Crazy Quilt

This article is about the DC Comics villain; for the textile art, see Crazy quilting; for the card game, see Crazy Quilt (solitaire); for the unrelated TV show, see Crazy Quilt (TV Series).

Crazy-Quilt is the name of two DC Comics supervillains.

Fictional character biography

First Crazy Quilt

Crazy-Quilt is a noted painter who leads a double-life as a master criminal. He gives the plans for his crimes to various henchmen through clues left in his paintings. His criminal empire crashes to a halt when one of his henchmen double-crosses him. Blinded by a gunshot wound, he volunteers for an experimental procedure that restores his vision, but is unfortunately left unable to see anything but bright colors.^[1] In his second published appearance, this is combined with a special helmet that emits bright colored lights, enabling him to see under most circumstances.^[2]

The procedure works to a point, but has a tragic side effect: he can see, but the colors are blindingly vivid and disorienting. It drives him mad, and upon his release he takes on the guise of Crazy-Quilt. He is stopped first by the Boy Commandos, but has since had encounters with Batman, Batgirl and two Robins: Dick Grayson and Jason Todd.

In a 1963 issue of Blackhawk, criminal Paul Dekker impersonates Quilt, but the title heroes expose the impostor.^[3] As a result of this appearance, some resources report the original Crazy-Quilt's true identity as Dekker. This includes at least one comic, the Kevin Smith-penned Batman: The Widening Gyre #4. However, the earlier Batman Encyclopedia, another official source endorsed by DC Comics, states that Dekker is a separate character from Quilt.^[4]

Crazy-Quilt's sight is restored briefly for a time after he kidnaps a surgeon to assist him. Batman and Grayson intervene. In self-defense, Robin reflects the madman's light beams back into his newly restored eyes. Unintentionally, Quilt is permanently blinded. Obsessing over his young adversary, he becomes one of the few bat-villains to hate Robin more than his mentor. This extends to Grayson's successors in the role. Later, thinking to enact his revenge upon Grayson, he mistakenly takes out his aggression on Jason Todd, who was new to the role at the time. Todd is nearly beaten to death. Again, it is Robin who is pivotal to stopping Crazy Quilt's plans.

Crazy-Quilt appears in the Belle Reve riot in Justice League #34, lugging around the eviscerated body of the prison warden. The prisoners, along with much of humanity, were being affected by the entity Mageddon. It had affected fellow prisoner, telepath Hector Hammond, who then altered the minds of the inmates.^[5]

He also has a role in one of the many reincarnations of the Secret Society of Super Villains. In the JLA-80 Page Giant #1 (1998), dozens of villains gather in response to the JLA's new moonbase and extended team efforts. During the meeting, Quilt has his outfit insulted by the Monocle. The meeting turns out to be a JLA trap and all the villains are captured.

Female Crazy Quilt

Apparently the Society, led by Alexander Luthor, Jr., has in its roster a new version of Crazy Quilt, a female one with the characteristic costume and vision-helmet of the previous villain. She has appeared in the 'Villains United' series. She works with many other supervillains to take down the 'Secret Six'.^[6] In Outsiders #50, she is captured by the Suicide Squad.

In the Secret Six series, she is one of the villains who accepts the offer of a bounty on the heads of the Secret Six from mysterious crime boss, Junior. She is possibly shot by the Six, and stabbed in the stomach by Scandal.

She later appears in James Robinson's Justice League: Cry For Justice mini as one of the many villains who attacks the team.

The New 52

The Paul Dekker incarnation of Crazy Quilt returns in The New 52 as the person Batman suspects supplied the Joker with his newest serum, but is found out to not be guilty. He is also a member of Doctors Three along with Doctor Death and Hugo Strange.

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Crazy-Quilt has a helmet that allows him to hypnotize his victims using flashing lights of various colors. It can also project lethal laser beams, blinding lights, and functions as artificial eyes since his own eyes no longer function; the lenses feed their input signal straight into his brain.

In other media

Television

• The Paul Dekker version of Crazy Quilt is featured in Batman: The Brave and the Bold voiced by Jeffrey Tambor. He has a non-speaking cameo in the episode "Trials of the Demon" where he is shown robbing the Gotham Art Museum until he is defeated by Batman, and is taken away to Arkham Asylum. In "Night of the Huntress," he is shown amongst the inmates trying to escape from Blackgate Prison. Crazy Quilt plays a major role in the episode "The Color of Revenge" where he tries to get revenge on Robin for blinding him back when he and Batman worked together. He escapes to Bludhaven, robs S.T.A.R. Labs, and builds a giant laser cannon to kill Robin and destroy Bludhaven. He is defeated and is taken back to Arkham.

Video Games

• Crazy Quilt is mentioned briefly in Batman: Arkham City. When several inmates talk about Two-Face being defeated at the courtroom, one of the inmates mentions that there are so many rumors as to who took out Two-Face that some people are saying Quilt took out Dent, which no one believes.

See also

• List of Batman Family enemies

Bibliography

• Boy Commandos #15 (May–June 1946)
• Boy Commandos #28 (July 1948)
• Star-Spangled Comics #123 (December 1951)
• Batman #316 (October 1979)
• Batman #368 (February 1984)
• Detective Comics #535 (February 1984)
• Who's Who in the DC Universe #5 (July 1985)
• Batman #400 (October 1986)
• Underworld Unleashed #1 (November 1995)
• Justice League Adventures #6 (June 2002) (cameo)
• Nightwing Annual #2 (April 2007)

References