Batmen of All Nations
Encyclopedia
Batmen of All Nations were a group of superheroes who were inspired by Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

 to fight crime in their countries. The group first appeared in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...

 #215. Later the Batmen of All Nations were renamed the International Club of Heroes, often known as just the Club of Heroes. Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...

, they were named the Dome (see Global Guardians
Global Guardians
The Global Guardians is a team of fictional DC Comics superheroes whose members hail from countries around the world. The concept originated in the Super Friends Saturday morning cartoon, in which several heroes were added to the Justice League to give it more ethnic diversity.-History:The...

) and were not inspired by Batman but the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....

.

Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...

 featured them in his 2007 run on Batman (#667-669). Morrison revealed the modern period fates of the "Club of Heroes".

Fictional organization history

In the 1950s the legend of the Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

 has reached the whole world. Many people in other countries were inspired by this to become superheroes themselves. Years later, Batman decided to hold the first meeting with his counterparts in Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...

.

First, in Batman
Batman (comic book)
Batman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27, published in May 1939. Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication in the spring of 1940...

 #56, Batman trained Bat-Hombre but he turned out to be a member of an outlaw band. In Batman #62, he met the Knight
Knight (comics)
The Knight is the name of two fictional comic book superheroes who are properties of DC Comics.Percival Sheldrake debuted as the Knight in Batman #62 , and was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang...

 and the Squire
Squire (comics)
Squire is the name of three fictional characters, they are comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Percival Sheldrake debuted as the Squire in Young All-Stars #21 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Michael Bair. Cyril Sheldrake debuted as the Squire in Batman #62 , and was created by Bill...

 in England. In Batman #65, he trained Wingman. In Batman #86, he met the Sioux Man-of-Bats and his son Little Raven. Detective Comics #215 Batman invites the Knight and Squire, the Musketeer, the Gaucho, the Ranger and the Legionary. In World's Finest Comics #89, philanthropist John Mayhew invites Batman and Robin, Superman, the Legionary, the Musketeer, the Gaucho, and the Knight and the Squire to award them membership in his Club of Heroes. The Knight and Squire then joined the Ultramarine Corps in JLA #26 and had an adventure with them in JLA Classified #1-3.

Recent history

A three-issue story arc in Batman #667-669, written by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...

 and illustrated by J.H. Williams III, shows what has become of the Batmen of All Nations.
  • The Knight, aka Cyril Sheldrake, Earl of Wordenshire, is the adult Squire, having taken his father's mantle after the original Knight was killed by Spring-Heeled Jack, who forced him to swallow a small explosive. As the Squire, Cyril sunk into depression following his father's death, spending his father's fortune and ending up in the gutter, until given help by a young lady named Beryl Hutchinson and her mother. Upon becoming the new Knight, Cyril has appointed Beryl as his Squire. The new Knight is made to suffer a similar fate to his father by John Mayhew, but Man-of-Bats operates on him and removes the explosive before it detonates.
  • The Musketeer was sent to an asylum
    Psychiatric hospital
    Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...

     after he accidentally killed a man in battle. After he was released he wrote a book about the experience and became rich. He recently sold the movie rights.
  • Native American
    Native Americans in the United States
    Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

     Man-Of-Bats and his son Little Raven, who has grown up and changed his name to Red Raven, have a strained relationship. Man-of-Bats has some medical expertise. Red Raven almost dies at the hands of John Mayhew, but is saved by his father, Robin, and the Squire.
  • Wingman has changed his look and resembles Batman even more than he originally did. He refuses to admit he worked with Batman and claims he came up with his superhero identity a year before Batman debuted. With his accomplice
    Accomplice
    At law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense. For example, in a bank robbery, the person who points the gun at the teller and asks for the money is guilty of armed robbery...

