Snap. Bang. Slit.

I guess I lied a little.

Onomatopoeia

I guarantee that not many people have heard of him. And no one really knows anything about him. He originated from Green Arrow when Kevin Smith was given the opportunity to write a story arc and was carried over to his two Batman graphic novels. Which are incredible.

Onomatopoeia, like his name implies I guess, only speaks in sounds. When he shoots a gun, he says, “Bang.” Or if he breaks something he’ll say, “Snap.” It really stands out on the comic book page and actually makes the character very creepy in a lot of instances. He wears a mask with black and white circles painted on it, a big trench coat and a boots. From what has been established in the two Batman novels, Cacophony and The Widening Gyre, he’s extremely talented with fires arms and very strong. Outside of that there’s nothing really known about him.

At the end of Cacophony however, it shows him going home to a family after returning from a ‘business trip’, after which he goes to his basement and a trophy wall of sorts is displayed with the masks of heroes he’s presumably killed such as the Green Arrow. There is an empty head sitting there with Batman written on it. It’s a crazy ending.

Anyway, I know he’s not exactly a canonical villain in the Batman universe but something about him really struck me. I suppose it’s how mysterious the character is in that he says absolutely nothing unless he can put a sound to it. Even when he’s having a conversation it’s very primitive but somehow clear. He wields a power over everyone he encounters and exploits their lesser known weaknesses. For example when he’s fighting Batman with Joker present, he knows that Batman would willingly let him escape if he threatened the Joker’s life. He even eventually tracks Batman down and breaks the man in a single frame. God dammit Kevin Smith, you left us with such a cliff hanger! Finish your book already!

All in all I find the character fascinating. Truly original and unlike many villains I’ve seen in comics. The more mystery that surrounds him, the more fascinating the character is, especially since we can assume that outside of being Onomatopoeia he’s a perfectly normal human being.

Favourite appearance: Batman: Cacophony 

- Ryan