Cluemaster
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| Cluemaster | |
 Detective Comics #810, art by Jock |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #351(May 1966) |
| Created by | Gardner Fox Carmine Infantino |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Arthur Brown |
| Team affiliations | Injustice League Justice League Suicide Squad |
| Notable aliases | The Reformer, Aaron Black |
| Abilities | Cluemaster has a number of plasti-glass pellets attached to the front of his costume that he can hurl as weapons. These pellets variously contain a blinding incendiary flare, smoke bombs, paralyzing gas and high explosives |
The Cluemaster (Arthur Brown) is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and enemy of Batman. A failed game show host, he became a criminal who left clues to his crimes, though unlike the Riddler's, they were not riddles.
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[edit] Fictional character history
The Cluemaster starts his criminal campaign by a daring but unsuccessful attempt to learn the secret identity of the Batman, in order to gain a fighting edge.
Cluemaster made his grand reappearance in Detective Comics #647 by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle. In this three issue story, Cluemaster has reformed and been released from Blackgate. Cured of his tendency to leave clues, Cluemaster originally joins a gang and plans their heists in exchange for 10% of their winnings, later he kills the leader by suffocating him by putting a strong polymer over his mouth and nose, the bonds could only be broken by one substance which Cluemaster withheld from the gang leader. Cluemaster then begins to plan a master heist. During this time it is revealed Arthur Brown has a daughter named Stephanie, but rarely spends any time with her due to long periods of incarceration. When he returns to Gotham, "rehabilitated," Stephanie becomes furious when she discovers that he has returned to crime without his need to leave clues behind. Making a costume for herself, she calls herself the Spoiler, finds out her father's plans, and leaves clues so that the police and Batman can stop him. Robin spots Spoiler on the rooftops during a police bust of Cluemaster's apartment and unmasks her, though she incapacitates Robin by hitting him in the face with a brick. Robin tracks her down and Batman, Robin and Spoiler set up plan in motion to take down Cluemaster. Forbidding Spoiler from going to the bust because she was only motivated by revenge. Catching Cluemaster at his mall heist whilst he hauls a giant glass canister of money away by air, Stephanie is then held hostage by Cluemaster atop the canister, holding a vial of acid to her face as Batman tries to stop him. Batman tells Cluemaster to stop and Cluemaster, thinking Batman will only lecture him about how it is morally wrong to disfigure a child, is taken aback when Batman simply reveals Spoiler is his daughter. Spoiler uses the shock of the revelation to gain the upper hand and uses one of the chains attached to the Gunship lifting the canister to strangle Cluemaster, but Batman prevents this. Cluemaster is taken back to Blackgate.
Each time the Cluemaster escapes or start some new plan, Stephanie dons her costume again in order to foil him. Eventually, she realises she enjoys being a hero, and begins regular patrols as Spoiler. For a brief period of time she even replaces her boyfriend, Tim Drake, as Robin.
With several other villains, Cluemaster becomes a member of the Injustice League, then later the Justice League Antarctica, attempting to reform. Cluemaster and his teammates volunteer to join the second Suicide Squad, a group sanctioned by the US government, in return for a full pardon of his crimes. The Cluemaster also hopes to make Stephanie proud of him.
[edit] Seeming death
During the mission, which involves dealing with terrorists and a lovesick genetic experiment, Cluemaster sees his friends, Big Sir, Clock King and Multi-Man die. Only the first two are tragedies in his view, as Multi-Man has died many times before. In the resulting chaotic battle, Cluemaster seemingly saves Major Disaster's life twice, though the Major admits the situation was confusing. Cluemaster is seen shot many times through the chest. He survives this incident, with a year's recuperation in the hospital and many, many scars. He is encouraged by thoughts of his daughter.
When he got out and discovers that his daughter has been killed, he takes on the secret identity Aaron Black and creates the "Campaign for Culpability", blaming Batman for his involvement in Stephanie's death, saying that she was not the first child working with Batman to die (which is indeed true) and that Batman should be brought to justice.
It is later revealed that Stephanie did in fact survive the incident that everyone believed had killed her, she spent some time recuperating overseas.
[edit] Other media
A considerably distorted and obese version of the Cluemaster has appeared on the animated series The Batman where Arthur Brown gets revenge on the people he blames for rigging his last question on "Think Thank Thunk", a game show on which he competed when he was a child. This version of Cluemaster was based on Tim Burton's character Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Cluemaster is voiced by Glenn Shadix, who voiced the mayor from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Brown was a child genius, and the continuing champion on the aforementioned show. His younger self was voiced by Kath Soucie. After twelve straight weeks of victories, he lost when he gave an incorrect date to the discovery of one of Jupiter's moons, and in his child mind, this was nothing short of a life-shattering tragedy. His mother ruined the show's future by filing a lawsuit, claiming the show was rigged. However, Ross, the host, and Bert, the producer, had some friends in high places, and got the lawsuit dismissed. Ever since, Brown lived under the delusion that he had been cheated out of his title; he dropped out of school, and never attempted to do anything with his life. In the episode's events, he still lives with his mother, who has gone Senile with age, and seems to still think Brown is a boy. He spends his time rewatching the point where his life was destroyed, and eating Kremelos, a fictional cream-filled chocolate bar whose company sponsored Think Thank Thunk, as he had received a lifetime supply as a consolation prize.
Cluemaster attempts to take his revenge on the show's producer, host, and the contestant who had beaten him. After humiliating them in public, he kidnaps them, and places them on a patently unfair parody of a game show, where a loss means death. Batman manages to save them by playing "all or nothing". He stumps the Cluemaster with the one question he does not know: the identity of the Batman. Throwing a temper tantrum, the Cluemaster attempts to unmask him, but is defeated and (presumably) taken to Arkham Asylum.
Cluemaster later appears in the episode "Rumors", as a captive of the titular anti-hero, along with the bulk of Gotham's other villains. At the episode's end, Batman frees Cluemaster from his imprisonment by Rumor and defeats him and every other villain captured by Rumor in a violent brawl.
[edit] External links
- Profile of the Cluemaster (DC Universe, comic book version, current to his apparent Suicide Squad death)