    , billionaire John Mayhew, he kills the Ranger and tries to kill the others. He is later killed by John Mayhew. In Batman Incorporated a new Wingman is shown with his identity a mystery.
  • El Gaucho has become a serious superhero in Argentina
    Argentina
    Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

     and has changed his look. By far the most courageous of the group, he is wounded in action but manages to apprehend the traitorous Wingman with one of his trademark Boleadoras, saving the life of Batman. He is shown becoming a new member of Batman Incorporated in the series he is mentioned as having had a history as a secret agent before becoming a superhero.
  • The Ranger changes his costume and methods in order to keep up with the increasingly violent villain community. Now calling himself Dark Ranger, he wields a jetpack and a pulse weapon. He is killed by Wingman, who then steals his identity. Following this, his former sidekick, the Scout, has taken up the mantle as the new Dark Ranger.
  • The Legionary has let himself go and loves to reminisce on his past as a superhero. He is stabbed twenty-three times (à la Caesar)
    Assassination of Julius Caesar
    The assassination of Julius Caesar was the result of a conspiracy by approximately forty Roman senators who called themselves Liberators. Led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, they stabbed Julius Caesar to death in the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March 44 BC...

     by John Mayhew.


In the arc, the group is reunited on John Mayhew's island resort in the Caribbean, the heroes were confronted with a disturbing video showing Dr. Hurt (see below), purportedly wearing the severed skin of Mayhew over his face. On behalf of the Black Glove organisation, he challenges the club as representatives of 'good' against his 'evil', destroying their means of transport and threatening to kill them all. The various members of the club are killed or injured in the styles of their various arch-enemies, causing some to suspect that a 'Club of Villains' has been assembled.

In a traumatic flashback, the Knight reveals the reason that the Club originally disbanded, and never succeeded as an international superteam; after losing Batman's commitment, the club was brought down by scandal when the original Knight discovered that Mayhew had killed his wife and framed Mangrove Pierce, an actor with whom she'd been having an affair, for her death. Cast out of the team for his accusations, the Knight lost focus and was murdered by Spring-Heeled Jack; the other heroes went their separate ways, their faith in Mayhew and the team as a whole similarly shattered.

Batman, the Gaucho and Dark Ranger appear to be the last ones left alive, but Batman realises that Dark Ranger is in fact Wingman, having swapped suits with the real Ranger and faked his own death. Wingman has been working in concert with the sadistic Mayhew to do the bidding of the Black Glove, having always been jealous of Batman's prowess; despite injuring the Gaucho, he is defeated by the Argentinean hero and Batman, and executed by the Gaucho's arch-enemy, El Sombrero.

As El Sombrero escapes the island, Batman follows him to unmask him as an impostor, none other than John Mayhew, whose death was also faked by the Black Glove (Dr. Hurt was later to claim that the skin used in the video was that of Mangrove Pierce, who was the star of "The Black Glove", a film which Mayhew produced and directed). Mayhew reveals his motivation behind joining the Black Glove and gambling with lives is his boredom at being an aimless socialite; he appears to escape via an ejector seat, leaving his helicopter for Batman to use to rescue the survivors of the Club of Heroes. Mayhew is summarily killed by the Black Glove in the destruction of his island, having foolishly bet that 'Evil' would win against 'Good'.

Members

  • Batman and his sidekick Robin (USA)
  • Man-Of-Bats and his sidekick Little Raven (USA–Sioux
    Sioux
    The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

     Indian)
  • The Gaucho (Argentina)
  • The Knight
    Knight (comics)
    The Knight is the name of two fictional comic book superheroes who are properties of DC Comics.Percival Sheldrake debuted as the Knight in Batman #62 , and was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang...

     and his sidekick, the Squire
    Squire (comics)
    Squire is the name of three fictional characters, they are comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Percival Sheldrake debuted as the Squire in Young All-Stars #21 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Michael Bair. Cyril Sheldrake debuted as the Squire in Batman #62 , and was created by Bill...

