Oh you are amazing- just like your penguin story, this one is so well characterized, beautiful and humanizing above all - I love it. Your writing is wonderful! If you ever write a book I'd love to read it!

Just brilliant! Respect for great character here!

Thank you for sharing your wonderful story! I admire your interpretation of Jonathan Crane-the causes of his criminal outburst and his potential behaviours in situations similar to those portrayed in this story. And the line "shabby chic" made me laugh for an impressive amount of time.

Needs an epilogue, if you don't mind my saying so. Otherwise, I couldn't have asked for a better Halloween read.

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I don't think I can summerize it any better. Wonderful.

The bit with laughing amused me so much.

I must say that I absolutely enjoyed reading this story. It was wonderful seeing Johnathan Crane turn into a rather respectable and very noble character. And yet he doesn't change entirely- He's still pompous, irritable and condescending. But it's nice to see that he has a heart. And one of the most touching scenes was when he kissed Ms. Beth's forehead, calling her Auntie... It's sad too, knowing how cruel and abusive his grandmother was to him.

And the scene where Crane deliberately looses the battle was so brilliantly written... Just the idea of him unmasking himself, especially when he feels powerless without it... You did a fantastic job!

I absolutely love the idea of Scarecrow jotting down potential guinea pigs for his experiments... Brilliant!

Ugh... I just read my last review. I worded that completely wrong. Of course Scarecrow could defeat Catwoman... He's an incredibly dangerous villain. It's just that I was expecting Catwoman to either make a quick getaway or suddenly be joined by Batman.

Wow! What an outstanding first chapter! I love the subtle bits of humor, especially Scarecrow's remark of "And I have a poor bank account!" That one made me laugh out loud!

And Scarecrow defeating Catwoman... That was entirely unexpected!

Really, you did a wonderful job!

I must say, I greatly enjoyed this fanfiction. Scarecrow/Jonathan is a personal favorite of mine, and I loved how you portrayed him in this story. The character development was well done, as were the plot and setting. Also, the fight scene between Batman and Scarecrow was well-written and exciting to read. This is certainly a story I would recommend to others.

I love the way you've written Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow. I agree with Rocku THIS is how he should be protrayed in the comics. Why do ALL the rouges have to be dark, twisted,and violent Joker clones? Jonathan and Jervis Tetch/Madhatter should be the lonely guy arch types with their own unique mental and emotional problems. The ones who could get rehabilitated if they'd quit escaping from Arkham and really focus on their therapy to get better. And now that Jonathan knows that it's possible for him to have a home and people will and can care about him, will he start to get better and find his happy ending? (sequel,sequel)

I loved this story. Loved it. The characters, all of them, are rounded out and believable, and I love the sympathetic qualities you've given Jonathan. A very different take on Jonathan Crane, but a great one nonetheless, I appreciate that you've given him the ability to blend in with the rest of society and interact with them (albeit not without some difficulty on his part) and even have a capacity for mercy... but he's still definitely eerie, especially at the end when he calmly checks himself back into Arkham after having had a relatively amicable chat with the Batman.

Fantastic.

ah yes, another late review on my part. sorry again! but I've read this chapter over and over again since you posted it, and I feel I can finally string my many mixed thoughts together into a coherent review.

I cried the first time I read this chapter. It was so emotional yet you played it up so subtly, and that almost made it worse. I mean, I could feel everything Jon and Batman wanted to say, and yet they had to hold back because of that unspoken rule between 'The Dark Knight and the Rouges.' Neither one wanted to appear weak, and so I could feel the emotional buildup, it was something bursting at the seams, an electrical energy that made me read carefully and take in every tiny detail. And then the dam burst when Crane opened up that box and found Ms. Beth's pipe. And that scene did it for me, I started to cry.

After that I loved Crane's openness. He was still awkward and cranky, but that barrier he broke down during the rest of the ride there was unbelievable. What was really uncanny for me was how you kept him in character even then. I didn't think it was possible... but you did it! It hit me at a really personal level. THIS is the Jonathan Crane I've always wanted to see. In books, in comics, in cartoons, where ever. And yet I've been constantly disappointed by his portrayal. But you hit the nail on the head in this chapter. I was almost stunned by it. To know he could easily play this type of character, it's just amazing how much Scarecrow we're missing out on.

Walking on his own to the asylum was beautiful. I always wanted him to take himself less seriously, just loosen up. And I mean, he figured it out. In a way, it was too late, but still, when he said it was the first night he ever felt comfortable just being himself, my heart melted. It's the one thing his character never seems to learn.

Extremely personal, extremely well written, and a little sweet. The perfect combination. I'm going to be so sad when this story is over. I only hope you'll decide to write and portray Jonathan again in the future.

woah. I just read it all in one go. spec-tacular. i could really feel how Crane developed as a person through out the whole thing. Although gassing the entire town would've been hilarious, your ending is better because it shows the level of change from pathetic-ness to awesome-cowboy-ness...I'm going to stop gushing now. :)

Bravo! A fitting end to a pastiche that is worthy of having been a mainstream Bat-story. If only DC's _professional_ writers could be just as talented.*

*Particularly, the alleged geniuses who thought up "Batman R.I.P.!"