Batman: Prey
Encyclopedia
"Prey" is a Batman
comic book
story arc written by Doug Moench
, with art by Paul Gulacy
and Terry Austin
. It was originally published in five parts by DC Comics
from September 1990
through February 1991
for Legends of the Dark Knight
, issues 11 through 15, and later compiled as a trade paperback
.
, who is still just a police captain.
The main nemesis of the story is Hugo Strange
, a brilliant psychologist
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.
Prey opens with Batman disrupting a police sting operation
by shaking down a drug dealer for information on his supplier, a gangster named "The Fish", before the police could make their move on him.
The officer in charge of the sting, Sergeant Max Cort, tries to apprehend Batman but fails. Incensed, Cort reports to his superior, Captain James Gordon, and demands action against Batman for undermining his work and the morale of police officers. Gordon argues that Batman actually helps the police and helps morale by supporting them on the streets. Their argument is cut short as Gordon leaves for a late-night news show appearance.
On the news show, Gordon is interviewed alongside Gotham's current Mayor, Wilson Kauss, and prominent psychologist, Dr. Hugo Strange, on the subject of Batman. Strange accurately theorizes that Batman must be motivated by a traumatic loss wrought by violent crime, but goes on to claim that Batman's costumed vigilantism is primarily an exercise in power and control for his own benefit, rather than anyone else's. Gordon rebukes Strange's analysis, explaining that the costume is simply to scare criminals and Batman is honestly trying to help Gotham. But Mayor Kauss sides with Strange and takes a hard stance against Batman, announcing on-air that he’s forming a police task force to apprehend Batman and assigning Gordon to head it.
Impressed by his apparent expertise on Batman, Kauss offers Strange a job as a police consultant, which he accepts. As a caveat, Strange demands full access to all police records, beginning with notable murder cases in Gotham, so he can start profiling the caped crusader and unravel his true identity.
Reluctant to fulfill his new responsibilities to the task force, Gordon secretly withholds the complete police records from Strange. Gordon also recruits Cort to work under him, believing that the gung-ho Sgt. is ill-equipped to keep up with the Dark Knight. However, Cort's proves that Gordon underestimated his determination to rid Gotham of Batman by recruiting a band of like-minded officers to join him on the task force, without Gordon's permission. Cort and his men find Batman at The Fish's hideout, in the midst of apprehending the drug peddler. They immediately open fire on Batman, causing him to flee and letting The Fish escape.
Meanwhile, the depths of Doctor Strange’s own unstable psychosis and obsession with Batman are revealed as he is shown alone in his penthouse, dressed up in a make-shift Batman costume, lamenting to a female mannequin
about the simultaneous envy and hatred he feels towards Batman for the power and freedom he wields.
Part 2: Dark Sides
Batman returns to Wayne Manor
, demoralized by last night's outing. His butler, Alfred
, informs him that Mayor Kauss has invited Bruce Wayne to a dinner party and Dr. Strange is also expected to attend. At the party, the Mayor’s daughter, Catherine, expresses admiration for Batman and ends up arguing with Strange, who asks her on a date, but is turned down.
At the police station, Cort and his comrades examine equipment Batman left behind the previous night and arrange to have their findings sent to Strange, but Gordon keeps their report stashed in his office. Nonetheless, Strange begins to make regular press announcements about the menace posed by Batman and turns Gotham against him. The media also reports the appearance of a new prowler in Gotham: a costumed burglar dubbed the Catwoman
, who they claim is Batman’s criminal accomplice, to the annoyance of both Batman and Catwoman.
Batman and Gordon secretly meet to discuss their current predicament: Batman’s work is being derailed by Cort’s interference and Strange’s smear campaign, while Gordon’s own career is in jeopardy unless he can deliver Batman to the authorities. Gordon tells Batman he’ll try to stall Cort and Strange as long as he can, but suggests that Batman work to improve his public standing so the mayor will reconsider his stance. Batman agrees, and Gordon promises to contact him later.
Batman tracks The Fish to a new hideout and captures him. In broad daylight, Batman hands the criminal to Sgt. Cort as a peace offering and asks for a truce, but Cort interprets the gesture as another taunt against his competence and opens fire, attempting to arrest him again. Gordon later calls a meeting with Batman on the rooftop of police headquarters by placing a Bat-shaped stencil on the building’s searchlight
, unaware that Cort is spying on them from an adjacent building.
