Anarky

Promotional art for Anarky vol. 2, #1 (May 1999) by Norm Breyfogle.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #608 (Nov. 1989)
Created by	Alan Grant Norm Breyfogle
In-story information
Alter ego	Lonnie Machin
Partnerships	Legs
Notable aliases	Moneyspider
Abilities	Artificially enhanced intelligence; Advanced grey hat hacker; Master inventor; Hybrid martial artist; Access to gadgets and weapons.

Anarky (Lonnie Machin) is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. Co-created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle, he first appeared in Detective Comics #608 (November 1989) as an adversary of Batman. Stories revolving around Anarky often focus on political and philosophical themes. The character, who is named after the philosophy of anarchism, primarily espouses anti-statism. Multiple social issues have been addressed whenever the character has appeared in print, including environmentalism, antimilitarism, economic exploitation, and political corruption. Inspired by multiple sources, early stories featuring the character often included homages to political and philosophical books, and referenced anarchist philosophers and theorists. The creation of the character was also partially influenced by Alan Moore's character "V" from V for Vendetta.^[1] When Grant himself transitioned to the philosophy of Neo-Tech, he transformed Anarky from a vehicle for socialist and populist philosophy, to rationalist, atheist, and free market-based thought.^[2]

Originally intended to only be used in the debut story in which he appeared, Grant decided to continue using Anarky as a sporadically recurring character throughout the early 90s, following positive reception by readers and Dennis O'Neil.^[3] The character experienced a brief surge in media exposure during the late '90s, beginning when Norm Breyfogle convinced Grant to produce a limited series based on the character. The 1997 spin-off series, Anarky, was received with positive reviews and sales, and later declared by Grant to be among his "career highlights".^[4] Batman: Anarky, a trade paperback collection of stories featuring the character, soon followed. This popular acclaim culminated, however, in a financially and critically unsuccessful ongoing solo series. The 1999 Anarky series, in which even Grant has expressed his distaste,^[1][5] was quickly canceled after eight issues, but not before sparking a minor controversy by suggesting Anarky was the biological son of the Joker.^[1]

Following the cancellation of the Anarky series, and Grant's departure from DC Comics, Anarky experienced a prolonged period of absence from DC publications, despite professional and fan interest in his return.^[6][7] This period of obscurity lasted approximately ten years, with three brief interruptions for minor cameo appearances in 2000, 2001, and 2005. In December 2008, Anarky reappeared in an issue of Robin authored by Fabian Nicieza, with the intention of ending this period of obscurity.^[8][9][10] The storyline drastically altered the character's presentation, prompting a response by Nicieza to concerned readers.^[11]

Publication history

Creation and early depictions

Originally inspired by his personal political leanings, Alan Grant entertained the idea of interjecting anarchist philosophy into Batman comic books. In an attempt to emulate the success of Chopper, a rebellious youth in Judge Dredd, he conceptualized a character as a twelve-year-old anarchist vigilante, who readers would sympathize with despite the character's harsh methods.^[13] Creating the character without any consultation from his partner, illustrator Norm Breyfogle,^[14] his only instructions to Breyfogle were that Anarky be designed as a cross between V and the black spy from Mad magazine's Spy vs. Spy.^[3] Grant also briefly considered incorporating Krazy Kat as a third design suggestion, but decided against the idea.^[13] In response to deadline pressures, and not recognizing the character's potential, Breyfogle "made no preliminary sketches, simply draping him in long red sheets". The character was also intended to wear a costume that disguised his youth, and so was fitted with a crude "head extender" that elongated his neck, creating a jarring appearance. While both of these design elements have since been dropped, more enduring aspects of the character have been his golden face mask, "priestly" hat, and his golden staff.^[15]

Alan Grant (right) created Anarky when he was inspired by the success of Chopper, a Judge Dredd character, and his own political sentiments. Norm Breyfogle (left) co-created Anarky and later provided suggestions for the character's late '90s characterization.

The first Anarky story, "Anarky in Gotham City, Part 1: Letters to the Editor", appeared in Detective Comics #608, in November 1989. Lonnie Machin is introduced as "Anarky" as early as his first appearance in Detective Comics #608, withholding his origin story for a later point. He is established as an uncommonly philosophical and intelligent twelve-year-old.^[16] The debut story of the character failed to provide a back story to explain his behavior, but a narrative from Batman reveals that he is a socially conscious and arrogant child who believes he knows how to solve societies' problems. Convinced that only he can do so, he becomes a vigilante and fashions weapons – a stun baton and smoke bombs – in labs at school.^[17] Lonnie Machin made his debut as "Anarky" by responding to complaints in the newspaper by attacking the offending sources, such as the owner of a factory whose byproduct waste is polluting local river water.^[16] He goes to lengths to disguise his age and appearance by creating a costume with a false head to increase his height. This was in fact intended as a ruse on the part of writer Alan Grant to disguise the character's true identity, and to confuse the reader into believing Anarky to be an adult.^[18] Anarky and Batman ultimately come to blows, and during their brief fight, Batman deduces that Anarky is actually a young child. During this first confrontation, Anarky is aided by a band of homeless men, including Legs, a homeless cripple who becomes loyal to him and would assist him in later appearances. After being caught, Lonnie is locked away in a juvenile detention center.^[17]

Anarky's debut, in Detective Comics #608. Artist, Norm Breyfogle, later included the cover among a list of his favorite works.^[19]

In Grant's earliest script for the character, Anarky was designed to be far more vicious, and to have killed his first victim. Dennis O'Neil, then editor of Detective Comics, requested that Grant "tone down" the script, as he felt Anarky becoming a murderer at such a young age was morally reprehensible. Grant consented to the request and the script was rewritten.^[1] In a 2004 interview, Grant explained the motivation behind this early decision. "I wanted to play it that way because it created incredible tension in Anarky himself. Other heroes might kill — Batman used to, in the early days — but for a teenager to rationally decide to take lives...well, it hadn't been handled in comics before. But Denny was boss, and I respected his opinion and toned things down."^[5]

