Onomatopoeia (comics)

Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia, from the cover to Green Arrow #13. Art by Matt Wagner.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Green Arrow #12 (March 2002)
Created by	Kevin Smith Phil Hester
In-story information
Alter ego	Onomatopoeia
Team affiliations	Secret Society of Super Villains
Abilities	Skilled martial artist Trained with handguns and knives Possibly superhuman endurance/resistance to harm

Onomatopoeia is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Green Arrow and Batman. He first appeared in Green Arrow #12 (March 2002). He was created by writer Kevin Smith and artist Phil Hester. IGN's Daniel Crown called him "one of the coolest new villains of the decade".^[1]

Publication history

Kevin Smith discussed the character in a 2007 interview:

“

When I did Green Arrow, I went with Onomatopoeia for a villain, just because I loved that word, and it kind of formed the character inasmuch as he would say sounds out loud. It only kind of works – I think – on a comic book page because if you have a gun going off, they usually write BLAM! and then you can have, you know, the character saying "BLAM!" in a word balloon, but like if you tried to do that cinematically you can't really rock it. A gun in a film sounds completely different. It doesn't read as BLAM! and so to have a dude say BLAM! after a true gunshot, all these people would be like "he's just retarded". I think it works great in print and on a comic book page. I don't think that character would translate very well outside of that.[2]

”

Onomatopoeia first appears in Green Arrow #12 (March 2002), in which he murders a female crimefighter named Virago, after telling her his name. The interlude in which this occurs serves as a lead-in to "The Sounds of Violence", a three-issue storyline that runs through issues #13-15 of the title, in which he is the main antagonist. No personal characteristics are revealed about Onomatopoeia aside from the fact that he is a caucasian male, which is seen when portions of his face obscured by shadow are seen in Green Arrow #14, and when the lower half of his face is seen again in issue #15. Onomatopoeia is a serial killer who targets non-superpowered superheroes. His name is derived from the fact that he imitates noises around him, such as dripping taps, gunshots etc. During the course of this storyline, he shoots Connor Hawke, the second Green Arrow, who is saved by his father Oliver Queen (the first and original Green Arrow). While Connor is being operated on in the hospital, Onomatopoeia returns to finish the job. He kills several doctors in the operating room, and after his attempt to kill Connor is foiled by Queen and Black Canary, he manages to escape.

He is later recruited by the Secret Society of Supervillains as part of an army that is sent to conquer the city of Metropolis in issue #7 of the Infinite Crisis limited series (June 2006). A superhero army, backed up by the National Guard, successfully opposes the Society. Onomatopoeia is seen being punched in the face by the 'Odd Man', a costumed, un-powered vigilante, exactly the type the villain has slain before.

The character returned in the November 2008 three-issue miniseries Batman: Cacophony^[3] which was written by Smith and pencilled by friend Walt Flanagan.^{[4][dead link]} Onomatopoeia frees the Joker from Arkham Asylum and gives him money to finance a gang war against Maxie Zeus. Eventually he confronts Batman, who defeats him. He escapes capture, however, by mortally wounding the Joker, forcing Batman to choose between saving the Joker's life and capturing his new opponent. The end of the third issue reveals that Onomatopoeia has a secret, seemingly normal life as a loving husband and the father of two children, who are unaware of his murderous activities. He explains his occasional injuries as the result of sporting activities such as tennis, polo, and hunting. He keeps mementos of his victories in a hidden shrine behind a bookcase, saving a case each for Batman and Green Arrow.

In Batman: The Widening Gyre, it is revealed that he has been in disguise as Baphomet, a new vigilante who had been teaming up with Batman. Once Batman takes him to the Batcave, he attacks Silver St. Cloud.

Powers and abilities

Onomatopoeia is a superb athlete, martial artist and weapons expert. He invariably carries two semiautomatic handguns, a sniper rifle, and an army knife. He appears to be quite intelligent, having orchestrated the Joker's escape to draw out Batman, as well as avoiding capture by giving the Joker a near-fatal wound, causing Batman to be distracted. His usual outfit consists of black gloves, pants, and shirt, with a long black trench coat and a full, black hood decorated by concentric white circles. In Batman: Cacophony, it is revealed that he collects the masks of heroes he kills, keeping them in a trophy case in his secret identity's house.^{[volume & issue needed]}

It remains unrevealed whether or not Onomatopoeia is a metahuman. In Green Arrow #15, he was shot with six arrows–two to one shoulder, one to the other, one in between the first and middle knuckles of his right hand, one through his right foot, one through the palm of his right hand–none of which slowed him or even impaired his manual dexterity. After being shot, he jumps off the roof of the Star City hospital, falling seven stories, and runs away before Green Arrow can find him.

References

1. ^ Schedeen, Jesse. "Batman: Cacophony #1 Review", IGN, November 12, 2008
2. ^ Lisa S (1 November 2007). "Interview with Kevin Smith aka Silent Bob". Azhrialilu. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071116015644/http://azhrialilu.com/article/25/interview-with-kevin-smith-aka-silent-bob. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
3. ^ "DC Comics' FULL November 2008 Solicitations", Newsarama, August 16, 2008
4. ^ "Smith, Flanagan To Create New “Batman” Comic Series…", News Askiew, accessed March 13, 2011.^{[dead link]}

External links

• Onomatopoeia at the Comic Book DB