Batman: Prey

Batman

by Doug Moench

Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. Published February 1992 by Titan Books, Uk first edition, 1st printing. Internally still very good - clean and bright contents and pages. Externally good - binding still good but worn/rubbed along all edges of covers and spine is cracked.

Genres: Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Bande Dessinée

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Doug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)

Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.

Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.

Reviews

[Sr3yas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern Batman #6

Let me clear the confusion. Our Dark Knight is not the hunter, but the prey in this story arc!

And the hunter?

The whole Gotham city: The public, the police, the government and a dark vigilante named Night Scourge!



And all this is happening because of one man: Doctor Hugo Strange. The psychiatrist who is incidentally, a psychopath.


This is one of the unique and early Batman story which unleashes a calculating Hugo Strange over a young Batman. Strange starts a physiological warfare on Dark Knight by painting him as a psychopath during a string of public interviews. Furthermore, he secures himself a position in vigilante task force as consulting criminal profiler. This puts him in the driver's seat of this whole affair!


The story shows why Hugo strange is such an effective Batman villain. Hell, he almost beat him in this story.

The plot is not without its faults. The middle chapters are not as good as the initial ones and the ending was a bit of a cheap trick. Nevertheless, there are some unique scenes with excellent 90s art which makes the story quite fascinating.

Also, Bruce had to walk back to his cave, in broad daylight, in costume.


A reminder that he is, after all, a man. A trait the modern writers keep on forgetting.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hidden gem that often goes untalked about, it's a perfect blend of psychoanalysis and gritty vigilante action. Hugo Strange allows for a more in-depth look at the Dark Knight, through both his own lens and deductions, and Bruce's conflicting thoughts over the scrutiny. A character piece as much as it is an action one, it's Batman at its near best.

[Mika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tell them the Catwoman is nobody's Partner

The bat-signal was used for the first time once more in this volume. Weird to read Gothic were it was ‘new’ and now also in Prey which follows right after.

Happy to see Selina who is also known as the Catwoman. Unfortunately though she looked unusual. I was certainly not a fan of the art style this time. While Gothic wasn't able to set the atmosphere correctly how it was supposed to be by using too much (colourful) colours, this time the faces look odd. I don't know, it's just not my taste.

In addition, I didn't like how each volume had at least one woman half-naked in it and sometimes even wearing a Bat mask.

I really liked the idea of writing a Batman story about his early days as Batman and his struggles to form a trusting bond with the citizens of Gotham City. It's a lot about Bruce's internal conflicts to keep real from fake apart as well as his self-doubt slowly eating him up. The villain in this story didn't necessarily have an own backstory but was rather obsessed with revealing Batman's real identity. Catwoman first appears in this volume set and also makes her important for the ending which was really cool.

If it wouldn't have been for the nudity and the art style (which I personally didn't like), I would have probably given this read 4 stars as it's more centered about Bruce Wayne himself than his villains.

StoryGraph review

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine collection. It deals with events rather early in Batman’s career. In fact, I suppose these could be considered “year one” events, since this collection depicts the first use of the bat signal. The Prey story was first published around 1990-1991 when I was at school and, needless to say, reading a lot of comics. It could be that my judgment is being clouded by nostalgia but I’d like to think that this isn’t the case.

Prey is actually quite violent. One of the challenges Batman faces here is a Vigilante called Night Scourge and the story shows how wearing a mask can amplify personality traits (for better or worse). Isolated from (Captain) Gordon and being driven over the edge by the psychological machinations of Hugo Strange, Prey features an all-too-human Caped Crusader who struggles to keep things together. The story also clearly illustrates the importance of James Gordon in the Batman mythos.

Recommended.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Stars

Really enjoyed this story. Batman always used to be one my main favourite DC character growing up and I never really cared for Hugo Strange throughout my years of being alive, after reading this I find him super underrated!