Although Grant had not created the character to be used beyond the two-part debut story, positive reactions from reader letters and his editor caused him to change his mind. He then decided to make Lonnie Machin the third Robin, following Jason Todd, desiring a new sidekick who would act as a foil to Batman, and not have the same motivations for vengeance. This was abandoned when he learned that Tim Drake had already been created to fill the role by Marv Wolfman.^[3] Quickly rebounding from this decision, Grant instead used the second appearance of Anarky as the antagonist for Tim Drake's first solo detective case.^[20]

This appearance came in Detective Comics #620. The story chronicles that Anarky increases his computer skills during his detention to the point of becoming an advanced grey hat computer hacker. He takes on the online user alias "Moneyspider" to steal millions of dollars from western corporations, including Wayne Enterprises, outmaneuvering Batman's own data security in the process. He then uses the money to create bank accounts for poor farmers in third world countries. Tim Drake pursues the hacker in an online investigation, tracking Anarky to his location at the detention center.^[20] In 2008, Fabian Nicieza would revert Lonnie Machin to this early alias as part of an attempt to reuse the character following a period of absence lasting approximately ten years.^[11]

In the years following Anarky's creation, the character was rarely incorporated into Batman stories by Grant, being reserved for stories in which the author felt the need to make a philosophical point.^[13]

In the following years, Anarky is portrayed as frequently escaping from the center and peregrinating around Gotham City. At this time Anarky was a lesser known, but established antagonist in the Batman franchise. However, his back-story had still yet to be elaborated upon. Grant provided hints to Anarky's origin in Robin Annual #1, The Anarky Ultimatum, part of Eclipso: The Darkness Within crossover event. Within the story it is revealed that Lonnie Machin was a highly intelligent child who from an early age read prodigiously at local bookstores, but had few friends.^[21] It wouldn't be until 1995 that Grant would finally reveal Lonnie Machin's history.

In 1995, Grant began the slow increase in Anarky's abilities that would culminate in the Anarky series. In the Anarky story arc from Batman: Shadow of the Bat #40–41, Lonnie is released from juvenile detention, and builds a machine that allows him to fuse both hemispheres of his brain, giving him increased intelligence, and what he perceives as enlightenment. Creating an online bookstore, Anarco, to propagate radical literature, he begins to accumulate funds that he donates through another front company, The Anarkist Foundation, to radical organizations, such as eco-warriors and gun protesters, or keeps for his own projects. These story devices served to further improve Anarky's skill set, and increase his intelligence and financial independence.^[22] During the Anarky storyline, Grant finally revealed Lonnie Machin's origins in full, using a farewell letter to his parents to provide exposition into the character's motivations.^[23]

The origin story narrates that Lonnie Machin is an ordinary child who, while abnormally intelligent, is apolitical and socially unaware. At eleven he gains a foreign pen pal, Xuasus, as part of a school program. Every month they would write to each other about their lives; Lonnie about how wonderful the United States is; Xuasus about the poverty and political repression that made up his nation. After a year of contact, Xuasus stops writing, and all of Lonnie's letters are returned as undeliverable. A year later Lonnie learns of Xuasus' fate. He writes Lonnie a final letter explaining that his father has been arrested, his mother has taken ill, his sister has died of malnutrition, and at age eleven, he is homeless and fending for himself. Driven with worry for his friend, Lonnie fervently learns about Xuasus' country, discovering it to be a Third World dictatorship at war with Marxist guerrillas, with arms dealers from the West making millions in profits from the conflict.^[23]

Further studies into war and political violence leads him to hold radical sympathies. He comes to view all wars as being caused by political elites, with common individuals forced or cajoled into fighting on behalf of the former. He also began to read more into esoteric studies regarding science and philosophy, laying the groundwork for his advanced intelligence, and leading to his cover as a straight-A student with a normal job as a paper-boy. Eventually he discovers the extremely rare book, Universe by Scudder Klyce, which attempted to unify all knowledge. Within it he finds several passages that convince him of the need to reshape society. He becomes convinced that if he cannot help Xuasus, he can fight on in his memory and give the oppressed people of Gotham City hope.^[23]

During the Anarky series, much of the character's development was influenced by the nature of Grant and Breyfogle's association. As part of the story writing process, the duo would engage in philosophical discussion carried out entirely over fax-transmissions.^[24] These long, in-depth, and occasionally heated debates influenced plot points, as well as the general direction of Anarky's character development. Because of this, Breyfogle personally considers Anarky to be among their few co-creations, whereas he considers other characters they "made" together, such as the Ventriloquist, to be entirely Grant's creations.^[6]

Anarky series

Following the comic book industry crash of 1996, Norm Breyfogle was unemployed and looking for work. As a result of a request Breyfogle made to DC for employment, Darren Vincenzo, then an editorial assistant at DC Comics, suggested multiple projects which Breyfogle could take part in. Among his suggestions was an Anarky limited series, written by Grant, which was eventually the project decided upon.^[25] The four-issue limited series, Anarky, was published in May 1997. Entitled "Metamorphosis", the story maintained the character's anti-authoritarian sentiments, but was instead based on Neo-Tech, a philosophy developed by Frank R. Wallace.^[2]

During the climax of the "Anarky" storyline of Batman: Shadow of the Bat #41-42, it is implied that Anarky dies in a large explosion.^[23] In turn, the Anarky limited series resolved this event by revealing that Anarky survives, but chooses to shed the encumbrance of his double life by faking his death.^[26] Anarky works in seclusion to further his goal of achieving a utopian society, briefly hiring Legs and other homeless men to monitor Batman's movements. His adventure leads him into conflict with Batman, as well as the likes of Etrigan and Darkseid.^[27]

