Batman’s Most Terrifying Villain Properly Debuted in This Comic, but the Price Won’t Scare Your Wallet
Batman has one of the most terrifying rogue’s gallery in comic book history. The sheer psychological trauma that the likes of Joker, Riddler, and Bane have inflicted upon Gotham would be too much for most Justice League members to handle. Sure, most of them can be handled with superior strength, but that’s only after they would have managed to scar countless civilians and the heroes themselves. Just look at what Joker did in the Injustice universe. However, when it comes to fear itself, there’s only one Batman villain that comes to mind. Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow first appeared in 1941’s World’s Finest Comics #3, where he was just a ‘boogeyman for hire’, and used sparingly. However, the character was fully realised only in 1967’s Batman #189, where his obsession with fear was revealed, along with an early version of his trademark fear toxin. Since then we’ve seen the character rise up the villain ranks, with brilliant adaptations in Batman Begins and the Batman: Arkham video game series.
Despite being the catalyst for one of the most terrifying villains in comic book history, Batman #189 recently went for a not-so-scary price at Heritage Auctions. The issue features Batman and Robin swinging into action when Scarecrow is spotted digging for some loot he buried from a previous heist. However, before they know it, they are sprayed by a chemical that instills them with a crippling fear of heights. This was the prototype of what would become his iconic fear toxin. Of course, Scarecrow was eventually caught, but this was the start of a terrifying legacy. The CGC NM- 9.2 graded copy of the issue just sold for $3,538 on auction, but the low price understates just how important this comic is to the Batman mythos.
Batman #189 Just Sold For A Surprisingly Low Price At An Auction
Scarecrow is undoubtedly one of Batman’s most feared (pun intended) villains. But, unfortunately for him, he’s a bit lower down on the pecking order than say Joker, Bane, or Riddler. While the those two are always finding new ways to sow chaos and outsmart Batman respectively, Scarecrow is a one-trick pony. We’ve seen the same formula play out many times over the years: The villain uses his fear toxin on Batman, who either retreats or fights his way through his fears, only to turn things around and give Scarecrow a literal taste of his own medicine. It happened recently in Batman: Caped Crusader, in 2005’s Batman Begins, and all the way back in this issue of Batman #189. Perhaps it’s this repetitive formula that prevents Scarecrow from breaking into the top ranks of Batman’s rogues gallery, and why this copy didn’t go for a much higher price.
That’s not to say that he can’t be devastating, though. In the Batman: Arkham Knight video game, he manages to alter his fear toxin to make it disperse far and wide enough to cover all of Gotham, turning the city into a fear-filled nightmare. But without his toxin, he’s not much more than a guy in a scary suit, making him rather one-dimensional and predictable to fans. Perhaps if he changed things up from time to time, like critically injuring Batgirl or breaking Batman’s back, he’d be considered an A-level threat, and his first appearance comic might have sold for a higher price.
