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Batman: The Cult #2
Batman: The Cult #2
Batman must overcome the influence of Deacon Joseph Blackfire's religious cult—by fighting off the drugs he has been dosed with!
49 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
6 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Jim Starlin
1,338 books444 followersJames P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters Thanos and Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. Death and suicide are recurring themes in Starlin's work: Personifications of Death appeared in his Captain Marvel series and in a fill-in story for Ghost Rider; Warlock commits suicide by killing his future self; and suicide is a theme in a story he plotted and drew for The Rampaging Hulk magazine.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 15, 2025
4.5/5 Stars
May 31, 2025
Batman: The Cult Book Two dives even deeper into psychological horror, and it’s brutal. Bruce is physically and mentally shattered, and watching him try to claw his way back from the edge is intense and uncomfortable in all the right ways. Deacon Blackfire has Gotham in a vice grip, and the sense of helplessness is palpable.
Jim Starlin continues to push Batman into truly dark territory, and it’s fascinating to see a hero who’s usually so in control become so broken. Bernie Wrightson’s art remains a perfect match—moody, grotesque, and steeped in dread. The visuals carry so much weight, amplifying the claustrophobic tone of the story.
It’s not an easy read, but it’s a compelling one. Book Two cements this series as something truly different—a twisted, unflinching look at what happens when even Batman can’t find the way out.
Jim Starlin continues to push Batman into truly dark territory, and it’s fascinating to see a hero who’s usually so in control become so broken. Bernie Wrightson’s art remains a perfect match—moody, grotesque, and steeped in dread. The visuals carry so much weight, amplifying the claustrophobic tone of the story.
It’s not an easy read, but it’s a compelling one. Book Two cements this series as something truly different—a twisted, unflinching look at what happens when even Batman can’t find the way out.
January 13, 2025
The religious imagery in this is incredible. You get to see inside Batman’s mind through the art. When Ratface lures him away, he is depicted as an archangel guiding Batman on a holy mission. However, he morphs into a red devil when Batman realizes his intentions. I thought that was very clever.
Also, the way it ended with Batman welcoming Robin into Hell was grim and just further emphasized how far Gotham has fallen.
Also, the way it ended with Batman welcoming Robin into Hell was grim and just further emphasized how far Gotham has fallen.
May 27, 2024
2024 - Year of The Bat (366 Days of Batman)
Day 148
Day 148
October 7, 2025
Well that was horrifying, this has got to b one of the toughest batman comics to read just from how terrible of a spot batman is in. As we pickup from the last issue batman has been broken by Deacon Blackfire and the cult tactics and drugs he uses to convert. I didn’t quite realize it last issue, but it’s quite symbolic how the bat signal on his chest has been burned off, just another indication of Batman’s identity being stripped away from him. This issue once again opens on a dream, this time the slow descent into killing is gone and has been fully accepted. We find batman battling it out with two-face, except he has an automatic weapon in his hand. He is able to dodge out the way and gun two-face down, barely remembering who he is fighting or why he would ever spare them in the first place. But then he remembers who Two-face reminded him of…Gordon, suddenly batman has killed his friend instead of his enemy and he drop the gun in confusion. And then the reality fades into view as he is currently standing in the middle of a very real gunfight as the underworlders he is apart of are raiding a mafia Don’s house. Did batman just kill someone?! You really can’t blame him, even now as the reality sets around him he just stands there completely drugged out as blood splatters everywhere and he acts in the smallest ways to save someone, as someone else falls into his arms dying. Suddenly Jake, their handler, yells out for everyone to get going and the reality really sinks in, batman is an underworlder now and has converted to the light of Deacon Blackfire to clean up the city his way. But like every crusade, it has its costs and blood has been spilt. Batman tries to question what is happening, but Jake shuts him down. But then batman notices something he is more interested in…the food on the table. It’s been a very long time since he has really ate anything, they say the food is not good for him but he doesn’t care. As he goes to bite into a turkey leg…Jake stops him, claiming too much will weaken his spirit and he will be fed at HQ.
