Rupert Thorne's return in Gerry Conway's Batman Run (or "Strange Apparitions 2: The Strangening")

[thehefner]

Right off the bat (hurr), I should say this: I haven't read the entire two-and-a-half-year-long run of Gerry Conway's tenure on Detective Comics. Which makes this post kind of a problem, because it concerns a subplot that Conway ran through 'Tec and occasionally Batman too for at least a year, maybe more.

It's a storyline about political intrigue and corruption, of ghosts and paranoia, and the arc I present here is one that starts in a political rally and ends right in the Batcave itself. Even from the issues here, I can already tell this this was a sprawling tale compared to the tightness of Englehart's Strange Apparitions, from which it cribs extensively to the point of plagiarism at times, as you might be able to tell right away:






But for all that, it's still an intriguing Batman epic, one which has been lost in the shuffle of fan memory between O'Neill/Adams and Miller. If any of you have read the whole run, do chime in and let me know how it stands in your memory. And for those who haven't, let's take a look at subplot which most concerns the theme of these posts...





Note: these scans are from Batman #346, 354, 355, 356, and Detective Comics #510, 513, 518, and 520.







Batman's feeling about Hill show you right away that even the World's Greatest Detective can be damn wrong sometimes. Not to spoil you right away, but it's an interesting reminder of how human and fallible he used to be.

What grabs his attention is the last panel a store owner calling for help as a robber makes off with the cash, taking advantage of the rally's noise to slip away unnoticed. When Batman swings in and wallops the robber, reporters mistakenly assume he's breaking up the rally, and even question if that sniveling weasel Reeves is right!





Indeed, Reeves does make another mistake, and loses the election to Hill, who immediately carries out his campaign promise:





I wish I had the issue where Peter Pauling was introduced, so that we could have the appropriate "GASP!" reaction, but we can surmise that this is bad news all around.

So, Rupert Thorne is back after his mental breakdown at the end of Strange Apparitions! He seems to be in tip top shape too, able to maneuver his way back into Gotham's political world, now more powerful than before! With Gordon out and Pauling in place, things look even more grim for Gotham once Batman went missing for a week (later revealed to have been kidnapped by Two-Face and his one-time HenchGirlfriend).

Hill should be pleased, but tensions continue to mount:








Ha-ha, he's back! Or is he?

Remember, they were never clear about the nature of the Hughost in Strange Apparitions, which is probably part of that story's enduring appeal. The best explanation we could get was that the ghost was indeed real, since Batman fleetingly saw it in passing.

Plus, don't forget, Rupert Thorne actually saw the dead body of Hugo Strange in the first place. Y'know, back when he killed Strange.

Among the many subplots in this year-long story is Vicki Vale's, who gathers evidence that Bruce Wayne is Batman. However, this evidence finds its way into Rupert Thorne's hands. And so, in another move that directly recalls Strange Apparitions, he hires a certain professional for the job:








Unfortunately for Vicki and Thorne's theories at that particular moment, the Bruce Wayne Deadshot's after is, in fact, the Human Target in disguise as Bruce Wayne! He was hired at the behest of Alfred while Batman recovered from a nasty case of vampirism.

I was actually hoping to find scans of that, if only for the part where Vamp!Batman lunges at Alfred and says that he has "terrible urges... urges I can't control!" Classic "Context For The Weak" panel if ever I saw one.

So when Batman and Bruce Wayne are seen in the same room together fighting Deadshot, that pretty much kills Vicki's theory and Thorne's "proof." But he's a tough guy. He's not worried about reprisals from Deadshot. He's never been afraid of Batman. When you're Rupert Thorne, Boss of Gotham, what is there to worry about?














In frantic desperation, Thorne spills the entire story to Dr. Thirteen, every criminal detail, except for insisting that Strange's death was entirely an accident. Thirteen smells the bullshit, but can't resist a good ghost story to debunk.









Going further inside Greytowers, Dr. Thirteen discovers Hugo's secret lab, seemingly abandoned along with everything else:








Zoinks! And finally, someone else has actually witnessed the Hughost firsthand, up close and directly! So it's not all in Thorne's mind! But if that's the case, what does that mean for Dr. Thirteen? What could the vengeful spirit of Hugo Strange do to him?











Jinkies! (... Okay, I'm done.)





