Crime in the DC Universe

[IpponDropkick]

So, I don't know what like...thread creating etiquette is around here so I'm sorry if posting such a random thread is frowned upon. I see a lot of title discussion and whatnot, so I don't know if this is the place to be posting this but whatever! Figured I'd give it a go.

So, I'm newish to comics. Read some trades and stuff but never sat down and gave it any real thought. Certainly didn't give it any serious analyses like I do with seemingly any other thing I've ever been interested in (Don't ever get me in a conversation about how the in universe world of pro wrestling is supposed to work, for example). I decided I really wanted to dive in with the New 52 and I have. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on and giving some thought to how DC, and maybe comics in general, work.

I don't know. I was reading Justice League right? The first one. First thing I see is these SWAT cops all decked out in body armor with silenced rifles and mini guns. So I think to myself like...damn. The Gotham police department has some pretty hardcore gear. These ultra advanced looking helicopters. That whole thing. Now, super heroes are a new thing right? So, presumably, the cops are out of their element and unprepared for them. Which means this is the tech they have to deal with everyday criminals.

That got me thinking of what it must be like to be a street level criminal in the DC universe. The cops are crazy armed. Now, there's super heroes floating about. Plus, there are villains. That is a LOT of stuff for criminals to deal with. Crime being what it is though, like...criminals are gonna still want to do crime. So I'd imagine things will escalate. Criminals will break out crazier, bigger weapons to deal with the threats to crime. It seems like it's always gonna be an escalating race between crazy superhero powers and criminals trying to get away with stuff. That can't be good in the long run, right?

And how do criminals in the DC universe react to Supervillains anyway? I mean, like...do they see them as being freaky and weird like superheroes? Do they see them as them getting a bigger stick to hit superheroes with?

I know these are really general questions. Maybe they've been dealt with before. I'm just curious how crime works there. What the differences are and whatnot. Again, really sorry if this is a stupid thread or in the ring place. I just want to learn more.

 

[Kurosawa]

Thread creating etiquette is basically don't spam stupid or commonly asked questions as topics...which your post is not. It is a great question and a good thread. Criminals in the DCU look at supervillains much like the way normal civilians do: it varies according to who they are. Big time gangsters regard them with more cynicism, low level hoods either fear them or look at them as an opportunity. And it differs from supervillain to supervillain-obviously working for Joker is a lot more money but a lot more danger than working for someone who isn't insane.

 

[GregComicFan]

You know it's never been explained how much profit minor criminals make by working for supervillains.

How much of a cut do you think the Joker gives his henchmen?

Which Batman villain do you think pays his henchmen the most?

I would say... Penguin seems like the most generous. lol

I wouldn't think the Joker gives his henchmen much money...

 

[TruerToTheCore]

Who would like to work with the modern day Joker?

 

[Kurosawa]

I think Joker would have to pay the most to get anyone to work for him. Plus he doesn't care about money, he cares about chaos.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

It's not canon with the DC universe, but it is written by Paul Dini, so I would say it gives an indication of what he thinks would go on behind the scenes in that regard in the canon universe too.
In the Arkham City computer game tie-in mini-series, Batman goes undercover as a crook to join up with the crooks.
When he goes to join the Joker he is put through an initiation test of a death trap, before having to fight through two of his thugs.
after passing this test, Harley Quinn informs him that he will be paid an equal share amongst the survivors of any jobs he does with the Joker.

when he later goes to join the Penguin's gang, the Penguin tells him "I'm not going to put you through any initiation like that fool Joker. Just follow your orders and you'll be well paid."

 

[CurzonDax]

I don't think the Joker would really pay anyone, I think after the job was done he would gas them all or kill them in another way. Either way he wont pay.

 

[Mystirious]

Penguin is apparently a good boss in the DCU

When he was going to make a last stand against Intergang all his employees had nothing but loyalty and good things to say about him and according to his female employees there were other 'benefits' besides the pay to working for him

Scarface is usually okay except when people forget that HE is the brains of the operation and Wesker is just the hired help

I cannot understand why anyone in the DCU works for Joker or Two Face though. No matter how good the money is I can't understand why anyone would work for someone who would kill them at the flip of a coin or just because they fought it was funny

 

[The Question]

Well first off, the police thing: The GCPD having decked out SWAT teams isn't much different from the real world. In the United States, since the 1970s, police services around the country have grown increasingly militiristic, spending more money on riot gear and SWAT teams and sending said SWAT teams through military comando training. Heck, there's a fairly small city in Virginia that has it's own tank. I, personally, think this is a bad thing, because history shows that bringing heavier firepower to a dangerous situation doesn't decrease risk, it just escalates violence, and since this began the number if civilian casulaties during violent confrontations between police and criminals has increased, but that's not the issue here.

As for criminals escelating and what their reaction to supervillains is... well, I see that as the same issue. Supervillains are the criminals escalating.

Supervillains in comics tend to come in two varieties: Supervillains who fill the literary role of the super villain, an antagonist who is grand in their scope and vision, exceptional in their abilities, and in defiance of both cultural norms and the normal forms of behavioral deviance within their culture. The Joker, Lex Luthor, they fit that definition of Supervillain. Then there are Supervillains who are simply villains that happen to be super. Their behavior reflects the behavior of most real world criminals, engaging in predictable activities for consistent motivations of monitary gain and/or personal gratification. The Flash's Rogues and Deathstroke are this. They're just like normal criminals in the real world. But they have powers. Those guys are criminals escalating, using gadgets or giving themselves powers to give them a chance fighting the heroes.