Individual issues rated below -

Legends of the Dark Knight #11: 4/5
Legends of the Dark Knight #12: 4/5
Legends of the Dark Knight #13: 3.5/5
Legends of the Dark Knight #14: 4/5
Legends of the Dark Knight #15: 4/5

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another subtly amazing tale of the early years of the Batman. Published circa 1993, the story takes us back to a very young Caped Crusader, shortly after the events of Year One. Bruce has not yet created a Batmobile (but he works on it, every chapter!), and the Bat Cave is closer to a hideout than a fully functioning crime lab.
The major plot is that Batman encounters Hugo Strange, here a psychologist with some twisted methods but obseeively fixated on The Batman. And Strange begins to insinuate himself into the Batman's psyche and Gotham's underworld to ruinous effect.
This volume collects Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #11-15. Chronologically, it follows Batman: Venom and comes before Batman: Collected Legends of the Dark Knight. With this chronology, we would have seen Dr. Hugo Strange previously in Batman and the Monster Men, but that was written later than Prey, so there are very few clues that Batman recalls him...
I run hot-and-cold over Prey. This is a less-certain Batman, a growing Batman, bested by circumstance and subtlety and his own weaknesses. But he's also a Batman with more room for good storytelling, for conflict and change and growth, and fewer constraints.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman is always seen prowling the night and hunting down criminals. But in this particular story, Batman is the one who is being hunted. New on crime fighting career, the Batman is still not in good terms with the Gotham Police. He is being hunted down by the police force for his unusual vigilante methods and for crimes he didn't commit.

The story starts off very strong. The psychoanalysis of Batman part was very interesting to read. It was amusing to see how many things Hugo Strange even got right. He was even wrong about many things. And that's the main point that many modern writers have overlooked. They base Batman on the exact same things that Hugo Strange was wrong about.

The art is great for most of the parts, especially the action scenes. But, I absolutely hated the Catwoman costume.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very solid read! So this is one of the post Crisis origin stories for Hugo Strange, until it got retconned in favour of Batman and the Monster Men (Both I fully recommend!). While this is a solid read there are parts of Strange's character I'm glad they got rid of *Cough Sex Doll Cough* (No jokes). So the story is set pretty much just after Year One, which are always a delight to read since its a great part of the Batman timeline. Batman is cleaning up the streets but the city doesn't know what to think of him; then the Mayor has the bright idea to start a Vigilante Task Force with Gordon as its lead and Hugo Strange as a 'Consultant'. The story although not written by Miller, still keeps that same vibe of Year One, which is something I appreciated, and like Year One we have monologues from Both Batman and Gordon which are fun to read. Artwork, although I had to get used to at first, was very nice, it suited the tone well! My only real issue is how Strange is portrayed, its just out right weird. I guess at the time they wanted to be edgy while at the same time make him as Eccentric as possible. There were moments that that made me laugh (As most readers probably will), but then it got to the point where I was thinking: "My god this stupid!". I don't know by the end he was not an intimidating villain, removing any real tension; he's more of joke villain then anything else, something I'm glad they changed later. But overall a nice Batman story!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman takes on Doctor Strange - no, not THAT one - in a plot that is reminiscent of one of those psychological thrillers ("Silence of the Lambs," "Basic Instinct" etc.) that were regularly churned out by Hollywood in the early / mid 90's. This book was released around the same time period. Coincidence? I think not. But it was a good story-line set during the Dark Knight's salad days, and there was a great debut (in this timeline, anyway) of the Batmobile.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted here!

I have been meaning to follow the Batman chronology for a while now, but I've only really come round to doing it fairly recently (this year, in fact). I love how, with every Batman story I read, I learn something new about him! Reading chronologically really helps, but I've been using this as my guide. As far as I know, there are no official DC listings for a Batman chronology, despite the wealth of comics about the Dark Knight that have been around for more than seventy years (Batman was first introducted in 1939). It suggested that after Batman: Year One (review here), I read Batman: Prey, so I dutifully obeyed.

Prey is estimated to occur shortly after Year One, so it is no surprise that we still see Batman as the dark, brooding hero coming to terms with his new mission as protector of Gotham City. Despite his best efforts to prove that he is actually one of the good guys, he is still a highly targeted vigilante for many of its citizens, particularly the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD). At the moment, his only friends (and the only ones who know his real identity as Bruce Wayne) are the ever-loyal butler, Alfred, and the detective-turned-captain James Gordon.

