Bat-Hombre

BAT-HOMBRE

Real Name: Luis Peralda

Class: Human technology-user

Occupation: Bandit

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mantegua, South America, Earth-2

First Appearance: Batman I #56 (December, 1949)

Powers: Bat-Hombre was a skilled detective and hand-to-hand combatant. He was equipped with a utility belt and armed with a whip.

History: (Batman I #56) - Jose Camaran, the president of Mantegua, visited Gotham City, and Batman and Robin saved him from an assassination attempt. Commissioner Gordon facilitated a meeting between Camaran and the Dynamic Duo. Camaran’s republic was prosperous, but besieged by bandits led by El Papagayo, a madman who took advice from his parrot Toto. Camaran wanted Batman and Robin to come to his country and train a new Batman, or Bat-Hombre, to keep Mantegua safe. Camaran was elderly and sick and he wanted to know that Mantegua would be safe after he was gone. Commissioner Gordon encouraged Batman and Robin to help him, saying things had been quiet around Gotham City as of late. Batman found a grotto under an abandoned farm that would serve as Bat-Hombre’s Batcave and a thoroughbred horse that would be Bat-Hombre’s means of transportation. Camaran offered Batman a variety of firearms to equip Bat-Hombre with, but Batman insisted that he would never use a gun and neither would his trainee, instead suggesting Bat-Hombre use a whip. Batman held an audition for the role of Bat-Hombre and chose Luis Peralda, who was both an amazing physical specimen and highly intelligent. Batman trained Luis as Bat-Hombre, teaching him everything he knew, but Bat-Hombre was secretly working for El Papagayo, and intended to use his new skills for crime. Bat-Hombre met with Papagayo, whose overenthusiastic parrot ripped part of Bat-Hombre’s costume. Bat-Hombre was undone because Batman recognized the rips as having been caused by a parrot, and had Col. Moreno throw him in jail. Camaran’s health was in decline, but said he could die happy knowing Bat-Hombre could save his country, and Batman didn’t want to break his heart, so he took the role of Bat-Hombre to invade El Papagayo’s camp. Bat-Hombre escaped prison and fought batman atop the mountain surrounding Papagayo’s camp. Bat-Hombre slipped and fell to his death during the battle. Papagayo and his men captured Batman and Robin and asked his parrot toto what he should do with them. Batman fed the parrot curare laced berries, paralyzing its’ vocal cords and threw his voice so the parrot seemed to tell Papagayo Batman and Robin should be given whips and be forced to beat themselves to death. Batman and robin used the whips to disarm Papagayo and his men, handing them over to the authorities and restoring peace in Mantegua.

Comments: Created by David Vern Reed & Dick Sprang.

Bat-Hombre's appearance in Batman I #56 was reprinted in Batman I #193.