I think I got this comic book from my cousin. He was a bit younger than me, but being an only child had access to more toys and comics than did his poor country cousins. But to my good fortune he lost interest in comics and some of his bounty ended up in my grubby mitts. Brave and Bold #80 was one of those and the story written by Bob Haney and drawn by Neal Adams, on only his second outing on a full Bat-story I believe, delivered an awesome villain -- The Hellgrammite!
He was one of those countless "mad" scientist types who end up transforming themselves to prove their superiority or to feed their greed or perhaps more obscure motives. He became an armored monstrous man-grasshopper type of critter and drawn by Adams was a scary damn beast indeed. My research indicates he ended up in Superman's rogues' gallery eventually, though to my sense he will always be a Bat-baddie.
He put me in the mind then and now of less dramatically named "Praying Mantis-Man" from the pages of Charlton's Blue Beetle. This scientist-turned villain also transformed himself, though his look was more mechanical device than biological alteration.
Ah, those were the days my friend.
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