Batman #226 (1970)
by Frank Robbins & Irk Novick
cover by Neal Adams
1970 was revolutionary for Batman, with O’Neil and Adams bringing a new direction and style to the character, to the point that many (myself included) consider this one of the best eras for Batman.
Strangely enough this doesn’t translate to bringing new villains: with a major exception we’ll see next time, for the most part the interesting villains are returning from earlier eras (most notably Two-Face who skipped the Silver Age entirely).
There are good villains around in this era, sure… Man-Bat is probably the only “minor” one that manages to stick around, but his story isn’t particularly interesting to review.
So let’s look at one of the failed attempt to bring a new villain for the 70s: the Ten-Eyed Man.
We begin with some criminals trying to get past a security guard: a Vietnam vet who moonlights as a guard, and who is really into studying birds.
You might expect the birds thing to be a setup for something, but it’s never brought up again.
This guy is apparently a certified badass.
This is Three Eyes, so called because he’s got a grenade fragment on his forehead that makes him look like he has a third eye.
Think THIS weird detail is going to be important? Nope!!!
Batman shows up to beat up the robbers, who have lit a fuse that is going to explode a safe.
Three Eyes has recovered enough to witness this, but he thinks Batman SOMEHOW hasn’t noticed the fuse.
Now he COULD just yell there’s a lit fuse, but instead he gets in front of Batman just as he’s about to throw a batarang to cut the fuse. This results in Three Eye taking the blunt of the explosion, and Batman getting a shrapnel into his skull.
With Batman unconscious, the criminals could just shoot him in the head before they leave.
But for contractual reasons with DC Comics, they let him survive and instead recruit Three Eyes.
Batman is not exactly in the best shape after this, barely managing to get back to the Batmobile.
This is one of the parts that I like about this era of Batman: he’s allowed to fail and be human, making it even more impressive when he eventually gets back on his feet.
On one hand, I really like Batman admitting he needs help and asking Alfred to take him to a doctor.
On the other hand, at least have Alfred disguise himself as someone who isn’t Bruce Wayne’s butler!!!
Batman is not exactly blind, but it’s close enough: unless he keeps his eyes closed, he’s never going to heal properly.
This is where I think writer Frank Robbins didn’t think things through. We NEVER see Batman’s eyes with this costume, so why is he making it such a big deal about covering his eyes!?
Shouldn’t he be more worried about not being able to see!?!?
As for Three Eyes, he’s recruited by the criminals who for some reason think he’s going to be extremely useful. Even though we soon learn he’s now completely blind.
Yeah that’s the entire reason for his nickname: having Three Eyes ending up being Zero Eyes.
The specialist that Batman went to see (pun intended) is the only one where the criminals take Three Eyes… who IMMEDIATELY figures out Batman is effectively blind.
Great job keeping your injuries a secret from the underworld, Batman!!!
Now I’m no eye doctor, but I’m not entirely sure this checks out… if the blast completely burned Three Eyes’ retinas, how likely is it that the optic nerves are intact?
And is that REALLY how you check optic nerves?
Yeah I’d like to double check this doctor’s qualifications.
Good thing Batman resorted to technology.
And now the moment of truth for the former Zero Eyes, with one of the most ridiculous ideas ever: now he can see from his fingers!!!
THAT’S NOT HOW ANYTHING WORKS!!!
That’s the power of Ten Eyed Man: he can see from his fingertips. That’s it.
So much for the Bat-Lenses(patent pending).
If he REALLY wanted revenge on Batman, instead of just cutting his optic nerves he could’ve just wired them to any other parts of this body, because apparently that’s something you can do in this universe.
With Batman knocked out, it’s up to Alfred to save the day with an unexpected and unseen ally: Aunt Harriet!!! She used to be a supporting character, supposedly introduced because Fredric Wertham was worried about showing three single men living in the same household.
So if the Ten Eyed Man can only see from his fingertips… how is he looking at Batman, considering his fingertips are not currently pointed at him?
Batman initially thinks this should be an easy fight, until he realizes his tremendous power.
Of course Batman, being the world’s greatest detective and having QUITE some experience with ridiculous villains, immediately figures out Ten Eyed Man’s gimmick.
The greatest thing about Ten Eyed Man is that he treats his condition as a legitimate superpower while it’s more of a liability.
Soon Batman develops a counter for his additional eyes.
And that’s how Ten Eyed Man is defeated!
Truly THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN ALIVE indeed.
Ten Eyed Man has only two legitimate Batman appearances, so you better believe I’m reviewing the second as well.
Batman #231 (1971)
by Frank Robbins & Irk Novick
cover by Neal Adams
And here I thought the Ten Eyed Man’s power couldn’t look more ridiculous.
Also: Batman’s logo in yellow and red sucks, he better leave that color scheme to Robin.
After a recap of the previous story, we discover yet ANOTHER reason why the Ten Eyed Man’s power sucks: he can’t sleep without wearing gloves because he can’t “close” the eyes on his fingers.
I shutter to think how this guy goes to the bathroom.
