10. Dr. Freak
Kicking off our celebration of one-time only monstrosities is Dr. Freak. Created by Garth Ennis and Will Simpson for three issues of the brilliant Legends of the Dark Knight series, Dr. Freak was a twisted concoction of Golden Age Batman villain Dr. Death, real-life cult leader Charles Manson, Lance from the movie Apocalypse Now and Post-Beatles John Lennon. In a story set during the early years of the Dark Knights crime fighting career, aging hippie Dr. Freak attempts to poison Gotham using LSD 2000, a highly addictive (and eventually lethal) variant on regular LSD. To this end, he takes over a large portion of Gothams drug trade (which, of course, brings him into conflict with The dark Knight). Also hunting Freak are private investigators Carson and Oakley, who are out for vengeance on Freak because he was (indirectly) responsible for the massacre of Carsons platoon in Vietnam. It all comes to a head in a shockingly violent climax, which results in Freak having a drug-induced breakdown and being sequestered away in Arkham, forever haunted by the question of what it all means, man and the answer, (given by Carson at the absolute apex of Freaks psychotropic breakdown...) Nothing Batman vs a murderous hippie cult is a story that works really well and is genuinely rewarding on many levels. As a new generation cynically re-assesses the culture, values and output of the 1960s, a character like Dr. Freak neatly verbalizes the frustrations and idiosyncrasies of that era. A Batman villain inspired by the dark side of the hippie dream could drink from a very deep well indeed... Sadly, no one at DC seemed to think so and Dr. Freak is presumably still locked up in a padded room in Arkham Asylum, muttering nonsensically to himself and drooling (as he was when we last saw him in 1997s Legends of the Dark Knight Issue 93). What does it all mean, man? Nothing, apparently.