Ventriloquist (comics)

The Ventriloquist
The Ventriloquist depicted on the cover of Batman #475
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	(Wesker) Detective Comics #583 (February 1988) (Riley) Detective Comics #827 (March 2007) (Belzer) Batgirl Vol. 4 #20 (July 2013)
Created by	(Wesker) Alan Grant John Wagner Norm Breyfogle (Riley) Paul Dini Don Kramer (Belzer) Gail Simone Fernando Pasarin
In-story information
Alter ego	Arnold Wesker Peyton Riley Shauna Belzer
Team affiliations	(Wesker) Secret Society of Super Villains Black Lantern Corps
Abilities	Criminal genius Suffers from dissociative identity disorder (which manifests in a psychotic dummy, Scarface)

The Ventriloquist is the name of several fictional characters who are enemies of Batman in the DC Comics Universe.

The original Ventriloquist, Arnold Wesker, first appeared in Detective Comics #583 (February 1988) and was created by Alan Grant, John Wagner and Norm Breyfogle.

In Detective Comics #827 (March 2007), a new Ventriloquist (Peyton Riley) was introduced by Paul Dini and Don Kramer.

Following DC's "New 52" reboot of its continuity, a third Ventriloquist was introduced named Shauna Belzer where she first appeared in Batgirl Vol. 4 #20 and was created by Gail Simone and Fernando Pasarin.

A meek, quiet man named Arnold Wesker (the first Ventriloquist) plans and executes his crimes through a dummy named Scarface, with the dress and persona of a 1920s gangster (complete with pinstripe suit, cigar, and Tommy gun). His name comes from the nickname of Al Capone, after whom Scarface is modeled.

Born into a powerful mafia family, Wesker develops dissociative identity disorder after seeing his mother assassinated by thugs from a rival family. Growing up, his only outlet is ventriloquism.

The issues Showcase '94 #8-9 establish an alternate origin story: after a barroom brawl in which he kills someone during a violent release of his repressed anger, Wesker is sent to Blackgate Penitentiary. He is introduced to "Woody" — a dummy carved from the former gallows by cellmate Donnegan — who convinces him to escape and kill Donnegan in a fight which scars the dummy, thus resulting in the birth of Scarface.