     (England)
  • The Musketeer (later Nightrunner) (France)
  • The Legionary (Italy)
  • The Ranger (later Dark Ranger) and his sidekick, the Scout (Australia)
  • Wingman (Sweden)

Club of Villains

In the storyline "Batman R.I.P.
Batman R.I.P.
Batman R.I.P. is a comic book story arc published in Batman #676-681 by DC Comics. Written by Grant Morrison, penciled by Tony Daniel, and with covers by Alex Ross, the story pits the superhero Batman against the Black Glove organization as they attempt to destroy everything for which he stands...

", the Batman family fights against the Club of Villains, a counter-group specifically built by the Black Glove Organization to destroy Batman, followed by the remaining Club of Heroes members. The Club was composed of:
  • Dr. Simon Hurt
    Simon Hurt
    Dr. Simon Hurt, commonly known simply as Doctor Hurt, is a fictional character from the DC Comics universe. Hurt was created by writer Grant Morrison and first appeared in Batman #673 ....

    : A deranged psychiatrist heading the Black Glove to destroy Batman, body and soul. He claims to be Thomas Wayne and wears the Bat-suit that Bruce's father once wore to a costume party; later, Batman accuses him of being Mangrove Pierce, an actor who was framed for murder by John Mayhew. Hurt denied this, stating that he had skinned Pierce alive and worn "him to Mayhew's party", which probably refers to the events of Batman #667-669 (see above). From Batman's final entry in his Black Casebook (see Batman #681), it is implied that Hurt is in fact the Devil
    Devil
    The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...

    , as others had previously claimed.
  • Le Bossu (Guy Dax): A French
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

     villain dressed as a hunchback, with henchmen dressed as gargoyles, whose real identity is brilliant neurosurgeon and 'family man' Guy Dax. He uses the Bossu identity to indulge his violent fantasies. He is shown to admire the Joker, until the latter disfigures him with a razor. He sees his disfigurement as an opportunity to give up his old life and become a sadistic monster permanently.
  • Pierrot Lunaire: A foe of the Musketeer who dresses as the Commedia dell'arte
    Commedia dell'arte
    Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...

     character Pierrot
    Pierrot
    Pierrot is a stock character of pantomime and Commedia dell'Arte whose origins are in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne; the name is a hypocorism of Pierre , via the suffix -ot. His character in postmodern popular culture—in...

    . Owing to the tradition of mime
    Mime
    The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...

    s, he never speaks.
  • King Kraken: A masked deep sea diver whose weapon of choice is a high voltage electric rifle
    Electrolaser
    An electrolaser is a type of electroshock weapon which is also a directed-energy weapon. It uses lasers to form an electrically conductive laser-induced plasma channel...

    . A foe of Wingman. He believes that "henchmen are for wussies".
  • Charlie Caligula: A madman whose schemes are inspired by Julius Caesar
    Julius Caesar
    Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....

     and the Roman Empire
    Roman Empire
    The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

    . A foe of the Legionary. He was briefly tortured and left for dead by Batman while the crimefighter was in his "Batman of Zur-En-Arrh" persona.
  • El Sombrero: Archenemy of El Gaucho, a lunatic in a luchador mask who designs death trap
    Trap (tactic)
    A trap is a device intended to catch an intruder or prey. "Trap" may also refer to the tactic of catching or harming an adversary. Conversely it may also mean a hindrance for change, being caught in a trap.-Device:*Animal trapping*Bird trapping...

    s for anyone who's willing to pay. John Mayhew posed as him in order to attempt at escaping culpability for his crimes shortly before the Black Glove executed him. The real Sombrero was believed to be murdered by the Joker, but was later revealed to be alive in Batman, Inc.
  • Jezebel Jet: A wealthy woman of African descent who had lost her parents. She is said to own an African province. Pretended to be in love with Batman.
  • Scorpiana: A sultry assassin who uses a blue scorpion as her calling card. A foe of El Gaucho.
  • Swagman: A gunman who speaks in an Australian accent and wears a costume based on the clothes of Australian bandit Ned Kelly
    Ned Kelly
    Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...