Well received by critics and financially successful, Grant has referred to the limited series as one of his favorite projects, and ranked it among his "career highlights".^[4] With its success, Vincenzo suggested continuing the book as an ongoing series to Breyfogle and Grant. Although Grant was concerned that such a series would not be viable, he agreed to write it at Breyfogle's insistence, as the illustrator was still struggling for employment.^[25] Grant's primary concerns centered on his belief that Anarky's role as a non-superpowered teenanger was not capable of competing for reader attention when DC Comics already had a similar series in Robin.^[28] Further, while potential disagreements with editors over story elements were not among his initial concerns, he eventually found himself constantly at odds with editors and editorial assistants throughout the creation of the series.^[1]

Grant's doubts concerning the comic's prospects eventually proved correct. The series was panned by critics, failed to catch on among readers, and was canceled after eight issues, however Grant has noted that it was popular in Spanish speaking countries, perhaps owing to a history of political repression in the region.^[3][28] "It didn’t sit too well with American readers, who prefer the soap opera and cool costume aspects of superhero comics. But I became a minor hero in many Latin countries, like Argentina and Mexico, where readers had been subjected to tyranny and fascism and knew precisely what I was writing about."^[29]

Dennis O'Neil, Group Editor for the Batman family of comic books from 1986 to 2000, was at odds with the suggestion that Anarky become the son of the Joker.

Despite numerous editorial impositions, the most controversial plot point was not a mandate, but was instead a suggestion by Breyfogle, intended as a means to expand Anarky's characterization: that Anarky's biological father be revealed to be the Joker.^[1] Breyfogle expressed an interest using the relationship as a source for internal conflict in the character. "...I figured that because Anarky represents the epitome of reason, one of the biggest crises he could face would be to discover that his father was the exact opposite: a raving lunatic!"^[30] Alternatively, Grant saw it as an opportunity to solidify Anarky's role in the Batman franchise. Grant's decision to pursue the suggestion ran into conflict with Dennis O'Neil, who protested against it.

As the last issue of the Anarky series, the unresolved finale left open the possibility that the Joker might be Anarky's actual father, and the planned "rebuttal" was never published. Further, Grant and Breyfogle later speculated that as Dennis O'Neil has retired from DC Comics, and the final editorial decision currently belongs to Dan DiDio, it is no longer possible to be sure whether a rebuttal will ever be published.^[1] As of 2010, there is yet no record of Didio ever commenting on the subject, though the DC Universe timeline chronologically prevents the Joker from being Anarky's biological father, as the character is (currently) approximately sixteen years old, while both Batman and the Joker have only existed for approximately thirteen years.^[31]

As Anarky was created while Grant and Breyfogle were operating under "work-for-hire" rules, DC Comics owns all rights to the Anarky character. Following the cancellation of the Anarky series, both men attempted to buy the rights to Anarky from the company, but their offer was declined.^[3]

Absence from DC publications

After the financial failure of Anarky vol. 2, the character entered a period of absence from DC publications that lasted several years. Norm Breyfogle attempted to continue using the character in other comics during this time, co-writing an issue of The Spectre with John Marc DeMatteis. When this story was rejected, Breyfogle came to suspect the character's prolonged absence was due in part to censorship.^[6]

Since the cancellation of the Anarky series, Grant has disassociated himself from the direction of the character. In a 2004 interview he recalled that he had been asked by James Peatty for a critique of an Anarky/Green Arrow script the latter had written. Peatty desired to know if his presentation of Anarky had been correct. Grant declined to read the story, explaining during the interview, "you have to let these things go".^[5] The script was published in 2005 and Anarky made the guest appearance billed as his "return" to DC continuity in Green Arrow #51, Anarky in the USA.^[32]

The story narrative chronicles Anarky's reappearance after several years of obscurity in response to a bombing in Star City that he is framed for. He teams up with Green Arrow to hunt down the guilty parties, but remains a wanted felon by authorities. Although the front cover of the issue advertised the comic as the "return" of the character, Anarky failed to make any further appearances.^[32] This was despite comments by Peatty that he had further plans to write stories for the character, and as Green Arrow #51 was published, had already written a two-part story for Batman which featured Anarky.^[33]

Besides Breyfogle and Peatty, Todd Seavey was another professional writer who expressed an interest in creating stories for Anarky. A freelance libertarian writer and editor, and author of several issues of Justice League, Seavey considered authoring an Anarky series his "dream comics project".^[34]

Breyfogle has also noted that Anarky retained interest among a fan base during this obscure period, "[Anarky] has some diehard fans. But, DC doesn't seem to want to do anything with him. Maybe it's because of his anti-authoritarian philosophy, a very touchy subject in today's world."^[25] During a panel at WonderCon 2006, multiple requests were made by the audience for Anarky to appear in DC Comic's limited series, 52. In response, Dan DiDio announced two weeks later, at a DC Comics panel during the 2006 New York Comic Con, that the writing team of 52 had decided to create a part for the character.^[7] 52 editor, Michael Siglain, later responded to a reader question concerning when Anarky would appear in the series, estimating Anarky would appear in later issues.^[35] However, 52 concluded without Anarky making an appearance and with no explanation given by anyone involved in the production of the series.