Furious, Cort breaks into Gordon’s office and uncovers evidence of his collusion with Batman, including the data he was hiding from Strange. Cort takes the evidence directly to Strange who deduce that Batman must be a man of wealth, and asks Cort to help take down Batman and Gordon.
Part 3: Night Scourge!
The next evening, Catherine Kauss reluctantly goes on a date with Strange as a courtesy to her father. When Catherine ends the date because of Strange’s endless ranting about Batman, he snaps and threatens her. At home, Strange calls Cort over to discuss their plans and Cort agrees to let Strange hypnotize
him, under the pretense of alleviating stress. In reality, Strange use hypnosis to make Cort believe that he can be like Batman, but ‘better’. Strange gives Cort a makeshift costume, complete with a mask and a pair of samurai swords before sending him home..
Cort begins to drive home but suddenly feels a compulsion to put on the equipment and hunt for criminals. Cort ends up at a biker bar where a suspected arms dealer frequents. After viciously attacking the bikers inside, he tracks the arms dealer back to his home and nearly beat him to death before leaving him at the police station with a note: “The Night-Scourge Wants to Help Too”.
The media picks up the story about "Night Scourge" and Dr. Strange publicly denounces Night Scourge's violent exploits as a result of Batman's existence. Cort himself is pleased with his work, believing that it proves he is just as 'good' as Batman, but admits he will need to face Batman to prove that he is better. Hunting for Batman as Night Scourge, Cort happens upon Catwoman, about to commit another burglary. Cort attacks her but Batman intervenes before he can kill her, and soundly defeats Cort. Disillusioned, Cort flees from Batman, who is forced to let him go after Catwoman blindsides him with a pipe, afraid he might attack her too.
Cort returns to Strange's penthouse where he is hypnotized further. Under Strange's orders, Cort breaks into Mayor Kauss's home and assaults him and Catherine while dressed as Batman. Pretending to be Batman, Cort taunts the Mayor and kidnaps his daughter, threatening to kill her if he doesn't disband the task force. The next day, Mayor Kauss institutes a 'shoot to kill' order against Batman and demands Catherine's safe return within five days or Gordon will be fired from the police force.
Part 4: The Nightmare
Batman spends the next evening being hunted by the police across Gotham. After a lengthy foot chase, Batman deduces that Strange must have a hand in framing him. Batman confronts Strange in his penthouse and demands to know the identity of the Night Scourge, and his role in Catherine Kauss's kidnapping. Strange taunts Batman without revealing any information and hits him with a hallucinogenic gas that causes him to relive the night his parents were murdered. Completely disoriented, Batman falls off a balcony, but not before audibly crying out for his mother and father, which gives Strange the final clue he needs to piece together Batman's identity.
Batman narrowly survives the fall from the penthouse, but remains in the throes of the hallucinogen. Believing he is once again a little boy, and is being chased by his parents' killer
, Batman runs from a police officer trying to arrest him, escapes by jumping into the sewers, and nearly drowns as he is washed out to sea. Batman wakes up the next morning under a pier, bruised and battered. When he walks back onto shore he is attacked by a mob of civilians. Batman manages to escape but is shocked by how much the public hates him and how little fear they showed.
When Batman returns to the manor he finds Alfred unconscious, the victim of assault. He is also greeted by what appears to be his mother and father sitting the dining room. The apparitions of his parents begin to taunt him for being a failure and blame their deaths on him. As he runs around the manor in fear, the voices and figures of his parents seem to chase him from room to room. Alfred, who has regained consciousness, tries to calm Bruce, explaining that the figures that he thinks are his parents are just elaborate mannequins with tape recorders placed inside them, but Bruce, still suffering from the residual effects of the hallucinogen, strikes him and flees to the safety of the Batcave
where he collapses in exhaustion.
Part 5: The Kill
After cloistering himself within the Batcave for three days, Bruce regains his bearings but remains shaken by the visions he experienced. He considers whether the path of Batman is one that his parents would have approved of or if it is simply the course of an insane man as Strange suggested. After reflecting, Bruce rationalizes that being Batman represents an act of sanity and order that defies the madness and chaos represented by crime and injustice. Remembering that today is the final day of the deadline against Gordon, Batman calls him and they prepare for a final confrontation with Strange and Night Scourge, who has embarked on a murderous vigilante spree.