Meanwhile, Pauling and Hill have enough of their minds just trying to hold their power while Jim Gordon and Jason Bard are bearing down on them with proof of election fraud. And just when things couldn't get bad enough, who should bust in, soaked outwardly in rainwater and inwardly with booze, armed, pissed, and paranoid as hell...









After that literally breathless climax, the wheels of justice finally turn by the next day...














Perhaps Hill was sincere in his belief that he was acting for the greater good, which may have been what Batman sensed in him earlier, but Jim still rightly nailed him in his assessment.

Perhaps that's why the two would still clash in stories after this one, particularly once Hill hires a corrupt cop to spy on Gordon and dug up any dirt that could be used against him. That new cop turns out to be Harvey Bullock. So you can imagine how well that turned out for Hill.

If you'd like a glimpse at the original Bullock saga, you can find it here at the Nothing But Batman blog. You gotta love any character whose very first line of dialogue is "Belch!" Later on, Bullock accidentally gives Gordon a stroke with a snakes-in-a-can prank. I can't decide if that's awesome or absurd.

But far as we're concerned, that wraps up the Strange Saga of Rupert Thorne. He did indeed go to Blackgate, where he's been incarcerated ever since, making only one other appearance since 1982. And with Pauling dead, it appears to be another case where evil has consumed itself. So it's a happy ending for all.

Right?






WHATTATWEEST! I mean, really, as if Pauling and Hill were clever enough to construct such an elaborate holographic device and mimic Hugo's voice!

But then again, Thorne was there when Strange died! He saw the body, so he could be forgiven for not even considering the possibility that Hugo survived. So that raises a question of how, which will be addressed soon enough.

But I'll save that for the next post, which I'll dedicate to a one-two punch of stories: first, a finale to this subplot by Conway himself, and a standalone epic by Doug Moench that pulled a Daredevil: Born Again literally one month before the first part of D:BA actually hit shelves.

This is where Batman's original arch-nemesis finally steps up his game. Professor Hugo Strange is back.

Comments

[jlroberson]

Oh. Oh GOD yes. Strange AND Don Newton. I think I'm having a Batgasm.

[thehefner]

I'm starting to discover that this era hits a sweet spot with a small handful of Bat-fans, which is one reason I was looking forward to this post. This is the era I'd always bypass in the back issue bins, even though I've seen their covers dozens of times, over and over again through the years.

Hopefully I did the story halfway justice with the issues I had. It's kind of amazing just how much stuff was going on, and how much the stories played off the others. If Conway's entire run were collected, I get the feeling it would feel much like watching a season of a TV mystery.

[jlroberson]

Which would make sense as that's what Conway wrote for TV. I believe he worked on MURDER SHE WROTE, aka the story of the best serial killer on TV till Dexter. And more successful.

[thehefner]

Ha! Really, who the hell would ever want to live in that town, especially when she's there? Maybe the pies are just great or something. *now has "A Little Priest" stuck in my head*

[jlroberson]

The problem with poet, is how do you know it's deceased.

[icon_uk]

Don Newton is one of the most seriously under-rated bat-artists around. Sadly so much of his later stuff (Jason Todd 1.0 etc) was completely destroyed by the Jason 2.0 intro that his stuff doesn't get reprinted, which is a crime against comic art.

[aaron_bourque]

Seriously, this is purely comic book silly visuals . . . done right.

[thehefner]

I'm sure you already know, but your icon will be getting a featured role in the next Hugo post.

[icon_uk]

And to celebrate I've added exciting booty shaking action to it! :)

[badficwriter]

That is hypnotizing.

[abbadie]

Ah. My favorite run back when it came out. From back when Bats was a good read, when Bruce had a personality, when there were plots and sub-plots other than...

Damn, i just realized, DD's Shadowland made me feel precisely the way Bats has made me feel for the last decade. Bat-god building his empire in "his" city.

I miss Bruce; I have for many years now. The Bruce in the scans above.

[aaron_bourque]

As long as he is in your heart, he'll always be around.

[abbadie]

I'd actually forgotten that I used to like Batman! ;_;

I'm re-reading this very arc tonight...

[jlroberson]

Here's a hole:

What about the barrel with which they dumped Strange's body in the river? Was that ever explained? Because no matter what yoga tricks he used, that would still be so.

[thehefner]

I don't understand. What would need to be explained about the barrel?

[jlroberson]

They sealed him in it and threw it into the river.

[thehefner]

Oh! Duh, I forgot that the explanation about that part doesn't come until the stuff which will be in the next post, along with the Born Again style stuff. It's a double-feature!

