Who's Who in Batman?

Who's Who? is Comic Book Beginner's Info's very simple column where you can attach faces to the name (and/or names to the faces) with brief introductions. Think of it as Comic Book Flash Cards (no not that Flash!).

Please note that these are not complete lists because A. This page would take forever to load and B. You will more than likely learn the rest of the characters as you read through the books! These are just the main ones you are going to frequently encounter. :-)

With The Dark Knight out, I am sure we have several new potential readers of the Batman comic. Its a great read, guys, and I highly recommend starting off with Batman: Year One by Frank Miller.

Anyway, some of you might need introductions to the main characters you will run into. So here you go...

---

The Good Guys

Batman

Bruce Wayne, our hero. His parents were killed by a mugger. Now he is out to strike fear in the harts of criminals by being scary, using his gadgets, and using martial arts training.

Robin III aka Tim Drake

Batman's sidekick. Tim Drake is the third Robin. His motivation for being a hero is that he witnessed the death of the parents of Dick Grayson (The first Robin) and had been following the careers of Batman & Robin ever since. His goal is to become the World's Greatest Detective.

Nightwing aka Robin I aka Dick Grayson

His parents were acrobats and he witnessed them get killed by a mafia boss as a kid. Bruce Wayne took Dick Grayson under his wing and he eventually become Batman's sidekick, Robin. Eventually, Dick Grayson grew out of that roll and claimed his own independance and become Nightwing.

Oracle aka the first Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon

Barbara Gordon is the daughter of police commissioner Jim Gordon. Originally was Batgirl but was paralyzed by The Joker. She evolved into The Oracle. She is a master computer hacker and researcher. She serves as informant/expert/researcher for both law enforcement and superheroes.

Batgirl III aka Cassandra Cain

Batgirl, first trained as a cold anti-social mute assasin as a child by her father, she is now a superhero.

Alfred Pennyworth

Bruce Wayne's butler and raised Bruce Wayne after his parents' death.

Police Commissioner Jim Gordon

The police commissioner for Gotham. Also serves as a point of contact for Batman.

---

THE IN BETWEEN GUYS

Catwoman aka Selina Kyle

Catwoman is an anti-hero that serves as both an ally and adversary for Batman.

The Riddler

The Riddler was a villian that always leaves a clue or a riddle with each crime he comitted. After being in a coma for a year, he is right now a good guy, but probably not for long if you have ever read a comic book for more than 3 months.

---

The Bad Guys

The Joker

Batman's arch-nemesis and one really evil nasty psychopath.

Mr. Freeze aka Victor Fries

Another one of Batman's biggest villains and quite possibly the most sympathetic villain. After suffering an industrial accident when trying to cure his terminally ill wife, Nora, he now wears this suit and freezes people with his freeze-gun.

The Penguin

A criminal genius that loves birds and has some wicked umbrellas. He also bares a striking resemblance to an actual penguin.

Two Face aka Harvey Dent

Former Gotham District Attorney, Harvey Dent, went insane after an accident that scarred half of his face. Now he flips a coin that will determine whether whether his next action to take will be good or evil.

Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy has the ability to manipulate plants and can poison her victims as well.

Ra's al Ghul

International terrorist and enemy of Batman. His daughter, Talia, is a love interest of Batman.

Scarecrow

Former psychologist who ironically went insane. Now he uses his knowledge from the psychology field to scare the living hell out of everyone.

---

That should get you started off well! Now, start reading some of these great books!