Return as "Moneyspider"

On August 15, 2008, DC Comics announced that "Anarky" would reappear in the December issue of Robin, issue #181.^[8] Several weeks later, Dan Didio announced that "Anarky" would be among several villains to be showcased in DC Comic's "Faces of Evil" event.^[10] With the publication of Robin #181, it was revealed that Lonnie Machin's role as Anarky had been supplanted by another Batman villain, Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong. Further, Machin was depicted as being held hostage by Armstrong, "paralyzed and catatonic",^[11] encased in an iron lung, and connected to computers through his brain. This final feature allowed the character to connect to the internet and communicate with others via a speech synthesizer.^[37]

The story, "Pushing Buttons, Pulling Strings", narrates that as Tim Drake attempts to maintain control of Gotham City in Batman's absence following the Batman R.I.P. storyline, it is revealed that the ultimate foe attempting to ferment chaos and destroy the city through gang wars and terrorist bombings is Armstrong.^[37] Armstrong is also revealed to have encountered Lonnie Machin at an unspecified point prior to the story, at which time Machin was "shot in the head", leaving him paralyzed and hostage to Armstrong.^[11] Incapacitated, Machin reverts to his hacker identity as "Moneyspider", while Armstrong commandeers the identity of "Anarky" and conspires to acquire power through chaos.^[37] The storyline concluded with the publication of Robin #182, on January 21, 2009, as part of the "Faces of Evil" event. The issue featured the Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong version of "Anarky" on the front cover of the issue, but did not include Lonnie Machin as a character within the story.^[38]

Fabian Nicieza, author of the issue and storyline in which Anarky appeared, responded to reader concerns in an internet forum for a Q&A secession with fans a few days after issue #181 was published. Nicieza explained his decision behind giving Machin's mantle as "Anarky" to another character was due to his desire to establish "Robin's Joker", and that "the concept of Anarky, applied in a visceral, immature fashion, would make an excellent counterpoint to Robin's ordered methodical thinking." However, in an effort to respect the original characterization of Anarky, it was necessary that it not be Machin, who Nicieza recognized as neither immature, nor a villain. Nicieza also noted the difficulty inherent in writing any story featuring Anarky, due to the complexity of the character's philosophy. Regardless, Nicieza did desire to use Machin and properly return the character to publication, and so favored presenting Ulysses H. Armstrong as "Anarky", and Lonnie Machin as "MoneySpider", describing the latter as an "electronic ghost." The alias "Moneyspider" was a secondary name briefly used by Grant for Anarky in a 1990 Detective Comics storyline.^[20] Nicieza felt that this created a scenario in which each could be used for different effects. As he put it, "[o]ne can prove a physical opposition to Robin (Ulysses as Anarky), the other an intellectual one (Lonnie as MoneySpider)." Nicieza also acknowledged that this dramatic change in the character's presentation would upset fans of the character, but countered that he felt he had not made any changes to the character which could not be undone easily by other writers.^[11]

Anarchist political commentator, Roderick Long, a long-time fan of Anarky, was critical of Fabian Nicieza's new portrayal of the character.

Following the publication of Robin #181, Roderick Long, an anarchist/libertarian political commentator and Senior Scholar at the Ludwig von Mises Institute, and self professed fan of the character,^[39] expressed annoyance at the portrayal of the character of Lonnie Machin and the usurpation of the "Anarky" mantle by Armstrong. Upon learning of Nicieza's reasoning for the portrayal, Long "summarized" the explanation as a mock-dialectic.^[40]

Grant also commented on the transformation. "Someone recently sent me DC’s new take on Anarky," Grant reported during an interview for Scotland regional edition of The Big Issue, "and I was saddened to see they were using him as just another asshole villain."^[29]

Several months later, in a forum discussion, Nicieza once again defended his writing of the story. In a discussion regarding communication between comic book authors, and whether writers were bothered when their creations were altered, or re-characterized, by other authors of a shared universe, Nicieza's treatment of Anarky was mentioned. In addressing the concerns of his critics, Nicieza submitted that he fully agreed with the criticisms by Alan Grant. As Nicieza explained, his intention was to deliberately alter the concept the "Anarky" mantle represented, while attempting to respect the characterization of Lonnie Machin. For this reason, Nicieza also saw little reason to communicate with Grant for feedback,and so made no overtures to Anarky's creator. "I did not reach out to Alan for the simple reason that I KNEW I was taking his original creation and mangling it, twisting its core conceptual meaning and regurgitating it in an impure fashion. I felt little benefit in contacting a creator who I know wouldn't necessarily like the idea even if I could explain why (which I can) nor did I do it because I feel there has to be a little 'statute of limitations' on that kind of outreach." Nicieza also confessed to his personal discomfort with communicating with Grant, given the latter's estrangement from DC Comics.^[36]

Nicieza continued his explanation, tackling the topic of the new "misapplication" of the philosophical underpinnings of the "Anarky" mantle in the hands of the General. "I was well aware that the General's application of the name, costume and themes were inaccurate to the political philosophy of Anarchy (and of Lonnie's reason for being as Anarky). It's even STATED in print during the course of the story that Ulysses didn't 'get it.'" Nicieza then concluded with a restatement in his expectation that other writers now had the opportunity to pursue stories which would make use of the characters, and perhaps return them to their original status quo. "I could understand original Anarky readers and the creator of the character not agreeing with that, but therein lies the beauty of our medium -- there's always another story to tell that could 'fix' what you don't like..."^[36]

Ongoing developments

With the conclusion of Robin, Nicieza began authoring the 2009 Azrael series, leaving any future use of Anarky or Moneyspider to Red Robin author Chris Yost. At the 2009 New York Comic Con panel for the "Batman: Battle for the Cowl" storyline, various collaborating writers, editors, and artists for Batman-related comic books took questions from the audience. When asked a question regarding Anarky, Mike Marts confirmed that "Anarky" would be utilized in future publications, but did not elaborate further.^[41] In the ensuing months, Yost made only brief references to Anarky, without directly involving the character in any storylines. In April 2010, it was announced that Nicieza would replace Yost as the author of Red Robin. In interview commentary, Nicieza noted his interest in using Anarky and Moneyspider in future issues of the series.^[42]

Characterization

Highlighting their political conflict, the cover of Detective Comics #609 contrasts Anarky as a champion of the oppressed, and Batman as a champion of the law. Art by Norm Breyfogle.

