Batman: Prey

[thehefner]

This is it. The big one.

It arrives at a moment where's it's suddenly relevant and topical to fan interests.With the release of the awesome new Arkham City trailer, the internet is ablaze with the question, "Who the hell is Hugo Strange?"

Hopefully, some people looking for answers will stumble upon these posts. It seems I've coincidentally been ahead of the game with these posts, perhaps even more so if the (unlikely) rumors turn out to be true, and The Dark Knight Rises will be based upon Batman: Prey.

Which, in either case, is the story I bring you today. In some ways, my entire Hugo Strange project has been building up to this: one of his two stories which defined his character for their generations. But while it's a different interpretation for a rebooted continuity, the threads to the original Hugo can be seen throughout. This Hugo is more perverse, more deranged, but just as brilliant and dangerous.





But like the best Hugo stories, Prey is ultimately about the heart and soul of Batman himself. What makes Hugo so great is how he pushes Bruce to the limits of what he can overcome, and by the end, Batman's triumph is always more than a physical one. Maybe that's why Hugo's the villain of choice for a handful of discerning, hardcore, old-school Batman comic fans.

If you can, I urge you to track down Prey either as a trade paperback or in the original issues of Legends of the Dark Knight #11-15, which I've seen in dollar bins. While Prey is a beloved story and a hot rumor du jour, it's also out of print. Again, WTF, DC?






This story takes place soon after the events of Batman: Year One, but pulls off the impressive feat of not feeling like it's in Frank Miller's shadow (unlike the first LOTDK storyline, Denny O'Neill's Shaman, as well as The Long Halloween).

The opening scenes establish growing tension between Batman and the interests of the cops and City Hall, with Jim Gordon stuck in the middle. Healing from his most recent wounds, Bruce settles in to watch a panel show discussing the topic: "The Batman: Savior or Scourge?"









Right away, here's a huge departure from Hugo's original character: no longer the master criminal Professor with proficiency in genetics, robotics, and toxins, he's now a Doctor of psychiatry. Considering how psychologically invested Hugo became in Batman from Strange Apparitions onward to Moench's own Down to the Bone, it's a change that still fits the character's spirit.

His "analysis" of Batman could easily come off sounding like a cartoon, but I think it actually feels quite realistic for a person like Hugo. In terms of his analysis, Hugo's spiritually akin to the Frederick Werthams of the world, reading their own perverse and twisted interpretations in these characters.

I could easily imagine reading some comic fan writing all that bullcrap in their blog. But it's the kind of bullcrap you can get sucked into, just as Bruce himself almost did. He didn't agree with Hugo, but I damn well bet he was afraid that Hugo might have been right.

So thank god for Jim Gordon: the most human character in the DCU.







You can probably guess, but this Year One era story also serves as the introduction of the Batmobile in this new continuity. One of the many subplots that are lost in this edit, I'm afraid.

Gordon, meanwhile, realizes he needs a man he can trust too. Trust, but not have a lot of faith in. As such, he approaches the overzealous and Batman-hating cop Max Cort to lead the Vigilante Task Force, a role Cort accepts with relish.

Meanwhile, the Mayor assesses his own new partnership...







I love how even the shutters turn the single panel into six long skinny mini-panels.

I also love the relieved tension in Gordon here. He knows it's just a reprieve, but there's still a bit more time yet before things come to a head. The tension is palpable right off the bat.

Speaking of whom, Batman takes to the skies on his Bat-Glider, oblivious to the criminals he's hunting, the cops who are hunting him, and the good Doctor himself:





... Ooooookay, so, that's maybe the first sign that there's something wrong with ol' Hugo here. The aspect of one-sided conversations with a female mannequin seems derivative of Clayface III. Of course, Preston was "married" to his. I'm guessing that's too much of a commitment for Hugo, with his issues with women, as we'll see soon enough.

Also, note that he already has a "Batman" costume even before he meets Batman. Right from the start, he's obsessed with Batman. Or rather, Hugo's own idea of what Batman is.