[perletwo]

About that hologram....I never realized Hugo Strange was quite so ripped?

[q99]

Oh yea, he was *huge* in his first appearance!

[thehefner]

Oh, totally! Skim down to the end of the first story when he's rolled up his sleeves to whip Batman!

[jlroberson]

Yep. Even when they depict him as dwarfish, he's always much stronger than you'd think. In PREY, I think this was more or less taken to be part of his competitive/envious feelings toward Batman. Strange would like to BE Batman.

You could take him as Rupert Pupkin writ large in some stories.

[aaron_bourque]

In Matt Wagner's retelling of Batman and the Monster Men, Rupert is a dark mirror of Bruce Wayne, wanting to be the ultimate physical and mental specimen . . . despite being like 5'4" . . .

[psychopathicus_rex]

I believe you mean 'Hugo', not 'Rupert'.

[aaron_bourque]

Bah! That's what YOU meant!!!

[psychopathicus_rex]

Yes! Yes, I did! And I demand satisfaction! *pounds cane on floor*

[icon_uk]

Sorry, haven't had a chance to read the whole post, but have you seen this rumour? :)

[thehefner]

I have, and the weird thing is that it started popping up literally DAYS after my first Hugo post, wherein I mused in the comments how Prey would make a perfect third film.

I felt then and still feel now that it's highly unlikely, but it's a hell of a coincidence. I honestly thought I was the only one who thought that about Prey. I can't help but wonder if the rumor was started by someone who read that post and thought, "Yeah, it would!"

But if it's not a rumor... then damn, these posts are about to become damn topical, aren't they? I wish! Perfect as it would be, I still don't see it happening. Much as this rumor (which has now, as you linked to, made it to aintitcool!) intrigues me, I can't bring myself to think it's true.

[mistersandman]

My introduction to Batman was through the Animated Series of the early nineties. Reading your posts inevitably gives me more and more appreciation for it--I didn't know that the Arthur Reeves character originally came from the comics!

Also, comments that draw attention to Gordon's age ("Gordon's a tough old cop") make me feel sorry for the guy. I wish DC would retire him for good and give him a lasting "happy ending."

[thehefner]

Yep! I actually meant to mention that connection but forgot. I think he may have been a creat

Gordon these days isn't as old as the Gordon then. He can't have a happy ending because he's too important to the Batman universe. His retirement after Officer Down left a huge hole in Batman's life, and the life of the GCPD. Gordon is vital to Batman comics because he's the single most human character of the whole city. Indeed, he's one of the finest characters in DC's history, I'd argue.

[psychopathicus_rex]

I dunno - Gordon has pretty much always been portrayed as in his late middle ages, at least. He's not getting any older, but he's not really being portrayed as all that younger, either - like most comics characters, he's pretty much frozen at one age.

[aaron_bourque]

Also, comments that draw attention to Gordon's age ("Gordon's a tough old cop")

Not gonna happen for the same reason Bruce will always come back to being Batman.

[recognitions]

I've always opined that Conway was underrated. For all the credit that Levitz gets for making the LSH great, so much of Conway's run laid the foundation for his work. Granted, Conway could phone it in, especially as he got older (his Firestorm run was particularly dreary, I thought) but when he's on, he's a solid storyteller.

[jlroberson]

Conway had his ups and his downs. In his ups, he was a fantastic craftsman. In his downs, we get Vibe. Sadly, that came after a period in which he did some fantastic JLA stories--although it may partly be due to the presence of Perez in the ones I'm thinking of.

The one real problem with Conway is, well, he had a bit of a problem with feminism. Power Girl is one result of that. To be "feminist," she had to be nasty to men most of the time. That's how Conway understood the phenomenon. And then there's Brainwave's off-panel rape of an actress in the Crisis story with the Ultra-Humanite. There are more examples.

[aaron_bourque]

Hey, Vibe is just used poorly.

[icon_uk]

I also realised, when you mentioned the vampire subplot that my posting of that arc died with S_D 1.0, I might have to do something about that! :)

[thehefner]

I was hoping you would! You, or somebody else.

[psychopathicus_rex]

This is a pretty convincing depiction of incipient dementia. Hugo Strange plays ROUGH. Do NOT get on his bad side.

[badficwriter]

That last panel is AWESOME. And I barely know the character!

Man, if I read Batman back then, I would've been squeeing over Doctor Thirteen showing up. So cool to see that poor stupid, stubborn man. :)