Reaper is the name of three characters in the DC Comics universe. Publication history The Pre-Crisis Reaper debuted in Batman #237 (Dec. 1971) and was created by Denny O'Neil. The character was inspired by science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison suggesting to O'Neill that he writes a story about Nazi war criminals. Created by writer Mike W. Barr, and designed by artist Alan Davis, the Judson Caspian version of the Reaper first appeared in Detective Comics #575 (June 1987), the first part of the four-part Batman: Year Two storyline. After the changes in DC continuity that Zero Hour established, Year Two, Joe Chill's death and the Reaper have been wiped out. Chill was back in continuity after 2005's Infinite Crisis. A character dressed as the Reaper has appeared in The New 52, a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe, but it has not yet been revealed which (if any) of the previous Reapers is in the costume. Fictional character biographies Dr. Benjamin Gruener Dr. Benjamin Gruener is a German Jew who was placed in a concentration camp run by Colonel Kurt Schloss. He kills Schloss at a Halloween parade and seemingly dies battling Batman when he falls off the edge of a dam. In Tony S. Daniel's "Batman: Life After Death" story arc, the Reaper is resurrected by Hugo Strange who is working with Black Mask to take down Batman. He is seen in an underground chamber in a glass tub, while Strange instructs his doctors on bringing him back to life. When he regains consciousnesses, Black Mask reminds Gruener of his childhood in a concentration camp in hopes of fueling him with anger and revenge. Black Mask hands him a necklace with the Star of David on it that was given to him by his father, and then his scythe, the weapon he chose when first taking up the alias of the Reaper. The Reaper is seen briefly in scenes and it is understood that he is murdering people because he wishes to bring justice to the "children of Gotham". He is fueled by his hatred toward Colonel Kurt Schloss, the Nazi who killed his parents. The Reaper is then seen at Gotham Harbor demanding Strange give him a serum that is later found to keep his skin from deteriorating. The serum is injected into him by Doctor Death. He soon attacks Mario Falcone and the Huntress comes to Mario's