Warning: Contains Spoilers for Batman ‘89: Echoes #3
Summary
Batman’scanonically most frightening villain,Scarecrow, has a new look, and it’s revealed in the most trippy, nightmare-fueled way possible. The new miniseriesBatman ‘89: Echoesby Sam Hamm and Joe Quinones is an early-90s nostalgia fest that explores Bruce Wayne going undercover as Firefly in Arkham Asylum in the same universe as Tim Burton’s 1989 filmBatman. In this comic series, Dr. Jonathan Crane is charged with his care, which ends in the worst way possible.
Readers can check out the full on-page debut of Scarecrow’s new look — insipired by Jeff Goldblum — inBatman ‘89: Echoes#3 by Hamm and Quinones. The idea ofGoldblum portraying Scarecrowdates back to the ’90s, when Goldblum was a prospective casting for the unmadeBatman Unchained. Here, as Batman “trips” on Crane’s treatment, even Goldblum’s Scarecrow is scarier than usual,becoming a twisted, warped academic with the nightmarishly classic gas mask.
A deviation from Crane’s normally Scarecrowesque features, this curly-haired rendition is an exciting change of pace, even in the scenes without the gas mask. There have already been sightings of the Scarecrow’s new costume on the cover ofEchoes#1and a brief glimpse in issue #2, but the building point to get to that look is already pretty creepy.
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This Scarecrow Is Reminiscent of Earlier Designs
The Scarecrow has been a Batman staplesince 1941, and his design gets more intricate, cool, and horrifying as the years go on. The evolution from a burlap sack to a gas mask is as genius as it is uncanny. Those who have consumed theScarecrow stories of the ’90s will findEchoes’new design, which debuted on the cover of #1, familiar. From the wide, smiling mask to the noose around his neck, it cements itself as chilling and nostalgic as the comic in which it is featured.
Combining trippy visuals and the uncanniness of a man in a suit and gas mask, Crane using fear gas on Bruce Wayne results in a red-hued psychedelic horror scene that drops a major bomb.
While DC gave readers a tease as to theScarecrow’s newest costumeon the cover ofBatman ‘89: Echoes#1, readers have yet to see it donned, despite the terrifying Scarecrow scenes from #3. Hamm and Quinones are taking it slow - and what fans have seen so far is building a layer of tension and anticipation. The costume is undoubtedly creepy, and seeing it in action will certainly be a memorable scene. Combining trippy visuals and the uncanniness of a man in a suit and gas mask,Crane using fear gas on Bruce Wayne results in a red-hued psychedelic horror scene that drops a major bomb.
Batman Reveals His Secret Identity to Scarecrow
What’s Next for Bruce Wayne?
InBatman ‘89: Echoes#2, Jonathan Crane puts the undercover Bruce Wayne through something called a “fear test.” The resulting imagery is unsettling, from a murder scene to a pumpkin-headed scarecrow. Through this test,Bruce Wayne keeps his secret.It’s when Scarecrow busts out the fear gas in #3that things get interesting. Bombarded with images of his parents’ murder, Bruce cracks under the pressure andreveals that he is not Firefly, but rather Batman.
Now his face is tied to the Batman identity, and if or when the full secret is inevitably revealed, theBatman ‘89universe will find itself flipped on its head. In the main continuity, Scarecrow isn’t privy to the sacred knowledge of Bruce’s nightlife. As of now, Scarecrow does not know that Robert Lowry is Bruce Wayne, though he has known for a while that he isn’t Robert Lowry, either, but the revelation of this important piece of information understandably sparksScarecrow’sinterest. All in all, Bruce Wayne letting it slip that he’sBatmanis a living nightmare.
BATMAN ‘89: ECHOES #3 (2024)
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