For all of Hugo's elated fantasies, it's contrasted with the reality of Batman's grim frustration, as his raid on the mob is interrupted by Max Cort and the Task Force. Bruce didn't sign onto this crusade to fight cops, even deluded and obsessive cops.

Batman escapes, along with the criminals, and Hugo is the only one close to happy, as he gleefully envisions Batman as "a killer... a killer who doesn't kill... making red love to the night itself..."





I love that last line. It seems like he feels that Batman is immune to any sense of pain, even physical pain, when he causes pain to others.

Frustrated, exhausted, and still lacking a car, Bruce ends up walking back to Wayne Manor, where Alfred reminds him that the Mayor's hosting a small dinner party. Bruce accepts the invitation due to the presence of one guest in particular...







Meanwhile, Gordon starts to realize he's made a mistake in hiring a fanatic like Max Cort, who is all but dying to blow away Batman, who attempts to make a "peace offering" by delivering a trussed-up mobster. Cort responds poorly, to say the least.

Gordon tells Batman that they need to find a better way to meet up than in his office, and decides to try a different tactic. Yes, this story also serves as the introduction of the Bat-Signal!











Do you think he's actually sleeping with "her," or that he just likes having the company of a female figure who won't talk back or correct his "brilliant" ramblings?

Either way, the way he hides the mannequin indicates to me that while Hugo is clearly insane, he's also smart and functioning enough to know how to hide it. Of course, a good detective like Jim Gordon could probably tell that something's very wrong here.

Thankfully for Hugo, he's only dealing with Max Cort.





Ooooh, slashy! Seriously, if they go with these characters for the film, you know there'll be fic. Honestly, it says something about how little this story is known that there almost certainly isn't fic already.

But that's just conjecture. As we see, Hugo actually does have an interest in human females, but not as much interest as he has in hearing himself speak:








Oh, well, that's reassuring! Thank god for Max Cort's basic morality!

Also, we keep getting further glimpses into the psychological motivations of this Hugo Strange, hints of an origin that we never see. He seems to have far, far more issues (at least with women, and with his own self-worth) than Pre-Crisis Hugo ever had.

And yet, Pre-Crisis Hugo eventually became more and more obsessed with Batman himself, to the point that his character arc of Bat-Mania seemed to carry through to his Post-Crisis counterpart. This Hugo is very much the next step in old Hugo's evolution.

Aaaand now I'm starting to sound like Hugo myself. Carrying on...











But instead of going home, Cort puts on the costume and proceeds to beat the crap out of an entire biker bar, where he gets a lead on a seller of unregistered guns. He pays the dealer a visit at a most inopportune time:











The Night Scourge chooses Catwoman as his next target, whom he almost succeeds in decapitating, but Batman intervenes. Cort escapes, and Catwoman thanks Batman with a lead pipe to the head, because she resented the help. That's one reason why it's taken me so long to warm up to Selina as a character.





And in the Batman costume, Cort carries out Strange's command:





The Mayor tells Gordon that if the vigilante task force does not succeed in nailing Batman and saving Catherine, then Gordon will fired and blacklisted. With no choice, Gordon passes the info along to Max Cort, who is all to happy to report to his men, "Shoot to kill."

But where exactly is the Mayor's daughter?





At this point, I have to wonder if Moench has crossed a line with this take on Hugo. Is this Hugo Strange too perverse, too unstable, too damn loathesome? Has he lost touch with the Master Criminal Moriarty-ness of the original? Or is this still perfectly in keeping with what makes him a great villain?

On the run from the relentless cops, Batman wants nothing more than to seek solace in the Batcave, but has to settle for hiding in the sewers. At this point, he decides that the cave can wait...








Yeah, Hugo's unstable, but he's not THAT unstable! He actually planned to lose his cool! Batman's usually great at jabbing the psychological wounds of his enemies, provoking them to make a mistake, so I love how Hugo's one step ahead!

Also, what's in the head? Could it be Fear Dust?








The sheer triumph in Hugo epiphany gives me chills. He's a detective in his own way, and a brilliant one at that, at least when he isn't caught up in his own theories. He's intelligence bolstered by madness, and the result really does make him an extremely formidable opponent for Batman.