Leaving in his newly assembled Batmobile
, Batman goes to Strange's penthouse and finds him once again dressed in a Batman costume and conversing with a mannequin. Batman appeals to Strange's ego and lets him gloat about staging the frame-up. But when Strange turns the subject towards Batman’s true identity, Batman simply plays ignorant to Strange’s ravings, saying he has no idea what Strange is talking about, and points out the Doctor’s erratic and bizarre behavior as evidence that it is he who is mad and his profiling work is based on delusion.
Gordon and a uniformed police officer then burst through Strange’s door and Batman reveals that he has been recording their entire meeting, including Strange’s confession to the kidnapping. The officer finds Catherine tied up in another room, but otherwise unharmed. When Gordon attempts to arrest Strange, the doctor runs outside and finds himself in front of more cops. Mistaking him for Batman because of his costume, they act on Mayor Kauss’s shoot-to-kill orders, and open fire. Strange is hit numerous times before falling into a river. Presuming Strange to be dead, Batman goes in search of Night Scourge, who he now knows is Max Cort.
Batman finds Cort, now completely unhinged from sanity, and they have another duel. Thanks to some surprise help from Catwoman, Batman defeats Cort, who flees to police headquarters, still in his Night Scourge costume. When his fellow officers pull their guns on him, Cort unmasks himself and goes on a tirade against Batman and Gordon, who have followed him there. Cort draws a gun to shoot Gordon but is immediately killed by the other officers.
The story comes to a close with Gordon explaining to Mayor Kauss how Strange and Cort were responsible for kidnapping his daughter and it was the Batman who saved her. Grateful, Kauss disbands the anti-Batman task force so the police can concentrate on the “real criminals”. Gordon meets with Batman one more time to inform him that Strange's body has still not been found. Gordon also adds that while the mayor and public have mostly forgiven Batman, there will always be people who resent and demonize him in some way because of what he does; but either way, Gordon believes that Gotham needs Batman so he will continue to work with him.
Prey includes references to Frank Miller
and David Mazzucchelli's
Batman: Year One
. This includes Gordon's rank as Captain at the beginning of this story, Catwoman's blossoming criminal career, and Gordon citing his main reason for trusting Batman is that Batman saved his son's life at the end of "Year One".
Prey also provides a possible origin for two fixtures of the Batman mythos: the Batmobile and the Bat-signal, which are constructed and put into use for the first time (by Batman and Gordon respectively) in the story. However, contradicting origins for those items have been featured in various Batman stories written after, which means the explanations given in Prey are not entirely canonical.
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
story arc written by Doug Moench
Doug Moench
Douglas Moench , better known as Doug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok.-Biography:...
, with art by Paul Gulacy
Paul Gulacy
Paul Gulacy is an American comic book illustrator best known for his work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, and for drawing one of the first graphic novels, Eclipse Enterprises' 1978 Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species, with writer Don McGregor.-Early life and career:Paul Gulacy began...
and Terry Austin
Terry Austin (comics)
Terry Austin is an American comic book artist, working primarily as an inker. He is best known for his work embellishing John Byrne's pencils on The Uncanny X-Men from 1977–1981.-Early life and career:...
. It was originally published in five parts by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
from September 1990
1990 in comics
-Year overall:Days of Future Present, the sequel to Days of Future Past, appeared in the annuals of Fantastic Four, New Mutants, X-Factor and X-Men.-January:* Dinosaurs for Hire is cancelled by Eternity Comics with issue #9....
through February 1991
1991 in comics
-January:* Checkmate is canceled by DC Comics with issue #33.* El Diablo vol. 2 is canceled by DC with issue #16.* Count Duckula is canceled by the Marvel Comics imprint Star Comics with issue #15....
for Legends of the Dark Knight
Legends of the Dark Knight
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, commonly referred to as simply Legends of the Dark Knight is a DC comic book featuring Batman. It was launched in 1989 with the popularity of the Batman movie, following on from Frank Miller's Batman: Year One...
, issues 11 through 15, and later compiled as a trade paperback
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
.
Plot
Prey 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 GordonJames Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
, who is still just a police captain.
The main nemesis of the story is Hugo Strange
Hugo Strange
Professor Hugo Strange is a fictional comic book supervillain appearing in books published by DC Comics, as an adversary of Batman. He first appeared in Detective Comics #36 , and is one of Batman's first recurring villains, preceding the Joker and Catwoman by several months...
