#64 - Facade
First Appearance: Detective Comics #821 (Sep 2006)
"Gotham's elite are weak and hollow." ~Facade
In one of the most unappreciated comic book runs ever, Paul Dini crafted several excellent one-shot stories that were really character-driven action-noir pieces, each centering around Batman tackling an allegorical representation of a social issue. Facade was a few years' ahead of his time, prophesying the Occupy Wall Street movement in his excellent one-off issue; Facade's goal is to expose the wealthy upper crust of Gotham for what they really are and bring them to their knees. Is this necessarily the wrong thing to do? How often do people lament the power that the obscenely rich seem to possess?
Facade is very interesting in that he is a completely faceless character. He represents the anonymous, nameless, faceless masses that cry out for justice and our denied. At the same time, his extremist actions are not wholly accepted by the group he represents, so he seems a cautionary example of the wrong way to institute social reform. It's a very deep, meaningful issue that I think highlights everything that's great about the potential in a Batman tale - strong villains, layered commentary on society, and a hero forced to utilize all of his skills to right the wrong.
Greatest Facade Story Ever Told: I just told you, dude. I mean, not that freakin' hard. Like, whatevs. Oh! The art's by J.H. Williams III, so anyone who like nerdgasmed at the fantastic Batwoman art should totally be like, "Damn, need me some Facade one-off story like now, girl."
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RandomName basically describes it. It's a list of the top 100 Batman villains. (Note: This isn't MY list. So, if you don't agree with it, don't freak out and rant in the comments)
