[World of Bats] Batman & The Monster Men!

[AlexanderKnox]

Here’s what I said about Monster Men in the Prey discussion:

@AlexanderKnox

The relationship between “Prey” and Batman and the Monster Men is a bit, well, strange. Both “Prey” and its sequel were written years before Matt Wagner wrote BATMM. Despite the fifteen-year gap between the publications, Monster Men still does treat “Prey” as semi-canonical. In fact, the last issue of Wagner’s book leads directly into the opening of LOTDK #11.

However, Wagner establishes that Batman had just faced off against Hugo Strange, while “Prey” gives no indication that the characters had ever met previously. (To be fair, they never actually say outright that they HAVEN’T met, but the intention is obvious.) Also, Bruce makes a Batmobile near the end of BATMM, and he’s already making a new one in the first issue of “Prey.”

I have mixed feelings about both Moench’s and Wagner’s attempts at a first appearance of post-Crisis Hugo Strange. Granted, the character’s original debut wasn’t the greatest Golden Age story either. His next two appearances were a vast improvement, and it’s no wonder that these authors took their cues from those stories and from Strange Apparitions when reviving the character.

I wish that I could say that either of these reboots were more than just decent. Monster Men feels like it owes as much to Mask of the Phantasm as it does the original monster men story from Batman #1.