, a brilliant psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
who holds a professional stake and a personal obsession in unraveling Batman's secrets, including his true identity. He foments a smear campaign
Smear campaign
A smear campaign, smear tactic or simply smear is a metaphor for activity that can harm an individual or group's reputation by conflation with a stigmatized group...
to paint Batman as a dangerous madman, which causes Batman to question his own sanity as well as the plausibility of his mission.
Synopsis
Part 1: PreyPrey opens with Batman disrupting a police sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
by shaking down a drug dealer for information on his supplier, a gangster named "The Fish", before the police could make their move on him.
The officer in charge of the sting, Sergeant Max Cort, tries to apprehend Batman but fails. Incensed, Cort reports to his superior, Captain James Gordon, and demands action against Batman for undermining his work and the morale of police officers. Gordon argues that Batman actually helps the police and helps morale by supporting them on the streets. Their argument is cut short as Gordon leaves for a late-night news show appearance.
On the news show, Gordon is interviewed alongside Gotham's current Mayor, Wilson Kauss, and prominent psychologist, Dr. Hugo Strange, on the subject of Batman. Strange accurately theorizes that Batman must be motivated by a traumatic loss wrought by violent crime, but goes on to claim that Batman's costumed vigilantism is primarily an exercise in power and control for his own benefit, rather than anyone else's. Gordon rebukes Strange's analysis, explaining that the costume is simply to scare criminals and Batman is honestly trying to help Gotham. But Mayor Kauss sides with Strange and takes a hard stance against Batman, announcing on-air that he’s forming a police task force to apprehend Batman and assigning Gordon to head it.
Impressed by his apparent expertise on Batman, Kauss offers Strange a job as a police consultant, which he accepts. As a caveat, Strange demands full access to all police records, beginning with notable murder cases in Gotham, so he can start profiling the caped crusader and unravel his true identity.
Reluctant to fulfill his new responsibilities to the task force, Gordon secretly withholds the complete police records from Strange. Gordon also recruits Cort to work under him, believing that the gung-ho Sgt. is ill-equipped to keep up with the Dark Knight. However, Cort's proves that Gordon underestimated his determination to rid Gotham of Batman by recruiting a band of like-minded officers to join him on the task force, without Gordon's permission. Cort and his men find Batman at The Fish's hideout, in the midst of apprehending the drug peddler. They immediately open fire on Batman, causing him to flee and letting The Fish escape.
Meanwhile, the depths of Doctor Strange’s own unstable psychosis and obsession with Batman are revealed as he is shown alone in his penthouse, dressed up in a make-shift Batman costume, lamenting to a female mannequin
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
about the simultaneous envy and hatred he feels towards Batman for the power and freedom he wields.
Part 2: Dark Sides
Batman returns to Wayne Manor
Wayne Manor
In DC Comics, Wayne Manor is a fictional setting, the personal residence of Bruce Wayne, who is also Batman. The residence is typically depicted as a huge stately mansion on grounds outside Gotham City, maintained by the Wayne family's servant, Alfred Pennyworth...
, demoralized by last night's outing. His butler, Alfred
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth is a fictional character that appears throughout the DC Comics franchise. The character first appears in Batman #16 , and was created by writer Bob Kane and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Batman’s tireless butler, assistant, confidant, and surrogate father figure...
, informs him that Mayor Kauss has invited Bruce Wayne to a dinner party and Dr. Strange is also expected to attend. At the party, the Mayor’s daughter, Catherine, expresses admiration for Batman and ends up arguing with Strange, who asks her on a date, but is turned down.
At the police station, Cort and his comrades examine equipment Batman left behind the previous night and arrange to have their findings sent to Strange, but Gordon keeps their report stashed in his office. Nonetheless, Strange begins to make regular press announcements about the menace posed by Batman and turns Gotham against him. The media also reports the appearance of a new prowler in Gotham: a costumed burglar dubbed the Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
, who they claim is Batman’s criminal accomplice, to the annoyance of both Batman and Catwoman.
