Santa Prisca (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Santa Prisca is a fictional country
appearing in DC Comics
, and is best known as the birthplace of the Batman
villain Bane
. It was created by Denny O'Neil in the pages of The Question
, and was used repeatedly throughout O'Neil's tenure as Group Editor for the Batman family of books.
and shows strong influences from the period of Spanish colonialism
, the introduction of African slaves
, and its prominent role in the illegal drug trade
. The island's climate is generally that of a "tropical paradise" although like many Caribbean islands it also sees hurricanes
. Thomas Wayne
visited the island to aid in hurricane relief while his wife remained in America, pregnant with Bruce Wayne.
The country is also known for its island prison, Peña Dura. This is where the Batman villain Bane
grew up, serving his father's prison sentence.
In terms of how its atmosphere is usually depicted, the island is split into sections of opulence for vacationers and notable members of the drug trade, with the rest of the island living in poverty, and brutal oppression by various factions seeking to rule the island. Generally drug lords are seen as the true rulers of the island, and Santa Prisca has long been considered one of the key developers in the DC Universe's drug trade, and is the "birthplace" of the strength enhancing drug "Venom". The island has undergone many revolutions, and the villainous King Snake
was blinded while working as a mercenary in the employ of anti-Communist
rebels. Curiously the island is also the source of one of the key secret ingredients to "Zesti Soda", the most popular soda in the DC Universe, a fact that eventually led to a revolution on the island with the Zesti corporation largely having power over the island at the revolution's end.
The vigilante, 'The Question', visits Santa Prisca to hunt down and rescue his old friend, Aristotle Rodor. He fights against the
corrupt police officers and eventually rescues Rodor from a fortress held by a rich madman
Bane returned to his homeland with the intent of removing the drug lords from power. He discovered that in his absence a new form of Venom had been developed and was being sold on the island. Enraged, he forgot his intricate plans to remove the drug lords and attacked them directly, only to be subdued and forced into their service.
The country later falls under the rule of 'Jefe del País'. It also develops a problem with scurvy, a disease easily remedied with basic nutrition.
.
episode "Drop Zone", where it is described as the world's largest provider of the dangerous drug Venom. The members of Young Justice are initially sent to the island by Batman after all communications and shipments of Venom are cut off, and once there, they discover that the island's Venom factory had been forcibly taken over by the Cult of Kobra
. Bane (who is portrayed as a drug lord who ran Santa Prisca's Venom trade prior to being ousted by Kobra) enlists the aid of the heroes in order to win back his factory, but the facility is ultimately destroyed after Miss Martian
causes Sportsmaster
's helicopter to crash through the factory's roof.
Fictional country
A fictional country is a country that is made up for fictional stories, and does not exist in real life, or one that people believe in without proof....
appearing in DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, and is best known as the birthplace of the Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
villain Bane
Bane (comics)
Bane is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 , and was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan. Bane has been one of Batman's more physically and intellectually powerful foes...
. It was created by Denny O'Neil in the pages of The Question
Question (comics)
The Question is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by DC Comics. The original was created by writer-artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Blue Beetle #1...
, and was used repeatedly throughout O'Neil's tenure as Group Editor for the Batman family of books.
Fictional history
Santa Prisca is a small island located in the northern CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and shows strong influences from the period of Spanish colonialism
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
, the introduction of African slaves
Slavery in the Spanish New World colonies
Slavery in the Spanish colonies began with the enslavement of the local indigenous peoples in their homelands by Spanish settlers. Enslavement and production quotas were used to force the local labor to bring a return on the expedition and colonization investments...
, and its prominent role in the illegal drug trade
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
. The island's climate is generally that of a "tropical paradise" although like many Caribbean islands it also sees hurricanes
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
. Thomas Wayne
Thomas Wayne
Thomas Wayne is a fictional character in the Batman series of comic books. Dr. Thomas Wayne was the father of Bruce Wayne, and husband of Martha Wayne, as well as a gifted surgeon and philanthropist...
visited the island to aid in hurricane relief while his wife remained in America, pregnant with Bruce Wayne.
The country is also known for its island prison, Peña Dura. This is where the Batman villain Bane
Bane (comics)
Bane is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 , and was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan. Bane has been one of Batman's more physically and intellectually powerful foes...
grew up, serving his father's prison sentence.
In terms of how its atmosphere is usually depicted, the island is split into sections of opulence for vacationers and notable members of the drug trade, with the rest of the island living in poverty, and brutal oppression by various factions seeking to rule the island. Generally drug lords are seen as the true rulers of the island, and Santa Prisca has long been considered one of the key developers in the DC Universe's drug trade, and is the "birthplace" of the strength enhancing drug "Venom". The island has undergone many revolutions, and the villainous King Snake
King Snake
King Snake is a fictional character who appears in books published by DC Comics universe, usually as an adversary of Tim Drake and Batman. Created by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Tom Lyle, King Snake first appeared in Robin #2...
was blinded while working as a mercenary in the employ of anti-Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
rebels. Curiously the island is also the source of one of the key secret ingredients to "Zesti Soda", the most popular soda in the DC Universe, a fact that eventually led to a revolution on the island with the Zesti corporation largely having power over the island at the revolution's end.
The vigilante, 'The Question', visits Santa Prisca to hunt down and rescue his old friend, Aristotle Rodor. He fights against the
corrupt police officers and eventually rescues Rodor from a fortress held by a rich madman
Bane returned to his homeland with the intent of removing the drug lords from power. He discovered that in his absence a new form of Venom had been developed and was being sold on the island. Enraged, he forgot his intricate plans to remove the drug lords and attacked them directly, only to be subdued and forced into their service.
The country later falls under the rule of 'Jefe del País'. It also develops a problem with scurvy, a disease easily remedied with basic nutrition.
Video games
The corrupt nature of Santa Prisca is discussed in the video game Batman: Rise of Sin TzuBatman: Rise of Sin Tzu
The game received substantial publicity. Many critics found the beat 'em up gameplay repetitive.Game Informer reviewed this game and gave it a 5 out of 10...
.
Animation
Santa Prisca serves as the primary setting for the Young JusticeYoung Justice (TV series)
Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...
episode "Drop Zone", where it is described as the world's largest provider of the dangerous drug Venom. The members of Young Justice are initially sent to the island by Batman after all communications and shipments of Venom are cut off, and once there, they discover that the island's Venom factory had been forcibly taken over by the Cult of Kobra
Kobra (comics)
Kobra is the name used by two fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The Jeffrey Burr Kobra first appeared in Kobra #1 , and was created by Martin Pasko, Steve Sherman, Jack Kirby, and Pablo Marcos...
. Bane (who is portrayed as a drug lord who ran Santa Prisca's Venom trade prior to being ousted by Kobra) enlists the aid of the heroes in order to win back his factory, but the facility is ultimately destroyed after Miss Martian
Miss Martian
Miss Martian is a superhero in the . Miss Martian was created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel and first appeared in Teen Titans #37 . Miss Martian is named "Megan Morse" after Marvel Comics associate editor Ben Morse's wife, Megan...
causes Sportsmaster
Sportsmaster
The Sportsmaster is the name used by two DC Comics villains who used their sports skills for criminal purposes. The original Sportsmaster first appeared in All-American Comics #85 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Irwin Hasen....
's helicopter to crash through the factory's roof.