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Batman 189???

Started by Readcomix,

44 posts in this topic

Readcomix

Readcomix

Posted
Posted

Of all the silver and bronze Bats keys, this about the only one I just don't get. Is it the junk key I regard it as, or am I just missing something?

 

I mean, I just don't see Scarecrow as in the same class as Poison Ivy, Ras al Ghul, or the Riddler.

 

What am I missing? Maybe I'm wrong/overlooking something.

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JTLarsen

JTLarsen

Posted
Posted
Of all the silver and bronze Bats keys, this about the only one I just don't get. Is it the junk key I regard it as, or am I just missing something?

 

I mean, I just don't see Scarecrow as in the same class as Poison Ivy, Ras al Ghul, or the Riddler.

 

What am I missing? Maybe I'm wrong/overlooking something.

 

Right, Scarecrow is one notch below the ones you name. That's why 189 isn't worth as much as theirs are.

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jimjum12

jimjum12

Posted
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It got the movie bump when Batman Begins was in development and, unlike some movie books, kept some of it's ground. It does have a decent cover and due to the darker hues, is a little tough in very high grades. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

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Gatsby77

Gatsby77

Posted
Posted

I disagree that he isn't in the same league as Poison Ivy, Ras Al Ghul or even Two-Face.

 

1) He was in the old Super Friends cartoon (which neither Ras nor Poison Ivy were)

 

2) He was in the 90s Batman cartoon (which frankly launched Poison Ivy into the top-tier echelon of villains)

 

3) He played a decent (albeit arguably cameo in costume) role in Batman Begins

 

Granted, I have no idea what his current status is in the comics, as I haven't read a new Batman book in a decade, but I consider him as a tier down from The Joker, Riddler, The Penguin, and Two Face but arguably more important than Poison Ivy, or Ras.

 

I guess I'm still biased against Ras because he wasn't a big deal in the '80s when I first started collecting.

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Martin Sinescu

Martin Sinescu

Posted
Posted

Keep in mind, also, that for many of these characters who have "First Silver Age Appearance" keys, it's not like they last appeared 6 or 7 years prior and now here they are in the 60's. Characters like Scarecrow, Riddler and Two Face hadn't been seen for 15-20 years until they were revitalized in the Silver Age. It's really a big deal for these mainstay characters of arguably the greatest Rogues Gallery in comics to have been saved from the void of obsolescence. Scarecrow, as Gatsby elaborated, has the body of work and longevity to certainly belong in that B-tier just underneath Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Ra's. 189 is most definitely an important book.

 

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Readcomix

Readcomix

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Thank you all, for insights on both sides of the question! I've gone from completely not getting this book to open to bargain copies stumbled across in the wild.

 

And Martin's point specifically makes me ask myself once again why I haven't gotten around to adding a Lois Lane 70 yet?

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Jking3437

Jking3437

Posted
Posted

It's a true first appearance of a batman villain , not no 1st silver age appearance . And it's my favorite because it only took me a year and a half to find the 5.0 below

 

The only true first appeanrce that I'm missing is 181, poison ivy , but I'm working on that now as we speak

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jimjum12

jimjum12

Posted
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Frank Gorshin made me love Riddler, so I cherish my 171 more than any of the other silver age keys in that era. I don't care much for Scarecrow either, but he's someone's favorite.

 

...I'm easy.....I like them all. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

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Brandon Shepherd

Brandon Shepherd

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Being introduced to Batman via the Animated Series as a kid in the 90's, I consider the Scarecrow a major villain. He also had a role in Knightfall, the storyline that got me started as on Bat comics as a kid.

 

Like others have pointed out, he started out in the golden age, and that dark cover!

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Chillax23

Chillax23

Posted
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Being introduced to Batman via the Animated Series as a kid in the 90's, I consider the Scarecrow a major villain. He also had a role in Knightfall, the storyline that got me started as on Bat comics as a kid.

 

Like others have pointed out, he started out in the golden age, and that dark cover!

 

Same for me - plus it is an awesome cover IMO.

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kimik

kimik

Posted
Posted
Keep in mind, also, that for many of these characters who have "First Silver Age Appearance" keys, it's not like they last appeared 6 or 7 years prior and now here they are in the 60's. Characters like Scarecrow, Riddler and Two Face hadn't been seen for 15-20 years until they were revitalized in the Silver Age. It's really a big deal for these mainstay characters of arguably the greatest Rogues Gallery in comics to have been saved from the void of obsolescence. Scarecrow, as Gatsby elaborated, has the body of work and longevity to certainly belong in that B-tier just underneath Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Ra's. 189 is most definitely an important book.

 

Agreed.

 

Ras is arguably the second most important Bat-villain for the past 40 years since his first appearance in #232. I started reading/collecting in the mid 80s, and outside of the Death in the Family arc, The Bride/Son/Rise/etc. of the Demon GNs from the mid to late 80s added the most to the Batman mythos during that decade. I would personally put Ras as the second most influential Bat-villain now behind the Joker, or maybe third depending on how you view Catwoman (heroine/romantic interest vs. villain).

 

That being said, the top SA Bat-keys are the true 1st Apps - #121 and #181 - which is how it should be. The 1st SA/BA apps are a notch down from them.

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Vexsus

Vexsus

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Posted

I'm that someone. Scarecrow is and has always been my favorite Batman villain since growing up with the animated series in the 90's. When I started to collect comics four years ago, Batman 189 was the first book I bought. I might be biased but I do not see how Scarecrow doesn't deserve to be a top list Batman villain and think he provides an interesting dichotomy to Batman and how they both weaponize fear for very different things.

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