Batman: Prey Paperback – June 5, 2012

Batman, Hugo Strange, Scarecrow, and a very sexy Catwoman. Fantastic artwork and story with plenty of weirdness. A very good purchase.

In the late 80's/early 90's, 4 Batman writers were at the top of there games in the field. There was Chuck Dixon, Alan Gran, and Dennis O'Neil, and Doug Moench. Each writer had a select amount of skills in how they wrote about Batman's exploits, and Doug Moench was definitely one of the weirder writers of the bunch. He had a way of writing more personalized characters with hints of the bizarre/occult in his writing. Batman Prey is one of those books. And that is never a bad thing once in awhile. *I'll keep it spoiler free, even it's 22 and 1o year old material*BATMAN: PREY collects the following, both written by Doug Moench and penciled by Paul Gulacy:Batman: PreyBatman: Terror (Legends of the Dark Knight)[For a far more detailed review of each book, please click on the links. I won't go into as much detail since the links do far superior job in.]BATMAN PREY collects "Legends of the Dark Knight" issues #11-15 and primarily deals with Dr. Hugo Strange wanting to start a smear campaign against Batman by involving a twisted plot to use a vigilante of his own, as well as find out his real identity. This was done in 1990 and as part of the "legends of the Dark Knight" series, tells of stories during Batmans early career. Gordon is captain of the police, the Bat-mobile is still being built, the creation of the Bat-signal, and the general consensus of Batman Gothamites is unsure if he's a vigilante or a savior. This is one of the best Hugo Strange stories that I can recommend (it's up there with the best one Batman: Strange Apparitions which I think DC SHOULD reprint ASAP). Strange is a great villain that mentally rivals Batman, but shows some creepy habits (having conversations with a mannequin?). Even better, is the Batman: Year One continuity that involves captain Gordon. Seeing Gordon and batman actually talk and shows signs that they need each other is some of my favorite material in any bat-book, and further showing the bond these two share and build upon is a real treat. You'll get it in spades here. Overall, the sole reason I picked up this book was for this story and it doesn't disappoint.BATMAN TERROR collects "Legends of the Dark Knight" issues #137-141 and continues on as a spiritual sequel to PREY. Hugo Strange has returned to again try to defeat Batman mentally and further his obsession his Batman's true identity with help of another one of Batman's rouges, the Scarecrow. This story was done in 2002, and again under the "Legends" title, deals a little more of Batman still developing. Gordon is still captain, Batman is trying out many of his gadgets and vehicles, and the turbulent on/off relationship with Catwoman starts here. Overall it's good, though nowhere near as good or impact-full as PREY, but enjoyable. Seeing the dynamics between Catwoman and Batman is always a pleasure to read about and this story is no different. Though there are better instances of these two's relationship in other books, it's still pretty fun. And of course, we get a nice origin take on Jonathan Crane, AKA Scarecrow, that many fans of his might enjoy as well.Besides the writing being great in one and decent on the other, the art holds together in both stories. Paul Gulacy pencils both stories and they don't by any means look any different from a 12 year standpoint. PREYS 22 year old art might not be for everyone, but there are shots that I think are quite well done. The one panel where batman is talking with Gordon on the roof, with the night sky and the stars behind him really impressed me. Though oddly, Gulacy's art is a tad worse in TERROR. I don't know if it's because of Jimmy Palmiotti's inking or what, but's sort of worse. But thankfully, it doesn't hurt the narrative of the story. And if one looks enough, there are various panel shots that are almost taken straight out of Tim Burtons Batman Returns. I don't know if its intentional or an an ode to the Catwoman/Batman relationship, but it's there.Overall, this collection has no extras at all. Every issue does come with it's original cover though. The overall paper quality itself is not of glossy paper, but more news paper type (though not that level of bad). I don't know DC is doing this with many of the reprints of older comics like they did with the current Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1 books. I guess for nostalgic reasons and the fact this paper is lighter so the trade isn't as heavy? I don't know why, but it's that way. I don't mind because I grew up with this type of paper in comics (and the art), but again, it's there. Another thing, and this happened with my edition and it might happen with others (or not), is that some pages near the end stuck together near the spine. This is not a big deal, but it does leave tiny holes ripping the pages apart from the stickiness, which is still annoying to do.Overall, BATMAN PREY is a wonderful book to have for Bat-fans keen on the Bat-mythos. PREY is awesome and TERROR is good, and having both together and as reasonably price (both books are out-of-print and pricey) is a great deal for what it's worth. And for any Hugo Strange fans, this is great collection to look forward to on the good doctor and even a good starting point on him for anyone who played Batman: Arkham City for Playstation 3 and is interested to see how he works.