Prey begins with a police sting operation designed to catch a drug dealer who could reveal the syndicate behind it all. Before the GCPD could close in on the guy, though, Batman has shaken the guy and disrupted the whole operation. One of the officers, Max Cort, gets thoroughly infuriated by this and reports to an indifferent Gordon, who defends Batman by insisting that he is actually good for morale. In the next scene, Gordon is shown at a television show, being interviewed along with Gotham City Mayor Kauss and Dr. Hugo Strange, a well-known psychiatrist. Dr. Strange offers some insight against Batman, analyzing why he wears a costume, etc. The Mayor is very much impressed with him that he hires the man for his services in a newly-enforced "Task Force Vigilante" against Batman, unbeknownst to anyone in GCPD prior to Kauss's announcement on-air. Against Gordon's wishes, the Mayor assigns him as the head of said task force. As the story unravels, we get to see different sides of this Hugo Strange, as well as Max Cort, and even glimpses of Catwoman in between.

Even though I did not finish Prey in a day as planned, it stuck with me long enough for me to really get a kick out of it. I especially liked the latter parts, where the climax of the story is. The characters seemed very real, and were very convincing in their roles. Dr. Strange was, well, really strange, but more than that, he was downright creepy with his obsession and, to say the least, he was insane in the worst sense of the word. Max Cort proved to be as idiotic as Gordon thought he would be, all brawn with little brain, believing he could actually beat Batman! Tsk. As if. A thing that I would have liked to see more of was Catherine, the Mayor's daughter. She was established at the beginning to be a very opinionated woman, but later on she just served as a pawn in the power play between Dr. Strange and Batman. Her faith in the Dark Knight was pleasantly unexpected, which naturally made me want to see more of her in a setting that gave her freedom to do whatever she liked.

On the other hand, the art was, for me, exquisite. The illustrations by Paul Gulacy and Terry Austin and the coloring by Steve Oliff were brilliantly done, and the fact that it was made in the 90's made it even more impressive. I was rereading some parts of Prey for this review earlier and I thought, 'This is what comics should look like'. Probably part of what made me gush about the art was how I really love vintage style comics, especially from genuinely vintage comics. They just look so fine! Anyway, I really loved Prey. I was already dead set on loving Batman anyway, but reading stories like this made me remember why I love him so much. Really.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good early Batman adventure that introduces both the bat signal and batmobile.

It continues the thread of the police not trusting Batman while Doctor Hugo Strange attempts to uncover his identity.

I like seeing a younger, less experienced Batman who is fighting a more psychological battle against Strange and the police rather than the more theatrical villains.

[Malum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good continuation of Year One, and an interesting look at a villain going toe to toe with Bats using brains instead of brawn.

[Zofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5☆

[Bryham Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

He disfrutado enormemente esta historia, la tenía como pendiente y tuve un buen presentimiento desde que supe que tenía a Hugo Strange como villano junto con los posibles rumores en 2010 que lo ubicaban como posible inspiración de la trama de Batman Knight Rises ( cosa que lamentablemente no ocurrió).

La versión de Hugo Strange aquí es deliciosamente siniestra, presentando en las primeras viñetas a un enigmático psiquiatra deseoso por analizar al encapotado pero sin servir esto de antesala a lo que vendría después. Solo con verlo sabes que Strange oculta algo pero ¿Qué tan grande es lo escondido y hasta que punto su propósito admitido no es sino un eufemismo para un fetiche personal que lo desquicia por completo? Conforme avanza la historia todo a su alrededor se pone más y más turbio.

Pero al igual que las mejores historias de Hugo, Prey trata, en última instancia, del corazón y el alma del propio Batman y de su fortaleza reforzada con sus miedos y locura propia . Lo que lo hace tan gran villano es cómo empuja a Bruce al límite de lo que puede superar para que al final, el triunfo de Batman sea más que físico. Los golpes psicológicos que logra conectar a Bruce a lo largo de la historia son una auténtica salvajada.

[Doctorjimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Εξαιρετικο! Η καλυτερη ιστορια με τον Hugo Strange που εχω διαβασει μεχρι τωρα. Ολα ειναι απολαυστικα στο κομικ αυτο. Το σκιτσαρισμα ειναι λεπτομερες, με σκοτεινη αλλα ποικιλη παλετα χρωματων. Οι διαλογοι και ο τονος φερνουν στο νου τη noir αισθηση του Year One, ενω οι χαρακτηρες σωστα δομημενοι, ειτε μιλαμε για το arc του Batman, ο οποιος πρεπει να αντιμετωπισει τα μεσα, την αστυνομια και τις ιδιες του τις αμφιβολιες, του Strange, ο οποιος βλεπει τον Batman ως ανωτερο σεξουαλικα αντρα -πολυ ενδιαφερουσα η χιουμοριστικη κατευθυνση που πηρε η αναπτυξη του χαρακτηρα του, η του Max Cort, ενος αστυνομικου που θεωρει τον εαυτο του ως κατωτερο "κυνηγο" του εγκληματος απο τον Batman. Οι κακοι σε αυτο το κομικ απειλουν στα αληθεια τον Batman και η ρεαλιστικη κλιμακωση ειναι ταιριαστη με την pulp αισθηση του κομικ Γενικα, ο ρυθμος δεν ειναι γρηγορος, αλλα ισορροπει αναμεσα σε αργους διαλογους/μονολογους και καταιγιστικη δραση με δεξιοτεχνια.

Αν ηταν να βρω ενα αρνητικο, θα ηταν η γραμματοσειρα που χρησιμοποιειται στους μονολογους του Batman. Ειναι κουραστικο για τα ματια να εχεις τοση καλλιγραφια σε μεγαλους μονολογους!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say?
Following on the heels of the very deceiving Batman: Gothic storyline, we get Batman: Prey.

When you combine a pretty goood writer with years of experience in the Batman-comic-writing-field with an artist such as Paul Gulacy, another veteran... you're hoping to get something good.

They deliver...
Batman: P×R×E×Y` is just that, good!

[JD Comics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman: Prey, written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Paul Gulacy, is a Legends of the Dark Knight story so it is set in Batman’s early years. This is the story where the Bat-signal and Batmobile were first introduced in the modern age. I would buy this book for those reasons alone, but it gets better because this story also features Dr. Hugo Strange. I have said this several times already, Hugo Strange is really an underrated villain, and this is the story that made me fall in love with his character.

As I said, this story is set early in Batman’s career. Jim Gordon is still captain here, and the GCPD does not trust Batman yet. In fact, an anti-vigilante task force was created to capture Batman, and Jim Gordon was tasked to head it (awkward). Mayor Wilson Klass also asked Hugo Strange to be a consultant for the task force.

It was fun to see Strange correctly psychoanalyze and profile Batman during a live TV appearance, and you can clearly see that this struck a chord with Bruce Wayne. Strange might not be a match for Batman physically, but he is more than capable of attacking Batman’s psyche. Hugo Strange the psychiatrist who is completely obsessed with Batman is the quintessential Hugo Strange for me. I am not a fan of the mad scientist version who creates monster men.

The art in this story is great. Paul Gulacy is a very talented artist, and he draws action scenes really well. The only reason why I am not putting this story on the same level as the other all-time great Batman stories out there is because I am not a fan of the Night-Scourge part of the story that constitutes a huge chunk of the second half of the story. I wish Moench made Strange the sole antagonist of the story instead of introducing a one-off villain. Nevertheless, this is a Batman story that every Bat collector should have. The 2012 edition also collects Terror, another Legends of the Dark Knight story that also features Hugo Strange.

Chronology: I would read this after Batman and the Mad Monk.

Collects Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #11-15.

My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page

[Matias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugo Strange is such a good Batman villain, and this story serves as a great follow up to & The Monster Men. I was engaged throughout the entirety of this story, and read it all in one seating. The story was original and. stands out among the stories set early in Batman’s career. Bruce, Gordon, and Alfred all stand out in this and are greatly written as well.

[Ryan Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love early-career Batman stories, and this is a very solid duo of them, especially the title story “Prey.” This was surprisingly dark and twisted, with a lot of adult themes and imagery. Not a good choice to kick off your kid’s Bat collection, for sure. The dialogue is the weakest part, but the stories themselves manage to be quite good.

[Seb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This was badass, dark, and an amazing Batman book. Hugo Strange was a great villain. The deconstruction of Batman and Gordon’s character was really good. There was also great action. Overall, I loved it!

Highly recommend.

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read through single issues and Huge Strange is massively underrated villain.