Over the course of the character's existence, Anarky has under gone several shifts in his characterization. These were largely decided upon by Alan Grant, who for several years after the character's creation, was largely the sole author of the character. In an interview for Darkhorse.com, Grant summarized Anarky as "...a serious-beyond-his-years teenager who wants to set the world to rights."^[43] Norm Breyfogle, while having no input into the character's creation,^[14] was heavily invested in the development of the character during the Anarky limited series.^[6]

Heroic and villainous themes

Anarky's introduction during the late '80s was part of a larger shift among villains in the Batman franchise of the time. While many naive and goofy villains of previous eras were abandoned, and more iconic villains made more violent to cater to tastes of a maturing readership, some were introduced to challenge readers to "question the whole bad/good guy divide." Falling into "the stereotype anarchist bomb-toting image", Anarky's design was countered by his principled stances to create an odd contrast.^[44] In a review of the Anarky miniseries, Anarky was dubbed an "anti-villain", as opposed to "anti-hero", due to his highly principled philosophy, which runs counter to most villains. "In the age of the anti-hero, it only makes sense to have the occasional anti-villain as well. But unlike sociopathic vigilante anti-heroes like the Punisher, an anti-villain like Anarky provides some interesting food for thought. Sure, he breaks the law, but what he really wants is to save the world... and maybe he's right."^[45]

Breyfogle's characterization of Anarky has shifted on occasion, with him at times referring to Anarky as a villain, and at other times as a hero. In his 1998 introductory essay composed for Batman: Anarky, Breyfogle characterized Anarky as not being a villain, but rather a "misunderstood hero", and continued "he's a philosophical action hero, an Aristotle in tights, rising above mere 'crime-fighter' status into the realm of incisive social commentary."^[15] A year later, Breyfogle conceded that Anarky was "technically" a villain, but insisted "I don't consider him a villain...".^[18] Breyfogle later reconsidered the character in more ambiguous terms for a 2005 interview: "Anarky isn’t a villain, he’s his own character. He’s definitely not a superhero, although it depends on who you talk to."^[46]

As the character was based on a theme of ideas, he had been given no personal, tragic past; a common motivator in comic books. This was to contrast with Batman, who fought crime due to personal tragedy, while Anarky would do so in the name of ideals and beliefs.^[13] As the character was further developed, he was also intended to contrast with common teenage superheroes. Referring to the tradition established by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby of saddling teenagers with personal problems, Grant purposely gave Anarky none, nor did he develop a girlfriend or social life for the character. As Grant wrote for the Batman: Anarky introduction, this was intended to convey the idea that Anarky was single minded in his goals. "The kid's whole life is dedicated to self-improvement, with the sole aim of destroying the parasitic elites who he considers feast off ordinary folks."^[13]

On two occasions Grant nearly went against Dennis O'Neil's early wish that Anarky not kill opponents. These events include his appearance during the Batman: Knightfall saga, in which Grant briefly portrayed Anarky as preparing to kill both the Scarecrow and Batman-Azrael.^[48] Grant also implied Anarky was a lethal figure in "The Last Batman Story", part of Armageddon 2001 crossover event.^[49] Grant later expressed relief that he had not fully committed to portraying Anarky as a potential murderer, as he felt "Anarky would have compromised his own beliefs if he had taken the route of the criminal-killer."^[13] Despite Anarky's non-lethal portrayal, entries for the character in Who's Who in the DC Universe,^[50] The DC Comics Encyclopedia,^[51] and The Supervillain Book,^[52] have falsely referred to Anarky as having killed criminals in early appearances. Norm Breyfogle was also under the false impression that Anarky had killed for several years, having failed to realize the original script for Anarky's debut storyline had been rewritten. Grant eventually explained the situation to Breyfogle in 2006, during a joint interview.^[1]

Despite this regular equivocation of Anarky with murder and villainy in DC Comics character guides, the company made efforts to describe the character in heroic terms in promoting the 1999 Anarky series. During this time, DC Comics described Anarky as an "anti-establishment loose cannon trying to do good as a hero to the disenfranchised".^[53]

Political and philosophical themes

Originally, Grant created Anarky as an anarchist with socialist and populist leanings. In this early incarnation, Anarky was designed as an avatar for Grant's personal meditations on political philosophy, and specifically for his burgeoning sympathy for anarchism. However, according to Grant, anarchists with whom he associated were hostile to his creation of the character, seeing it as an act of recuperation for commercial gain.^[1]

Lonnie Machin defends his actions in Detective Comics #620. Political elements include Machin's dialogue, the circle-A painted in the background, and an issue of Black Flag being read in the foreground by Tim Drake.^[54]

Within the books, the nature of the character's political opinions were often expressed through the character's rhetoric, and by heavy use of the circle-A as a character gimmick. Other themes were occasionally used whenever Anarky was a featured character in a comic. During the Anarky limited series, fluttering newspapers were used to bear headlines alluding to social problems.^[55][56] Occasionally, the titles of books found in Anarky's room would express the character's philosophical, political, or generally esoteric agenda. In Detective Comics #620, a copy of V for Vendetta can be seen on Lonnie Machin's bookshelf as homage. Other books in his room at different times have included Apostles of Revolution by Max Nomad, The Anarchists by James Joll, books labeled "Proudhon" and "Bakunin", and an issue of Black Flag.^[57] Non-anarchist material included books labeled "Plato", "Aristotle", and "Swedenborg",^[58] and a copy of Synergetics, by Buckminster Fuller.^[59] The character also made references to Universe by Scudder Klyce, an extremely rare book.^[17][60] When asked if he was concerned readers would be unable to follow some of the more obscure literary references, Grant responded that he didn't expect many to do so, but was "pleased" that some had.^[3]

During the early years of the character's development, virtually no writers other than Grant used Anarky in DC publications. In a rare portrayal by an author other than Grant, writer Kevin Dooly used Anarky in an issue of Green Arrow, producing an explicitly anti-firearm themed story. Throughout the story, dialogue between Anarky and Green Arrow convey the need for direct action, as Anarky attempts to persuade Oliver Queen to sympathize with militant, economic sabotage in pursuit of social justice.^[61]

Over the course of several years, Grant's political opinions shifted from libertarian socialism to free market based philosophies. This could be detected within stories including the Anarky character. In a story that preceded the Anarky series, Anarky's father comments on the political books in the teenager's room, referring to Bakunin, Marx, and Ayn Rand.^[62] By 1997, Grant's philosophy settled on Neo-Tech, and when given the opportunity to write an Anarky miniseries, he decided to redesign the character accordingly.^[2] Grant laid out his reasoning in an interview just before the first issue's publication. "I felt he was the perfect character" to express Neo-Tech philosophy, Grant explained, "because he's human, he has no special powers, the only power he's got is the power of his own rational consciousness".^[2] This new characterization was later carried on in the 1999 Anarky ongoing series.

