By Mark Rodriguez
Batman is still in his early years of crime fighting, and even when capturing and handing over a drug lord named The Fish over to police, they still want to catch him. An officer named Max Cort is obsessed with taking Batman down, and he caught Batman talking to Capt. Gordon. Now he sides with Dr. Hugo Strange, who is also obsessed with Batman, as they plan to take down both The Dark Knight and Gordon!
"Prey part 3 Night Scourge" opens with Dr. Hugo Strange out on a date with the Mayor's daughter Catherine, but all he talks about is how close he is to discovering Batman's identity. Catherine doesn't care and only went on the dinner date as a courtesy. She wishes to be taken home and Strange angrily ends the date.
Batman is having doubts as his whole plan of being a vigilante is falling apart. He sees a headline about people thinking he's working with Catwoman as a criminal and worries it's too late.
Strange sulks in his apartment about the failed date and hides his mannequin before Cort comes over. He offers to hypnotize Cort to relax him so they can proceed with their plans to take down Batman. Based on the expensive materials used to create the Bat-Glider, and the fact that Batman needs to sleep sometime and most likely doesn't have a day job, Strange assumes he must be a rich man. He thinks he must live alone or be a widower, losing his wife to crime. The last five years' records of muggings and the like don't show him anyone that could have suffered a tragedy big enough to inspire the victim to become Batman.
With Cort dazed, Strange shows him a costume he made and tells him to become a Scourge of the Night. He wants him to beat Batman at his own game and lure him out so they can discredit him. Due to the hypnosis, Cort agrees. He heads back and takes Gordon's files about the Skeleton Closet Bar.
As Batman patrols the streets he runs into some street punks. He easily takes them down and leaves them tied up for the police.
Meanwhile, back at the station, the cops wonder what happened to the file on the Skeleton Closet. One of them says Cort took it, but since it involves an arms dealer, it doesn't really have anything to do with catching Batman.
A masked man enters a bar full of dangerous punks. One of the punks says maybe he's friends with Batman. The masked man knocks everyone through the windows. He grabs the last guy trying to run away and slams the back of his head against the wall. The man says he knows people come here to buy guns and asks where they go when they head out to bring more in.
The head arms dealer gets a call as one of his men warns him about what is headed his way. The masked man breaks into his home. The guy tries to shoot him but the stranger jumps over the shot and pins him down. He stuffs a pillow over the dealer's face and starts punching the hell out of him as his woman screams. Later on a cop on his beat finds the arms dealer tied up, beat up and naked and with a gun taped to his mouth. He also has a sign saying 'Night Scourge wants to help too."
Word of this hits the news as Alfred sees it on TV while Bruce Wayne hears it over the radio. Hugo Strange has a press conference blaming Batman for inspiring this new vigilante to start a fight at the Skeleton Closet and then attack a man in his own bedroom. Bruce is about to throw a radio down but stops himself and knows this is a trap.
Gordon is watching over his child as Batman pays him a visit. Gordon says he trusts Batman, but right now he can't help him unless he deals with Night Scourge. Batman will somehow have to earn the trust of the Mayor and the city.
Catwoman is about to sneak in and rob a fancy party but is spotted by Night Scourge. He cuts her off before she can get into the building and they fight up on the roof. Scourge catches one of Catwoman's kicks and slams his elbow into her thigh. He then elbow smashes her in the face and picks her up, looking like he's going to throw her off the roof. He instead drops her to the floor and takes out his sword. Batman swings into the scene and kicks him away from her.
Batman and Night Scourge crash through the skylight and into the party. Scourge accuses Batman of being partnered with Gordon and says he'll take them both down on the same night. People panic and dial 9-1-1 as Batman and Scourge fight it out. One of the party goers says not to call the police since they recognize Batman. Night Scourge gets away and thinks to himself that Strange was wrong and he was not ready for Batman this time. This proves that Max Cort was the Night Scourge.
Batman lost sight of Scourge and sees that Catwoman is still out cold. However she was only playing possum and knocks him down with a lead pipe. Catwoman says she is not his partner but maybe he'd like to become her partner. She kisses him and gets away. One of the drunk party goers steps out to ask Batman to join them for drinks but screams as he looks like a demon to her.