I absolutely loved everything about this comic. The cheesy but not too cheesy characters, some of the dialogue and innuendo but the writing was solid. Enjoyed the scarecrow in this even as silly as he was at times but the big surprise for me was Hugo Strange, he was a great nut and so was his helper. Well helpers when you add the "girlfriend "lol. Also loved the dynamic of Gordon and batman because they still don't know each other. Maybe Alfred was popular at this time or something but he felt underutilized. But that's my only nit pick, other then that, was just a great read.

First, I'd like to say I got an original used copy delivered to me in excellent condition. In all honesty, this USED graphic novel arrived in better condition than most of the "new" novels purchased from Amazon directly. It has the old cover, which is always a nice treat, and unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately) does not contain the extra story "Terror" so I cannot speak to that story in the slightest. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed "Prey." I've seen some negative reviews on here, which baffles me because, in all honesty, this is one of the better Batman graphic novels I've read. I think that "Year One," "Prey," "The Man Who Laughs, and "Venom" go incredibly well together and provide a really sound basis for the start of any Batman collection. So let me get right into it.I think some people missed the point of this novel. It's showing a vulnerable Batman struggling against not only the police and criminals but against himself. His quest has only just begun. This isn't supposed to be the nigh-omnipotent, uber-prepared for everything Dark Knight that we're so used to in his mainstream publications and films. He doubts himself, his quest, his abilities. A man, a mere psychiatrist, Dr. Huge Strange has gotten the better of him, not through combat, but through intelligence. Sure, he prances around in homemade Batman armor and talks to his mannequin, but that didn't make any of what he said wrong, in the slightest. I think he pegged Bruce Wayne pretty dead-on. Even if we're meant to understand that the Batman overcomes his mind games and defeats him... he nailed it. That's who he is. Not only his identity but his psyche and inner crisis. That alone made this an interesting read. Finally, Catwoman's costume was lame, but she was fun and it's always nice to see the start of their chemistry.All in all, I loved it. I read the whole thing in one sitting on a Sunday afternoon. Perfect filler between "Year One" and "The Man Who Laughs." Especially if you (like me) weren't overly-thrilled with the Monster Men/Mad Monk series that's intended to be before these. If you can find an affordable copy, I highly recommend it.If you're a collector, read on:You will probably want this for many continuity reasons which I'll list here. Be warned, many of them are SPOILERS:1. Batman is building the Batmobile and it gets introduced at the end.2. Gordon flashes the very first Bat signal.3. The end results of the Night Scourge dilemma begin the resolve the Batman's conflict with Gotham's Mayor and police.4. Catwoman kisses Batman for the first time and implies her romantic feelings to him.

Pra quem é fã dos quadrinhos do Batman, esse é um dos arcos da história mais bacana.Scarecrow, cat women, Dr. Hugo Strange atacando o terror em Gotham

Prey is one of the best batman books of all time, it can be considered as follow up to year one and just as good. Gulacy's art is extraordinary so is Moench's writing. But both fall after they reunited for the sequel of the book 10 years later. Prey is absolute must read and Terror is...just skip it.

Esta bien saber el origen de Hugo Strange, porque luego en la magnífica etapa de Englehart es el villano

teenage lad, recommends it

This version of 'Batman: Prey' collects both "Prey" and its sequel "Terror". Both stories pertain to Hugo Strange, the former being somewhat of an origin story that truly shows how obsessive and disturbed this psychotic psychiatrist is. If you've played the 2011 "Batman Arkham City", you know little about Hugo Strange, the game doesn't even compare to the mental stability of Strange's mind in comparison to "Batman Prey".Essentially, "Batman: Prey" is set during Batman's first year, here we see the Dark Knight create the Bat-Mobile. Ultimately, the plot revolves around Hugo Strange, a psychiatrist hired by the Mayor of Gotham to unveil the identity of Batman--however, the reader will realize that this psychiatrist has an unhealthy love/hate for the Caped Crusader both wanting to kill and be him. Using his profession to mentally defeat Batman, will this sinister doctor succeed in his plot to unmask and potentially become the Caped Crusader? You'll have to purchase this dark and twisted graphic novel to find out!"Batman: Terror" is weaker than the prequel "Prey", but can still be held in a high regard. Without giving spoilers, all I can really say is that Terror is a main theme and Dr. Jonathan Crane is involved. This story also provides a short origin story to the Scarecrow.To conclude, the artwork is amazing, its bold colors and dark-theme truly add to the entire atmosphere of the novel, and I highly recommend it.