In the throes of the hallucinogen, Batman frantically runs through the streets of Gotham. Cops shoot at him, cars try to run him down, but all he sees is his parents' murder over and over again.





Meanwhile, the Night Scourge kills a pair of thieves, telling himself that he's better than the Bat, who of course gets the blame. It occurs to me that a sense of inferiority is what really unites Strange and Cort in their motivations against Batman. Cort fears that he's not good enough, while Strange is convinced that Batman is his own personal Übermensch.

It's almost like if Lex Luthor were an obsessive, insane Superman fanboy, and now Hugo knows exactly how to hit Batman where it hurts.








Oh Hugo, you so batshit.

Batman wakes up by the dockyards, splashed by harbor water on the rocky shore. Still coming down from the drugs, he manages to elude sailors and dock workers trying to impale him with harpoons, and makes it back to Wayne Manor on foot, in the daylight.

And just when he's at his lowest, just when he cannot feel more defeated, he discovers Alfred's body on the floor.











Suddenly, Hugo's mannequin feels less like a gimmick to display his perverseness and more like foreshadowing (not to mention a direct link to Pre-Crisis Hugo's use of "Mandroids"). And if Catherine voiced Martha Wayne, it kind of makes you wonder just how much she knows too.

This violation is a level of psychological torture that no other villain has ever attempted, much less to this effective a result. Seriously, Hugo is an utter bastard, and it works. No other could jab the "my parents are DEAD!" wound better than Hugo.

Thankfully for Bruce, Hugo did not discover the cave (unlike Pre-Crisis Hugo), so that's where Bruce flees for solace, giving himself over to the bats and to the darkness. And even then, he can't turn off the thoughts raging through his mind:





While the Night Scourge continues his rampage, Bruce pulls himself together, remembering that Hugo Strange is behind it all, and that he can't let the dream die...





He dedicates the next three days to finishing construction on the Batmobile. On the last, with one day left on the Mayor's deadline, he calls up Gordon (who's already onto Max Cort) and proposes a plan. In another touch that yet again makes me think of how Dr. Hurt should have been Hugo Strange, Alfred tells Batman "God speed... for it's the Devil you face tonight."








It was an incredibly risky bluff, because Hugo could easily have called Batman "Bruce" with the police listening. Notice that Hugo's been caught, but he knows he hasn't been proven wrong either. Really, if his mask of sanity hadn't started slipping away here, he still might have been able to salvage this situation.








At Gordon's suggestion, Batman tracks down Max Cort and catches him changing into the Night Scourge costume. They battle, and at the decisive moment, Catwoman saves Batman's Bat-Bacon. Cort responds by panicking and fleeing.











In his panic, Cort exposes himself to his collages as the Night Scourge. He tries to kill Jim Gordon, and the other cops shoot Cort dead. Batman thinks it's because, as with Strange, the cops thought that Cort was the Batman. Therefore, just like Strange, Cort is consumed by the very anti-Batman hysteria he spread.

Realizing that Batman saved his daughter's life, the Mayor decides that the police's time and energy may be spent on better things than going after vigilantes. So at the end, it's a victory. Or at least, it's a gauntlet that has been passed. At least until the next one.






And with that last line, my thoughts once again turn to how perfectly this story would fit in the Nolanverse for The Dark Knight Rises. I still don't see it happening because most people just don't think of Hugo Strange as main villain material. Obviously, I disagree, but I don't represent your average film goer, nor even your average comic fan.

But either way, hey, maybe this'll finally encourage DC to put Prey back into print, along with Strange Apparitions. If I were an editor of collected editions at DC, I'd even throw in a bonus to the Prey TPB and include Moench's own Down to the Bone, because that one too deserves to be read and treasured.

This is Hugo's last appearance for about ten years, until Devin Grayson and Doug Monech decided to write their own sequels to Prey. Weirdly, I greatly prefer the former version to the latter, wherein Moench and Gulacy fail to recapture the lighting in a bottle. But we'll certainly be looking at both in the next couple posts.