Batman and Gordon secretly meet to discuss their current predicament: Batman’s work is being derailed by Cort’s interference and Strange’s smear campaign, while Gordon’s own career is in jeopardy unless he can deliver Batman to the authorities. Gordon tells Batman he’ll try to stall Cort and Strange as long as he can, but suggests that Batman work to improve his public standing so the mayor will reconsider his stance. Batman agrees, and Gordon promises to contact him later.
Batman tracks The Fish to a new hideout and captures him. In broad daylight, Batman hands the criminal to Sgt. Cort as a peace offering and asks for a truce, but Cort interprets the gesture as another taunt against his competence and opens fire, attempting to arrest him again. Gordon later calls a meeting with Batman on the rooftop of police headquarters by placing a Bat-shaped stencil on the building’s searchlight
Bat-Signal
The Bat-Signal is a distress signal device appearing in the various interpretations of the Batman mythos. It is a specially modified Klieg searchlight with a stylized symbol of a bat attached to the light so that it projects a large Bat emblem on the sky or buildings of Gotham City...
, unaware that Cort is spying on them from an adjacent building.
Furious, Cort breaks into Gordon’s office and uncovers evidence of his collusion with Batman, including the data he was hiding from Strange. Cort takes the evidence directly to Strange who deduce that Batman must be a man of wealth, and asks Cort to help take down Batman and Gordon.
Part 3: Night Scourge!
The next evening, Catherine Kauss reluctantly goes on a date with Strange as a courtesy to her father. When Catherine ends the date because of Strange’s endless ranting about Batman, he snaps and threatens her. At home, Strange calls Cort over to discuss their plans and Cort agrees to let Strange hypnotize
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
him, under the pretense of alleviating stress. In reality, Strange use hypnosis to make Cort believe that he can be like Batman, but ‘better’. Strange gives Cort a makeshift costume, complete with a mask and a pair of samurai swords before sending him home..
Cort begins to drive home but suddenly feels a compulsion to put on the equipment and hunt for criminals. Cort ends up at a biker bar where a suspected arms dealer frequents. After viciously attacking the bikers inside, he tracks the arms dealer back to his home and nearly beat him to death before leaving him at the police station with a note: “The Night-Scourge Wants to Help Too”.
The media picks up the story about "Night Scourge" and Dr. Strange publicly denounces Night Scourge's violent exploits as a result of Batman's existence. Cort himself is pleased with his work, believing that it proves he is just as 'good' as Batman, but admits he will need to face Batman to prove that he is better. Hunting for Batman as Night Scourge, Cort happens upon Catwoman, about to commit another burglary. Cort attacks her but Batman intervenes before he can kill her, and soundly defeats Cort. Disillusioned, Cort flees from Batman, who is forced to let him go after Catwoman blindsides him with a pipe, afraid he might attack her too.
Cort returns to Strange's penthouse where he is hypnotized further. Under Strange's orders, Cort breaks into Mayor Kauss's home and assaults him and Catherine while dressed as Batman. Pretending to be Batman, Cort taunts the Mayor and kidnaps his daughter, threatening to kill her if he doesn't disband the task force. The next day, Mayor Kauss institutes a 'shoot to kill' order against Batman and demands Catherine's safe return within five days or Gordon will be fired from the police force.
Part 4: The Nightmare
Batman spends the next evening being hunted by the police across Gotham. After a lengthy foot chase, Batman deduces that Strange must have a hand in framing him. Batman confronts Strange in his penthouse and demands to know the identity of the Night Scourge, and his role in Catherine Kauss's kidnapping. Strange taunts Batman without revealing any information and hits him with a hallucinogenic gas that causes him to relive the night his parents were murdered. Completely disoriented, Batman falls off a balcony, but not before audibly crying out for his mother and father, which gives Strange the final clue he needs to piece together Batman's identity.
Batman narrowly survives the fall from the penthouse, but remains in the throes of the hallucinogen. Believing he is once again a little boy, and is being chased by his parents' killer
Joe Chill
Joe Chill is a fictional character in the DC Comics Batman series. He is best known for murdering young Bruce Wayne's parents , thus making him indirectly responsible for Batman's existence....
, Batman runs from a police officer trying to arrest him, escapes by jumping into the sewers, and nearly drowns as he is washed out to sea. Batman wakes up the next morning under a pier, bruised and battered. When he walks back onto shore he is attacked by a mob of civilians. Batman manages to escape but is shocked by how much the public hates him and how little fear they showed.