Seriously, the more you think about this guy, the less sense he makes. How does he read by touching the paper? Shouldn’t this be the equivalent of poking his eyes?
Yeah I continue to be thoroughly unimpressed by this guy.
Eventually Ten Eyed Man succeeds in his quest to get a job as an air marshal…
…based on his FAR more impressive power of holding a gun like THIS without breaking his wrist.
All that effort to hijack the plane to Vietnam.
The war was still going on (plus North and South Vietnam won’t reunite until 1976), so hijacking a civilian plane and threatening to blow it up there is a big deal.
This looks like a job for Batman, SOMEHOW.
I mean sure, the hijacker asked for Batman, but… I’m pretty sure Superman would be a better fit for this kind of mission and would manage to save everyone, right? Eh, I guess he was busy.
Modern Batman would just swoop by with the Batwing, but in this period even HE couldn’t just drop unannounced in the middle of a war.
All of this was to have the chance to fight Batman in Vietnam. Seriously.
Just how obsessed is Batman with his branding?
HIS KEYS ARE BAT-SHAPED.
I guess the finger eyes thing was so stupid they had little chance but double down on the Vietnam angle, uh?
At least Batman acknowledges this guy SHOULD be no match for him.
Until he’s blinded, AGAIN. Ten Eyed Man just is a one-trick villain, isn’t he?
In fact he’s SO predictable that Batman IMMEDIATELY figured out he was going to blind him… and just pretended to fall for it.
Historical significance: 0/
You don’t even need a full hand to count all of Ten Eyed Man’s appearances.
Silver Age-ness: 2020/
Routing optic nerves to fingertips has got to be up there in the most absurd uses of science in DC Comics, WHICH IS SAYING SOMETHING.
Does it stand the test of time? 0/
Oh boy. This entire thing would be incredibly stupid in the campier Batman eras, but it feels especially out of place here… especially given the repeated tries to make Ten Eyed Man’s power impressive. Admittedly the first story is not ALL bad… like I said I liked Batman’s characterization… but the premise is so stupid I really can’t see this story being done today, except maybe as a Silver Age parody.
How close is this to the modern character? What modern character?
Aside from these two embarrassments, Ten Eyed Man has ONE other proper appearance: the second issue of Man-Bat, of all places.
A series that lasted just two issues. Possibly because Ten Eyed Man was its second villain, with a terrible costume too.
To deal with Man-Bat, he’s even given a jetpack and a whip. It doesn’t help him make any less ridiculous.
If his fingertips really DID have literal eyes he could at the very least be a bit creepy, but nope, it’s just an artistic choice to SOMETIMES show them like this.
He’s eventually defeated by a plant.
And yet even THIS story goes out of his way to make the Ten Eyed Man sound like a legitimate threat!
Ten Eyed Man is defeated in the same issue twice, eventually losing his sight… because apparently he forgot this entire deal.
Ten Eyed Man dies in Crisis of Infinite Earths #12, and there’s the often repeated story that Marv Wolfman SPECIFICALLY requested to kill him because he was an unbelievably stupid concept.
I’d like to believe that story, but it’s ALSO the same thing said about the death of the OTHER loser with “Eyed” in the name that dies in Crisis #12: Atom villain Bug-Eyed Bandit.
I was almost convinced that people just confused Ten Eyed Man and Bug-Eyed Bandit.
But Ten Eyed Man really IS in the same page, although A) you can’t really see if he’s dead or not, B) he wears a suit instead of his lame costume…
…and C) you can ONLY spot him in the original, because in the reprints he’s suddenly black.
You can count on Ten Eyed Man to show up in stories either set in the Silver Age or inspired by it, but he hasn’t REALLY returned to continuity.
There IS a guy identified as his modern version, but aside from the name he CLEARLY has absolutely nothing to do with him. I haven’t read any story featuring this version, but apparently it’s about magic and occult stuff.
Told you the solution was to give him ACTUAL eyes on his fingers, he looks creepy as hell!!!
There was also some sort of modern take on the concept in the “52” series (issue # 30, I think?), Batman (well, Bruce Wayne – Dick was filling in as Batman during this time) undergoes some sort of martial arts trial/ritual among a desert tribe called the “ten-eyed ones” or something.
Well he is about to die with Earth 2 Robin Huntress and Kole.
Batman #675 featured a blind-fighting martial artist with eyes tattooed on his fingertips. He took over a restaurant where Bruce Wayne was dining in order to assassinate Bryce’s date, Jezebel Jet. Bruce blinded his fingers with hot fry oil.
The 3rd Ten-Eyed Man was introduced in the Arkham City miniseries, and he’s still slinking around the dark corners of Gotham, seeing otherwise nonexistent connections and causing others to see the world from creepily screwed perspectives. He’s truly frightening.
I can’t believe there are three distinctly different characters called Ten-Eyed Man.
Ten-Eye Man was a fun villain to read.
He had a nice appearance on Batman The Brave and Bold.
Bat-Mite read his origin story from Who’s Who.