Comments

HUGO STRANGE CASTING CALL

[thehefner]

That said, if they DID go with Prey for The Dark Knight Rises, who do you think should play Hugo? The rumors are already saying Tom Hardy, and while I don't know much about his acting (I really must finally watch Bronson on my Netflix Instant queue), I can at least appreciate what he might look like thanks to boocherhix on DeviantArt:





But I dunno, he just doesn't seem right. I mean, this is Hugo Strange here. You need someone who's a brilliant madman, a master planner and schemer, with a bald head full of wild ideas and an obsession with Batman.

Hey. Hmmm...





The thing is, I don't think I'm even kidding here. You'd have to work on his accent, though...

Re: HUGO STRANGE CASTING CALL

[drakyndra]

You know, even if The Dark Knight Rises ends up based on this story, it doesn't necessarily mean Tom Hardy will be Hugo Strange. Looking at these scans, he could certainly work as Max Cort or the Nolanverse equivalent.

Re: HUGO STRANGE CASTING CALL

[misterbug]

You haven't seen Star Trek: Nemesis? Hardy's part in that is very villianous and slightly Hugo Strange-esque. He plays a clone of Picard created by the Romulans, enslaved on the planet of the Remans, and now the Romulan viceroy.

Re: HUGO STRANGE CASTING CALL

[starwolf_oakley]

Tom Hardy would make a better Professor Milo, if he'd be willing to get a bowl haircut.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_Milo

In the DCAU, Milo looks a lot like the Joker.

Re: HUGO STRANGE CASTING CALL

[psychopathicus_rex]

Not sure whether this works or not, but what about Willem Dafoe? He's shown in the past that he's great at playing really intense, crazy roles - what if he turned that intensity inward into an intense, methodical calm with an obsession seething at its core...?

[thanekos]

well, Titan'd certainly give you the makings of a Monster Man.

[starwolf_oakley]

I have to wonder how the next Batman movie will end if Batman being wanted for murdering 5(?) people isn't resolved.

I do sometimes wonder about the whole "Batman is Bruce's self-inflicted punishment for the death of his parents" idea that was tossed around in the deleted scenes in BATMAN FOREVER. Despite what Neil Gaiman might say, it's hard to see being Batman as its own reward. That's just the way Batman has been since 1986. Maybe BATMAN INC. will change that, but who knows.

[thehefner]

Clearly, his name would have to be cleared, but could they do that without dragging down Harvey Dent's reputation in the process? I suppose that could work only if the city didn't need to hold onto the image of Harvey Dent the White Knight anymore.

More and more, I really prefer the Pre-Miller idea that Bruce had come to terms with his parents' deaths. It's only after Miller that we really have him being the "MY PARENTS ARE DEAD!!!" open wound that he is today.

[q99]

Mm, I'm finding I like this Strange less than the physically powerful criminal mastermind who could truly desire to step into the Bat's role and surpass Wayne.

He seems more... petty in his madness. He was projecting his own issues to an extent, rather than reveling in criminal insanity and being a true rival.

An interesting character and a good story to be sure, still very smart, but not my favorite Huge Strange.

[thehefner]

Y'know, it's funny you mentioned this. When I started these posts, I held up Prey as the very summit of Hugo's history as a character. But ever since I started exploring his Golden and Bronze Age appearances, I found myself loving that Hugo even more! So I find myself in a funny position with this story, which I still consider one of the best Batman tales I've ever read... but it's no longer my favorite Hugo Strange.

It may be pettiness, yes, now that you put it that way. After all, original Hugo became obsessed with Batman after he already made a name for himself as a master criminal, and returned to Gotham only after he had tired of outwitting everyone else in his years abroad in Europe. It changes thing quite a bit to start Hugo with that obsession from the very start of his career. Well, that start of his criminal career, anyway, from what we see here.

[goggle_kid]

This looks like a pretty epic storyline and one that I'd be glad to snap up in trade whenever they get around to reprinting it.

I could do without the bondagey-stuff.

[thehefner]

Agreed. More than anything else, that's the stuff which dates this story as being a product of the post-Miller era of grim 'n gritty "realism." But I think the story uses it to a good purpose. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Moench and Gulacy's own sequel, Terror, which just pushes some of these elements into full-blown cartoonland.

