throw himself off, when a bum came up to him, asking for a handout. When he refused, the bum came at him with a knife. There was a struggle, and the bum was stabbed with his own weapon. As he watched the life drain from the bum’s eye, he realized a great truth: all humans are nothing more then machines, and so nothing anyone does matters. In this, he found the feelings that had long been denied him, and Mr. Zsasz was born. He took the knife he had used and cut a mark on his arm. As he claimed each of his victims, he would add another tally mark to his skin.
Zsasz began a spree throughout Gotham, and became notoriously difficult to catch, as there was no pattern to the victims, just the method. He would slit there throats, and leave them in lifelike positions. Of course, Batman eventually caught him, and brought him to Arkham. He escaped, as all Arkham inmates do, and was brought to justice again by the first Batgirl.
When Jeremiah Arkham took over his uncle’s Asylum, and had it refurbished and rebuilt, he took Zsasz as a personal patient. He kept him immobilized all day, and was only removed from the tank that held him at night to sleep. And it was after this that killings similar to those that Zsasz had perpetrated began appearing again. Knowing of no other way, Batman faked insanity and had himself incarcerated in Arkham.
Zsasz began using his time with Jeremiah, playing on his own insecurities, and using Batman’s defiance to get Jeremiah to try to break him. Batman proved resistant to Jeremiah’s attempts, but Jeremiah was pushed further along a path to his own insanity by Zsasz’s whispers. Eventually, Batman discovered the truth: as Arkham was being rebuilt, Zsasz had bribed one of the contractors to build him a secret passage out of his cell, so he could kill at night. Batman and Nightwing stopped him, and this killing spree was stopped.
Zsasz escaped next during the breakout set off by Bane, and took a class of girls at a boarding school hostage. Batman and Rene Montoya slipped into the school, and although Zsasz talked to Batman during the fight, driving him to beat Zsasz vicously, he was returned to Arkham. He was also released during the No Man’s Land, and continued his killings throughout the lawless city, and was returned to Arkham afterwards, where he still remains.
Zsasz is an excellent physical specimen, but his real power is in his mind. His IQ is near genuius level, and he is utterly without feeling for anyone or anything. He seems to have the ability to know exactly what buttons to push to get any of his victims and enemies to open themselves up for his attacks. He is ruthless, determined, and entirely insane.
APPEARANCES:
Batman #493
Batman Chronicles #3, 18
Batman: Gotham Knights #8
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1-4, 80-82, 86
Detective Comics #775, 796
Girlfrenzy: Batgirl #1
Hitman #2
Joker: Last Laugh #5
Robin (2nd series) #95
Showcase '94 #3