Batman doesn’t like Jake but the deacon speaks through him so batman obeys and is led back into the sewers. There Jake leads him to a spot to wait for the deacon. But as batman is waiting he has time to think which is shown to be especially hard. The cover of this issue shows batman in chains, and that has to be the perfect metaphor for Batman’s mental state right now. As he tries to line up details and events he can’t, it’s as if his memories are restricted from him and all he can think about is believing in Blackfire, every other thought is drowned out by his hunger. But even when he starts to think clearly, attributing his situation to drugs, the pain just comes on harder and he is forced to think of other things. But then a voice reaches out from the darkness, it’s rat face and he has a job for Batman, which “of course” has been given to them by the Deacon. They are meant to go up and take care of a pimp that used to live on rat face’s neighborhood. But as Jake comes by to retrieve batman, a look of horror comes across his face when someone else tells him he went off with rat face. On the surface we see rat face and batman approach the man, but batman is confused he does not see a pimp, but an old man unloading his car. Rat face gets into his head, he paints a picture of a racist stereotype for batman to see that isn’t there to justify their actions. But as batman holds back, ratface runs forward with a knife and slaughters the old man before batman can stop him. Suddenly a cop appears to arrest ratface, but as ratface goes to kill the cop…batman jumps in, realizing what ratface has done and breaking his jaw and saving the cops life on the process. The cop thanks batman, but as batman tries to leave the cop tries to stop him. The commissioner is looking for him and he doesn’t look good, but the drugs are making batman irritable and he punched the cop out for trying to stop him. Instead batman heads off in search of food.
Elsewhere the Deacon realizes that ratface probably took batman to kill that neighbor he hated for being black and having a white girlfriend. But the problem is that batman is due for a booster on his drug treatment, and an even bigger problem is that ratface joined their group for personal reasons…he was never drugged and of the police were to grab him he could spill a lot about their operation. And that’s exactly what happens, as batman envisions himself as a hunter looking for meat (smashing open a butcher shop window and eating raw meat) and wondering off into the city, ratface is looking more like canary face with the way he is singing to the cops. Telling them all about the decon’s operation with all the homeless people as he convinced them he was some messiah that needs them to go around and kill crooks because god told them to. All of that is really a front for creating a political backing that the deacon wants to use to set himself as a hero of the people and take over Gotham. Batman is still doing terribly, with the drug withdrawals and the excess of raw meat, he ended up passing out in Gotham’s Central Park.
As the next day comes around and batman wakes up, he ends up scaring away a couple to her their picnic basket with food he can gorge on. At the same time the news is breaking about deacon Blackfire and his plans, but the deacon doesn’t care, it only means that they move there plan up a few weeks, their power base is still solid. Even so it wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t, as the people aren’t against the deacon. Even with how horrific the crimes are to achieve peaceful streets, the people look past it and some even want to give more power to the deacon. With batman missing, it also throws more fuel to the fire that he could have joined the deacon’s group, painting Gordon’s current administration in a negative light. But Robin knows different, he guesses that batman is a captive of the deacon and decides to dawn a trench coat and sneak his way into the underworlders to find batman and rescue him. But of course at the moment batman is recovering in Central Park, and for the first time in a few weeks he is past the effects of the drugs and the withdrawals and in a mental state where he understands what the deacon did to him. He has done what no one has done before, he broke batman. But what is batman to do? Should he just run home and hide, never. Confrontation is the only remedy, and he would rather the cure kill him than experience that fear. He has to go back to the sewers and face the deacon.
All the while the deacon is rallying his troops, appealing to their base desires and dinging them that everything they crave is justified. As batman slips past the mobs he goes straight for the deacon’s locked inner sanctum, and he picks the lock and heads inside he finds sheer luxury. A total contrast to the sewers just outside, he also finds the drugs that Blackfire used to con everyone. I wish batman would have thought of this sooner, but now that the deacon’s conman status is confirmed, he plans to get Gordon and the SWAT teams to come down here and storm the place. But as batman goes to slip out, someone comes from behind him and knocks him over the head and into the ground. There they are able to chain him up, and the deacon realizes that batman was just too strong willed. Now all he wants is for his followers to take batman down to his bathing room and slit his throat so he can bathe in his blood. Robin spots this and begins to follow them.