    . An enemy of Dark Ranger.
  • The Joker
    Joker (comics)
    The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...

     was briefly recruited by the Club as the maître for Batman's danse macabre
    Danse Macabre
    Dance of Death, also variously called Danse Macabre , Danza de la Muerte , Dansa de la Mort , Danza Macabra , Dança da Morte , Totentanz , Dodendans , is an artistic genre of late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one's...

    .

Kingdom Come

A different version of the Batmen of All Nations appears in the critically acclaimed Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come (comic book)
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Alex Ross and Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...

 comic series. The members of this group include "Cossack, the Champion of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

", "Samurai, the Champion of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

", and "Dragon, the Champion of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

". They were joined by "Batwoman, a Batman admirer from the Fourth World
Jack Kirby's Fourth World
"The Fourth World" is the popular name given to a metaseries of interconnecting comic book titles written and drawn by Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics from 1970 to 1973. The characters and concepts were later integrated into the DC Universe....

".

International Delegation of Masked Archers

The International Delegation of Masked Archers (also known as The Green Arrows Of The World) were a similar group based on Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...

 rather than Batman. They appeared in Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...

 #250 (July 1958), in a story very similar to the Detective Comics story that introduced the Batmen of All Nations. The members included:
  • Ace Archer (Japan)
  • Bowman of Britain (United Kingdom)
  • Bowman of the Bush (Africa)
  • Green Arrow (America)
  • Phantom (France)
  • Unnamed Green Arrows of Austria, Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Spain.

International Sea Devils

The International Sea Devils were a similar group based on a team known as the Sea Devils
Sea Devils (comics)
The Sea Devils are a team of characters in comics published by DC Comics. They are a team of conventional adventurers, in undersea adventures. They were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath ....

.
  • Miguel (South America)
  • Molo (Africa)
  • Sikki (India)

Television

  • The Club of Villains are featured in a cameo appearance in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold
    Batman: The Brave and the Bold
    Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...

     episode "The Knights of Tomorrow!". Pierrot Lunaire, El Sombrero, Swagman, Charlie Caligula and Scorpiana all appear as part of montage showcasing villains that were defeated by the future Batman
    Dick Grayson
    Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....

     and Robin
    Damian Wayne
    Damian Wayne is a fictional character in the . Damian is the child of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, and thus the grandson of Batman villain Ra's al Ghul....

    . The Batmen of All Nations appear in the episode "Powerless" with Musketeer voiced by Diedrich Bader
    Diedrich Bader
    Karl Diedrich Bader , better known as Diedrich Bader, is an American actor, voice artist and comedian. Many know him for his roles as Oswald Lee Harvey on The Drew Carey Show, Lawrence from the film Office Space, the Tae Kwon Do instructor Rex from Napoleon Dynamite, Tank "Shredder" Evans in Surf's...

    , El Gaucho voiced by Jeff Bennett
    Jeff Bennett
    Jeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...

    , and Legionnaire voiced by John DiMaggio
    John DiMaggio
    John William DiMaggio is an American voice actor. A native of North Plainfield, New Jersey, he is known for his gruff, deep voice and New Jersey accent, which he uses to voice mainly villains and anti-heroes.-Filmography:...

    . The Batmen of All Nations featured are El Gaucho, Musketeer, Knight, Legionnaire, Ranger, and Wingman. Additionally, a previously unseen black Batman from South Africa
    South Africa
    The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

     (who resembles Impala
    Impala (DC Comics)
    Impala is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Super Friends #7 , and was created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon....

    ) was also seen as part of the team. They faced another counter-group formed by The Joker called "The Jokers of All Nations" (made up of an unnamed Jokerized Inuit
    Inuit
    The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...

    , an unnamed Jokerized Canadian Hockey player
    Hockey
    Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...

    , an unnamed Jokerized Scotsman
    Scotland
    Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

    , an unnamed Jokerized Cossack
    Cossack
    Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...

    , and an unnamed Jokerized Sumo wrestler
    Sumo
    is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...

    ). Batman and the Batmen of All Nations fight the Joker of All Nations and managed to defeat them.

External links

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