Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #12 (November 1990)

Back in January, I looked at Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #11 (September 1990), the first part of the Prey storyline. I remember really enjoying it, and seeing as a great start to the storyline. I was struggling to figure out what comic to look at this week, and I figured, why not follow up on a previous comic I reviewed? And then looking at more of the Prey storyline just came to me. That's literally why I'm looking at this comic this week.

Prey is a storyline that I never hear anyone talk about when it comes to Batman stories. To me, that's a shame as I think it's a great storyline and deserves more attention. You'd think DC would be giving more of their lesser-known Batman storylines some spotlight as he's their biggest cash cow. I mean, they've been doing those animated movies lately, Prey would be a good story to adapt. It' got a great psychological angle they can play with, and I think Hugo Strange is an intriguing villain.

And with that out of the way, let's take a look at Legends of the Dark Knight #12!

The cover's pretty neat. A Paul Gulacy piece, it depicts Batman fighting Manny "The Fish" Cardona in a bar. This is something that actually does happen in the comic. I can't help but be amused at the way Batman is engaging the crime boss. It's like they stumbled into an old-school wrestling videogame.

"Prey, Part Two: Dark Sides"
Writer: Doug Moench
Penciler: Paul Gulacy
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Andrew Helfer, Kevin Dooley
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with Batman...not having one of his best nights.

"I need a car. Oh GOD, I need a car..."

Yup. He couldn't catch the Fish, and he ended up making an enemy out of Max Cort. This all happened in the previous issue. And, in a bit of hilarity, he had to walk home because the wind made his glider useless. He really needs a more reliable form of transportation, like a Batmobile or something. You know, I can imagine Batman has had his fair share of nights like this, but doesn't like to admit it. Hal Jordan would never let him live it down.

Meanwhile, in his apartment, Hugo Strange is messing around in his homemade Batman cosplay.

"Boolah, boolah! I AM THE NIGHT! ...these trunks are riding up!"

He rants and raves about the rush of power he feels wearing the costume. However, he's standing on the ledge of a high building. And the high winds tend to be more powerful than a looney in a Batman suit. Strange nearly gets blown off the building. With great effort, he's able to grab the ledge and save himself, but it leaves him lamenting that he can't match the Bat in physicality, which only makes his envy stronger.

He makes it to his store mannequin girlfriend, who just sits and stares blankly. She is a mannequin, after all. But to Strange, she's so much more. He thinks she's laughing at him, that she enjoys seeing him nearly getting him killed. He angrily whacks the mannequin's head off. He then wonders if Batman feels the blows that he rains on criminals...and he figures maybe not.

Back at Wayne Manor, Alfred alerts Bruce to the usual mail he's getting. Bruce isn't interested...until one of the letters is an invitation to a small dinner party with Mayor Wilson Klass. Alfred already accepted, because he and Bruce were on the same wavelength, realizing Hugo Strange might be there, too. So, party time!

"So, you all like Huey Lewis and the News?"

Klass and Strange are discussing Batman, Hugo announcing he plans to attack the vigilante's ego through a media campaign. After all, the Batman is a big ol' narcissist, so that'll wound him. Bruce Wayne is there, and he's struck up a conversation with Catherine Klass, the Mayor's daughter. Mayor Klass asks Bruce what he thinks about Gotham's resident nocturnal defender. Bruce plays dumb, saying that he has no real interest in the subject. Also, isn't Hugo Strange the big Batman expert in the room?

Hugo agrees with this, saying that he thinks that for the Batman, the night gives him a feeling of ecstasy. He craves the night, as it allows Batman to be violent, which gives him pleasure. Catherine counters that regardless of the psychological motives, the Dark Knight is actually doing something about the crime problem in Gotham.  It's not hard to see her point of view. We've seen in the last issue that crime is a big problem in Gotham City, and the police can't handle it. Batman actually stops criminals. Klass is outraged, but Catherine retorts that the Bat is more man than anyone in the room. She measures a man by his deeds, and Batman's has won her respect.

Hugo Strange is intrigued and impressed by her attitude. He would love to discuss it further with her, but she's not up for it. The next day, Max Cort and his task force are interrogating a man about Batman, and his response is hilarious.

"I saw this cute Goth chick who claimed to be Death..."

He's clearly cracked in the head...but, considering that this is the DC Universe...he could be more right than you think. It's not a complete loss for Cort, though. Batman's bat-glider was found. It was lying on a roof about a block away from the warehouse where the task force made their big bust last night. Cort is thrilled, and demands the lab boys get on that. Captain James Gordon is watching this, and he's filled with worry. Cort has a raging hatred of the Batman, and he's becoming more obsessed with catching him. He's becoming a fanatic, and that's not good.

In her apartment, Catwoman is reading the paper, surrounded by cats. Cue the crazy cat lady jokes! A headline grabs her attention. It insinuates that she is Batman's partner. This enrages her, as she has no desire to be seen as anyone's partner. She tears up the newspaper.

In the Batcave, Bruce Wayne is watching the news. The newscaster announces that Hugo Strange states that the Batman was started by a serious crime. Bruce just heads back to his special project in the Batcave, not taking the bait. Meanwhile, Cort and his task force are preparing for some action on the town tonight.

"Ahhh, nothing like a big beautiful boomstick in your hand, right boys?"

Methinks Cort is overcompensating for something. They got the warrant to catch Manny "The Fish" Cardona, so they're going fishing! As for the extra hardware, well...Cort wants to be ready in case the Bat wants to bust him. Gordon reminds Cort that Batman has committed no capital crimes (basically nothing really extreme), so as such...no shooting. Cort is furious, but obeys the order.

Gordon then gets a visit from Batman. The Caped Crusader revealed he left a recorder at Cordona's home. It didn't pick up a single sound, so he has to be in hiding. Gordon's in a bit of a pickle, right now. Technically, Batman is breaking the law. Vigilantism is a crime. But the thing is...The Dark Knight is effective. He may be breaking the law...but he's doing it to uphold the law. Gordon warns Batman that Hugo Strange is getting close to him. The captain needs a way to contact the Caped Crusader. Maybe some kind of...Bat-Signal, perhaps?

Cort's men burst into Cardona's home...and it's empty. No one's been there for days, just like Batman discovered. But Cort doesn't mind: he's got a plan. The task force will camp out here, and they'll wait for their real target. After all, the Dark Knight has to be coming to check the place out, right? Maybe he'll like some s'mores.

Meanwhile, Batman has been searching for Cardona. Thanks to a very helpful informant, he learns that The Fish's new bowl is an apartment above the Skyline Bar in the Comstock section. Batman rewards him by tossing him in a nice warm dumpster full of trash. He'll be picked up on Tuesday. True to the helpful informant's word, Cardona is there entertaining a lady friend in the hot tub. He hears a noise and goes to investigate...while making sure he's armed, of course.

He goes down to the bar, where he gets a batarang to the hand, making him drop his gun. Cardona gets behind the bar and fires the shotgun hidden there. He and Batman end up having a brawl. It gets rather crazy, including Cardona taking a chair to the face, but the Dark Knight manages to win out. He informs Cardona's lady friend that the criminal's going to need some pants.

While this went down, Catwoman was robbing a woman's home. She uses her claws to wake the woman up, and she naturally screams at her. The cat burglar angrily tells the woman to make one thing clear: The Catwoman is not Batman's partner.

Dawn has come. And Max Cort's task force is miserable. They were waiting all night, and neither The Fish nor Batman showed up. An officer suggests that maybe Batman came by long before they did, and took out The Fish. Cort doubts it. In fact, he thinks that Batman was tipped off...

Catwoman sees a headline about Batman's fight with Cardona, and it insinuates he was trying to rob the tavern. She is enjoying this. Cort and his men head back to the police HQ. They get a surprise.

"So, we cool now? I caught your Fish."

The Bat has brought a peace offering: A tied-up Cardona. Max Cort is a proud man, though. A proud cop. And seeing the vigilante apprehend a criminal he was chasing? Well, his pride won't allow him to just say "Thank you" and take Cardona in. Despite Gordon's warning, Cort shoots at the vigilante. All he gets is a wrecked gargoyle. Cort roars in rage and smashes his gun. He orders his men to the roof. At his office, Hugo Strange calls Mayor Flass. He needs the complete police records on Batman, as the stuff he was given has some gaps. Some men take a large spotlight to the roof. That night, Gordon affixes a bat symbol to the spotlight, and turns it on.

"IT'S BEAUTIFULLLLL!"

Ladies and gentlemen, the first usage of the Bat-Signal. He keeps it on for a short time, because of the risk. Unknown to Gordon, Cort is watching him, and he spots Batman arriving on the roof. Gordon admits he made a mistake putting Cort in charge of the task force. After all, a man like him is easy to radicalize. Batman wounded his pride as a cop, and Cort values his pride. This may be the last time Gordon can speak to the vigilante, so he warns him of this: Strange is close. Real close...and there may be nothing Gordon can do about it.

Cort sneaks into Gordon's office and finds the files Hugo Strange had requested. All of this is worrying the Batman. Hugo Strange is turning the public against him, but that doesn't bother him too much. The problem is Gordon. Gordon is only real ally Bats has in the police department at this point. If Gordon can't help him, his job will be made much harder.

Cort also discovers the bat-symbol Gordon used as part of the Bat-Signal. The furious cop heads to Strange's apartment, where he's entertaining his mannequin.

"...*sigh* Mom was right, I need to go out more."

Yeah, it's as disturbing as it sounds. The doorbell makes him scramble to shove it in his closet. Cort gives Strange the missing files, and informs him Gordon suppressed them. Cort is an ambitious man, and he thinks Strange's connections to the Mayor can bring Gordon down...and if Cort gets promoted, that's a nice little bonus. Strange points out it will be Cort's word against Gordon's. As such, Strange has a better idea in mind. Cort is a big guy, and he's not the type to scare easily. As such, the story ends with Strange asking the sergeant one question: Is he as strong and athletic as he looks?

This comic was pretty good. We're getting to see how difficult it can be being a costumed crimefighter in a city that isn't quite used to them. Cort and Strange coming together in the end makes a lot of sense, considering both of them have an obsession with Batman. However, their obsessions are different. Hugo Strange envies Batman, sees him as a figure of power, power that he clearly desires for himself. Cort sees Batman as a mockery, a grievous insult to his pride as a police officer. The only real complaint I have about this comic is Catwoman. She doesn't really do anything very important in this particular comic. Just angrily tears up a newspaper and claws a woman's back. I think she was just there to reference Batman: Year One.

I love Paul Gulacy's art in this comic. It's detailed and intricate. I just enjoy looking at it so much. When it comes to reading a comic, nothing better than great art to go with a great story. Moench and Gulacy are magic together.

As I said, I recommend tracking down the 2012 trade paperback Batman: Prey if you want to read this yourself. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, please spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! And holy cow, I'm almost at 700 entries on this blog! That's incredible! Next time, we join Nick Fury as he pays homage to John McClane at sea...