False Face Society (DC)

Batman vs. the False Face Society in Detective Comics Annual v2 #1.

The False Face Society is a criminal organization that features in DC Comics.

History

Origin

Infiltrating the Society in Batman v1 #152.

The False Face Society was a criminal organization that operated within Gotham City. It began to run a crime contest started by its head whereby participants were to wear the false face of an occupation and had to commit a sensational crime. The one who committed the most sensational act was to be deemed the winner who won the loot that was the prize. After witnessing the various criminal acts, Batman decided to infiltrate the criminal underworld where he learnt of the existence of the False Face Society. He decided to masquerade as a criminal pretending to be Batman in order to meet the leader of the False Face bandits so he could arrest him. The whole scheme turned out to be a protection racket with the head of the Society being none other than the Joker. (Batman v1 #152)

Afterwards, Black Mask was noted to had formed a new incarnation of the False Face Society. He began recruiting the first soldiers of his army that were to engulf Gotham with him promising to make his recruits rich in the process. In the months that followed, a steep rise in criminal activity occurred by members of the Society who wore their masks during their acts. This attracted the attention of the vigilante known as the Batman who came to learn of the rise of a new crime boss called the Black Mask. (Batman v1 #386)

Following his escape from Arkham Asylum, Black Mask gathered the False Face Society and continued his assault on Wayne Enterprises. (Batman v1 #484) Batman at this time was operating undercover as a member of the Society whereupon he informed the Gotham City Police Department of their activities leading to their arrest. (Batman v1 #485)

Black Mask had Professor Hugo Strange, Doctor Death and Fright as part of his Ministry of Science that were working for the False Face Society. (Batman v1 #692) Around this time, the Society was involved in a gang war against the Falcone crime family that was headed by Mario Falcone. (Batman v1 #693)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of history was created with a different series of events.

During the 1800s, they operated in Gotham as one of the city's numerous gangs and had an aristocratic flair to them. They had somehow acquired the Faceless Mask and held dark ceremonies with it as it became the symbol of their organization. A civil war later erupted in their society until the Mask became lost again as many lives were lost. (Catwoman v4 #50) The infighting between father Richard Sionis and his son Roman Sionis had the caused the Society to fracture and splinter. (Catwoman v4 #51)

Members of the Society led by White Mask sought to acquire the Faceless Mask in order to make their organization whole again. At the same time, Black Mask who had killed his father sought to unite the Society under his leadership. (Catwoman v4 #51)

After the seeming murder of Gotham's Mayor, the False Face Society approached his murderer the Red Hood and offered him a job. (Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth v1 #1)

Overview

It was claimed that False Faces never talked to their enemies with this not attributed to loyalty or even stupidity but because they seemed to be brainwashed. (Batman v1 #692)

Members wore a mask that was said to destroy their old identity and replaced it with a new one with it recreating the wearer. It was said that the sublimation of personality leading to inhibitions dying whilst more primitive instincts were brought to the surface. The masks were said to retain the spirit power of the material it was made from with the wearer becoming their mask in the process. (Batman v1 #386) Whilst normally wearing a mask, a False Face Society member as part of their tradition showed their face during the ceremonies that elected a new leader. (Catwoman v4 #51) False Faces typically operated in packs consisting of at least four or more members. (Batman v1 #692)

Members

• Black Mask :
• Mad Bull :
• Wolf Boy :
• Serpentine :
• Edgar Dempsey :
• Thespis : (Batman v1 #386)
• Tupeng : (Batman v1 #386)
• Richard Sionis : male head of Sionis Investments who was secretly a figure in the Society who clashed with his son Roman Sionis who operated as the criminal Black Mask. (Catwoman v4 #51)
• White Mask : identity taken by David Franco who was a former boyfriend of Selina Kyle. (Catwoman v4 #50)
• Joker :

Notes

• The False Face Society were created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff that made their first appearance in Batman v1 #152 (December, 1962).

Alternate Versions

• In Batman Adventures v2 #5 (2003), the False Face Society appeared in the comic tie-ins to the DC Animated Universe. They were a criminal organization operating in Gotham City that was founded by the Red Hood who put Black Mask as his agent in charge of the society which consisted of masked supervillains. A private investigator by the name of Ricky Squib was hired to investigate a client of Black Mask who decided to task Deadshot with his elimination. Batman stopped the assassination and in his guise as Matches Malone had infiltrated the group where he began to dismantle it slowly and arrested its various members until only Black mask was left. The Phantasm had joined the group as well but this was simply a cover for her as she wanted to kill the various criminals and also eliminate its founder.

In other media

Video games

• In Batman: Dark Tomorrow, the False Facers appeared as a gang that Black Mask ran and operated in Gotham City. They were at odds with a rival gang that was led by the Ventriloquist. Hostilities between the two groups erupted after Ra's al Ghul began secretly supplying them weapons in order to promote conflict in Gotham.

Appearances

• Batman v1:
• Detective Comics Annual v2:
• Catwoman v4:

External Links

• DC Database Entry

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