So, today's topic: hideouts and henchmen. Like most Batman fans of a certain age, the very first exposure I had to the Caped Crusader was the 60s series. One advantage there is that it is so much of another time and place, it forces you to pick and choose elements rather than just swallow it whole. Most of us with some knowledge of comics used to sigh when someone came in that lived and died by the BTAS cartoons. (Don't even get me started on Batman Beyond or the Justice League of character Assassination.)
Point is, with anything that's been around as long as Batman, and been through so many hands and seen so many incarnations, you have to choose what to take from any particular world. What specifically to choose? Those decisions come down to taste, judgment, and craft (see Food Glorious Food). One of the things I took from the 60s series: themed hideouts.
They're just right for most rogues. These folks are obsessed with their themes, and if you've got an obsession, you're going to want to reach out and touch it anytime you can. You're going to incorporate it into your surroundings at any opportunity. If Eddie is in a junk shop and sees a puzzle box, he buys it. So, item 1: it totally fits the rogues psychologically.
Secondly, it brings some color of the city into the fic. One of the nicest things about a real city is that it's not just chains you see in a mall. There's a plethora of real, organic businesses - that usually last all of 20 minutes. No shortage of former boutiques, spas, health food stores and who knows what that are/were named ANYTHING. That's fun.
Basically, if you're not going to have some fun with rogues, themes, and the color of the city, you've no business writing Batman. You're not writing Batman, you're writing what some Dixon wannabe would call "Tales of Mooks" and calling it Batman. The character of the place and the villains are part of the fun.
Henchmen are a little different. It's a character thing. The 60s series had to have a posse of henchmen every week because they had to have the fight every week (POW!) leading up to the deathtrap. That's okay for some. Joker, Riddler, Penguin and others would see henchmen as another way to express their theme. They're muscle, sure, but they're also part of the décor. You dress them to match the sofa.
Henchmen are also an AUDIENCE for the head villain. These villains all want that kind of spotlight, constantly on stage and constantly receiving a stream of validation for their obsession fantasy and their egos.
Others, like Catwoman, Ivy, Killer Croc, among others, are loners. They just wouldn't want to have a bunch of strangers sitting in their house, eating their chips, and cramping their style. An audience isn't needed, and they have enough other avenues for self-expression. It's not a good fit.
Selina and Ivy are very practical about it. If Selina needs muscle for one particular task, she'll hire a few guys for that particular thing. But they're not going to be hanging around after that and they know it. (Good thing she doesn't kill them when they're done). Ivy is similar. If she needs a man, she'll green him and the sooner she's done with him the better. Croc doesn't really have the social skills to manage a mini platoon like that, and he really doesn't need the muscle. That just leaves company, and he gets that in other ways.
So, hideouts and henchmen, two other avenues to have some fun with the set up, but use caution. As with all things, it can't be done mindlessly or by formula.
