Matt Lazorwitz
Sep 30, 2004, 03:42 pm
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/headshots/dc/scarecrow.gif" align="left" hspace=10>Real name: Jonathan Crane
Known Aliases: Scarebeast
First Appearance: World’s Finest Comics #3
Known Allies: Hush, Riddler, Joker, Two-Face, Penguin, Mad Hatter, Fright
Major Enemies: Batman I, Robin III, Catwoman
Height: 6’
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Jonathan Crane was a strange boy. He delighted in frightening the birds that he saw around his neighborhood, and he preferred the company of books to his peers. He was an odd looking boy, tall and frighteningly thin, and was the constant butt of the jokes of the more popular kids in school. He was teased about his appearance, with jibes made at his similarity in name and appearance to Ichabod Crane, the protagonist of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Crane grew up to study psychology and chemistry, and eventually received his Ph.D. in these fields. He became a teacher at Gotham University, and wrote numerous papers on his preferred subject within his field: fear. He performed many questionable experiments, and was finally dismissed from the University for pulling a gun in class to gauge the fear reaction of the class.
Crane was driven mad by this final rejection, and he began combining his two passions, fear and chemistry, into a plot for vengeance. Devising a chemical that created a fear reaction in those that were exposed to it, he began killing the regents of the University that had dismissed him, as well as members of the high school football team that had harassed him in his youth. These murders drew the attention of Gotham City’s new vigilante hero, the Batman, who hunted down Crane and beat his Fear Gas, turning Crane over to the authorities at Arkham Asylum.
Crane and Batman began a long rivalry with this encounter. Crane would now seek money to fund his experiments in fear, and victims to test them on. Scarecrow would devise new and more potent fear toxins, and Batman would have to find ways to counter them. He also began working with many of Gotham’s other criminals. In these early days, he worked with Hugo Strange and the Mad Hatter at times. He also was one of the other of Gotham’s “freak” community to work with Two-Face in his war against Carmine “The Roman” Falcone and his mob, to take the Gotham Underworld as their own.
When Jason Todd was Robin, Scarecrow devised a new chemical, one that inhibited all fear reaction in those exposed to it. He captured the new Robin, and exposed Batman to the chemical. Batman fought off its effects and defeated Scarecrow, but not before Batman had to face the one fear he could not beat, that Robin would die because of him, a fear that would soon be realized. Scarecrow’s interaction with Robin’s would not end there, as he became the villain that the next Robin, Tim Drake would save Batman from to prove his readiness to become Robin.
When Bane broke Arkham open, Scarecrow escaped and teamed with the Joker to spread fear throughout the ravaged Gotham. They kidnapped Mayor Armand Krol, and used him to hold the city hostage. Batman eventually found them and saved Krol, but was too exhausted to capture the two villains. Their partnership ended, Scarecrow left Joker to prepare his new campaign, to make himself the God of Fear. He manipulated members of the faculty and student body of his old employer, Gotham U, and began spreading his fear toxin around the city. Unfortunately for him, he ran afoul of the new Batman, Jean-Paul Valley, who defeated him and beat him savagely.
Crane would confront Batman next when Bruce Wayne returned to the role, and would again attempt to take revenge on those who wronged him. During this battle, Scarecrow had his own toxins turned on him, and he discovered that he was not without fear; he had learned to fear Batman. He also came into conflict with Catwoman, who he exposed to his fear toxins, a dose that would lead to the splintering of her psyche for a time. When Gotham was declared a No Man’s Land, Crane would attempt to manipulate the faith of a small group of people who had gathered in a church. Batman stepped in, and their faith proved too great for Scarecrow. He was taken away and locked in Blakgate Penitentiary for the remainder of the NML.