[abbadie]

I just realized, while I knew by heart the storyline from the previous post (and the Earth-2 story) even though it's been over a decade since I last read them (two decades for the latter), it's only now that I know just what story this much-vaunted "Prey" is, and the scans bring this familiar sense of "wait, I have read this before, I'm sure". I recognized the first scene with the mannequin which probably struck me as particularly odd way back when. Heck, I think I must even have these comics somewhere, but the proof is in the pudding: this Hugo Strange is so forgettable, I literally forgot about him. Not a bad story, but meh. The Hugo I remember was a great villain, not a pathetic one. The rumor about Hugo Strange being in the film thrilled me at first, but if they make this into a movie, I'm not sure if I'll bother watching it.

[thehefner]

I talked about this in an earlier reply, but I'm still rather amazed at how I started this project loving Prey's Hugo Strange, only to work my way back up to this point and realize that I prefer the older one!

I mean, I love this story, and I love this Hugo too (and thus I can't agree with you on the "forgettable" part, because damn, who the hell else breaks into Wayne Manor and sets up dummies to screw with Bruce's head?), but damn, I miss the Moriarty-style villain he used to be!

Know what we need? We that that Hugo to show up on Batman: The Brave and the Bold in a lead antagonist role. Because damn it, that show is capturing what I want from DC comics superhero fare better than most of the actual comics or film adaptations!

[lucean]

I can't even begin to put to words how much I love PREY. It's one of those stories I read a few years ago with initial dismissal, but being completely blown away at the end. I can see it being an excellent source for the next Batman movie, if the rumor is true, and this version of Hugo Strange is a great antagonist for the ARKHAM CITY game, although I'm not certain that ol' Hugo there has the stature to be the main villain of the game, but it is good to try other, lesser known characters and fortunately the Joker and Two-Face are there to pick up the slack.

As for the comparison between the Strange in PREY and in the Gold/Bronze age, I'm personally favouring the PREY version without any competition. The older version has always felt a bit unnecessary, not really adding anything to the mythos. I mean of course there are the deeds, but he didn't really truly reflect anything nor was there wasn't much psychological depth in the character. Again of course just my opinion.

The Strange in PREY and the subsequent few stories was a wholly another story. Someone brilliant in analyzing others and yet utterly unable to face or even acknowledge his own flaws. Someone who views Batman as an excuse to let go of even those few inhibitions he still has and some kind of a way to exceed his own limitations, not understanding that in order to become Batman Bruce had to overcome his limitations instead of being Batman allowed him to do that. There's so much I could do to analyze this story, but I'll just leave it with the comment of how much I adore this story.

[thehefner]

I'm glad you commented, as I recall you were the one who posted this back in the day. :)

Thing is, based on the posts I've done up to this point, I'm not so certain what you say about this Hugo doesn't apply to Pre-Crisis Hugo. The only real difference I can think of (and it's a late, exhausted hour for me, so forgive any lack of reading comprehension in this response to your thoughtful comment) is that Pre-Crisis Hugo never gave any clues as to what his own flaws would be. At least, not to the extent of Prey Hugo.

But still, I think he has those flaws nonetheless, and would therefore still be subject to being utterly unable to face or even acknowledge them. I mean, consider, what kind of man decides he wants to entirely destroy and thereby become his opponent, because he thinks he can be a better Batman than Batman? He's still hindered by that crucial lack of understanding at just how much Bruce had to overcome his own limitations.

What I guess I'd really like is to see someone take classic Hugo and give him the kind of psychological insight and depth that he has in Prey. The most recent major example we had was Wagner's Monster Men, but that found a middling compromise between the two versions, and ended up being inferior to both.

[stylishbastard.livejournal.com]

Excellent post..thanks so much for taking the time to upload :)

[thehefner]

Thanks for taking the time to say thanks! :)

[jlroberson]

this one in particular should appeal to Nolan's love of mindgames, identity and memory issues. I wonder what Guy Pearce would look like bald with a beard.

