Shadow of the Bat #1- Victor Zsasz as created by Alan Grant & Norm Breyfogle (yes, another one). This one is definitely inspired by Hannibal Lector, amongst other knife-wielding, self-mutilating lunatics.
Gotham City produces quite a few mass murderers, quite a few serial killers. H
owever, when a villain débuts imprisoned in a metal coffin surrounded by a metal cage then we must accept that Grant and Breyfogle have bred an even more dangerous breed of cat. True, we don't fully see him until a later issue, but we don't need too. In a clean and wonderfully lit Arkham Asylum, Zsasz is able to exude nastiness, arrogance and superiority over those that try to cure him. Also, he is incredibly dangerous!Unlike Amygdala who was featured earlier this week, Zsasz has crossed over into Batman world beyond the comic and I think that's usually the sign that a Batman villain needs to do to become Premier League. This villain makes it onto Batman Begins (not as a the crazed serial killer, but as sadistic mob muscle) and all of the scars were there for all to see. He also appears as a villain in the totally awesome video game Batman: Arkham Asylum.