Recently, when Hush and the Riddler began their campaign to destroy Batman, they had Crane create psychological profiles of many of Batman’s rogues and allies, to figure out how to use them against him. His part in the scheme was revealed, and he was forced into hiding. The Penguin took him in and had Crane devise a new fear toxin to help keep Penguin’s capos in line. But Penguin had another, more insidious plan. He gave Crane an assistant, another chemist, who used Crane’s research to create a new chemical that would change Crane into a mad Scarebeast, hugely strong and vicious, that would project an aura of fear. Fright, the assistant, was more successful than she assumed, and Crane has since begun to change into the Scarebeast at moments of stress. After escaping custody in this form, Crane’s whereabouts remain unknown.
As Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane is one of Batman’s most intelligent adversaries. He is an expert at knowing the psychology of his enemies and how to use that against them. His fear toxins come in many varieties, from ones that create specific fears to ones that simply heighten the victim’s worst fear. When transformed into the Scarebeast, Crane is a more physical threat, gaining huge size and monstrous strength. He also gives off the fear toxin naturally in that form in the claws that form. Whether this transformation is something that will haunt him for the rest of his life, or will wear off after a time, is not currently known.
APPEARANCES:
Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1-2, 6
Batman #189, 200, 262, 291-294, 296, 400, 415, 456-457, 491, 494-496, 523-524, 264, 617, 626-630
Batman Annual #19
Batman: Arkham Asylum GN
Batman: Dark Victory #3, 11-13
Batman: Gotham Knights #23, 38-39
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116, 137-141
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special
Batman: No Man’s Land—Arkham Asylum: Tales of Madness #1
Batman/ Scarecrow 3-D #1
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1, 3-4, 16-18, 80-82, 84
Batman: The Long Halloween #8-10, 13
Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins #1
Catwoman (2nd series) #58-60, 93
Creeper #7-8
Crisis on Infinite Earths #9
Detective Comics # 389, 486, 503, 526, 540, 571, 661, 664, 731, 779-780, 782
First Issue Special #7
Green Lantern/ Atom #1
Justice League of America #111, 143
New Year's Evil: Scarecrow #1
Nightwing (2nd series) #10-11, 36-37
Nightwing Secret Files and Origins #1
Sandman (2nd series) #5, 7
Secret Origins (2nd series) #23
Underworld Unleashed! #1
Known Aliases: Scarebeast
First Appearance: World’s Finest Comics #3
Known Allies: Hush, Riddler, Joker, Two-Face, Penguin, Mad Hatter, Fright
Major Enemies: Batman I, Robin III, Catwoman
Height: 6’
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Jonathan Crane was a strange boy. He delighted in frightening the birds that he saw around his neighborhood, and he preferred the company of books to his peers. He was an odd looking boy, tall and frighteningly thin, and was the constant butt of the jokes of the more popular kids in school. He was teased about his appearance, with jibes made at his similarity in name and appearance to Ichabod Crane, the protagonist of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Crane grew up to study psychology and chemistry, and eventually received his Ph.D. in these fields. He became a teacher at Gotham University, and wrote numerous papers on his preferred subject within his field: fear. He performed many questionable experiments, and was finally dismissed from the University for pulling a gun in class to gauge the fear reaction of the class.
Crane was driven mad by this final rejection, and he began combining his two passions, fear and chemistry, into a plot for vengeance. Devising a chemical that created a fear reaction in those that were exposed to it, he began killing the regents of the University that had dismissed him, as well as members of the high school football team that had harassed him in his youth. These murders drew the attention of Gotham City’s new vigilante hero, the Batman, who hunted down Crane and beat his Fear Gas, turning Crane over to the authorities at Arkham Asylum.
Crane and Batman began a long rivalry with this encounter. Crane would now seek money to fund his experiments in fear, and victims to test them on. Scarecrow would devise new and more potent fear toxins, and Batman would have to find ways to counter them. He also began working with many of Gotham’s other criminals. In these early days, he worked with Hugo Strange and the Mad Hatter at times. He also was one of the other of Gotham’s “freak” community to work with Two-Face in his war against Carmine “The Roman” Falcone and his mob, to take the Gotham Underworld as their own.