[Andrew A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated now, and oft imitated , but a fun look at batman's psychology, Hugo strange an underutilised villian

Good art, solid action. A fun tale

[Joshua Montgomery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, now i have read five or six reviews for Batman: Prey, and to say the least, this book does not deserve a 5 star rating. The character dialogue is written in an unbelievable fashion ( like every individual is overacting their proposed character) and it becomes almost unbearable to keep reading on ( heavy in senseless prattle). The appeal is that the collection is set in Batmans early years, however the writers have written the Bat as a useless pawn for every antagonist in the collection. It seems not one of Bruce's theories about his mischievous opponents are correct. He runs into every situation with no planning, and no idea what he's doing. I understand it's his early years but the Bat is not a moron, he never would have survived so long without some understanding and wits. As well, he gets his ass kicked by nearly everyone he confronts. One of Bats strongest aspects is his physicality, its maddening to see him get beat by the Scarecrows "crane style martial arts" (an absolute joke) and everyone gets the jump on him. Stop turning your damn back to everyone! The plot for Prey is much more substantial than the following Terror, i will say that. The art style is ok, not my favorite but it has its moments ( especially with the Scarecrow). Batman: Prey however is still a Batman related collection and though i can't recommend it, i do believe you should read it, if not to only come to your own conclusions of this awkwardly written title. My e mail is creamdallabill@hotmail.com

[Davis Fritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman: Prey is a pretty entertaining Batman comic book story from the early 90s that takes place early in Bruce Wanye's time as a superhero. From the start, the story has a good understanding of Batman's motives and purpose. Since Bruce just recently became Batman, he is not very overpowered, which is nice to see. Additionally, it is interesting to see a version of Gotham, including the cops and the mayor, that is against Batman, which leads to some entertaining and difficult situations for Batman that we do not see much anymore.

The side characters of Gordon, Hugo Strange, and Max Cort are all well-crafted and interesting. They also fit the tone of the story. If you have played Batman: Arkham City and are interested in reading a story with Hugo Strange, this is a great one to read. However, Strange is a bit campier in this story, but he still feels pretty realistic and threatening to Batman. I thought the inclusion of Catwoman in the story was fine, but her presence did feel a little awkward and out of place. It almost feels as though the writers included her just because she was in Batman: Year One, which this story follows.

The art here is good but not great. There are not any panels or anything that is too memorable, but it is never bad. It fits the darker and rougher tone of the story. As a whole, this story is pretty good and has aspects for almost every kind of Batman fan. It has dark parts, campy parts, and intense parts. It is never anything mind-blowing, but it is entertaining throughout, 7/10.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't see the reason for any Batman fan to read this given the number of really good Batman stories out there. The plot was boring and predictable and full of tropes, there were numerous boring fight scenes in almost every issue / chapter, and the character development, which was virtually non-existent, was a re-tread of Year One. Unless you really care about the origin story of the Bat Signal, not worth reading.

[Brunò · Rating 3 out of 5]

English/Spanish review:

Hugo Strange is probably the first recurrent villain to ever appear on Batman series. On his first apparition he was a crazy scientist but Prey makes him a psychologist obsessed with Batman that'll use any twisted plan to force him reveal his identity.

One of his plans is to make a police officer who hates Batman a criminal to incriminate the vigilante of crimes, such as kidnapping the mayor's daughter, who didn't accept Strange's advances on her.
Night-Scourge, the officer who turns vigilante is such a stupid concept. Where does his abilities come from? He's just a policeman and he's able to beat dozens of criminals, use katanas like a pro, beat Catwoman and fighting Batman to the point of breaking one of his ribs and cut him with a blade. That doesn't make any sense. Editorials should have a rule against the crazy policeman goes murder vigilante plot, it just produces stupid and boring characters.



Talking about the mayor's daughter and Catwoman. My god this is such a horny series. Selina is in this story just for the sake of the artist to makw soft porn. There's so many scenes of Catwoman on suggestive poses. You can even see one of her nipples for god's sake. And the mayor's daughter is the same, portrayed on sexy poses when she's kidnapped.

Hated that cursive panels, had to make a serious effort to see what the fuck was being written. If you're going to use them, get a clearer typography.

And for such a "clever" villain Strange is, he falls by the oldest trick of the book at the end. All right, I didn't love Prey but it is a pretty enjoyable read. I like Strange as a villain. He's so hateable. And his guesses about Bats identity weren't that far from reality so that made this somewhat interesting. It's a pity much of the plot is wasted on the Night-Scourge.

