 Within the books , the nature of the character 's political opinions were often expressed through the character 's rhetoric , and by heavy use of the circle @-@ A as a character gimmick . The character 's tools often incorporate the circle @-@ A motif into them . In his earliest incarnation , he would also use red spray @-@ paint to leave the circle @-@ A as a calling card at crime scenes . The circle @-@ A has also been used to decorate the character 's base of operations , either as graffiti or suspended from wall tapestries . 
