Zodiac Master
General Information
Real name:	Unidentified
First Appearance:	Detective Comics #323 (January 1964)
Created by:	Dave Wood Sheldon Moldoff
Affiliations:	None
Abilities:	Gimmicked costume
Portrayed by:	None

The masked villain known as the Zodiac Master makes his presence known in Gotham by predicting a succession of disasters, all of which he has secretly orchestrated. Having cemented his reputation, he starts offering odds on the relative success or failure for the plans of various criminals, all in exchange for 25% of the take.

HistoryEdit

Introduced in late 1963's Detective Comics #323, the Zodiac Master has a minor claim as the final new costumed villain that Batman and Robin fought before the advent of the Julius Schwartz-edited era launched in Detective Comics #327. Wearing a light blue cowl and body suit decorated by astrological signs, the cunning villain concocted an elaborate scheme to become a known underworld figure. He first made his presence known in Gotham by accurately predicting a succession of disasters (all of which he'd secretly orchestrated). Having cemented his reputation, the Zodiac Master set out to become the Jeanne Dixon of the underworld set, offering odds on the relative success or failure of a gang's latest heist in exchange for 25% of the loot. Having tricked the criminals of Gotham into believing he is capable of making infallible astrological predictions, the Zodiac Master's business boomed, many crooks approaching him for predictions on the probable success or failure of each crime. Batman quickly connected the mob's mysterious Mister Z with the Zodiac Master and began planning to stop him. For a while, the Zodiac Master continued to swindle the underworld and keep collecting lucrative fees for his phony predictions, but he is finally caught in the act by Batman and Robin while stealing a gem-encrusted gold bull from the Gotham museum. After a lengthy chase and battle, Batman took down the villain with one of his own weapons, a rocket-propelled goat's head. The story was reprised in "Batman Family #14"'s "Bureau of Missing Villains" but the Zodiac Master has never returned, save one brief cameo in "Solo #7"(2005).

In the non-canon Solo #7, a Batman strongly resembling Adam West's portrayal of the character is knocked on the head by one of the Riddler's henchmen as he attempts to apprehend the villain, leading him to have a strange nightmare of facing the "real world" where he is no longer needed to fight villains he attracts anyway.

Among said villains is the Zodiac Master, whom Batman captures and drags to City Hall, mistakenly referring to the villain as "the Human Firefly". Commissioner Gordon brushes him aside in favor of helping Chief O'Hara put down a racial riot, as is stated in Gordon's unimpressed response to the unconscious Zodiac Master: "Goody Goody Gum-Drops. Now get out of our way. We've got a full-scale race riot in progress."

Powers and AbilitiesEdit

The Zodiac Master's pale blue costume, colorfully emblazoned by the signs of the zodiac,each of which, when torn from it's place on the costume, is gimmicked to transform itself into a weapon of some sort. (Examples including the ram's head of Ares which turns itself into a powerful battering ram). The Zodiac Master is not particularly skilled in any form of hand-to-hand combat; he relies mainly on his gimmicked costume for use as weapons or distractions.