Español:

Hugo Strange es probablemente el primer villano recurrente que alguna vez aparece en la serie de Batman. En su primera aparición era un científico loco pero Prey lo convierte en un psicólogo obsesionado con Batman que usará cualquier plan retorcido para obligarlo a revelar su identidad.

Uno de sus planes es convertir a un oficial de policía que odia a Batman en un criminal para incriminar al justiciero de delitos, como el secuestro de la hija del alcalde, quien no aceptó las insinuaciones de Strange sobre ella.
Night-Scourge, el oficial que se convierte en vigilante es un concepto tan estúpido. ¿De dónde vienen sus habilidades? Es solo un policía y es capaz de vencer a decenas de criminales, usar katanas como un profesional, vencer a Catwoman y luchar contra Batman hasta el punto de romper una de sus costillas y cortarlo con una cuchilla. Eso no tiene ningún sentido. Las editoriales deberían tener una regla contra el típico policía loco que se hace justiciero asesino, solo produce personajes estúpidos y aburridos.



Hablando de la hija del alcalde y Catwoman. Dios mío, esta es una serie tan horny. Selina está en esta historia solo para que el dibujante haga porno suave. Hay tantas escenas de Catwoman en poses sugerentes. Incluso puedes ver uno de sus pezones por Dios. Y la hija del alcalde es lo mismo, retratada en poses sexys cuando está secuestrada.

Odié esos paneles en cursiva, tuve que hacer un gran esfuerzo para ver qué carajo se estaba escribiendo, si vas a usarlos, consiguí una tipografía más clara.

Y para ser un villano tan "inteligente" como Strange, cae en el truco más antiguo del libro al final. De acuerdo, no me encanta Prey, pero es una lectura bastante pasable. Me gusta Strange como villano. Es tan odioso. Y sus conjeturas sobre la identidad Bats no estaban tan lejos de la realidad, por lo que hizo que esto fuera algo interesante. Es una pena que gran parte de la trama se desperdicie en Night-Scourge.

[Prisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ended up being a much longer read than expected. I love a good villain-cosplays-as-superhero-and-ruins-public-goodwill-for-him trope but what I think is most interesting about this volume (other than being the origin of the batmobile AND the bat signal) (bruce walking back home in the daylight has to be one of the funniest frames I've ever seen) is the proximity of Bruce to murder and what it actually means to him.

This volume, above many others, spends a lot of time analyzing Bruce's psyche and why he is the way that he is, by the virtue of Dr. Hugo Strange psychoanalyzing him and psychologically tormenting him. Everyone knows Bruce is against killing people, but in this volume, the cops kill again and again, and Bruce is not against this display of what he believes to be justice.

Given the digging up of his past through hallucinations, my hot take is that Bruce actually doesn't believe murder is evil, per se, because if he did, I think he would see how killing some of these villains would result in less murder in the future (which you would think a vigilante like him would conceive of pretty early on) or he would, at the very least, have a problem with capital punishment/the police killing people without trial (like they do to the Night Scourge, who could have been forced into this, for all we know).

However, it's made clear that Bruce doesn't care about police or other heroes or anyone that he considers "good" killing people. He only has a problem with HIMSELF killing. That can boil down to one of two explanations-- either he doesn't believe himself to be good on an intrinsic level, or his reluctance to kill has nothing to do with morality at all.

If it's the former option, that provides a very interesting lens to look at Batman comics through-- does Bruce see himself as a bad person committing necessary evils to protect innocent people, and he's just afraid that if he kills, it would not be a morally protected choice? Does he believe only "good" people can be justified in their murder?

Or, if it's the latter option, then I propose that he does not see murder as a moral act, but rather, a trait that distances him from the murderer of his parents. It's a wall that separates Bruce from his own trauma, not a moral status.

I tend towards the latter explanation, but I'm excited to see how the other volumes change my opinion on it.

[Epos Opus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Batman: Prey
Author: Doug Moench
Publisher: DC Comics
Format: Paperback
Pages: 125
Language: English
Published: 1992
Read and review: 2025
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4)


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Batman: Prey by Doug Moench.

This work shows how Gotham’s politics and its people can turn against Batman because they don’t understand him - whether he’s on the side of good or evil. In this story, the mayor declares that Batman is on the wrong side of the law and establishes a special police task force dedicated to capturing him. Gordon also struggles with the same issue, as his colleagues fail to see that his friend Batman is actually fighting for justice. Both Batman and Gordon continue their work, but avoiding the police, which of course makes their mission much more difficult.

