Don’t be afraid, it’s just the latest episode of Capes on the Couch featuring Gotham’s premier fear fetishist, Scarecrow! Anthony & Dr. Issues talk about how Jonathan Crane would be a mage, and Anthony goes on a non sequiter about cookies. It’s par for the course, really – listen now!

SHOW NOTES:

• Introduction
• Background (02:50)
  • Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson – World’s Finest Comics #3 (Sept. 1941) – only made 2 Golden Age appearances, later revived in the 1960s
  • Jonathan Crane was bullied as a child because he looked like Ichabod Crane, becomes obsessed with making others afraid
  • Becomes a psychologist, works at Arkham and conducts secret experiments on patients
  • Utilizes a fear gas that creates hallucinogenic visuals of victim’s worst fears
  • Often allies with other members of Batman’s rogues gallery
    • Worked with Hugo Strange in the Terror storyline, but betrayed him
    • Robbed a bank with Mad Hatter during Long Halloween
    • Part of Two-Face’s gang in Dark Victory – puts fear gas in children’s toys on Christmas Eve
    • Helps Riddler fight Catwoman in When in Rome
    • Teams with Joker in Knightfall to ransom the Gotham mayor – sprays fear gas on Joker, but has no effect
    • Hired by Penguin during As the Crow Flies – ends up mutated into Scarebeast creature
    • Works for the Riddler and Hush during Hush storyline – uses knowledge of other criminals to manipulate their fears
    • Recruited by Black Mask in Battle for the Cowl arc – helps create a new drug called Thrill, but defeated by Batgirl
  • Blackest Night/Brightest Day – Immune to fear and yet addicted to it, he allies with Sinestro, who gives him a yellow power ring, until it is stolen by Lex Luthor under the spell of the orange greed ring – kills LexCorp interns for revenge, and creates a new fear toxin capable of affecting a Kryptonian
  • New 52 – Origin story now that he was subjected to fear experiments as a child by his father, who died of a heart attack while Jonathan was trapped in a room for days – became obsessed with fear, and was fired from his job for covering an arachnophobic student in spiders
  • Allies with other villains against Bane in the Forever Evil arc, but ends up hanged by Bane as a symbol that he has Gotham under his control
  • Rebirth – Makes some appearances, and then uses a Sinestro Corps power ring to make citizens afraid of Batman
• Issues (19:25)
  • Obsession with fear
  • Arrested development – many issues stem from childhood, often speaks in nursery rhymes (27:45)
• Treatment (33:39)
  • In-universe – Use lantern rings to get him to feel other emotions, or call upon heroes/villains he respects
  • Out-of-universe (37:35)
• Skit (46:07)
• Ending 

References:

• “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie – Anthony – 02:42
• Tank – Gaming concept – Anthony – 08:18
• Cut Lex Luthor a Check – TV Trope discussed by Anthony – 12:45
• Reformed but Rejected – TV Trope mentioned by Anthony at 13:00
• The Shadow – Pulp hero – Anthony – 13:57
• Flooding – Psychological treatment technique – Dr. Issues – 17:24
• Hysterical strength – Anthony – 25:00
• Arrested Development – TV series – Anthony – 27:53
• Arrested Development – Rap group – Anthony – 27:54
• Schadenfreude ist die schönste Freude – German expression meaning “joy at suffering of others is the best kind of joy” – Anthony – 35:31
• Hannibal Lecter – Anthony – 36:28
• Hydrox – Cookie – Anthony – 54:45

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