Ray Salinger was a serial killer who operated in Gotham. Under the alias Birthday Boy, he worked for Mayor Cobblepot to eliminate political targets and threats. He was the first costumed criminal encountered by Batman in his crime-fighting career.
History[]
Background[]
Birthday Boy is fascinated by young girls resembling his first kill, a 15-year-old debutante named Amanda Grant. When in his "killer mode", he wears a burlap sack with holes cut out for his eyes and a birthday party hat, usually in a room decorated like a young girl's room at a birthday party. As a calling card, he left birthday candles where he stole away his victims and told his victims to "make a wish" to a cake decorated with the words "Happy birthday Amanda". Saligner had been helped at the Crane Institute, though managed to escape.
Work for the Mayor[]
By Batman's first days of operations, the Birthday Boy had been hired by Mayor Oswald Cobblepot to eliminate various enemies. In return, he was often given girls from the streets or enemies of the Penguin. Salinger had also taken residence in the abandoned Arkham Manor, with the lower levels being used to hide his victims' bodies.
After Batman's appearance at the Gotham 300th Aniversery Party, Cobblepot sent Birthday Boy the oldest daughter of a judge who failed the mayor as payment to kill Jacob Weaver, a member of security staff he'd hired to assassinate Thomas Wayne. Salinger later confronted Weaver in his apartment, killing him in his usual method. Later, Salinger was sent out to kidnap James Gordon's daughter Barbara after Harvey Bullock checked out files in the Lieutenant's name.
At his hideout in Arkham Manor, Salinger was about to kill Barbara, who managed to break free and stabbed him in the leg with a broken chair piece. As he walked toward her and was about to slice her throat with a butcher knife, Batman burst through the wall, and the two started fighting. Barbara's father managed to shoot Salinger in the shoulder before being thrown down, Birthday Boy was grabbed by Batman. The two then tumble through another wall, onto weakened floorboards to the living room. Harvey Bullock tried to stop the fight, only for Birthday Boy to send him into the basement where the killer threw all his victims away. Batman however manages to get behind Birthday Boy and suffocate him into unconsciousness with his cape. Salinger is then handcuffed and later thrown in custody by the Gotham City Police Department after Cobblepot's death.