Published In 1988
Written By Jim Starlin
Art By Bernie Wrightson
Despite my different rantings posted here about books, food, booze, and music, I’m a comic nerd at heart. It was the first real illustrated and creative medium I was exposed to, and it’s the one thing that I can always say has influenced me in terms of other creative pursuits that I’ve done. When I first began to try and write, it was with the influence of the iconic writer Jim Starlin in my mind. When I first began to draw, Jim Aparo was in my head.
And so, I’ll be covering a series of graphic novels in my little soapbox on the internet (last I checked, it was Irish Spring). If nothing else, it can serve as a sort of recommended list for you all if you have a lot of time to kill at a Barnes and Nobles, and are interested in reading something other than the vast amount of martyred trees that now are emblazoned with how you can get six pack abs in seven days or Oprah’s latest favorite things.
In Batman: The Cult, the story follows two different rises and falls. The first is that of Deacon Blackfire in Gotham City, whose teachings have led him to acquire a large band of homeless people who have begun to met out their own vicious and bloody brand of social justice. The second is that of Gotham’s iconic defender, the Batman, who while investigating Blackfire is captured. Batman, after a lengthy captivity in which he does suffer torture, brainwashing, drugging, and extreme dehydration and food deprivation, does indeed succumb to Blackfire’s teachings and becomes a willing convert.
Blackfire steps up his campaign to take control of the city, assassinating politicians and nearly assassinating Commissioner Gordon, who must be hospitalized. The police, then the National Guard prove to be ineffective as the city descends into anarchy, until finally Martial Law is declared and the city is sealed off. Batman is found by Robin, and only the sight of nearly seeing his apprentice nearly murdered does Batman take action.
After a short recovery, and some self reflection, Batman and Robin enter the city, where they engage in minor urban warfare against Blackfire’s followers. They also witness the numerous examples of chaos, looting, careless murder and human depravity that have been done in the absence of authority. Batman enters the sewer, where he bests Blackfire in combat, but does not kill him, eventually breaking the evil preacher and leaving him to be destroyed by his horde of followers, who have become so used to bloodlust that they find themselves overcome by it.
When I first picked up Batman: The Cult, I wasn’t expecting too much, with it being rendered into the bargain bin of my local comic shop. Instead, what I found is a dark, vicious, but engrossing story that kept me glued from beginning to end. This is classic Jim Starlin writing, who has crafted several of the most iconic Batman stories from the Bronze Age. When you wanted a Batman story written, Starlin was the man.
In terms of overall tone, Starlin frames the story well, writing it as a disjointed, disturbed narrative. In fact, the story itself begins with Batman hallucinating, with the rest of the story filled in as flashbacks and personal narratives. The entire graphic novel is chaotic, and it shares a great deal in common with the Christopher Nolan films. Another similarity to the Nolan films is that by and large, the villain is much more realistic. A man walking around in a freezer unit: not Chris Nolan’s style. A insane preacher pushing to spread anarchy over a metropolis? Very much so. Just as in The Dark Knight, Batman himself is forced to travel to the ends of human endurance and sanity in order to try and stop the threat.
The artwork is fantastic. Berni Wrightson’s work reflects the disjointed and maddening tone meant to be told in the story. From the different pastel colors used to illustrate Batman’s hallucianations, the red toned water colors used to illustrate Batman’s return to Gotham and his discovery of the carnage that has been inflicted, to the peaceful, neutral colors used to illustrate the brief interlude at Wayne Manor, where Bruce attempts to patch together the broken pieces of his soul, Wrightston worked hard on this project, and pulled it off spectacularly.
Starlin’s writing perfectly captures the Dark Knight’s descent into madness, as well as his eventually mental collapse. During his captivity, Batman is constantly exposed, through brainwashing and neglect, to Blackfire’s message, preaching justice, but at the cost of a great deal more brutality than even Batman is willing to go. Over time, even Batman succumbs to the vicious gospel being preached, even to the point where he violates his own principles. He uses a gun, something he pledged never to do because of how his parents were murdered, and he takes a life. Granted, while the murder itself was committed while Batman was hallucinating (he thought it was the Joker), the fact that even his principles and judgment could be compromised so much haunts Batman. So much so that even after he regains control, it takes him some time before he can recover from being broken.
The Cult is also one of the few appearances of Jason Todd as Robin, the much maligned successor to Dick Grayson, the original Robin. While the majority of Todd’s appearances as Robin from his post-crisis introduction show him as a angry youth determined to push the limit, while his subsequent appearances portray him as little more than an annoying idiot, The Cult is different. Starlin, who would later script Todd’s demise in A Death In The Family, portrays Todd as a competent crime fighter, a loyal assistant, and, refreshingly, a genuinely caring human being. It’s quite refreshing, and is perhaps the only real favorable presentation of Todd in comics other than his appearance in Gotham County Line, which also shares some similarities in tone with The Cult.
Blackfire himself is quite the character. He is portrayed as a charismatic, energetic, and high manipulative leader, seeking to push his ultimate agenda of achieving power, chaos and destruction. While Blackfire does spread a story about being an immortal Indian shaman who discovered the secret of eternal youth, whether or not he truly was or this was simply a part of his scheme is left up to the reader. For a one shot villain, Blackfire is remarkably effective, and instantly loathable as you see him go from cult preacher to the leader of a violent army. Seeing his ultimate end is rather satisfying as you see Batman earn a bit of payback by breaking the evil preacher, then watching as his hoard turn on him.
All in all, The Cult is a wonderfully satisfying tale to read from beginning to end. While it’s not normally found in Barnes And Noble, a few dog eared copies appear in Barnes and Noble on occasion. Give it a shot if you read it. It’s darkly good.
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