The limited and ongoing series were both heavily influenced by Neo-Tech, despite the term never appearing in a single issue. New emphasis was placed on previously unexplored themes, such as the depiction of Anarky as an atheist and a rationalist.^[63] Grant also expressed a desire to use the comic as a vehicle for his thoughts concerning the mind, consciousness,^[5] and made bicameralism a major theme of both series.^[64] While both series led the character away from the philosophy he had espoused previously, the primary theme of the character remained anti-statism. In one issue of the 1999 series, a character asked what the nature of Anarky's politics were. The response was that Anarky was neither right-wing, nor left-wing, and that he "transcends the political divide".^[65] Despite taking part in multiple interviews regarding the character, Grant has never specified the nature of Anarky's political categorization, preferring to state which philosophies inspired his characterization. Norm Breyfogle has said that he believes the Neo-Tech influence allows Anarky to be classified as an "objectivist".^[6]

With the publication in 2005 of an issue of Green Arrow in which Anarky guest-starred, writer James Peatty juxtaposed Anarky's radical philosophy with the liberal progressive beliefs of Green Arrow. "Everyone always goes on about what a radical Ollie is and I wanted to show that maybe that isn’t the case ... especially as Ollie’s radical credentials are pretty antiquated ... Anarky as a character – and as a broader idea – is much more radical than Ollie ..."^[33]

In the years following the Anarky publications of the late 90s, the character has attracted the attention of critics, who have commented on the character's depiction and political messages.

In assessing the presentation of anarchist philosophy in fiction, Mark Leier, the director for the Centre for Labour Studies from Simon Fraser University, cited Anarky as an example of the favorable treatment anarchist philosophy has occasionally received in mainstream comic books. Leier took particular note of quotations derived from the dialogue in "Anarky in Gotham City" story, in which Batman speaks positively of Anarky's intentions.^[66] Following the cancellation of the ongoing series, Roderick Long, an anarchist/libertarian political commentator and Senior Scholar at the Ludwig von Mises Institute, praised Anarky as "an impressive voice for liberty in today's comics".^[67] Margaret Killjoy's examination of anarchist fiction, Mythmakers & Lawbreakers, afforded Alan Grant and Anarky special mention. Explaining the brief relationship Grant had with anarchism, Killjoy reviewed the characters' early incarnations as "quite wonderful."^[68] Greg Burga, of PopCultureShock.com, critiqued Anarky as "one of the more interesting characters of the past fifteen or twenty years ... because of what he wants to accomplish". He also analyzed the appeal of the character, considering the philosophy of anarchy "radical and untenable, yet still noble".^[69]

Alternate versions

Through Elseworlds titles and "alternate universe" storylines, Anarky has been presented in forms divergent from his original incarnation. However, due to the minor part the character has played in the DC pantheon of characters, these variations have not been as numerous, broad, or influential as some alternate versions of Superman, alternate versions of Batman, or other characters with greater cultural impact.

• "The Last Batman Story" Batman Annual (15) (1991)

In Batman Annual # 15, "The Last Batman Story", part of the "Armageddon 2001" crossover event, the time traveler, Waverider, shows Batman a possible future. In the (relatively) not-too-distant year of 2001, an aged Batman is framed and sentenced to death for murder. Anarky, now an adult, sympathizes with the fallen hero and breaks into the prison in an attempt to rescue Batman. In contrast to his original counterpart, it is implied that this version of Anarky was willing to kill opponents.^[49]

• "The Tyrant" Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual (2) (1994)

In Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #2, an Elseworlds story entitled "The Tyrant", a corrupt Batman (under the influence of Jonathan Crane) uses his resources to usurp power in the city of Gotham and institute a police state in which he exercises hegemonic control over the city's population. Anarky becomes a resistance leader and attempts to undermine Batman's control. Machin ultimately unites the city's remaining villains to storm the centers of Batman's power and overthrow Wayne's tyranny.^[70] The story ends with a quote by Mikhail Bakunin: "(For reasons of the state) black becomes white and white becomes black, the horrible becomes humane and the most dastardly felonies and atrocious crimes become meritorious acts."^[71]

• "Anarky" The Batman Adventures (31) (April, 1995)

Anarky appeared in The Batman Adventures #31, "Anarky", written by Alan Grant, who acted as a guest author for the issue. Anarky takes business elites hostage and places them on public trial, broadcast from a pirate television show. He charges these men with such crimes as the creation of land mines that kill or cripple thousands, funding Third World dictators, polluting the air with toxic chemicals, and profiting from wage slavery. Anarky gives the "defendants" the opportunity to speak for themselves, and then asks the viewing audience to phone in one hundred calls if they find them not guilty, which will deactivate bombs set before the men. However, when the explosions take place, it is revealed that the bombs are fake, and the public trials were only intended to expose the men and raise public awareness.^[72]

Skills, abilities, and resources

Grant developed Anarky as a gadgeteer; a character who relies on inventions and gadgets to compensate for a lack of superpowers. In early incarnations, he was portrayed as inexperienced, lacking in many skills, and surviving only by his ingenuity. In accordance with this, he would often quote the maxim, "the essence of anarchy is surprise".^[17] Later, during the two Anarky series, his abilities were increased, and he was portrayed as having enormous talents in both engineering and computer technology, as well as developing skills in martial arts. This was indicated in several comics published just before the Anarky miniseries, and later elaborated upon within the series itself. According to character dialogue, Anarky's lack of superpowers, and the urgency with which he views his cause, has necessitated that he increase his abilities drastically over the years.^[73]

