Warning: Contains spoilers for “Living Doll,” which appears in DC Horror Gifts #2!
One of from Batman The scariest villains have been reborn and are ready to make their presence known. Gotham City is home to some of the worst criminals in the DC Universe, such as the Joker, the Penguin and Black Mask. There are also a number of second-tier villains, all lurking just below the surface, waiting for their moment to come – and it does for one thing. in DC Horror Gifts #2.
DC Horror Gifts #2 features two stories, and the first, “Living Doll,” by LaToya Morgan and Tom Derenick and Walt Barna, features the rebirth of Scarface, the Ventriloquist's haunted, talking former partner. Two young lovers discover the doll in a warehouse, freeing her in the process. Scarface kills one of the children, brutally decapitating him. Ironically, his girlfriend, a young woman named Ramsey, is in love with Scarface. She quickly rejects her date and teams up with Scarface, with the implication that Ramsey will be the new Ventriloquist.
Scarface and the Ventriloquist's DC Comics Origins, Explained
Scarface and the Ventriloquist underwent disturbing transformations in the 1990s
Scarface and the Ventriloquist were created by the legendary creative team of Alan Grant and the late Norm Breyfogle.
When compared to the stalwarts of Batman's rogues' gallery, the Ventriloquist is relatively new, first appearing in 1988. Detective comics # 583 – a fact that deserves to be highlighted in “Living Doll”. Born into one of Gotham's most prominent crime families, Arnold Wesker encountered the Scarface doll while serving time in Blackgate Prison. When the Ventriloquist made his debut, it was implied that he had dissociative identity disorder, and the Scarface doll was a manifestation of this. However, in 1994 Showcase '94 #7 and #8, Scarface was given a horrific, supernatural backstory that made him one of Batman's most disturbing villains.
In the two-part story, it is revealed that the Scarface doll's origins lie in the early years of Blackgate Penitentiary. One of the most notorious prisons in the DC Universe, Blackgate, is located in Gotham and is where powerless criminals are held. The doll that would become Scarface was carved from the cursed wood of the prison's first gallows, giving it a magical, supernatural origin. The story also separated Scarface and the Ventriloquist into two distinct people and established the abusive and controlling nature of their relationship.
Simply put, Scarface is one of Batman's scariest villains
Scarface shows no restrictions on killing people
Even without the supernatural origin, Scarface is still scary, and tying his story to the occult was a stroke of genius, making an already disturbing villain even more so.
At his core, Scarface is a terrifying villain. Many people have a phobia of dolls, and Scarface exploits this fear. From his leering eyes to his manic grin and imposing scar, Scarface exudes pure evil. Even without the supernatural origin, Scarface is still scary, and tying his story to the occult was a stroke of genius, making an already disturbing villain even more so. The Ventriloquist was a despicable villain, but next to Scarface he looked like a saint. Scarface's verbal and physical abuse of Wesker only increased his evil nature.
As seen in “Living Doll,” Scarface is not to be crossed, and one of the lovers found that out the hard way. Scarface cut him into pieces in front of his girlfriend. He then added insult to injury by emasculating the young man, criticizing his choice of attire when he died. Scarface is also small and fast, making him difficult to detect and even more difficult to capture and contain. This combination of cruelty and speed makes Scarface one of Batman's most underrated villains.
Scarface's new partner is perfect for him
Ramsey has none of Arnold Wesker's problems
The twist in “Living Doll” is that Ramsey, the girlfriend, turns on her now-dead boyfriend and joins Scarface – and this takes his evil ways even further. Ramsey appears to join Scarface of his own volition, rather than any supernatural coercion. “Living Doll” explains that the Ventriloquist and Scarface are Ramsey's favorite villains, which means she may have already had some sort of predisposition toward evil. Ramsey saw something in Scarface, something that made her abandon a normal life and embrace the dark and twisted path of a serial killer.
Now, in Ramsey, Scarface has found a replacement for Arnold Wesker who might be even better for him. Wesker was meek and therefore an easy choice for a bully like Scarface. Wesker was easy to beat and abuse, and it's not a stretch for Scarface to have killed him. Ramsey, on the other hand, seems to take joy in gruesome murders, even of people she supposedly loves. Ramsey's abandonment of decency and morals so quickly makes her the perfect foil for Scarface and sets her up to be the next Ventriloquist.
The new Scarface and Ventriloquist will be a nightmare for Batman
Gotham City has a horrible new criminal duo
With Ramsey as Ventriloquist, she and Scarface could become one of Gotham City's most notorious criminal duos and be the source of major trouble for Batman. As previously mentioned, Wesker was not the ideal partner for Scarface, and whatever filters he had are not present in Ramsey. Scarface is a cold-blooded killer, just like Ramsey. The potential for these two to blaze a trail of terror in Gotham is great, and Ramsey could easily take Wesker's place as the best incarnation of the Ventriloquist.
DC Horror Gifts #2 is on sale now from DC Comics!