Cort is lying on Strange's couch as he's being hypnotized again. He says Cort is good enough and has to admit he had to face both Batman and Catwoman at the same time. Strange says he will be wearing a different costume this time, and he pulls out the Batman costume he had made.
Later on, Cort, now dressed as Batman finds Catherine and knocks her out. The Mayor wakes up to see what happened and is also struck down. This fake Batman tells the Mayor to 'call off his dogs' if he wants to see his daughter again and that 'Gotham is his'.
Meanwhile the real Batman is still on the rooftop, his head spinning from that steel pipe to the back of the head and all the fighting he's been up to. He collapses on the edge of the rooftop.
My opinions-
Thing are really picking up now. Cort is still a good enough fighter to give Batman some trouble in combat. Now Cort kidnapped the Mayor's daughter dressed as Batman while the real Batman is knocked out... basically a sitting duck since now the whole city is going to be after him. Remember that this is before Batman saved the city a thousand times so Strange is easily able to sway the public's trust.
The story is pretty good and I can't wait to see what happens next. I just have one minor nitpick though it might not be a major one since I assume they re-told the tale of how Batman first ran into Catwoman a million times already. In this take, Night Scourge was the first vigilante Catwoman met before Batman. I don't quite know how I feel about that, but oh well. Someone who I assume won't become a major rogue in Batman's gallery (at least I never heard of him before now). As for Cort, he was turned, via hypnosis, into the very thing he was so hellbent on stopping.
Either way, the real mastermind is Dr. Hugo Strange who is definitely off his rocker. Even blowing a date cause he can't stop talking about Batman. Though I'm sure that's happened to some of us at least once.
One last thing I want to mention are the cool and classic advertisements. There's one about a remote control car that looks like the Batmobile shown in the Burton movies. There was also a big fold out poster for the upcoming, at the time, Predator 2.
Batman is still in his early years of crime fighting, and even when capturing and handing over a drug lord named The Fish over to police, they still want to catch him. An officer named Max Cort is obsessed with taking Batman down, and he caught Batman talking to Capt. Gordon. Now he sides with Dr. Hugo Strange, who is also obsessed with Batman, as they plan to take down both The Dark Knight and Gordon!
"Prey part 3 Night Scourge" opens with Dr. Hugo Strange out on a date with the Mayor's daughter Catherine, but all he talks about is how close he is to discovering Batman's identity. Catherine doesn't care and only went on the dinner date as a courtesy. She wishes to be taken home and Strange angrily ends the date.
Batman is having doubts as his whole plan of being a vigilante is falling apart. He sees a headline about people thinking he's working with Catwoman as a criminal and worries it's too late.
Strange sulks in his apartment about the failed date and hides his mannequin before Cort comes over. He offers to hypnotize Cort to relax him so they can proceed with their plans to take down Batman. Based on the expensive materials used to create the Bat-Glider, and the fact that Batman needs to sleep sometime and most likely doesn't have a day job, Strange assumes he must be a rich man. He thinks he must live alone or be a widower, losing his wife to crime. The last five years' records of muggings and the like don't show him anyone that could have suffered a tragedy big enough to inspire the victim to become Batman.
With Cort dazed, Strange shows him a costume he made and tells him to become a Scourge of the Night. He wants him to beat Batman at his own game and lure him out so they can discredit him. Due to the hypnosis, Cort agrees. He heads back and takes Gordon's files about the Skeleton Closet Bar.
As Batman patrols the streets he runs into some street punks. He easily takes them down and leaves them tied up for the police.
Meanwhile, back at the station, the cops wonder what happened to the file on the Skeleton Closet. One of them says Cort took it, but since it involves an arms dealer, it doesn't really have anything to do with catching Batman.
A masked man enters a bar full of dangerous punks. One of the punks says maybe he's friends with Batman. The masked man knocks everyone through the windows. He grabs the last guy trying to run away and slams the back of his head against the wall. The man says he knows people come here to buy guns and asks where they go when they head out to bring more in.