Actually, I've come to take him for granted for a while but...Ben Kingsley?

[thehefner]

Kingsley seems almost too obvious a choice, but there's no denying he would be brilliant in the role.

[bradhanon]

I have the trade of this, and I've reread it several times. It's wonderful, isn't it?

What always struck me is that, in that initial scene with the TV show, Gordon's lovable down-to-earth I-don't-hold-with-this-fancy-talk routine is shown to be as much wrong as it is right. The fact is, based on almost no information, Strange has constructed a rough profile of Batman that's so good it scares Bruce from twenty miles away. And yeah, Gordon's right about... well, let's say the version of things Bruce tells himself to get through the day, but Strange demonstrates that his "useless and irrelevant psychobabble" actually works incredibly well.

Thank you, deeply, for posting this series. I've been a Hugo Strange fan for a while, and I hadn't seen some of the great Bronze Age stuff you posted. Let's hear it for more visibility from a guy who, I agree, should be considered one of the great Batman villains ever.

[espanolbot]

Hm, it is interersting that the hack psychology that Strange uses on Batman seems to be coming in from the same direction as Dr Hurt and the Black Gloves' misinterpretation of Bruce and his mission.

Love of violence instead of defending those who can't defend themselves.

Fetishism or childish playacting instead of the use of theatrics to scare the criminal classes.

[aaron_bourque]

Ah, but at the time this was written, it was surprisingly less a misinterpretation than it should have been.

[jaybee3]

This is really good. I can actually see this on the big screen in the Nolan-verse. Good to see Hugo Strange getting his much belated props as an A-Lister thanks to the AC game too.

[icon_uk]

Not a huge fan of this revamp, largely because it pays far too much attention to the elephant in the room; Batman being a... frankly, crap, secret identity. Strange almost instantly jumps to a lot of obvious conclusions which have to be overlooked to keep the superhero ID mystique alive; traumatic flashback, infinite wealth etc etc (Not helped by Bruce telling out about BOTH his parents at first opportunity, gas or no gas)

And once such information is known, and spread, it would be impossible to put the genie back in the bottle and knowing who Batman is would be very straightforward.

Also, yes, whilst I'm all for a bit of a fun OTT deathtrap, bondage for bondage sake is often just trying too hard.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Remember, though, Strange is A: a genius psychologist, and B: shown to be already obsessed with the Batman as the story opens, so he's put more time and intellect into figuring things out than a lot of your average Gothamites. Also remember that the 'superhero funded and outfitted by a wealthy benefactor/secret organization' trope is almost as widespread as the 'millionaire with secret identity' one, so there's nothing saying that Batman HAS to be a rich man just because he's got all those wonderful toys.

[irrelevant]

This story reinforces my love for Jim Gordon.

Oh for pity's sake! He just wants to scare the pants off criminals!

I really identify with Jim. He's a common sense, no-nonsense kind of guy, and Bruce is right: he *does* understand. The quote above is my usual reaction to people attempting to twist Batman into various complex psychological profiles.

No question, Bruce Wayne is complex man. But at the heart of all that intelligence and complexity lies a boy who just wants to scare the crap out of bad guys.

[aaron_bourque]

Gulacy's art, man. In some panels, so great. In other panels, deadface.

[jlroberson]

The only thing I don't like about Gulacy is...the eyes. His characters' eyes have no life in them(the dangers of stiffness with photoref are not new to Photoshop). Which is why Strange comes off the most emotive here.

[thehefner]

I have a real problem with artists like Alex Maleev and Greg Land using photo reference, as it makes the characters look stiff and lifeless. Personally, it doesn't bother me in this particular case, and I credit that to Terry Austin's inks.

That said, every time I read a Batman comic drawn by Gulacy, I spot panels that are direct lifts from shots in Tim Burton's Batman films (look at Batman's close-up in the last page). In Terror, there's also a near-exact lift of Catwoman in that scene with the mugger.

Awesome rundown of the character thus far.

[omgwtflolbbqbye]

I figured people would be more interested in Hugo Strange now since he's a potential villain in Nolan's next movie, so I created a wikipedia entry for "Prey" a few weeks ago cause I though it was a notable omission, but your summary is much better written and more comprehensive (feel free to add your knowledge to that paltry wikipedia entry btw).

