As seen in Batman: Shaman, the Dark Knight is still establishing himself in Gotham. He has only been seen a few times and still remains in that limbo in which the difference between reality and urban legend is difficult to discern. It’s in this context that Captain James Gordon and psychiatrist Hugo Strange have a heated debate on a TV show. For Gordon, Batman “is actually good for morale. It doesn’t hurt, for some of the men, at least, to know we’re not out there on the street alone”, for Hugo Strange, on the contrary, the Caped Crusader is “obsessed with the night, with darkness. Perhaps obsessed with vengeance”.
Gotham’s mayor asks James Gordon to form a special task force in charge of arresting Batman, and to make things worse, Hugo Strange is appointed as a special consultant. There is an intense and subtle game of power, and thanks to Moench’s remarkable script, every character has a unique voice and a particular strength: Sargeant Max Cort is a fanatic, obsessed with bringing down Batman; Hugo Strange is a deeply disturbed individual whose unhealthy behavior is hidden under the mask of a respectable psychiatrist; Batman is a man who will keep on fighting even if that means he’ll fall in the hands of Cort and Strange; and James Gordon is the voice of reason and temperance, but at the same time is the only man willing to help Batman, even if that might cost him his career in the Gotham City Police Department.
For Batman, James Gordon is the only man who understands why he fights crime as an anonymous vigilante, but at the same time, Strange’s words are so sharp that inflict a deep wound within his psyche. Batman understands how dangerous a renowned psychiatrist like Strange can be: “He’s already turning the public against me… even Gordon is now questioning my motives and methods. And if I lose Gordon… it may all be over”.
Moench also explores the complicated and often conflictive relationship between Batman and Catwoman, and in Prey, the writer also introduces a new element: Scourge, a third masked vigilante, as tough and as effective as Batman. There is an extraordinary sequence in which Batman has to fight in broad daylight, and he realizes how ineffectual he is out of his element: the night. One of the most haunting moments, however, takes place when Hugo Strange breaks down Bruce Wayne’s emotional barriers, not only mentally but physically. Strange invades Wayne’s manor, overpowers Alfred Pennyworth, and when Batman is weakened and bruised, attacks him mercilessly. In the end, the real battle plays out in Bruce Wayne’s mind, and his resilience is the only thing that (along with Alfred’s help) allows him to deal with his feelings.
Traumatic past / pasado traumático |
Wayne Manor / la mansión Wayne |
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Uno de los aspectos más fascinantes del mito de Batman es la génesis de su cruzada contra el crimen. Todos sabemos que Thomas y Martha Wayne fueron asesinados frente a un Bruce Wayne de 8 años, un evento traumático que nunca podría olvidarse o perdonarse. Pero, ¿qué significa, en términos psicológicos, sobrevivir a este tipo de tragedia? Esa es precisamente la pregunta que Doug Moench intenta responder en Batman: Prey (publicado en Legends of the Dark Knight # 11-15, de setiembre de 1990 a febrero de 1991).
James Gordon |
Hugo Strange |
Scourge |
Catwoman |
The mansion is under siege / la mansión está bajo asedio |