My first encounter with Signalman came in an issue of Justice League of America I read when I was about five – specifically a two-parter where he was part of the Ultra-Humanite’s Secret Society of Super-Villains. (This was one of the periodic JLA/JSA teamups which were so awesome at the time and which modern-day comics writers try to duplicate, not understanding that once the JLA and JSA are basically neighbours the idea of the JLA/JSA teamup loses a lot of its cachet.) In this story, he beat up Batman. Batman. (In the same issue the Monocle beat up Hawkman, which was awesome.) And the way Signalman beat Batman was brilliant: he hypnotized a crowd of innocents and let them beat up Batman, using Batman’s unwillingness to harm innocents against him in a sort of Bronze Age-version of Bane using Batman’s own dedication against him. Clearly this was a major player!
Imagine my disappointment years later when I did some checking up and found out that Signalman was a Golden Age chump of a bad guy who wasn’t anywhere near as awesome-looking when George Perez wasn’t drawing him and who was basically a lesser equivalent of the Riddler, except worse because the Riddler’s riddles were usually at least reasonably difficult whereas Signalman’s were just stupid. And let’s be honest, at least the Riddler has a sense of style: he wears nice suits. Signalman wears fugly red-and-yellow tights, with diagonally striped underwears, and a cowled cape with “signals” all over it.
And Signalman finally figured out that warning Batman ahead of time that you were going to commit a crime was stupid, what did he do? He adopted a new identity: the Blue Bowman. And then he tried to beat Green Arrow at super-archery. What the hell, Signalman. What the hell.
A rating earned mostly by the time George Perez drew him and he was briefly kind of awesome.
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Though still more entertaining than Signetman, who tried to punch people with an emblem ring in full regalia, making him pretty much like The Phantom albiet somehow even gayer-looking.
I can remember being mesmerized by the cover of the first issue of that team-up when I saw it at our local grocery store, but had sadly already spent my allowance and would have to wait many years to order it through Mile High Comics. Totally worth the wait.
Y’know, “get somebody else to do it” has long been my go-to plan for fighting Batman.
“Get a whole bunch of somebody elses to do it” officially beats that. Even though, like Signalman, I am more apt to use treachery than fighting man to man.
You forget one fine point–
At least over half of Batman’s golden age villains were just the Riddler in a worse costume.
Almost anyone looks awesome when drawn by George Perez. There are exceptions, though.
I first saw Signalman in the breakout mentioned at the end there, in Batman #400. It was years before I finally figured out who he was.
Great book, Batman #400; but a batch of the villains in the breakout bag out of the “gang up on Batman” plan. (Like Two-Face, who had just faced Batman two months prior.) I can’t remember if Signalman was ever recaptured…
I think his secret origin was pretty cool — he went to Gotham City, tried to recruit a bunch of henchmen, and they laughed in his face because they only work for guys with ridiculous costumes and crazy shticks who get beaten up by Batman! So he adopted a ridiculous costume, a crazy shtick, and set out to get beaten up by Batman. He actually was pretty successful at what he set out to do!
In fairness to Signalman, he decided to take on BATMAN with Green Arrow’s gimmick, rather than compete with Green Arrow himself. Sure, he’s still going to get his teeth kicked in, but it IS moderately less stupid then learning archery from someone Green Arrow’s already beaten THEN using those skills against Green Arrow.
The guy did manage to capture Batman and almost kill him by imprisoning him in the Bat-signal. I mean, at least that’s a better use of your name-schtick than anything the Puzzler ever came up with.
I think it’s extremely telling that, when tasked with coming up with things to show Signalman doing in the background, the primary activity Ross Andru could come up with is “Getting punched out by Batman.”
Also, the Phantom wants his underwear back.
I first saw Signalman in the breakout mentioned at the end there, in Batman #400.
Concealed within a search light, as I recall. A lit search light. Unless that was Killer Moth. It’s been a while since I read that issue.
Now I liked the whole motivation for the Signalman’s original shtick: PR. Become a costumed villain, beat Batman (okay, flaw in the theory), get some headlines and become a player in the underworld. It makes more sense than a lot of costumed hoods’ desire to get into tights.
And even as Blue Bowman, he fought Batman (who beat him, IIRC, with gimmicked boomerangs).
See that smug look on Batman’s face? He loves punching out Signalman.
Other people have a big dinner, spend 4 hours clubbing, have nasty sex in the back of their car and then grab fast food on their way home to sleep. Batman escapes a deathtrap, has an epic battle with Two-Face, lands in a sexual-tension-laden rendezvous with Catwoman, and punches out Signalman on the way home. He thought he had a brilliant plan to steal all the spare vacuum cleaner hoses in Gotham, but he’s just fast food.
I’d like to imagine that when Batman “demonstrated how good an escape artist he is” after being trapped in the Bat-Signal, that all he did was wait for Commissioner Gordon to come upstairs and then tap on the glass.
I loved that Perez-drawn JLA/JSA crossover. I remember how cool it was as he was running away from Batman that the lights of the “St. Igantius Hotel” were lit to read “Signal.” Perez was, is and will always be freaking awesome.
Jack Balfour said:
Other people have a big dinner, spend 4 hours clubbing, have nasty sex in the back of their car and then grab fast food on their way home to sleep.
That… sounds like a lot of fun, actually.
Almost anyone looks awesome when drawn by George Perez. There are exceptions, though.
Notably, anyone whose costume was designed by George Perez.
Adding to the love for JLA 195 to 197. It is just an awesome comic book story, all the way around, and Batman’s line at the end when the Humanite’s Society is about to get their asses handed to them remains to this day one of my favorite comic book moments ever.
In honor of the return of Thursday’s WHO’S WHO, I did this week’s Monday Makeover on Signalman:
http://www.entertainedorganizer.com/2011/07/monday-makeover-signalman.html