Who's This? A villain of the month.
The facts: Though he's clearly the kind of gimmick villain Batman stories love to use, Calendar Man's appearances have been few and far between. His first was in Detective Comics #259 (1958, by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff), his second not until Batman #312 (1979). His third in a 1985 three-parter just in time to remind Who's Who's editors he exists. Personally, I blame the original, flowery costume. His best-known story is really The Long Halloween, where Loeb and Sale revamp him as a creepy serial killer. He's been used a few times since, often by Jeff Loeb, and if not, then as a joke. The New52 dumped him in Ambush Bug land as the lifestyle reporter in those Channel 52 promo pieces.
How you could have heard of him: His silliness made him perfect for The Brave and the Bold animated series, but he'd been converted into Calendar Girl in The New Batman Adventures already. The Long Halloween made it to animation, so a serious version of him did too. You may catch sight of him in the current Harley Quinn cartoon.
Example story: Batman #384-385 and Detective Comics #551 (June-July 1985) by Doug Moench, Rick Hoberg, Pat Broderick, Chuck Patton, Rudy Nebres, Bob Smith and Alfredo Alcala
What the heck was the deal with the Monitor, pre-Crisis? Eventually, he assembles the forces that fight the Crisis, but prior to the event, he's meddling in every hero's affairs, giving people (good and bad) super-powers, and as in this story, sending the Calendar Man (who he thinks is Batman's MATCH, so his competence as well as his ethics should be examined) against the Dark Knight on behalf of some mobsters. I don't know if DC's writers really knew what the big plan was. Anyway, as we join the Calendar Man in his conservatory, we find him wrapped in a tasteful calendar robe... and his thoughts.
See, the thing about the Calendar Man is that he doesn't really have a SINGLE look, because that wouldn't be SEASONAL. The other thing - which again doesn't jibe with the Monitor's plans - is that he isn't a murderer. So contracting him to assassinate Batman is out of his comfort zone. But perhaps over a four-page interior monologue about the imperfections of human-made calendars, notions of death and rebirth, and an examination of his core motivations, perhaps he'll convince himself to try. He respects the Batman too much to make it artless, and so he decides he'll do 6 crimes leading up to March 21st, and if Batman hasn't stopped him by Spring, he will die. He's acting like he's Batman's arch-nemesis, so it's all delusions with this guy.
Crime #1: New Year's (not the actual date, everything takes place over a week). Costume: Formal wear.
This is of course the "First New Bank" because Batman villains lean into their themes as low as they can. The vault is nicknamed "Father Time". The guard was dressed as Baby New Year. Cal leaves a clue in the safe, and from that Batman intuits who the thief is and immediately gives Jason Todd Robin some homework, namely to find any possible connections to Groundhog Day, which could be the next crime's theme. Indeed, Crime #2: Groundhog Day. Costume: Light and shadow.
He's robbing the Shadow Tricks magic store (oh the villainy), but it's largely to lure in the Batman. He escapes through a magic box (on a sweet custom four-wheeler) and that's that. He probably could have tried to kill the Bat right then and there, but by his neurosis prevents him from doing so for 5 days yet. You might think St-Valentine's is next, but your forgetting... Crime #3: Lincoln's Birthday. Costume: Sun God.
Jumps out of a box during a magic show at the Lincoln Theater to rob the audience. Batman and Robin are waiting in the rafters, but Cal releases a tiger on them and escapes. He also drops a calendar with a warning about the day the Batman will die. He's really giving him every advantage. But as he says at the top of Detective #551, he doesn't WANT to kill Batman, it's just that the money is too good to pass up. Meanwhile, the mugs who asked the Monitor for help are peeved that he entrusted the job to the Calendar Man of all people, and they want their money back. As for the Bat, the death threat doesn't phase him personally, but he benches Robin. Crime #4: St-Valentine's Day. Costume: Hawkman's hand-me-downs.
At least he's planning ahead. If Batman's dead, he'll need a new nemesis. Why not Batman rip-off Green Arrow? The plan is to explode the Hart Tunnel, opening tonight as part of a "I Love Gotham" celebration. He doesn't get very far before Batman jumps him. Batman's gonna stop him right then and there, but one of the mugs after him shoots at him (if they can kill the Bat first, they might get a refund) and though the guy is own within seconds, it allows Cal to escape. And to make matters worse, Jason has disappeared from his room. But as Batman #385 reveals, it's to cut Cal at the pass and put the beat-down on him. He fails, but Batman puts him back in play. Crime #5: Washington's Birthday. Costume; Uncle Sam Remix.
After setting fire to a fireworks factory as a diversion, Cal robs the Capitol Savings & Loans and jumps on another of his custom utility vehicles (his third to date) and Batman is forced to eat his dust again. Crime #6: St-Patrick's Day. Costume: Emerald Green.
Green bike sold separately. This scheme has him free the snakes from the zoo's reptile house and set them on rich restaurant patrons. Robin stayed with the car, so he manages to track the escaping villain back to his sanctum. This is the setting for the final confrontation. It's not March 21st yet, but Cal is forced to use his laser rifle to try and kill Batman anyway. The Dynamic Duo prevails, the end.
But wait a minute. That means the calendar-page cape costume only ever appears on covers and is therefore non-canonical when it appears in Who's Who! Wild. He would wear it eventually, in particular in stories where they forget how much of a clothes horse he is. And that's really his main weakness as a supervillain. Without a consistent look, he fails to become iconic AND he's harder for artists to draw. They can either waste designs on him, or make him look generic.
Who's Next? Arthurian legend as science-fiction.
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