10. Batman And The Monster Men
Published: November 2005 - April 2006
Author: Matt Wagner
The Big Bad: Dr. Hugo Strange
The Premise: Adapted from a much earlier story that ran in Batman's original run, Batman and the Monster Men puts a new twist on the caped crusader's first encounter with the mad but brilliant Dr. Hugo Strange. Continuity-wise, the story takes place quite early in Batman's career as a masked vigilante. It marks the first time Batman has actually come across anything that borders on the "paranormal" as Strange utilizes mad science to transform inmates into hulking abominations. When Batman deduces that the crimes committed by these monstrosities are somehow linked to loan shark Salvatore Maroni, he becomes mixed up in something far more twisted than could be imagined.
Why It Would Work: The story is early in Batman's history as a crime fighter. It focuses heavily on how Batman slowly began to gain his rogues gallery as he learns there's far more in the dark than hired guns. Dr. Hugo Strange is an interesting character and would translate well into a live-action setting. His modus operandi is just bizarre enough to establish the dark world Batman fights in but not so outlandish that it be immediately dismissed. In other words, the story is perfect for pleasing longtime fans while drawing new ones into this world. There's a lot within these pages that would make for great tv. The quadrilateral relationship between Bruce Wayne, his lover and her father, Sal Maroni and his goons, and Hugo Strange is so carefully woven that one can't help but be drawn in by its complexity. There's even a nod to the Joker in a newspaper article in what could be a great introduction to the character in the show. Batman and the Monster Men is perfect to show us just what kind of city Gotham is, and just what kind of man and hero Bruce Wayne is trying to be.