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The story continues with the vigilante Dr. Hugo Strange who is now even more obsessed with understanding and surpassing Batman. When the mayor publicly debates Batman’s role in Gotham and announces a new task force to capture him, Strange is brought in as a psychological consultant. Commissioner Gordon, assigned to lead the unit, chooses Sergeant Max Cort as his subordinate - a rash and aggressive officer who harbors deep resentment toward both Gordon and Batman. Meanwhile, Catwoman is in the picture at night also, irritated that the media keeps portraying her as Batman’s partner in crime. Strange’s envy of Batman grows as he studies him from afar, resenting the physical and moral strength he can never match.

Sgt. Max Cort finds out that Gordon is protecting Batman. Cort goes to speak with Strange - he wants to bring Gordon down and take his position. Strange manipulates Cort’s anger, ultimately creating an armored suit for him and convincing him to become Gotham’s new vigilante “The Night Scourge.” Under Strange’s influence, Cort begins attacking criminals violently, spreading fear throughout the city in an attempt to discredit Batman. His descent escalates when, wearing a replica of Batman’s suit, he kidnaps the mayor’s daughter, hoping to frame Batman. Batman intervenes and exposes the truth. In the end, it’s revealed that both Dr. Strange and Cort were behind the chaos, their jealousy and obsession with Batman driving them to destroy the very city they claimed to protect.

[Emilce · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for Batman: Prey.

When I read that title, I was not expecting Batman to be the prey and Dr Strange to be the hunter. This story was an amazing thriller where almost everyone in Gotham is against the Batman and Bruce Wayne is questioning his own mental sanity as well as the purpose of his crusade, due to that opposition and those bloody mannequins of his parents that Strange placed in Wayne Mannor! That scene almost made me shout along with Bruce..

The story is full of thrill and suspense. It's quite violent too. Batman has to face not only Dr Strange, who is clearly obsessed with him to the point of insanity, but also the Night Scourge, a sergeant from the GCPD manipulated by Dr Strange in order to tarnish Batman's reputation. The last one fights with lethal methods (and the novel is pretty graphic about that, so keep that in mind).

Something I really liked is that during and after the fights we are constantly reminded that Batman is just a man. That is refreshing, for nowadays it seems like people is obsessed with portraying Bruce as an emotionless robot that constantly broods (at least, that's the impression I got from social media.) Yes, he is broody, but he is human. He even admits that he needs help. And this comic also highlights the importance of Captain Gordon's support and Alfred's, of course.

Although there's no special reason for Catwoman to appear in this comic, she appears in every single issue, and that alone makes me like this comic even more. (She's my fave, ok?).And she even saved Batman just in time! Surprising and awesome!

There are many things I'd like to say, but I don't know how to express them, so I'm just going to say that Batman: Prey is a must read for those who enjoyed Batman: Year One and those who are introducing themselves into Batman comics.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prey is a five-issue storyline that could be found in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. It is set during the early days of Batman's career as he is struggling to earn the trust of the public and form a working relationship with James Gordon, who is still just a police captain as they face Hugo Strange. Batman: Prey collects all five issues (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #11–15) of the 1989 series.

Bruce Wayne as Batman confronts Hugo Strange for the first time. Hugo Strange is a brilliant psychiatrist who holds a professional stake and a personal obsession in unraveling Batman's secrets, including his true identity. He foments a smear campaign to paint Batman as a dangerous madman, which causes Batman to question his own sanity as well as the plausibility of his mission.

Doug Moench penned the trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well. Moench does a good job creating a story in the early vigilante career of Bruce Wayne as Batman. He manages to nicely balances Batman's need to create trust with Gotham City and its officials while doing anything he could to protect it. Unfortunately, archrival Hugo Strange will stop at nothing to ruin his plans –both figuratively and literally.

Paul Galancy is the penciler for the trade paperback. Since he was the only penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. For the most part, Galancy has wonderfully depicted Gotham City as part dark and grimy city – a tad dated, but nicely done nevertheless.

All in all, Batman: Prey is an interesting storyline that delves deep into Bruce Wayne's ideology as he confronts Hugo Strange, a psychological genius villain.