Fools

Batman: Dark Victory #7
June 2000


Who is the Hang Man? Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale make you wish to know this killer's identity. Let's go through the suspects they have so generously presented. Harvey Dent? No motive. Two Face? No motive. Alberto Falcone? No opportunity. Calendar Man? No motive. He does however serve as a marvelous red herring. In a universe swallowed by red skies, the Calendar Man occasionally wore a different identity. He was also the Signal Man. The Joker? His motive would be to frame Harvey Dent. He does have the opportunity and has the manic strength to commit some of these crimes, yet he would never abandon his signature. He wants everybody to know he is the perpetrator. He leaves behind a rictus grin or an eponymous playing card on all his victims. His ego cannot be so easily sublimated. Nobody would get the joke. Catwoman? Not a killer. Although she did have a grudge against Flass, she had no motive to kill the other cops. Mario Falcone? Nice try, but killing cops is a big dumb move for somebody who wants to go legit, even for somebody who doesn't want a clean slate. Janice Porter? No motive. Solomon Grundy? No motive. He is certainly strong enough to be the Hang Man, but he's conspicuous and he would only be the weapon of some mastermind. Glenda Dent? A major red herring. Not strong enough. Lacks a motive. I still think it may be possible that she turns out to be the real Holiday. Calendar Man intimates that Alberto may be innocent of those crimes, and Glenda stood to gain back her Harvey if she killed the objects of his obsession.So who is the Hang Man? Nobody. It's a Hang Woman. Sofia Falcone. Her motive is simple. She wants control of the family business. She first galvanizes the mob by stealing the body of her father. She next frames her brother Mario to show him to be insane or incompetent. We learn in this issue that the deaths not only tie into Harvey's past but also Mario's past. The Hang "Man" must be strong. Sofia possesses an ox-like strength, but you protest, she's confined to a wheelchair. How can she be the killer? The angle of the noose suggests somebody short and the chair far from being a deficit is actually an asset. It weighs her down and gives her more leverage for a hand over hand pull of the rope that will strangle--not actually hang--her victims. Plus, the wheels give her more speed, and the Hang "Man" seems to strike with preternatural speed. Motive, opportunity and physical capability. Sofia is the killer Batman seeks.Okay. Enough speculation. How does the issue read. The "appropriate actions" of the police are contrived nonsense, but they do allow Mr. Sale and Greg Wright to create a cool effect with shadow, light and action. So I'll pass them on that. The solarized look also makes the segue done in brilliant color that more jarring. It's strange to say, but Two-Face's apparently normal dalliance with Janice Porter is kind of sweet. The trial scene is reminiscent of guess what "Trial" from BTAS, but the creators make their version far more intense. In this scene, Mr. Loeb and Mr. Sale once again stake out their territory. The Calendar Man in this tale does not even act like their former garish traditional take in the Legends of the Dark Knight mini-series, Losers. This continuity breaking Calendar Man in Dark Victory is a cold sociopath--still not a killer--who introverts all his emotions.