Elsewhere Gordon is leaving city hall with the mayor, who just wants this Blackfire situation taken care of with little hassle as he already has so much on his plate. As he gets in his car, the two completely miss the hand coming up from the sewer grate underneath, and planting a bomb on the mayor’s car. As the mayor drives off, Jim falls to the ground in horror as the car explodes. Elsewhere a city councilman has heard of the mayor’s death and is already making plans to replace him and oust Gordon…only moments later a garbage truck slams into him. The mayor and the entire city councilman has heard have been assassinated. Deacon Blackfire reaches out to offer his help agains the “organized crime” that caused this, and Gordon denies it under the claim the Deadon is behind the killings. But unfortunately has no proof to back it up. As the issue comes to an end we follow batman as be is lead deeper into the sewer system, only for batman to jump into action and fight back before diving into the water next to them and disappearing. The cultists presume they shot him and his body was swept away. The others are worried about Blackfire’s reaction to them loosing him, but Jake doesn’t seem to care what that “crazy bastard” thinks. Following close behind Robin jumps in the water and swims right behind to try and find batman. Elsewhere Gordon continues to build a case on Deacon Blackfire, only to find his records go back to the turn of the century! As Robin swims desperately after batman he immediately finds it’s pretty rough down there, good thing ratcatcher isn’t here or Robin would have to be going a round or two with him as well. But as Robin is thrown around and eventually finds himself in a dark cavern spot he comes across a soft squishy surface, when he falls out for batman they have finally reunited. But batman is not in a good mental spot, he claims they are in hell and he is here for his punishment. Robin is understandably confused, and as he continues to stumble around in the dark he keeps running into stuff. Batman claims he is running into the damned, and that’s when Robin puts two and two together. As he finds and lights his flashlight, it fills the room to reveal body after body packed on top of each other as batman welcomes him to hell. The entire room is a dumping ground or Deacon Blackfire’s victims…and it’s huge and filled.
Batman doesn’t like Jake but the deacon speaks through him so batman obeys and is led back into the sewers. There Jake leads him to a spot to wait for the deacon. But as batman is waiting he has time to think which is shown to be especially hard. The cover of this issue shows batman in chains, and that has to be the perfect metaphor for Batman’s mental state right now. As he tries to line up details and events he can’t, it’s as if his memories are restricted from him and all he can think about is believing in Blackfire, every other thought is drowned out by his hunger. But even when he starts to think clearly, attributing his situation to drugs, the pain just comes on harder and he is forced to think of other things. But then a voice reaches out from the darkness, it’s rat face and he has a job for Batman, which “of course” has been given to them by the Deacon. They are meant to go up and take care of a pimp that used to live on rat face’s neighborhood. But as Jake comes by to retrieve batman, a look of horror comes across his face when someone else tells him he went off with rat face. On the surface we see rat face and batman approach the man, but batman is confused he does not see a pimp, but an old man unloading his car. Rat face gets into his head, he paints a picture of a racist stereotype for batman to see that isn’t there to justify their actions. But as batman holds back, ratface runs forward with a knife and slaughters the old man before batman can stop him. Suddenly a cop appears to arrest ratface, but as ratface goes to kill the cop…batman jumps in, realizing what ratface has done and breaking his jaw and saving the cops life on the process. The cop thanks batman, but as batman tries to leave the cop tries to stop him. The commissioner is looking for him and he doesn’t look good, but the drugs are making batman irritable and he punched the cop out for trying to stop him. Instead batman heads off in search of food.
Elsewhere the Deacon realizes that ratface probably took batman to kill that neighbor he hated for being black and having a white girlfriend. But the problem is that batman is due for a booster on his drug treatment, and an even bigger problem is that ratface joined their group for personal reasons…he was never drugged and of the police were to grab him he could spill a lot about their operation. And that’s exactly what happens, as batman envisions himself as a hunter looking for meat (smashing open a butcher shop window and eating raw meat) and wondering off into the city, ratface is looking more like canary face with the way he is singing to the cops. Telling them all about the decon’s operation with all the homeless people as he convinced them he was some messiah that needs them to go around and kill crooks because god told them to. All of that is really a front for creating a political backing that the deacon wants to use to set himself as a hero of the people and take over Gotham. Batman is still doing terribly, with the drug withdrawals and the excess of raw meat, he ended up passing out in Gotham’s Central Park.
