Batman The Cult

A shadow has fallen upon the city of Gotham. A man calling himself Deacon Blackfire has used strange, charismatic powers to entrance half the city. The homeless, the criminal, the dispossessed have rallied around him. They are his foot soldiers, willing to do anything he commands. Any who oppose him are brutally cut down.

Thus a reign of terror begins, with the authorities, the government, and even the national guard unable to control the situation. When Batman—Gotham’s protector—tries to stop him, he ends up drugged and brainwashed. The Deacon had managed to do what no other could: break the Batman.

This controversial and compelling four-issue series was written by Jim Starlin and drawn by the master of horror himself, Bernie Wrightson.