Perhaps the fiercest of Batman's archenemies has been the Joker, a green-haired harlequin figure who announces his crimes in advance and leaves a joker as his calling card. They first met in 1941, when the Joker instigated a series of daring jewel thefts that left the authorities baffled. Despite his broadcasting a warning of his intended crimes over the radio, he was able to steal the jewels and murder his victims, leaving them with their faces contorted in gruesome smiles.
Even in these early encounters, Batman displayed the qualities which were to ensure him unparalleled success in the following years. These qualities include his matchless capacity for dealing with disaster and his penchant for glib repartee while engaged in mortal combat. "You may be the Joker," said Batman as he dealt his opponent a knockout blow during one fray, "but I'm the King of Clubs." Miraculous escapes from death and lasting justice leave the Joker a Batman's primary foil even today, in spite of Batman's success in over 35 encounters with him.
W.W. II saw Batman and Robin defending the home front against enemy spies and subversive elements in addition to their usual racketbusting crusades. In January of 1942, for instance, they were instrumental in smashing the Nazi spy ring headed by the sinister Count Felix. (It was during this period, also, that Batman ordered Robin to abstain from crime fighting until his report card showed improvement.) During the 1950s, Batman and Robin began a series of adventures that took them into the past and matched them with such notable characters as the Three Musketeers, Aladdin, Frankenstein, and Bat Masterson.
Second only to the Joker as Batman's archfoe is the Penguin, whose name derives from his rotund appearance and waddling gait. Noted for his vanity and his flowery language, he is even more renowned for his passion for birds and his ingenious use of umbrellas. "The perfect crime is a work of art!" the Penguin has stated. It has proved an elusive goal for him, though, as Batman has met and defeated him on some 30 different occasions. Their final encounter was in 1965, when the Penguin began a series of bizarre episodes based on trick umbrellas. The Penguin was eventually captured and sent to prison while attempting to escape on his "jetumbrella."
Other foes have included Two-Face and the Riddler. Two-Face, a schizophrenic, trusted his fate to a half-defaced silver dollar. If the damaged face of the coin landed up when tossed, he would commit a crime; if the unmarked side landed up, he would not. The Riddler, the man of many questions, tested Batman's skill by leaving clues to his crimes in the form of riddles. In more recent years, Batman has taken on extraterrestrial aliens as well as criminals from the future.
Batman, still known to the public as bachelor Bruce Wayne, continues to live in Gotham, but now he works without Robin, who is enrolled at Hudson University. Batman's daylight hours are spent directing Wayne Foundation, a large philanthropic organization, and he resides in the penthouse atop the Wayne Foundation Building. Although he spends little time at Wayne Manor, the family estate with its accompanying subterranean Batcave complex, he maintains this mansion, as well as a plush Gulf Coast beach house in Florida.
And during the night hours, when evil threatens, Bruce Wayne becomes the caped crusader, Batman--defending the just and punishing the lawless, as he continues to strike terror into the hearts of the underworld.
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