As the next day comes around and batman wakes up, he ends up scaring away a couple to her their picnic basket with food he can gorge on. At the same time the news is breaking about deacon Blackfire and his plans, but the deacon doesn’t care, it only means that they move there plan up a few weeks, their power base is still solid. Even so it wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t, as the people aren’t against the deacon. Even with how horrific the crimes are to achieve peaceful streets, the people look past it and some even want to give more power to the deacon. With batman missing, it also throws more fuel to the fire that he could have joined the deacon’s group, painting Gordon’s current administration in a negative light. But Robin knows different, he guesses that batman is a captive of the deacon and decides to dawn a trench coat and sneak his way into the underworlders to find batman and rescue him. But of course at the moment batman is recovering in Central Park, and for the first time in a few weeks he is past the effects of the drugs and the withdrawals and in a mental state where he understands what the deacon did to him. He has done what no one has done before, he broke batman. But what is batman to do? Should he just run home and hide, never. Confrontation is the only remedy, and he would rather the cure kill him than experience that fear. He has to go back to the sewers and face the deacon.
All the while the deacon is rallying his troops, appealing to their base desires and dinging them that everything they crave is justified. As batman slips past the mobs he goes straight for the deacon’s locked inner sanctum, and he picks the lock and heads inside he finds sheer luxury. A total contrast to the sewers just outside, he also finds the drugs that Blackfire used to con everyone. I wish batman would have thought of this sooner, but now that the deacon’s conman status is confirmed, he plans to get Gordon and the SWAT teams to come down here and storm the place. But as batman goes to slip out, someone comes from behind him and knocks him over the head and into the ground. There they are able to chain him up, and the deacon realizes that batman was just too strong willed. Now all he wants is for his followers to take batman down to his bathing room and slit his throat so he can bathe in his blood. Robin spots this and begins to follow them.
Elsewhere Gordon is leaving city hall with the mayor, who just wants this Blackfire situation taken care of with little hassle as he already has so much on his plate. As he gets in his car, the two completely miss the hand coming up from the sewer grate underneath, and planting a bomb on the mayor’s car. As the mayor drives off, Jim falls to the ground in horror as the car explodes. Elsewhere a city councilman has heard of the mayor’s death and is already making plans to replace him and oust Gordon…only moments later a garbage truck slams into him. The mayor and the entire city councilman has heard have been assassinated. Deacon Blackfire reaches out to offer his help agains the “organized crime” that caused this, and Gordon denies it under the claim the Deadon is behind the killings. But unfortunately has no proof to back it up. As the issue comes to an end we follow batman as be is lead deeper into the sewer system, only for batman to jump into action and fight back before diving into the water next to them and disappearing. The cultists presume they shot him and his body was swept away. The others are worried about Blackfire’s reaction to them loosing him, but Jake doesn’t seem to care what that “crazy bastard” thinks. Following close behind Robin jumps in the water and swims right behind to try and find batman. Elsewhere Gordon continues to build a case on Deacon Blackfire, only to find his records go back to the turn of the century! As Robin swims desperately after batman he immediately finds it’s pretty rough down there, good thing ratcatcher isn’t here or Robin would have to be going a round or two with him as well. But as Robin is thrown around and eventually finds himself in a dark cavern spot he comes across a soft squishy surface, when he falls out for batman they have finally reunited. But batman is not in a good mental spot, he claims they are in hell and he is here for his punishment. Robin is understandably confused, and as he continues to stumble around in the dark he keeps running into stuff. Batman claims he is running into the damned, and that’s when Robin puts two and two together. As he finds and lights his flashlight, it fills the room to reveal body after body packed on top of each other as batman welcomes him to hell. The entire room is a dumping ground or Deacon Blackfire’s victims…and it’s huge and filled.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2024
Batman kills.
Under the influence of drugs and brainwashing, he participates as the cult murders a group of mafia people.
Ratface was part of the cult, but he was a voluntary member, using the Deacon’s reasoning to justify his murderous actions.
For some reason, he wants Batman with him as he kills the neighbour he was jealous of.
Seeing that cold-blooded murder wakes something inside the hero and he runs.