When Batman returns to the manor he finds Alfred unconscious, the victim of assault. He is also greeted by what appears to be his mother and father sitting the dining room. The apparitions of his parents begin to taunt him for being a failure and blame their deaths on him. As he runs around the manor in fear, the voices and figures of his parents seem to chase him from room to room. Alfred, who has regained consciousness, tries to calm Bruce, explaining that the figures that he thinks are his parents are just elaborate mannequins with tape recorders placed inside them, but Bruce, still suffering from the residual effects of the hallucinogen, strikes him and flees to the safety of the Batcave
Batcave
The Batcave is the secret headquarters of fictional DC Comics superhero Batman, the alternate identity of playboy Bruce Wayne, consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath his residence, Wayne Manor.-Publication history:...
where he collapses in exhaustion.
Part 5: The Kill
After cloistering himself within the Batcave for three days, Bruce regains his bearings but remains shaken by the visions he experienced. He considers whether the path of Batman is one that his parents would have approved of or if it is simply the course of an insane man as Strange suggested. After reflecting, Bruce rationalizes that being Batman represents an act of sanity and order that defies the madness and chaos represented by crime and injustice. Remembering that today is the final day of the deadline against Gordon, Batman calls him and they prepare for a final confrontation with Strange and Night Scourge, who has embarked on a murderous vigilante spree.
Leaving in his newly assembled Batmobile
Batmobile
The Batmobile is the automobile of DC Comics superhero Batman. The car has evolved along with the character from comic books to television and films. Kept in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is a gadget-laden vehicle used by Batman in his crime-fighting...
, Batman goes to Strange's penthouse and finds him once again dressed in a Batman costume and conversing with a mannequin. Batman appeals to Strange's ego and lets him gloat about staging the frame-up. But when Strange turns the subject towards Batman’s true identity, Batman simply plays ignorant to Strange’s ravings, saying he has no idea what Strange is talking about, and points out the Doctor’s erratic and bizarre behavior as evidence that it is he who is mad and his profiling work is based on delusion.
Gordon and a uniformed police officer then burst through Strange’s door and Batman reveals that he has been recording their entire meeting, including Strange’s confession to the kidnapping. The officer finds Catherine tied up in another room, but otherwise unharmed. When Gordon attempts to arrest Strange, the doctor runs outside and finds himself in front of more cops. Mistaking him for Batman because of his costume, they act on Mayor Kauss’s shoot-to-kill orders, and open fire. Strange is hit numerous times before falling into a river. Presuming Strange to be dead, Batman goes in search of Night Scourge, who he now knows is Max Cort.
Batman finds Cort, now completely unhinged from sanity, and they have another duel. Thanks to some surprise help from Catwoman, Batman defeats Cort, who flees to police headquarters, still in his Night Scourge costume. When his fellow officers pull their guns on him, Cort unmasks himself and goes on a tirade against Batman and Gordon, who have followed him there. Cort draws a gun to shoot Gordon but is immediately killed by the other officers.
The story comes to a close with Gordon explaining to Mayor Kauss how Strange and Cort were responsible for kidnapping his daughter and it was the Batman who saved her. Grateful, Kauss disbands the anti-Batman task force so the police can concentrate on the “real criminals”. Gordon meets with Batman one more time to inform him that Strange's body has still not been found. Gordon also adds that while the mayor and public have mostly forgiven Batman, there will always be people who resent and demonize him in some way because of what he does; but either way, Gordon believes that Gotham needs Batman so he will continue to work with him.
Continuity
As with most stories printed for the "Legends of the Dark Knight" series, Prey is set during modern Batman's early days as a crime-fighter.Prey includes references to Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
and David Mazzucchelli's
David Mazzucchelli
David Mazzucchelli is an American comic book artist and writer. His latest work is the award-winning graphic novel, Asterios Polyp.-Career:...
Batman: Year One
Batman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
. This includes Gordon's rank as Captain at the beginning of this story, Catwoman's blossoming criminal career, and Gordon citing his main reason for trusting Batman is that Batman saved his son's life at the end of "Year One".
Prey also provides a possible origin for two fixtures of the Batman mythos: the Batmobile and the Bat-signal, which are constructed and put into use for the first time (by Batman and Gordon respectively) in the story. However, contradicting origins for those items have been featured in various Batman stories written after, which means the explanations given in Prey are not entirely canonical.