This steady evolution in Anarky's abilities was criticized in a review of the Anarky ongoing series, by Fanzing contributor Matt Morrison. Morrison saw it as having overpowered the character, preventing the suspension of disbelief that was previously possible for a character still described as in his mid-teens, and contributing to the failure of the series.^[74] This point of view was countered by Norm Breyfogle, who considered Anarky's heightened skill set to be a complementary feature, and contended that Anarky's advanced abilities lent uniqueness to the character. Following the publication of the Anarky series, Breyfogle wrote, "Anarky's singularity is due partly to his being, at his age, nearly as competent as Batman."^[15]

Strategy

The character often utilizes cunning and intelligence as tools for victory. During the Knightfall saga, the character states, "The essence of anarchy is surprise -- spontaneous action... even when it does require a little planning!"^[48] On one occasion he defeated Batman in combat by confusing the hero with holographic projections long enough to attack and subdue him.^[73] On another occasion he avoided a gang of villains too dangerous to fight, choosing instead to use a flare gun to anonymously signal for Batman to come, and then pitted the two groups against each other.^[48] When in need of assistance for intelligence gathering, or a diversion, he would call on the help of the homeless community in Gotham, who had supported him since his first appearance, even going so far as to assail Batman to allow Anarky to get away during their first confrontation.^[17]

Equipment

The circle-A, a common symbol of anarchist philosophy, is frequently used as a gimmick to decorate Anarky's gadgets.

Early descriptions of the character's gadgets focused on low-tech, improvised tools and munitions, such as flare guns,^[48] swing lines,^[21] throwing stars,^[75] small spherical explosives with wick fuses (mimicking those stereotypically associated with 19th-century anarchists),^[16] gas-bombs,^[16] smoke bombs,^[21] and his primary weapon, a powerful electric stun baton.^[16] A grappling hook was later incorporated into the golden rod itself, allowing dual functionality.^[26]

The character's tools often incorporate the circle-A into them. The symbol of anarchy is often drawn on the spherical bombs, his throwing stars take the shape of the circle-A, and the flare guns occasionally leave circle-A smoke trails behind. In his earliest incarnation, he would also use red spray-paint to leave the circle-A as a calling card at crime scenes.^[16]

Costume

Anarky's costume has undergone two phases in design, both of which were created by Norm Breyfogle, in accordance with Grant's suggestions.

The original costume was composed of a large, flowing red robe, over a matching red jumpsuit. A red, wide brimmed hat baring the circle-a insignia; a golden, metallic face mask; and red hood, completed the outfit. The folds of the robe concealed various weapons and gadgets.^[16] Breyfogle later expressed that the color scheme chosen held symbolic purpose. The red robes "represented the blood of all the innocents sacrificed in war." The gold cane, face mask, and circle-A symbol represented purity and spirituality. The connection to spirituality was also emphasized through the hat and loose fabric, which mimicked that of a priest. Breyfogle believed the loose clothes "[went] better with a wide-brimmed hat. It's more of a colloquial style of clothing..." However, observers have noted that Breyfogle's Christian upbringing may have also inspired the "priestly analogy."^[18]

This costume was also designed to disguise Anarky's height, and so included a "head extender" under his hood, which elongated his neck. This design was also intended to create a subtle awkwardness that the reader would subconsciously suspect as being fake, until the reveal at the end of Anarky's first appearance. Despite the revelation of this false head, which would no longer serve its intended purpose at misdirecting the reader, the head extender was included in several return appearances,^[21][61][76] while at irregular times other artists drew the character without the extender.^[48][17][77] This discontinuity in the character's design ended when Breyfogle finally eliminated this aspect of the character during the 1997 limited series, expressing that the character's height growth had ended its usefulness.^[15] In reality, Breyfogle's decision was also as a result of the difficulty the design presented, being "awkward [to draw] in action situations."^[18]

Anarky's second costume was used during the 1999 ongoing Anarky series. It retained the red jumpsuit, gold mask, and hat, but excised the character's red robes. New additions to the costume included a red cape, a utility belt modeled after Batman's utility belt, and a single, large circle-a across the chest, akin to Superman's iconic "S" shield. The golden mask was also redesigned as a reflective, but flexible material that wrapped around Anarky's head, allowing for the display of facial movement and emotion. This had previously been impossible, as the first mask was made of inflexible metal. Being a relatively new creation, Breyfogle encountered no resistance in the new character design. "Because [Anarky] doesn't have 50 years of merchandising behind him, I can change his costume whenever I want..."^[18] Within the Anarky series, secondary costumes were displayed in Anarky's base of operations. Each was slightly altered in design, but followed the same basic theme. These were designed for use in various situations, but only one, a "universal battle suit", was used during the brief series.^[78]

Combat skills

In 1995, Grant described Anarky as having begun to train in martial arts, following the character's time in juvenile hall.^[79] By 1997, this ability was described as having progressed remarkably, and to have included training in multiple styles, including aikido, karate, jujutsu, and kung fu, which he "integrated" into a hybrid fighting style.^[73] Following previous modes of behavior, he studied all possible fighting arts, but failed to specialize in any. This largely helped him defend himself against most untrained criminals, but was later described as a decisive weakness whenever he fought opponents who were masters of a particular style.^[80]

Logistics, technology, and enhanced intelligence

As a wanted criminal, Anarky's methods and goals were described as leaving him with little logistical support amongst the heroic community, or the public at large, relegating him to underground operation. In his earliest incarnations, he was described as having developed skills as a grey hat computer hacker to steal enormous sums of money from various corporations.^[20] This addition to the character's skill set made him the second major hacker in the DC universe, being preceded by Barbara Gordon's debut as Oracle,^[81] and was quickly adapted by 1992 to allow the character to gain information on other heroes and villains from police computer networks.^[21] By 1997, the skill was further increased to allow him to tap into Batman's supercomputer,^[26] and the Justice League Watchtower.^[78]

