hugo strange in batman: prey.

batman: legends of the dark knight: prey (such a mouthful, in more ways than one.) is a 1990 comic book depicting hugo strange's first encounter with batman. (this was the initial intent, though it was later retconned.) it's set shortly after the well-loved batman: year one. in this version of the canon, professor strange is a nasty, full-of-himself psychologist (so not much is new!) who goes on local talk shows to discuss the mental afflictions of the batman. he is hired by the gcpd to nail down batman's identity (and possibly nail batman too...), poking at his psychological weaknesses as he attempts to frame and defame him, only to find himself unravelled by the mystery and allure of the 'batman' identity.

this is an extremely homoerotic comic which features an extremely queercoded hugo. hugo is misogynistic and repellent to literally every woman in the comic, and is perpetually drawn to physically stronger men. this includes batman, of course, and also sgt. cort, the cop he hypnotises into impersonating batman as part of his frame job. i have many, many thoughts about this very heterosexual behaviour.

heterosexual things that happen in this comic between hugo and max:

• hugo ties his hypnotic suggestions to the night itself, the light of the moon. perfect for a moonlighting vigilante, and more perfect for hugo's thick, full-moon anime glasses... but also quite a sentimental choice. almost romantic.

• hugo booty calls cort after his date with a woman goes disastrously.
• he calls cort 'strong and athletic' and 'maxie-boy'
• hugo tailors clothing for him
• they have a messy phone breakup!!!

hugo is psychosexually a fucking mess. i haven't even mentioned the fucking manikin, which is the main reason this comic gets memed about. when hugo is alone in his ugly-gorgeous cocaine decor penthouse, he keeps a manikin for company. she is perpetually dressed in lingerie. (and after hugo's obsession with batman grows too great, he covers her head with the batcowl. just the batcowl and a full set of lacy lingerie. fashion!) he pours her her own drinks like a kid playing tea party, speaks to her as though she's real, monologues to her about his many very important thoughts. when others are over at his house, he hides her in his closet. this comic is not subtle. that's okay. it doesn't have to be. the doll is his ultimate confidant and also his punching bag when his insecurities get the better of him. in the much lower quality follow-up, batman: terror, he actually fucks her? but they make it so unsexy and repulsive and as a real Dollspace Enjoyer, it made me feel kind of bad for wanting to be in her place. the original comic, and this concept, awakened something inside me that hasn't ever left. it even inspired two of my fics!

i think of all the hugo comics, this one speaks the most to his psychology and thought processes, which is why it excites me so much. we find out what he does when he's truly alone, we're let into his twisted and contradictory perspective. he is such a poor little meow meow in this comic! he's so pathetic and gross. he seethes and writhes. his inferiority complex is so much more complicated and fucky than just 'i am resentful of stronger men', which is often how he's written by heavier hands. his obsession with and resentment of strength is tied so strongly to libido and desire in a way that is very sexy to me. he is, throughout, incapable of speaking about women, and has a million words for the men in his life. his queercoding is horribly of its time and mean but i want to gnaw on it like a dog with a bone.

'making red love to the night itself...' hm. he might say he hates batman, but it's not even that really. it's that he wants to be subsumed in him. he wants him all to himself, or rather one very specific idea of him. he would love for 'hugo' to disappear into the night and nothing but id to remain. that is why his batsuit doesn't bare his face. he could never conceive of the 'man' half of 'batman' and certainly cannot embody it himself. i suspect doug moench's hugo is as close to fucking as we are ever going to get in canon. it feels like we get to turn the lens upon him that he turns upon his patients. that's why it is, to me, the definitive hugo story!

tangent: i don't like it when villain characters' 'weaknesses' are insecurities about their perceived "deficiencies", but their insecurity is proven right instead of undercut by their defeat. in the right hands (typically someone who actually shares that inner demon!) this type of narrative can be cathartic, but it often just speaks to the author's own mean-spiritedness. true, hugo here is not mentally healthy, even citing his own mental unrest as the root of his becoming a psychiatrist, but he is also the arbiter of the psychological norm and is continually weaponising that against others. plus batman is just a whole mess of trauma in this comic and hugo is taking advantage of that. so i think the parallels between protagonist/antagonist and the tension between his position of authority and his underlying mental unrest makes it less... gross feeling, and more 'this is one fucked up horrible man'.

do bear in mind that this is a comic of its time. i cannot speak to its quality without saying that. if you go in expecting that, you will be fine and you can just roll your eyes through the cringe-inducing parts. there are contradictions inherent to writing a male-gazey 90s comic with lots of half-dressed women in peril while simultaneously condemning its antagonist's misogyny, but then the former is easier to write with the latter in place.