For a time, his head is fuzzy. He remembers feelings but little else. He knows he needs food to start thinking straight.
Meanwhile, in police custody, Ratface spills all that he knows about Blackfire’s operation and intentions.
Which does not seem to bother the Deacon.
After stealing food, throwing his guts up and stealing more food, Batman finally remembers his whole ordeal.
Deacon Blackfire rallies his followers while Bats slips back inside the sewers to investigate.
After seeing the lavish room Blackfire created for himself, Batman is caught! Robin, who went underground to find his partner, witnesses it all.
The cult kills the mayor and the city council.
Batman is being led to his death. But he will not go quietly. He is shot but is able to escape.
Robin follows and in the end, the pair stumble across the cult’s very full dumping ground…
Under the influence of drugs and brainwashing, he participates as the cult murders a group of mafia people.
Ratface was part of the cult, but he was a voluntary member, using the Deacon’s reasoning to justify his murderous actions.
For some reason, he wants Batman with him as he kills the neighbour he was jealous of.
Seeing that cold-blooded murder wakes something inside the hero and he runs.
For a time, his head is fuzzy. He remembers feelings but little else. He knows he needs food to start thinking straight.
Meanwhile, in police custody, Ratface spills all that he knows about Blackfire’s operation and intentions.
Which does not seem to bother the Deacon.
After stealing food, throwing his guts up and stealing more food, Batman finally remembers his whole ordeal.
Deacon Blackfire rallies his followers while Bats slips back inside the sewers to investigate.
After seeing the lavish room Blackfire created for himself, Batman is caught! Robin, who went underground to find his partner, witnesses it all.
The cult kills the mayor and the city council.
Batman is being led to his death. But he will not go quietly. He is shot but is able to escape.
Robin follows and in the end, the pair stumble across the cult’s very full dumping ground…
June 19, 2017
Progress
The Cult's plan is starting to come to public light. The head of the group is apparently much older than he appears. I've liked the story, not crazy about Batman not being mentally strong enough to fend off a good old-fashioned brainwashing by a cult leader, but they justified it with starvation and weakening over multiple weeks, they also acknowledged this in the story itself, which is good.
The art's still super mediocre and dated but so is Miller's art in TDKR. And I know that's not a popular opinion, that's just my two cents on the issue.
The Cult's plan is starting to come to public light. The head of the group is apparently much older than he appears. I've liked the story, not crazy about Batman not being mentally strong enough to fend off a good old-fashioned brainwashing by a cult leader, but they justified it with starvation and weakening over multiple weeks, they also acknowledged this in the story itself, which is good.
The art's still super mediocre and dated but so is Miller's art in TDKR. And I know that's not a popular opinion, that's just my two cents on the issue.
November 9, 2023
Another great chapter! Seeing Batman completely brainwashed and trying to hold it together was pretty tough to watch. Also- this comic got VIOLENT real quick! Almost horror-like- ESPECIALLY that ending! I’m really digging the themes of religious zealots and the horror themes of this Batman story! I’ll probably finish the entire thing tonight!
April 11, 2022
“Welcome to hell.”
The darker side of the Batman universe always has my favorite stories—and this one got DARK. I’m talking a sewer full of corpses dark.
Thank you for Robin. I’m ready for the next installment.
The darker side of the Batman universe always has my favorite stories—and this one got DARK. I’m talking a sewer full of corpses dark.
Thank you for Robin. I’m ready for the next installment.
July 14, 2024
After a sort of interesting first chapter, this one took me back a step. It might be a little too grim, even with batman being brainwashed, I don't like him being involved with group murders and stuff. The artwork though remains great and I'm curious to see where it all goes.
January 20, 2026
I'm still put off by Batman being so easily brainwashed in this series, but the level of horror is such that the overall theme becomes intriguing. The plot of Deacon Blackfire to sow discord in Gotham is interesting at least. I recommend this series for some good art, if nothing else.
August 7, 2024
Really loving the imagery in this. It's appropriately unsettling.
Read
January 6, 2025jason please slap bruce & give him a reality check
September 5, 2025
5⭐️ THIS IS SO INCREDIBLE AND SO SCARY HELLO
January 11, 2026
this run is so good omg
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews