Well... between Steven Strange, Adam Strange and Hugo Strange, I always had a preference for Adam. But I never disliked any Strange character in the comics I read.
When I was a teenager my Dad was making wisecracks about me reading comics, and then, to his credit, he sat down with a stack of what I was reading - which included this arc. He didn't joke after that (much) and would occasionally ask for the next issue for some of them. And he started watching Dr. Who with me. :)
What's ironic is Catwoman had a similar brake down of her past by someone who didn't know her too. Right after the big quake, Selena hightailed it out of Gotham. She's relaxing on a beach listening to a hellfire and brimstone televangelist describe her past so accurately it triggers Catwoman to reevaluate her life.
"Later on, Dr. Hugo Strange became a silent investor into RealDoll products." LOL!! His classic 80's storyline (the one that introduced Silver St. Cloud and reintroduced Deadshot) is still great!!
I think Prey is one of the best Batman stories. And would love to see a ''The Batman 2'' based on it. Hugo is a really interesting and not very known Batman villain, and, honestly, I'm already sick and tired of the Joker
I feel the best Batman villain stories are those that feature characters with intellect. Some one that Batman cannot simply punch his way through. And that's always the case with Hugo Strange.
Funny how most of Strange's fights with Batman end with him "dying" until his next appearance, as he knowing Bruce's identity makes him a menace too OP to just send him to Arkham
The thing that makes Hugo Strange a great Batman villain isn't just the character himself. What is fascinating about him is that unlike many other of Batman's rogues gallery he only had a handful of appearances over the course of several decades. But all of the stories that he does appear in can be counted some of the best and most fascinating of the Batman comics.
The idea that the choice to have an explicitly bad character do something constitutes a demonstration of approval of that thing is genuinely one of the most batshit memes that's taken hold of folks in the last decade or so.
Yeah, if you're writing a villain, why would the villain have the same beliefs and values as the author? That would raise questions as to why the villains are evil in the first place and could accidentally end up demonizing the author's real values. The bad guys need to be bad, so the heroes can look good. It's why modern stories don't seem to have interesting villains anymore, or they seem more sympathetic than heroes now.
I think/hope most people would say it's a matter of execution - if someone does a bad thing as a demonstration of their badness, or for dark humour, or to progress the plot, that's one thing, if someone does something bad to look cool or to deliberately upset the sort of people the author doesn't like, or as an obvious power fantasy, that's another. For instance, in Breaking Bad the dramatic tension comes from a main character who's so absurdly intelligent in some ways being too self centred and stupid to care about the damage he does - if it was just about on how cool it is to be a cool dealer, don't you wish you could be like this guy, it would be a vastly inferior show (it would also be the show some people thought they were watching, somehow!). Depiction is not the same as endorsement, but it ought to at least be done with a little bit of care and attention. Good media uses subtext deliberately to reinforce its themes, bad media does it by accident and undermines them.
Honestly this arc was really interesting, and it’s interesting to see the artist heavily deconstruct 1980’s vigilante films he seen a lot and called them ‘extreme to rather insane degrees.’ But also, Hugo Strange is in love with his bat girlfriend who came in the plastic container.
I never talk to my mannequin. That's just crazy. :D Seriously, that is a lot of layering indeed. Strange can't dominate Batman physically, so he in effect turns him into a woman, whom, in his own mind at least, he CAN dominate physically. Very good writing. The dialogue is strong as well, as when Strange donned the Batman costume. Great video, but I kept waiting for the Cheetah to appear (great shirt)!
Hugo Strange is the most underrated Batman villain. He is also used very sparingly which keeps his mystique in tact ( mostly). Unlike the Joker who is used to the point that I am tired of him. He is grounded but still a real threat to Batman and others. He isn't some roided out tactical genius or a thousand year old assassin. He is part of the social elite that Bruce is forced to inhabit and can sway and manipulate the right people at the right time. No guns or bombs or bombastic plots. He can't even begin to take him in a fight but can make his life a living hell in so many ways. I would love to see a movie trilogy or streaming series where he is the real threat behind the scenes but he is not very toygenic.
Interestingly, in the Earth Two continuity, Strange was left paralyzed after the fall he suffered during his first fight against Batman. Despite being smart enough to still commit crimes, Strange finally realizes how much he destroyed his own life with his actions and kilks himself
Really love the short-film adaptation of Hugo Strange's first story called "Strange Days" (made by Bruce Timm to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Batman) , specially how, after Strange presumably falls to his death, Golden Age Batman states the menace is over just for now, making a reference to the doctor's return many decades later
I sometimes forget how interesting Hugo Strange is as an antagonist, part of that comes from his generic mad scientist look. "Prey" definitely comes off like it best showcases how messed up he can get.
Well first, it’s okay to portray women in this way if there’s a purpose. The purpose in this case shows Hugo’s character and views towards women. It’s not comfortable but that’s the point. If you feel grossed out by it then it worked as intended imo
i will be completely honest, for me, in the end isn't about purpose but what people are okay with at the given time. That line of thinking where something to be acceptable must follow some arbitrary rules to be shown becomes only serves to become fuel for the generational discussions on the likes of "video games make kids violent" and so forth. All rhetoric that leads to nothing good
A lot of people these days seem to not understand that protraying something doesn't mean you are condoning or promoting it. It's kinda hard to get across someone is a dangerous creep without showing them being creepy after all.
@@MuffinHunterX If this was a movie, it would be a pycho-sexual thriller. It fits the characters and the story being told. Since they don't make original or good movies anymore, too many people know this was a thing.
@2:54 Took me only 27 years to realize that this scene may have been riffed on by the first live-action "The Tick" TV show, in the episode where Arthur gets committed to an asylum by his family due to his superhero antics, and at the end he catches the head of the asylum (played by Dave Foley) dressed in Arthur's moth costume, pretending to fly around his office 😄
I've been a Hugo Strange fan ever since I saw Frank Gorshin's, and later Richard Green's, version in The Batman. To me, he's one of the more terrifying villains the Dark Knight has ever faced, and it's about time he got some respect to his name again. Wonderful video.
I can understand someone being turned off from reading a story like this because it goes so intense with the fear and portrayal of violence against women. I don't think I'd want to read something that constantly dwelled on it and kept bringing the story back there. But I don't think these kinds of story elements should be kept off the table, especially in a genre like superhero comics where we explore dark subject matter and the main characters are trying to save people from villains.
This might be my own preference, but I feel they could have pushed it further by Strange getting a male mannequin (maybe not, if the stigma in the 90’s is that bad). There would still be a sexual element, but it would be to explore more Hugo’s attempt to further proceed to understand the Batman (or so he thinks). But the mannequin would be somewhat imperfect because the build is not right and the posing just wouldn’t be right and Hugo could fly into a mad rage and start beating at the male mannequin. It is absolutely intriguing to see how obsession can devolve the psyche and how someone can put on a figurative mask to keep people from being suspicious, save for anyone who actually pays attention to Hugo’s actions closely.
The mannequin reminds me of Clayface III and his Helena. And that's not necessarily good, because it seems too derivative for Hugo Strange. Hugo's obsession with Batman fits right into the Steve Englehart stories, so that's great.
love your analysis. I'm using parts of your videos to teach students how to do primary source analysis and how to critically analyze a source. I then tell them to watch more of you.
I was introduced to Hugo Strange as a kid via his "return" in Detective Comics in the 70s. I didn't know he'd been gone. He's always been a great character.
This panel stopped me in my tracks and I had to see this video right now. This series of yours just gets better and better. The Powergirl face lick still disturbs me. Also love your Batman voice.
This video got me to subscribe. The cursed panel as a way to get in to some of the less well known stories is an excellent idea and I'm looking forward to future installments. I read this story as it came out and I was a comic reader at that time. Misogyny was rampant at the time as this was the era that created the "Girlfriend in the refrigerator" trope. While this panel is totally an example of that I can say that it did have a purpose in the story because it a big step on the way to showing you exactly how screwed up Hugo Strange is. Thanks for reminding me of this story from my youth.
I really loved Strange's episode from the 90's Batnan cartoon show. That said, it's pretty sad he only made after that a small cameo in Justice League Unlimited, even though he was at first planned to have an important role in the Cadmus arc
Seeing Hugos suit reminds me of Arkham Citys reference to it where Riddler uses it as a threat but then Hugo just reads Riddler and lays him out as he hangs up the phone.
I always thought Punchline would have been a better foil to Hugo Strange rather than Joker. There's a manipulative streak in both that always struck me as a better match and a better use of both characters in the current storylines for both. Also, that top is *everything*. I don't know who came up with the idea for it, but they deserve all the gold stars.
I really loved this story, (quite like the featured panel, amusing) mostly due to Paul Gulacy's amazing inking, but ever since Marshal Roger's work on Hugo Strange I ve wanted to know that villain better; I suspect that he has much untapped potential as a major Bats villain, cuz, u know, psychological; everything in the bats universe is soooo psychological really.
Makes sense that the person who wrote Moon Knight would write a Batman story where someone accuses him of having a split personality. (also, Moon Knight frequently spoke to a statue while his girlfriend was depicted mostly sitting around the moon mansion hanging out in lingerie so it's like his MK run was practice for this arc)
Sasha, I just watched the HUgo Strange video and enjoyed it very much!! If you enjoyed (if that's the right word..) the LODK issues, you may also be intrigued by LODK #' 39 and 40, which also involves some aspects of psychology. In these issues Batman is held prisoner and the attempt is to convince him that Batman was a delusion of Bruce rather than a feared being of the night. Nice to hear the "bat-voice" again (*CHORTLE*). I am learning tons of DC comics stuff, so this is fun!!(Usually I read more Marvel, so this is largely new to me!)
Now this was a good, intelligent comic. Hugo Strange has been sorely underutilized in live-action. He seems like he would have made a perfect villain for Chris Nolan.
Probably my favorite of your cursed panels video so far. I don't know much about Strange, and this is such a fascinating arc. Thanks for talking about this. Excited for the next one :)
Great video! I would really like to see your reaction to other arcs within the 1990s "Legends of the Dark Knight". It was the first Batman comic I read regularly and it largely defined many characters in the Bat-mythos for me.
One of my favourite Bat stories ever. Because it was one of my first. At the time I was just getting into Dc as a result of Batman 1989. I can't recall exactly why I picked issue eleven up. But I did. And I loved it. It was gripping stuff from the off. Plus the art blew me away. In those days I could count how many comics I was reading on the fingers of one hand. So the wait for the next issue was always long. Not so now when I've got so much on my pile. But I remember how excited I was when said net issues did come out, and my rush to find somewhere to sit down and get them read. So a very great story and fond memories for me.
I can absolutely support people who don’t like seeing a lot of media that puts women in a victim position because they’re worried it will perpetuate those kind of activities. I always come back the idea that comic book isn’t going to make you do a thing, but if you were already going to do a thing, any form of media can give you ideas on how to do it. Unfortunately, there’s no way to control Which person is going to read any given piece of content, except maybe to put age restrictions on sales. But even then, it’s not gonna stop it. Where I have difficulty is when people on the one hand get angry about women being shown as victims, but on the other hand Lim about in the real world how women can’t defend themselves against men. It seems to me that both these ideas can’t live at the same time in the same space. In other words, if women are vulnerable, then stories about women being vulnerable reflect reality. But stories about women being vulnerable don’t reflect reality, then how can we suggest that women are vulnerable in real life? Of course the truth is every individual has a different experience, in the way a story is portrayed makes a difference. In other words, if a story Shows a man as a hero for victimizing a woman, then that is reprehensible, and is only acceptable if it has some philosophical point that’s being made. In a country with free speech, we have to pay attention to the nuances, but if you want to be angry at someone deified for abusing women, I can absolutely support that. On the other hand, I have long thought that encouraging women to defend themselves in the same way that society encourages men to do that would make a huge difference in the female population overall perspective on their feeling of safety. After all, even men walking into a dark alley are subject to being Beaten robbed and killed. It’s just that we have this image of men being more able to defend themselves, and women don’t tend to attack men for sex. That disbalance leads to a lot of the strife that is gendered in our society. But now the world where every young girl is taught martial arts. Where women are empowered to defend themselves with skill, and to use a larger attackers weight against them. In a society where every woman is taught not just how to blow a whistle or punch a guy in the nuts, but to actually be capable of offensive attacks with confidence.even the stupidest of misogynist men would think twice about attacking a woman, wondering how skilled she might actually be.
Give me the link to where I can get that sweater. I LOVE it! And I love how you actually EXPLAIN the purpose of these panels that makes rhem much less cursed and more "Aaaah, so that's how it works."
What was going on the the late 80s? In 1987, Clayface fell in love with a mannequin he named "Helena" (in Batman annual 11), now we get Hugo Strange, too. Odd trend.
The first 20 sec of this video is mind boggling- and the least of it is the “double cheetah”. Followed by depth and nuanced discussion of the issues. Love this channel. Thank you!
If they commit to making a sequel to The Batman, this would make a great stepping stone for the plot. I would love to see their series' take on Strange in today's post Dr.Phil and pop psychologist/doctors world. It would also work well with some of the ideas in the first movie since it setup that Batman is the main identity and Bruce is never involved with the city or a personal life so Strange's analysis would hit Batman harder along with the threat to uncovering his identity.
This should be The Batman sequel Matt Reeves take as an inspiration, for his incarnation of Batman hes been doing. Another of his villains who attacks Batman psychologically. Someone he can just punch away and ends with him, resolving some of his issues. Sounds like an interesting read.
That looks darned interesting. Suspense, crime, psychological horror (maybe) and one of the top detectives of dc comics batman. Yes I need to put on my TBR list
Batman: Prey was awesome. I've got fond memories of it. I need to re-read it. Kind of was retconned with Batman and The Monster Man which is also great
Loved that era. The Moench/Gulacy team was as good as Claremont/Byrne. You should do a report on their Master of Kung Fu stories or the Six From Sirius series.
I've always assumed Gordon doesn't know Batman's identity. Or he has an idea but is wrong. I DO think Bullock knows... but he knows that Batman knows Harvey doctored his own record to make him seem more corrupt than he is... to help with all his undercover work.
I think what makes Hugo Strange so compelling is in part that he envies Batman's physical prowess and the freedom which Strange thinks Batman enjoys when he goes after criminals...when Bruce Wayne likely would have traded the idea of being Batman for his parents in a second. Strange does not understand that Batman is not who Bruce Wayne wants to be, it's what he feels he is compelled to be, he might even feel trapped. Strange only sees the superficial elements and he wants to emulate Batman as a result, which is why he has occasionally dressed up as Batman himself in some stories. Strange also has deep insecurities about himself and his own accomplishments. He does not take rejection well, especially by women who he assumes are all superficial and who he thinks need to be seen and not heard, which is why he feels most comfortable talking to a silent mannequin.
the thumbnail even knowing how crazy gold and silver age comics are and can be still confused me although i thought it wasn't a mannequin till u said in beginning so
I know most don't consider this a "Classic" but I love this era of comics, right before "Extreme 90's" became a thing. A classic team all around at the helm, from Denny O'Neill editing, Moench writing and Gulacy on pencils. The LOTDK format yielded some cool and interesting stories that didn't always have to fit canon, though some things got brought into mainline continuity. Bane's "venom" finds its origins in LOTDK. Very much wish they would do a Superman series with the same format with rotating creative teams.
I love this story arc. Came out during a time I wasn't interested in comics and only caught up to it decades later via the trades. It was good to see Gulacy's work again. Loved his stuff since the Master of Kung Fu days in the mid-70s.
6:25 -- Huh... an interesting idea? What if Bruce's parents weren't killed at night in a dirty alley (swell idea, Thomas) but rather in broad daylight? How would that affect Bruce's evolution as a masked crimefighter?
Getting some real 70s exploitation movie vibes off of this story, and Gulacy's art is perfect for that with his greasy, hyperreal style. Your video makes me want to check it out. Strange makes for a way more compelling foe for Bats than Joker, who also operates on a similar kind of psychosexual relationship with Batman, but badly imo. The only problem with Strange is that he really can't be used as a recurring foe because his threat is his intellect. He's smart enough to figure out Bats' identity and threaten Bruce's sanity, and unfortunately that's a story that can only be told once.
I read this when it first came out and absolutely loved it. Hugo Strange is a deep character and “Prey” did a great job of showing just how dangerous and deranged he is. To the point of the sexual and violent elements, I saw it at the time and today that it plays more into the backstory than glorifying either. Batman is a dark character, so his intellectual equal would also delve into those same dark places.
The scene where strange is envious of Batman's athleticism is severely undercut by both the art rendering him cut af and writing him catching himself falling off the ledge and muscling himself back up to safety. Unless that was the point? I don't think that was the point.
This came out during the absolute peak of my comic-reading years! It does indeed 90's hard, but when you look at what other 90's comics were doing - grimaces, anti-heroes, pouches... it could have been FAR worse.
I'm a fan of pre-Crisis PROFESSOR Hugo Strange. My main problem with this story (and its contemporaries) is the insistence that it follows Miller's Year One (post-Crisis) continuity. If a more "timeless" approach had been taken, if the elements of this tale had been tailored more to the original Golden Age stories, then I'd probably like it more. Still, the Gulacy art is brilliant (as it always is). As for the women-as-victims trope, would the critics prefer children being targeted by the bad guys? There aren't that many options to cast as victims of violent (potentially deadly) crime that are essential to detective/super-hero stories: adult men, adult women, and children.
If I get this right, DC writers in the 90s took a mad scientist from the 40s and made him into 60s Mysterio from Spider-man. It looks like the cutoff point is where the comic comes out and says "There's no way Strange can do the costume thing" which is kind of a pity because it needs Strange to don his own persona, something always missing from the character. He made the Nightscourge? He should have been the Nightscourge. OK, something less nineties, more strange, odd. The Stranger. Too on the nose.... The Oddity.
In a modern era I think this would be a FANTASTIC story to revisit in an animated movie, or live-action if I had any faith that live-action DC people could handle it correctly, they always seem to give the animated movies way more leeway. Definitely some of the 90's edge would need to be retooled, we don't need super sharp nipple cat woman, lol.
Are You A Fan Of Hugo Strange?
Only the Arkham City version of him, but only due to the voice acting done by the va.
Yes I am.
Well... between Steven Strange, Adam Strange and Hugo Strange, I always had a preference for Adam. But I never disliked any Strange character in the comics I read.
I liked him in Arkham Origins, but he does feel like a character who is hard to come up wit new things for.
Like him okay.
Strange was looking to get up in them bat-guts. Even back in the golden age he was all about leather and whips!
The Golden Age was extra kinky. Look at Wonder Woman.
I love that sweater
Bat guts haha brah
I want to like this comment, but 69 likes is the perfect number for it lol
Strange is going to rearrange the hierarchy of dominance among other things👀
I like how Bruce is lying on his couch like Strange is his actual psychiatrist.
Speaking of Hugo Strange, how about a retrospective. For such an big figure in the Batman mythos, he is relatively unknown amongst many fans.
I'd be very interested in hearing her thougths on Batman And The Monster Men
Not enough respect for arguably Batman's first supervillain.
Ye this
The more I learn about this Strange fellow the more peculiar he seems.
weird, even
Abnormal you could say.
Bizarre, perhaps
When I was a teenager my Dad was making wisecracks about me reading comics, and then, to his credit, he sat down with a stack of what I was reading - which included this arc. He didn't joke after that (much) and would occasionally ask for the next issue for some of them. And he started watching Dr. Who with me. :)
At least his worry helped him spend more time with you!
What's ironic is Catwoman had a similar brake down of her past by someone who didn't know her too. Right after the big quake, Selena hightailed it out of Gotham. She's relaxing on a beach listening to a hellfire and brimstone televangelist describe her past so accurately it triggers Catwoman to reevaluate her life.
"Later on, Dr. Hugo Strange became a silent investor into RealDoll products." LOL!! His classic 80's storyline (the one that introduced Silver St. Cloud and reintroduced Deadshot) is still great!!
Ghost arc!
I think Prey is one of the best Batman stories. And would love to see a ''The Batman 2'' based on it. Hugo is a really interesting and not very known Batman villain, and, honestly, I'm already sick and tired of the Joker
He's also the earliest Batman villain in his main rogue's gallery, and deserves the push.
I feel the best Batman villain stories are those that feature characters with intellect. Some one that Batman cannot simply punch his way through. And that's always the case with Hugo Strange.
Ooo yea
Funny how most of Strange's fights with Batman end with him "dying" until his next appearance, as he knowing Bruce's identity makes him a menace too OP to just send him to Arkham
The thing that makes Hugo Strange a great Batman villain isn't just the character himself. What is fascinating about him is that unlike many other of Batman's rogues gallery he only had a handful of appearances over the course of several decades. But all of the stories that he does appear in can be counted some of the best and most fascinating of the Batman comics.
The idea that the choice to have an explicitly bad character do something constitutes a demonstration of approval of that thing is genuinely one of the most batshit memes that's taken hold of folks in the last decade or so.
Yeah, if you're writing a villain, why would the villain have the same beliefs and values as the author? That would raise questions as to why the villains are evil in the first place and could accidentally end up demonizing the author's real values. The bad guys need to be bad, so the heroes can look good. It's why modern stories don't seem to have interesting villains anymore, or they seem more sympathetic than heroes now.
I think/hope most people would say it's a matter of execution - if someone does a bad thing as a demonstration of their badness, or for dark humour, or to progress the plot, that's one thing, if someone does something bad to look cool or to deliberately upset the sort of people the author doesn't like, or as an obvious power fantasy, that's another. For instance, in Breaking Bad the dramatic tension comes from a main character who's so absurdly intelligent in some ways being too self centred and stupid to care about the damage he does - if it was just about on how cool it is to be a cool dealer, don't you wish you could be like this guy, it would be a vastly inferior show (it would also be the show some people thought they were watching, somehow!).
Depiction is not the same as endorsement, but it ought to at least be done with a little bit of care and attention. Good media uses subtext deliberately to reinforce its themes, bad media does it by accident and undermines them.
The bezerk fandom.. sigh and I barley knew thee and they turned to Griffith.
Living for this series, the thumbnails always leave me going W h y.
Honestly this arc was really interesting, and it’s interesting to see the artist heavily deconstruct 1980’s vigilante films he seen a lot and called them ‘extreme to rather insane degrees.’ But also, Hugo Strange is in love with his bat girlfriend who came in the plastic container.
I never talk to my mannequin. That's just crazy. :D Seriously, that is a lot of layering indeed. Strange can't dominate Batman physically, so he in effect turns him into a woman, whom, in his own mind at least, he CAN dominate physically. Very good writing. The dialogue is strong as well, as when Strange donned the Batman costume. Great video, but I kept waiting for the Cheetah to appear (great shirt)!
Funny thought Strange was just originally from San Francisco??
Hugo Strange is the most underrated Batman villain. He is also used very sparingly which keeps his mystique in tact ( mostly). Unlike the Joker who is used to the point that I am tired of him. He is grounded but still a real threat to Batman and others. He isn't some roided out tactical genius or a thousand year old assassin. He is part of the social elite that Bruce is forced to inhabit and can sway and manipulate the right people at the right time. No guns or bombs or bombastic plots. He can't even begin to take him in a fight but can make his life a living hell in so many ways. I would love to see a movie trilogy or streaming series where he is the real threat behind the scenes but he is not very toygenic.
Hugo Strange is really similar to a lot of definitely early psychologists when it comes to ethnics.
Seriously. If Freud had criminal ambition and wore his madness more loudly, he'd basically be Strange.
Interestingly, in the Earth Two continuity, Strange was left paralyzed after the fall he suffered during his first fight against Batman. Despite being smart enough to still commit crimes, Strange finally realizes how much he destroyed his own life with his actions and kilks himself
Hugo Strange, with that name he was doomed from birth. Nice leopard sleeves by the way.
Love the sweater and the symmetry with your hair.
Surprised those didn't show up during one of the Catwoman videos!!Either that or Lois the Jungle Girl!!
Really love the short-film adaptation of Hugo Strange's first story called "Strange Days" (made by Bruce Timm to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Batman) , specially how, after Strange presumably falls to his death, Golden Age Batman states the menace is over just for now, making a reference to the doctor's return many decades later
I sometimes forget how interesting Hugo Strange is as an antagonist, part of that comes from his generic mad scientist look. "Prey" definitely comes off like it best showcases how messed up he can get.
I remember this story. I always assumed that all the repressed sex was supposed to be a reference to psychoanalysis.
Well first, it’s okay to portray women in this way if there’s a purpose. The purpose in this case shows Hugo’s character and views towards women. It’s not comfortable but that’s the point. If you feel grossed out by it then it worked as intended imo
i will be completely honest, for me, in the end isn't about purpose but what people are okay with at the given time. That line of thinking where something to be acceptable must follow some arbitrary rules to be shown becomes only serves to become fuel for the generational discussions on the likes of "video games make kids violent" and so forth. All rhetoric that leads to nothing good
A lot of people these days seem to not understand that protraying something doesn't mean you are condoning or promoting it.
It's kinda hard to get across someone is a dangerous creep without showing them being creepy after all.
@@MuffinHunterX If this was a movie, it would be a pycho-sexual thriller. It fits the characters and the story being told.
Since they don't make original or good movies anymore, too many people know this was a thing.
@2:54 Took me only 27 years to realize that this scene may have been riffed on by the first live-action "The Tick" TV show, in the episode where Arthur gets committed to an asylum by his family due to his superhero antics, and at the end he catches the head of the asylum (played by Dave Foley) dressed in Arthur's moth costume, pretending to fly around his office 😄
I've been a Hugo Strange fan ever since I saw Frank Gorshin's, and later Richard Green's, version in The Batman. To me, he's one of the more terrifying villains the Dark Knight has ever faced, and it's about time he got some respect to his name again. Wonderful video.
Has to be said again, this Cursed Panels series is the best work you've done.
I can understand someone being turned off from reading a story like this because it goes so intense with the fear and portrayal of violence against women. I don't think I'd want to read something that constantly dwelled on it and kept bringing the story back there. But I don't think these kinds of story elements should be kept off the table, especially in a genre like superhero comics where we explore dark subject matter and the main characters are trying to save people from villains.
This might be my own preference, but I feel they could have pushed it further by Strange getting a male mannequin (maybe not, if the stigma in the 90’s is that bad). There would still be a sexual element, but it would be to explore more Hugo’s attempt to further proceed to understand the Batman (or so he thinks). But the mannequin would be somewhat imperfect because the build is not right and the posing just wouldn’t be right and Hugo could fly into a mad rage and start beating at the male mannequin. It is absolutely intriguing to see how obsession can devolve the psyche and how someone can put on a figurative mask to keep people from being suspicious, save for anyone who actually pays attention to Hugo’s actions closely.
Oh, so it's Hugo Strange, for a moment I really thought it was Andrew Tate.
The mannequin reminds me of Clayface III and his Helena. And that's not necessarily good, because it seems too derivative for Hugo Strange. Hugo's obsession with Batman fits right into the Steve Englehart stories, so that's great.
You are my favorite comic book UA-camr bc you go through the subtext and themes in a way a lot of surface level UA-camrs don’t
love your analysis. I'm using parts of your videos to teach students how to do primary source analysis and how to critically analyze a source. I then tell them to watch more of you.
I was introduced to Hugo Strange as a kid via his "return" in Detective Comics in the 70s. I didn't know he'd been gone. He's always been a great character.
0:31 that shirt is the best kind of wacky, and I absolutely love it.
This panel stopped me in my tracks and I had to see this video right now. This series of yours just gets better and better. The Powergirl face lick still disturbs me. Also love your Batman voice.
This video got me to subscribe. The cursed panel as a way to get in to some of the less well known stories is an excellent idea and I'm looking forward to future installments.
I read this story as it came out and I was a comic reader at that time. Misogyny was rampant at the time as this was the era that created the "Girlfriend in the refrigerator" trope. While this panel is totally an example of that I can say that it did have a purpose in the story because it a big step on the way to showing you exactly how screwed up Hugo Strange is. Thanks for reminding me of this story from my youth.
I really loved Strange's episode from the 90's Batnan cartoon show. That said, it's pretty sad he only made after that a small cameo in Justice League Unlimited, even though he was at first planned to have an important role in the Cadmus arc
Seeing Hugos suit reminds me of Arkham Citys reference to it where Riddler uses it as a threat but then Hugo just reads Riddler and lays him out as he hangs up the phone.
I always thought Punchline would have been a better foil to Hugo Strange rather than Joker. There's a manipulative streak in both that always struck me as a better match and a better use of both characters in the current storylines for both.
Also, that top is *everything*. I don't know who came up with the idea for it, but they deserve all the gold stars.
I really loved this story, (quite like the featured panel, amusing) mostly due to Paul Gulacy's amazing inking, but ever since Marshal Roger's work on Hugo Strange I ve wanted to know that villain better; I suspect that he has much untapped potential as a major Bats villain, cuz, u know, psychological; everything in the bats universe is soooo psychological really.
When Hugo Strange is dressing up as Batman, am I the only one wondering if the suit is padded or is he secretly jacked?
I remember when this came out and I read it. The phrase 'wtf' escaped my lips more than once. lol
Makes sense that the person who wrote Moon Knight would write a Batman story where someone accuses him of having a split personality. (also, Moon Knight frequently spoke to a statue while his girlfriend was depicted mostly sitting around the moon mansion hanging out in lingerie so it's like his MK run was practice for this arc)
Happy Doctor Who Day, Sasha.
Sasha, I just watched the HUgo Strange video and enjoyed it very much!! If you enjoyed (if that's the right word..) the LODK issues, you may also be intrigued by LODK #' 39 and 40, which also involves some aspects of psychology. In these issues Batman is held prisoner and the attempt is to convince him that Batman was a delusion of Bruce rather than a feared being of the night. Nice to hear the "bat-voice" again (*CHORTLE*). I am learning tons of DC comics stuff, so this is fun!!(Usually I read more Marvel, so this is largely new to me!)
OMG The first time I already know the context to this panel! I feel so smart.
The shirt was too awesome. I kept getting distracted with hand motion.
Now this was a good, intelligent comic.
Hugo Strange has been sorely underutilized in live-action. He seems like he would have made a perfect villain for Chris Nolan.
Probably my favorite of your cursed panels video so far. I don't know much about Strange, and this is such a fascinating arc. Thanks for talking about this. Excited for the next one :)
Great video! I would really like to see your reaction to other arcs within the 1990s "Legends of the Dark Knight". It was the first Batman comic I read regularly and it largely defined many characters in the Bat-mythos for me.
One of my favourite Bat stories ever. Because it was one of my first. At the time I was just getting into Dc as a result of Batman 1989. I can't recall exactly why I picked issue eleven up. But I did. And I loved it. It was gripping stuff from the off. Plus the art blew me away. In those days I could count how many comics I was reading on the fingers of one hand. So the wait for the next issue was always long. Not so now when I've got so much on my pile. But I remember how excited I was when said net issues did come out, and my rush to find somewhere to sit down and get them read. So a very great story and fond memories for me.
I can absolutely support people who don’t like seeing a lot of media that puts women in a victim position because they’re worried it will perpetuate those kind of activities. I always come back the idea that comic book isn’t going to make you do a thing, but if you were already going to do a thing, any form of media can give you ideas on how to do it. Unfortunately, there’s no way to control Which person is going to read any given piece of content, except maybe to put age restrictions on sales. But even then, it’s not gonna stop it.
Where I have difficulty is when people on the one hand get angry about women being shown as victims, but on the other hand Lim about in the real world how women can’t defend themselves against men. It seems to me that both these ideas can’t live at the same time in the same space. In other words, if women are vulnerable, then stories about women being vulnerable reflect reality. But stories about women being vulnerable don’t reflect reality, then how can we suggest that women are vulnerable in real life?
Of course the truth is every individual has a different experience, in the way a story is portrayed makes a difference. In other words, if a story Shows a man as a hero for victimizing a woman, then that is reprehensible, and is only acceptable if it has some philosophical point that’s being made. In a country with free speech, we have to pay attention to the nuances, but if you want to be angry at someone deified for abusing women, I can absolutely support that.
On the other hand, I have long thought that encouraging women to defend themselves in the same way that society encourages men to do that would make a huge difference in the female population overall perspective on their feeling of safety. After all, even men walking into a dark alley are subject to being Beaten robbed and killed. It’s just that we have this image of men being more able to defend themselves, and women don’t tend to attack men for sex. That disbalance leads to a lot of the strife that is gendered in our society.
But now the world where every young girl is taught martial arts. Where women are empowered to defend themselves with skill, and to use a larger attackers weight against them. In a society where every woman is taught not just how to blow a whistle or punch a guy in the nuts, but to actually be capable of offensive attacks with confidence.even the stupidest of misogynist men would think twice about attacking a woman, wondering how skilled she might actually be.
Another great presentation from our favorite comics pundit. Thanks, Sasha, and have a great Thanksgiving!
She did... Last month.
@@KennAKALeo
That's right, she's in Canada. Oh well, it's never a bad time to be thankful.
Give me the link to where I can get that sweater. I LOVE it!
And I love how you actually EXPLAIN the purpose of these panels that makes rhem much less cursed and more "Aaaah, so that's how it works."
“Holy jaguar sleeves,Batman!”
What was going on the the late 80s? In 1987, Clayface fell in love with a mannequin he named "Helena" (in Batman annual 11), now we get Hugo Strange, too. Odd trend.
I was young when this came out and enjoyed it but didn't see all of the messages. It was nice to revisit with your perspective, thanks.
3:52 The moment I realised those were leopards and not mesh cutouts.
The first 20 sec of this video is mind boggling- and the least of it is the “double cheetah”. Followed by depth and nuanced discussion of the issues. Love this channel. Thank you!
I remember this run when it came out. So good along with the Sandman i think it was one of my favourite comics titles of the day. Great analysis. :)
It's the BING BONG that gives it the Terry Thomas vibes.
If they commit to making a sequel to The Batman, this would make a great stepping stone for the plot. I would love to see their series' take on Strange in today's post Dr.Phil and pop psychologist/doctors world. It would also work well with some of the ideas in the first movie since it setup that Batman is the main identity and Bruce is never involved with the city or a personal life so Strange's analysis would hit Batman harder along with the threat to uncovering his identity.
This should be The Batman sequel Matt Reeves take as an inspiration, for his incarnation of Batman hes been doing. Another of his villains who attacks Batman psychologically. Someone he can just punch away and ends with him, resolving some of his issues. Sounds like an interesting read.
I think I just got an idea for a couple's Halloween costume for next year...
That looks darned interesting. Suspense, crime, psychological horror (maybe) and one of the top detectives of dc comics batman. Yes I need to put on my TBR list
Batman: Prey was awesome. I've got fond memories of it. I need to re-read it. Kind of was retconned with Batman and The Monster Man which is also great
And the sequel by Doung Moench, Batman:Terror was also prety nice
Loved that era. The Moench/Gulacy team was as good as Claremont/Byrne. You should do a report on their Master of Kung Fu stories or the Six From Sirius series.
I've always assumed Gordon doesn't know Batman's identity. Or he has an idea but is wrong. I DO think Bullock knows... but he knows that Batman knows Harvey doctored his own record to make him seem more corrupt than he is... to help with all his undercover work.
I’d like to say something brilliant about comics, but the only thing on my mind is how perfect that double-leopard top is on you.
Very much Strange. The panel I had of my head was strange on the gym doing abcreepy smile from the dopamine boost.
I think what makes Hugo Strange so compelling is in part that he envies Batman's physical prowess and the freedom which Strange thinks Batman enjoys when he goes after criminals...when Bruce Wayne likely would have traded the idea of being Batman for his parents in a second. Strange does not understand that Batman is not who Bruce Wayne wants to be, it's what he feels he is compelled to be, he might even feel trapped. Strange only sees the superficial elements and he wants to emulate Batman as a result, which is why he has occasionally dressed up as Batman himself in some stories. Strange also has deep insecurities about himself and his own accomplishments. He does not take rejection well, especially by women who he assumes are all superficial and who he thinks need to be seen and not heard, which is why he feels most comfortable talking to a silent mannequin.
Hugo Strange: The CW Batwoman was SO bad that i decided to make one of my own!!!😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Billionaire Bruce Wayne doesn't pass up FREE analysis.
the thumbnail even knowing how crazy gold and silver age comics are and can be still confused me although i thought it wasn't a mannequin till u said in beginning so
Well now you gotta cover ‘Prey’ and the 70’s Hugo Strange story. Oooh AND ‘The Player on the Other Side’!
Your voices have improved soo much!! As a reader for a few years I love it
I know most don't consider this a "Classic" but I love this era of comics, right before "Extreme 90's" became a thing. A classic team all around at the helm, from Denny O'Neill editing, Moench writing and Gulacy on pencils. The LOTDK format yielded some cool and interesting stories that didn't always have to fit canon, though some things got brought into mainline continuity. Bane's "venom" finds its origins in LOTDK.
Very much wish they would do a Superman series with the same format with rotating creative teams.
I love this story arc. Came out during a time I wasn't interested in comics and only caught up to it decades later via the trades. It was good to see Gulacy's work again. Loved his stuff since the Master of Kung Fu days in the mid-70s.
6:25 -- Huh... an interesting idea? What if Bruce's parents weren't killed at night in a dirty alley (swell idea, Thomas) but rather in broad daylight? How would that affect Bruce's evolution as a masked crimefighter?
Getting some real 70s exploitation movie vibes off of this story, and Gulacy's art is perfect for that with his greasy, hyperreal style. Your video makes me want to check it out.
Strange makes for a way more compelling foe for Bats than Joker, who also operates on a similar kind of psychosexual relationship with Batman, but badly imo. The only problem with Strange is that he really can't be used as a recurring foe because his threat is his intellect. He's smart enough to figure out Bats' identity and threaten Bruce's sanity, and unfortunately that's a story that can only be told once.
I read this when it first came out and absolutely loved it. Hugo Strange is a deep character and “Prey” did a great job of showing just how dangerous and deranged he is.
To the point of the sexual and violent elements, I saw it at the time and today that it plays more into the backstory than glorifying either. Batman is a dark character, so his intellectual equal would also delve into those same dark places.
liking the cursed panel series but more Lois Lane weddings please
The scene where strange is envious of Batman's athleticism is severely undercut by both the art rendering him cut af and writing him catching himself falling off the ledge and muscling himself back up to safety.
Unless that was the point?
I don't think that was the point.
That mannequin isn’t scantily clad, she is wearing elegantly little.
We need an Elseworlds story that is a pastiche of Betty and Veronica, with Hugo and Clayface 3 fighting over a mannequin.
You always have cool hair/shirts on this channel but I find this shirt really amusing. 😂
This came out during the absolute peak of my comic-reading years! It does indeed 90's hard, but when you look at what other 90's comics were doing - grimaces, anti-heroes, pouches... it could have been FAR worse.
I AM IN LOVE WITH THE SWEATER!!! THOSE CHEETAH SLEEVES ARE SO DOPE!
I'm a fan of pre-Crisis PROFESSOR Hugo Strange. My main problem with this story (and its contemporaries) is the insistence that it follows Miller's Year One (post-Crisis) continuity. If a more "timeless" approach had been taken, if the elements of this tale had been tailored more to the original Golden Age stories, then I'd probably like it more. Still, the Gulacy art is brilliant (as it always is). As for the women-as-victims trope, would the critics prefer children being targeted by the bad guys? There aren't that many options to cast as victims of violent (potentially deadly) crime that are essential to detective/super-hero stories: adult men, adult women, and children.
If I get this right, DC writers in the 90s took a mad scientist from the 40s and made him into 60s Mysterio from Spider-man.
It looks like the cutoff point is where the comic comes out and says "There's no way Strange can do the costume thing" which is kind of a pity because it needs Strange to don his own persona, something always missing from the character. He made the Nightscourge? He should have been the Nightscourge. OK, something less nineties, more strange, odd. The Stranger.
Too on the nose.... The Oddity.
Excellent analysis. I didn't get this
When it first came out. Went over my head. I'll have to read it again.
You're Hugo Strange voice sounds wierdly appropriate, I can see Hugo Strange sounding like this.
It sounds like the bad doctor has a bit of a Wertham vibe to him?
Great video! ...Now I have to go dig out these issues for a re-read!!
I find it interesting that Strange's batsuit has the yellow oval and Bruce's doesn't.
One of the best Batman’s stories
In a modern era I think this would be a FANTASTIC story to revisit in an animated movie, or live-action if I had any faith that live-action DC people could handle it correctly, they always seem to give the animated movies way more leeway. Definitely some of the 90's edge would need to be retooled, we don't need super sharp nipple cat woman, lol.
Great video. I'm interested in this dense story now. Making that deeper dive?
Wow! That leopard jumper is amazing.
Thanks for another great episode.
11:27 Strange and Riddler would hate each other. In Arkham City Hugo mocks him about how he knows Batman's identity but Riddler doesn't.