The head arms dealer gets a call as one of his men warns him about what is headed his way. The masked man breaks into his home. The guy tries to shoot him but the stranger jumps over the shot and pins him down. He stuffs a pillow over the dealer's face and starts punching the hell out of him as his woman screams. Later on a cop on his beat finds the arms dealer tied up, beat up and naked and with a gun taped to his mouth. He also has a sign saying 'Night Scourge wants to help too."
Word of this hits the news as Alfred sees it on TV while Bruce Wayne hears it over the radio. Hugo Strange has a press conference blaming Batman for inspiring this new vigilante to start a fight at the Skeleton Closet and then attack a man in his own bedroom. Bruce is about to throw a radio down but stops himself and knows this is a trap.
Gordon is watching over his child as Batman pays him a visit. Gordon says he trusts Batman, but right now he can't help him unless he deals with Night Scourge. Batman will somehow have to earn the trust of the Mayor and the city.
Catwoman is about to sneak in and rob a fancy party but is spotted by Night Scourge. He cuts her off before she can get into the building and they fight up on the roof. Scourge catches one of Catwoman's kicks and slams his elbow into her thigh. He then elbow smashes her in the face and picks her up, looking like he's going to throw her off the roof. He instead drops her to the floor and takes out his sword. Batman swings into the scene and kicks him away from her.
Batman and Night Scourge crash through the skylight and into the party. Scourge accuses Batman of being partnered with Gordon and says he'll take them both down on the same night. People panic and dial 9-1-1 as Batman and Scourge fight it out. One of the party goers says not to call the police since they recognize Batman. Night Scourge gets away and thinks to himself that Strange was wrong and he was not ready for Batman this time. This proves that Max Cort was the Night Scourge.
Batman lost sight of Scourge and sees that Catwoman is still out cold. However she was only playing possum and knocks him down with a lead pipe. Catwoman says she is not his partner but maybe he'd like to become her partner. She kisses him and gets away. One of the drunk party goers steps out to ask Batman to join them for drinks but screams as he looks like a demon to her.
Cort is lying on Strange's couch as he's being hypnotized again. He says Cort is good enough and has to admit he had to face both Batman and Catwoman at the same time. Strange says he will be wearing a different costume this time, and he pulls out the Batman costume he had made.
Later on, Cort, now dressed as Batman finds Catherine and knocks her out. The Mayor wakes up to see what happened and is also struck down. This fake Batman tells the Mayor to 'call off his dogs' if he wants to see his daughter again and that 'Gotham is his'.
Meanwhile the real Batman is still on the rooftop, his head spinning from that steel pipe to the back of the head and all the fighting he's been up to. He collapses on the edge of the rooftop.
My opinions-
Thing are really picking up now. Cort is still a good enough fighter to give Batman some trouble in combat. Now Cort kidnapped the Mayor's daughter dressed as Batman while the real Batman is knocked out... basically a sitting duck since now the whole city is going to be after him. Remember that this is before Batman saved the city a thousand times so Strange is easily able to sway the public's trust.
The story is pretty good and I can't wait to see what happens next. I just have one minor nitpick though it might not be a major one since I assume they re-told the tale of how Batman first ran into Catwoman a million times already. In this take, Night Scourge was the first vigilante Catwoman met before Batman. I don't quite know how I feel about that, but oh well. Someone who I assume won't become a major rogue in Batman's gallery (at least I never heard of him before now). As for Cort, he was turned, via hypnosis, into the very thing he was so hellbent on stopping.
Either way, the real mastermind is Dr. Hugo Strange who is definitely off his rocker. Even blowing a date cause he can't stop talking about Batman. Though I'm sure that's happened to some of us at least once.
One last thing I want to mention are the cool and classic advertisements. There's one about a remote control car that looks like the Batmobile shown in the Burton movies. There was also a big fold out poster for the upcoming, at the time, Predator 2.
 |
Sounds like a good idea, though it might be a little late for me to order one. I always wonder whatever happens to the people that pose in these ads. Like what is this woman even doing nowadays? I'd like to someday say 'Hey, I was the dude holding up the Batmobile in that one ad!' |
Comments
Post a Comment
Leave your thoughts on this article!