Black and White Bandit
Encyclopedia
The Black and White Bandit is a villain in Batman: Black & White
and was created by Dave Gibbons
. He is something of a parody of the "schtick
" villains that would appear in the 1950s and 1960s in Batman
(such as Two-Face
, who, during that time, always committed crimes involving the number two). As with many schtick villains (who also had schtick named henchmen), he had a pet Dalmatian
named Domino.
), an artist who was commissioned to paint Winsor Munsell, an art lover and head of a chemical corporation. His company had created new pigments for painting, and Chiara was asked to use these to paint Munsell. However, Chiara did not know that the paints were untested, and began to have headaches. The final night of painting, Chiara fell asleep, and awoke to a colorless sunrise. Roscoe Chiara had become color-blind as a result of the pigments.
In revenge, he began a campaign against Munsell, stealing various pieces of art from his collection and museum. Batman
, however, soon interfered, and after two encounters, defeated the Black and White Bandit with only a false advertisement and a punch to the nose. He is presumably reformed or still in jail.
. He also has a zebra for escaping various situations.
Chiaro has access to chlorine
gas and gas masks. The first time he encountered Batman, he sprayed him with black ink, easily making his getaway.
Batman: Black & White
Batman Black and White refers both to a four-issue comic book limited series published in 1996 by DC Comics, and three collections of 8-page black-and-white Batman stories, comprising the limited series and backup features from the Batman: Gotham Knights comic.-Publication history:The origin of the...
and was created by Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
. He is something of a parody of the "schtick
Schtick
A shtick is a comic theme or gimmick. "Shtick" is derived from the Yiddish word shtik , meaning "piece"; the closely related German word Stück has the same meaning. The English word "piece" itself is also sometimes used in a similar context...
" villains that would appear in the 1950s and 1960s in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
(such as Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
, who, during that time, always committed crimes involving the number two). As with many schtick villains (who also had schtick named henchmen), he had a pet Dalmatian
Dalmatian (dog)
The Dalmatian is a breed of dog whose roots are often said to trace back to Dalmatia, a region of Croatia where the first illustrations of the dog have been found. The Dalmatian is noted for its unique black- or brown-spotted coat and was mainly used as a carriage dog in its early days...
named Domino.
Fictional character biography
The Bandit was once Roscoe Chiara (a play on the shading technique chiaroscuroChiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro in art is "an Italian term which literally means 'light-dark'. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted"....
), an artist who was commissioned to paint Winsor Munsell, an art lover and head of a chemical corporation. His company had created new pigments for painting, and Chiara was asked to use these to paint Munsell. However, Chiara did not know that the paints were untested, and began to have headaches. The final night of painting, Chiara fell asleep, and awoke to a colorless sunrise. Roscoe Chiara had become color-blind as a result of the pigments.
In revenge, he began a campaign against Munsell, stealing various pieces of art from his collection and museum. Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, however, soon interfered, and after two encounters, defeated the Black and White Bandit with only a false advertisement and a punch to the nose. He is presumably reformed or still in jail.
Powers, abilities, and equipment
The Bandit has a knack for disguise, first as a blind man and then as a nunNun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
. He also has a zebra for escaping various situations.
Chiaro has access to chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
gas and gas masks. The first time he encountered Batman, he sprayed him with black ink, easily making his getaway.