Summary
- Batman '89: Echoes #2 introduces the Monster Men to the Burton-verse, adding a dark twist to Gotham's history.
- Doctor Hugo Strange's presence looms large, as Batman investigates the Monster Men while at the mercy of Arkham Asylum.
- The return of the classic Batman foes adds urgency and danger to the Dark Knight's already important mission.
Warning: contains spoilers for Batman '89: Echoes #2!
DC’s Harley Quinn and Scarecrow. Now, a gang of villains from early in the Dark Knight’s career take center stage in Batman ‘89: Echoes #2.
Batman ‘89: Echoes #2 is written by Sam Hamm and drawn by Joe Quinones. Bruce Wayne has gone undercover in Arkham Asylum, in order to investigate Doctor Jonathan Crane. Bruce mingles with the rest of the Asylum’s populace, including the mysterious “Maynard.” Maynard, who believes that Bruce is actually the villain Firefly, tells him to relax because he “is one of us,” referring to the “Monster Men.”
Bruce presses Maynard for more information, and he refers to the group this time as “Stranger’s Rangers,” a reference to Hugo Strange.
The Monster Men Are Some of the Dark Knight's Oldest Foes
They Only Respond to Doctor Hugo Strange
The Monster Men have a long history with the Dark Knight, stretching back to comics’ Golden Age. Doctor Hugo Strange was one of Batman’s first villains, appearing in 1940’s Detective Comics #36. Strange predated the Joker, Catwoman and many other classic Batman antagonists. When he returns in the landmark Batman #1, Strange brings with him a group of Monster Men. These Monster Men were unfortunate victims of Strange, injected with a growth serum that turned them into brutes. Batman himself was injected with the serum, but fortunately he was able to develop a serum in time to prevent the transformation.
Years later, in 1977’s Detective Comics #471, Hugo Strange returned, this time with a new army of Monster Men. Rather than experimenting on patients in the asylum, he turned his attention to Gotham’s elite. Once again, Batman stopped him and this time Strange seemed to perish, seemingly for good, and it would be many years before he was seen again. Doctor Hugo Strange returned during DC’s Rebirth era, the driving force behind The Night of the Monster Men crossover that ran through the Batman family of titles. Each incarnation of the Monster Men grows progressively more disturbing–and deadlier than ever.
The Monster Men Will Shake Up The Burton-Verse
Can Hugo Strange Be Far Behind?
And now, the Monster Men have arrived in the continuity established in the Michael Keaton Batman films, with a dark spin worthy of the tradition. Although Hugo Strange is not seen in this issue, his handiwork is, as noted by Maynard. Maynard refers to the patients in Arkham as “the Monster Men,” a callback to their very first appearance in the DC Universe. Batman is once again at the mercy of Hugo Strange, and is in danger of becoming a Monster Man himself, adding a layer of urgency to his already important mission.
Batman '89: Echoes #2 is on sale now from DC Comics!
Batman '89: Echoes #2 (2024) |
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