Sadly I still see people are skeptical about his potential as a high-profile Batman villain, even saying they'd prefer Hush :/. I think I'll be linking to your series about the character from now on (if that's all right with you).

Re: Awesome rundown of the character thus far.

[thehefner]

Yeah, I know. When I hear people bandying about names like Hush, Black Mask, and Dr. Hurt as being superior to Hugo Strange, it makes me wish I could clone myself, hit up a computer lab, and spend a day personally schooling every single WRONG PERSON ON THE INTERNET.

And while I would be at it, I'd also correct several Wikipedia entries. I just don't have the energy at present. I mean, dear god, I'm already thinking of giving an entire overhaul to comicvine.com's Two-Face profile, since it seems to entirely consist of The Long Halloween origin and characterization. BULLPOOP.

[psychopathicus_rex]

"A mad psychiatrist; that'd be new." How right you were, Monty Python.
Perhaps it's just me, but I personally see the mannequin and Strange's misogyny to be a pretty significant clue as to what's wrong with him. Remember, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that it's Batman's WIFE getting offed that drove him to vigilantism. Could it be that once, perhaps only a few years ago (as many as five...?), Strange was married, a marriage that was wrecked by his own self-obsession - a marriage possibly permanently terminated by his own hand in a fit of rage, an act which snapped his mind once and for all, and set him to proving to his 'wife' (who was not REALLY gone, no no no, she was just taunting him, trying to prove him inferior) that he really was as good as he said he was...? Just a theory, but I think it would explain a lot.
I do have to say, I think I prefer the old Strange. This guy makes for an interesting villain, all right, but he doesn't hold a candle to the criminal mastermind that he used to be. It DOES make sense for him to have a background in psychology - after all, all but his earliest schemes have primarily involved getting into people's heads; even the Monster Men were made up of kidnapped lunatics - but he needn't be limited to that. After all, Professor Moriarty used to be a mathematician, and pre-crisis Joker was originally a lowly lab worker - a genius mind like Strange's could incorporate all kinds of disciplines. (This is nicely illustrated at the end of 'Monster Men' when he rapidly switches from being a geneticist to a psychologist.) This particular version is HASTY, something that the original Strange never was. He allows himself to be ruled by his passions, and only really figures out who the Batman could be after Bruce more or less TELLS him. He isn't suited for long term planning, which the original was a master at. He may have rattled his nemesis, but he's got a long way to go before he's truly reached his previous level of danger.

[thehefner]

I think you're right. That seems to be the hints of backstory that Moench has sketched here. I wonder if there would ever be a point to actually seeing that story. Would there be something in Strange's past that might make him more sympathetic or human? Or perhaps is it better the less is said?

I want to add more, but for now, I just want to say that your observations are great, and I'll certainly be keeping them in mind in the next posts.

[eightleggedbeast]

What does Catwoman look like here? I'd be interested to see how purple old Catwoman comes out in this art...

Also, is it just me, or is Hugo's Werthamness also coming out as a 'repressed woman-hating homosexual' vibe? The relationship with Max turning hypnotic and then 'Maxie-boy' and then he's naked on Strange's couch, the issues with women being alien and above/other than him/mocking him... Batman's not some evil crazy gay, look, this is some evil gay.

[thehefner]

Not the best image, but the only one I could find.

Homosexual? I don't think so, but the scenes with Cort could lend itself to that. I think psychopathicus_rex's reading above is more likely. He seems more angry at women for wanting to be anything other than silent and entirely subservient to his brilliance than anything due to being closeted. So it may just be you. :)

[althechi]

Ever since you brought up Hugo's head dent in the very first of your posts about him, I feel kind of disappointed that it doesn't really translate anywhere else - in this case it's become a bump.

Anyway, I should go and rediscover this story in full - it's somewhere in the house. =P

[thehefner]

The closest I think anyone's come to replicating it was in TAS, and subsequently the three-part Batman Adventures storyline, which I'll be posting next.