By 1996 he was described as using the Internet to earn money through his online bookstore, Anarco, which he used as a front company to propagate his philosophy, and to communicate emergency messages to the general public warning of impending disaster.^[82] A second front organization, The Anarkist Foundation, was also developed to offer grants to radical causes he supports.^[83] In one issue of the Anarky series, a brief scene is shown in which Lonnie Machin uses the Internet to hold an instant messaging session with the public in which he debated the need for war, arguing that money and time used on the military research would be better spent on agriculture to solve the global overpopulation crisis.^[84]

In 1996 Grant used a Biofeedback Learning Enhancer as a plot device to increase Lonnie's abilities. The device was described as being capable of increasing Anarky's brain functions by a multiple of ten.^[83] With this enhanced intelligence, and the increased financial independence described above, Anarky went on to create an on-board AI computer, MAX (Multi-Augmented X-Program);^[78] a crude but fully functioning teleportation device capable of summoning a boom tube, cobbled together from mathematical analysis and "hard lab work";^[85] scratch-built a Justice League Teleport Pad;^[86] excavated an underground base with his boom tube, hidden below the Washington Monument;^[78] and briefly commanded his own Green Lantern power ring.^[87]

Portrayed as an atheist by Grant, Anarky espoused the belief that "science is magic explained",^[88] and was shown to use scientific analysis to explain and manipulate esoteric forces of magic and energy, such as the demon Blasphemy,^[26] the power of Darkseid,^[85] and the spirit of Eclipso.^[21]

List of Anarky publications

As a lesser known and under utilized character in the DC universe, Anarky has a smaller library of associated comic books and significant story lines than more popular DC Comics characters. Between 1989 and 1996, Anarky was primarily written by Alan Grant in Batman-related comics, received a guest appearance in a single issue of Green Arrow^[61] by Kevin Dooley, and was given a minor entry in Who's Who in the DC Universe.^[50]

In the late 1990s, Anarky entered a brief period of minor prominence; first with the publication of Anarky vol. 1 in 1997; followed in 1998 with the Batman: Anarky collection; and in 1999, with featured appearances in both DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1^[89] and the ongoing series, Anarky vol. 2. After the cancellation of the ongoing series, Anarky lapsed into obscurity lasting nearly ten years. This ambiguous condition was not complete, as Anarky was sporadically used during this time. These appearances include marginal cameos in issues of Young Justice,^[90] Wonder Woman,^[91] and Green Arrow.^[32]

The character made a featured appearance in a 2008 issue of Robin as part of an effort to return the character to regular publication.

Series

• Anarky 1 (1 –4) (May –Aug, 1997), New York City, NY: DC Comics

A limited series comprising the entire "Metamorphosis" story arc, Anarky was retroactively labeled the "first volume" following the continuation of the series in 1999.

• Anarky 2 (1 –8) (May –Dec, 1999), New York City, NY: DC Comics

Anarky relocates to Washington, D.C. to wage war against the United States government, in a financially and critically unsuccessful ongoing series.

Collections

• Batman: Anarky (February 2, 1999), New York, NY: DC Comics, ISBN 1-56389-437-8

A trade paperback collecting four stories featuring Anarky in various "Batman" related comics between 1989 and 1997.

Notable story arcs

• "Anarky in Gotham City" Detective Comics (608 –609) (Nov –Dec, 1989)

Anarky's debut appearance in Detective Comics, in which Anarky begins a campaign of revolt in Gotham City.

• "Anarky" Batman: Shadow of the Bat (40 –41) (Jul –Aug, 1995)

Batman and Anarky battle a terrorist Lonnie Machin has mistakenly funded, revealing Anarky's origin story in a two-part Shadow of the Bat story arc.

• "Metamorphosis" Anarky 1 (1 –4) (May –Aug, 1997)

Anarky attempts to "deprogram" humanity of all social constraints in a four-part limited series, revamping Anarky with new abilities and philosophy.

• "The Sins of the Father" Anarky 2 (8) (December, 1999)

Anarky seeks the truth of his parentage and learns the Joker may be his father in this controversial final issue of the ongoing Anarky series.

• "Search For a Hero" Robin 2 (177 –182) (Aug, 2008 –Jan, 2009)

Robin faces a mysterious figure who promotes gang warfare in Batman's absence. The final story arc of Robin reintroduces Lonnie Machin after several years of obscurity.

See also

Concepts and themes

• Anarchism and the arts
• Anarcho-capitalist literature
• Libertarian science fiction

Character lists

• List of Batman Family enemies
• List of characters in DC Comics
• List of comic book supervillains
• List of fictional anarchists
• List of fictitious atheists and agnostics
• List of fictional hackers
• List of superheroes and villains without superpowers

References

External links

• "Anarky Page", web page created by Roderick Long (c. 2000). Hosted on Praxeology.net.
• "Anarky: Norm Reflects", dedicated web page by Norm Breyfogle, Anarky co-creator and series illustrator. Hosted on Norm Breyfogle.com. Also includes the "Anarky Trade Paperback Intro", "Anarky Farewell", regarding the series cancellation, and galleries of completed pencil illustrations to multiple issues, including two unpublished issues of Anarky.
• "First Appearance: Anarky", a "Continuity Catch-up" review of Detective Comics no. 608 and 609. Hosted by Spacebooger.com.
• "Anarky vs Robin – Round 1", a "Continuity Catch-up" review of Tim Drake's first encounter with Anarky (as Moneyspider) in Detective Comics no.620. Hosted by Spacebooger.com.

Character indexes

• Anarky on the DC Database Project, an external wiki
• Anarky at the Comic Book DB
• Anarky at the Grand Comics Database
• Anarky on the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe website.