Batman: The Cult #1 (of 4)

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My problems with this book are many: Batman gets captured by the brainwashed homeless. Ok, so apparently homeless people become highly effective fighters once brainwashed. Batman gets caught in the most banal way, a situation he's been in countless times, but somehow falls victim to this time. Then he undergoes brainwashing which includes torture, starvation and hallucinatory drugs - he couldn't escape in the days he was chained up? It was literally a pair of handcuffs around a metal pipe, surely he could've escaped? It’s yet another situation Batman's been in before countless times which he could've easily gotten out of. But then there wouldn't be a book if he escaped- it's so contrived and out of character. The ghastly gothic artwork of this collection sends shivers down my spine. The story is a very morbid one, even for the Batman. Never have I seen Batman so beaten and distraught and his beloved city of Gotham so ravaged. Gotham has had it's fair shares of devastation but none so vividly depicted as in here. One bright spot to this story is Jason Todd. I don't know if this is the way his Robin was written during his time but Jim Starlin did an admirable job at making the boy wonder the soul source of hope not just for Batman but all of Gotham. I really liked this portrayal of Robin, instead of another Batman going at it alone formula.

Batman: The Cult is a four-issued limited series published in DC's prestige format. Each issue of the series features a raised cover. I had heard about Batman: The Cult but I hadn’t a clear idea of what was about, but I knew that if I have the chance to get it, I haven’t to hesitate about it. Azrael • Batgirl • Batman • Batman and Robin • Batman Beyond • Batman Confidential • Batman Incorporated • Batman: Dark Knight • Batman: Streets of Gotham • Birds of Prey • Justice League of America • Outsiders • Red Robin • Superman/Batman Batman gets brainwashed in this story, and we see him like never before. He mows people down with a machine gun in one instance, and acts like a coward in many other instances. The reason the homeless - or “Underworlders” as they're referred to - are able to take over the city is mostly due to incompetence from everyone in the book, Batman included. They use the sewers as their base of operations and everyone knows this but nobody goes down there to take them out, they just allow them to skulk around and pop up. Nobody has the wherewithal to throw down tear gas and then go in guns blazing - riot police could have this situation sorted no problem.In über 70 Jahren hat Batman viele Wandlungen erfahren und die heutigen Comics bieten eine große Menge unterschiedlicher Zeichenstile von fast klassisch bis sehr modern. Als ich auf The Cult stieß, war ich begeistert zu lesen, dass der Großmeister der b/w-Horrorgeschichten aus den 60igern Bernie Wrightson diese Graphic Novel gezeichnet hat und habe den Band sofort bestellt. Since then, always trying to hurt Gotham City, and each time, bigger and bigger his ambitions and the scope of his plans… Interestingly, The Cult also features Jason Todd as Robin and is most likely the only Todd trade outside of A Death in the Family. For once he's not annoying. This is certainly his strongest performance, one last hoorah before death.

The Others: Not sure about this one. It seemed to hold together as a story while I was reading it, but on analysis the holes are… maddening. Maybe they were supposed to be.Meanwhile in Arkham, Nashton is upset that his plan failed and wailing in his cell. A neighboring cell mate, who is largely obscured behind the steel door of his cell, proposes Nashton a riddle, asking, "Riddle me this. The less you have of me, the more I am worth." Nashton answers, "A friend." They laugh together. No One Could Survive That!: Done to Batman when he escapes into the sewer. Fortunately, Robin knows better.