When Jason Todd was Robin, Scarecrow devised a new chemical, one that inhibited all fear reaction in those exposed to it. He captured the new Robin, and exposed Batman to the chemical. Batman fought off its effects and defeated Scarecrow, but not before Batman had to face the one fear he could not beat, that Robin would die because of him, a fear that would soon be realized. Scarecrow’s interaction with Robin’s would not end there, as he became the villain that the next Robin, Tim Drake would save Batman from to prove his readiness to become Robin.
When Bane broke Arkham open, Scarecrow escaped and teamed with the Joker to spread fear throughout the ravaged Gotham. They kidnapped Mayor Armand Krol, and used him to hold the city hostage. Batman eventually found them and saved Krol, but was too exhausted to capture the two villains. Their partnership ended, Scarecrow left Joker to prepare his new campaign, to make himself the God of Fear. He manipulated members of the faculty and student body of his old employer, Gotham U, and began spreading his fear toxin around the city. Unfortunately for him, he ran afoul of the new Batman, Jean-Paul Valley, who defeated him and beat him savagely.
Crane would confront Batman next when Bruce Wayne returned to the role, and would again attempt to take revenge on those who wronged him. During this battle, Scarecrow had his own toxins turned on him, and he discovered that he was not without fear; he had learned to fear Batman. He also came into conflict with Catwoman, who he exposed to his fear toxins, a dose that would lead to the splintering of her psyche for a time. When Gotham was declared a No Man’s Land, Crane would attempt to manipulate the faith of a small group of people who had gathered in a church. Batman stepped in, and their faith proved too great for Scarecrow. He was taken away and locked in Blakgate Penitentiary for the remainder of the NML.
Recently, when Hush and the Riddler began their campaign to destroy Batman, they had Crane create psychological profiles of many of Batman’s rogues and allies, to figure out how to use them against him. His part in the scheme was revealed, and he was forced into hiding. The Penguin took him in and had Crane devise a new fear toxin to help keep Penguin’s capos in line. But Penguin had another, more insidious plan. He gave Crane an assistant, another chemist, who used Crane’s research to create a new chemical that would change Crane into a mad Scarebeast, hugely strong and vicious, that would project an aura of fear. Fright, the assistant, was more successful than she assumed, and Crane has since begun to change into the Scarebeast at moments of stress. After escaping custody in this form, Crane’s whereabouts remain unknown.
As Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane is one of Batman’s most intelligent adversaries. He is an expert at knowing the psychology of his enemies and how to use that against them. His fear toxins come in many varieties, from ones that create specific fears to ones that simply heighten the victim’s worst fear. When transformed into the Scarebeast, Crane is a more physical threat, gaining huge size and monstrous strength. He also gives off the fear toxin naturally in that form in the claws that form. Whether this transformation is something that will haunt him for the rest of his life, or will wear off after a time, is not currently known.
APPEARANCES:
Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1-2, 6
Batman #189, 200, 262, 291-294, 296, 400, 415, 456-457, 491, 494-496, 523-524, 264, 617, 626-630
Batman Annual #19
Batman: Arkham Asylum GN
Batman: Dark Victory #3, 11-13
Batman: Gotham Knights #23, 38-39
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116, 137-141
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special
Batman: No Man’s Land—Arkham Asylum: Tales of Madness #1
Batman/ Scarecrow 3-D #1
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1, 3-4, 16-18, 80-82, 84
Batman: The Long Halloween #8-10, 13
Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins #1
Catwoman (2nd series) #58-60, 93
Creeper #7-8
Crisis on Infinite Earths #9
Detective Comics # 389, 486, 503, 526, 540, 571, 661, 664, 731, 779-780, 782
First Issue Special #7
Green Lantern/ Atom #1
Justice League of America #111, 143
New Year's Evil: Scarecrow #1
Nightwing (2nd series) #10-11, 36-37
Nightwing Secret Files and Origins #1
Sandman (2nd series) #5, 7
Secret Origins (2nd series) #23
Underworld Unleashed! #1