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Batman: The Cult #1
Batman: The Cult #1
Batman suddenly finds himself the prisoner of a mysterious religious cult led by Deacon Joseph Blackfire. But rather than eliminate the Caped Crusader, the cult attempts to break his will...and have him join their ranks!
50 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 3, 1999
30 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Jim Starlin
1,334 books443 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 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 26, 2019
Why hasn’t THIS been made into a movie?
April 10, 2025
don perry 😔
March 3, 2024
ottimo inizio
May 31, 2025
Just finished Batman: The Cult Book One by Jim Starlin, and wow—it’s a heavy, unsettling ride. This is Batman at his most vulnerable, physically and psychologically, as he’s pulled into the grip of Deacon Blackfire, a terrifying cult leader who feels all too real. The tone is grim from the start, and the story dives straight into Gotham’s darkest corners.
Starlin doesn’t hold back, pushing Batman to the edge in a way that’s both fascinating and deeply uncomfortable. Bernie Wrightson’s art adds to the horror vibe—gritty, shadowy, and packed with eerie detail that fits the story perfectly.
This isn’t your usual Bat-story—it’s bleak, intense, and disturbing in the best way. A strong, atmospheric start that sets up a psychological descent I’m very curious (and nervous) to follow.
Starlin doesn’t hold back, pushing Batman to the edge in a way that’s both fascinating and deeply uncomfortable. Bernie Wrightson’s art adds to the horror vibe—gritty, shadowy, and packed with eerie detail that fits the story perfectly.
This isn’t your usual Bat-story—it’s bleak, intense, and disturbing in the best way. A strong, atmospheric start that sets up a psychological descent I’m very curious (and nervous) to follow.
March 15, 2025
4/5 Stars
May 27, 2024
2024 - Year of The Bat (366 Days of Batman)
Day 147: Yet another story I’ve never gotten around to for 35+ years. Trippy. But it was written by Starlin. One thing I’ve always wondered. When the villain has Batman at such a disadvantage, why don’t they unmask him?
Day 147: Yet another story I’ve never gotten around to for 35+ years. Trippy. But it was written by Starlin. One thing I’ve always wondered. When the villain has Batman at such a disadvantage, why don’t they unmask him?
June 19, 2017
So far, so good. I won't lie, the style and art are noticeably dated, but it still has been good. It feels almost like a Grant Morrison story that doesn't do all the things a typical Grant Morrison story does to annoy me, keeping in mind that I may change my tune when I'm more than a quarter of the way into the arc.
January 13, 2025
There’s something shocking about watching the Batman break apart. I thought the way the artist expressed his state of mind with the shattering panels was brilliant.
I do think that the Deacon got his hands on Batman too easily, but then again, Bruce is only a man. He can make himself out to be a symbol of fear and protection, but he is still fragile, just as demonstrated in this comic.
I do think that the Deacon got his hands on Batman too easily, but then again, Bruce is only a man. He can make himself out to be a symbol of fear and protection, but he is still fragile, just as demonstrated in this comic.
October 7, 2025
First time reading this and wow I see why everyone likes to recommend it, this story has so many fantastic layers to it that we slowly peel back as the story progresses. The overall story is batman vs Deacon Blackfire, and his cults influence over the city and the influence they are trying to gain over batman. We explore the supposed history of the deacon and his connection to the city; alongside all the activities the cult is performing in the city that originally put batman on their tail and ended up with batman captured and tortured by them to convert. Through this we also explore Batman’s mental state, and that is where the issue starts as we explore one of Batman’s dreams. Where he is a lone boy and exploring an unfamiliar and creepy mansion, part of him knows he needs to leave but there is something calling to him. And like an obsession he continues until the moment it is too late and he finally wants to leave. Just then the joker sprints forward, it’s time for a bit of a biology lesson, what happens when someone lights 30 sticks of dynamite strapped to their chest? As a young Bruce stands there in horror as the joker laughs…nothing happens, a bundle of flowers explode around them. It was nothing but a joke, but Bruce isn’t laughing. As the dream progresses he stands up and decides that this is the end, as he stands up be also ages up and his body shifts into wearing the batman suit and he finds that he is holding an axe. Suddenly he is chopping the joker to bits, finding that it is so easy and that he should have ended this a long time ago. But suddenly it is occurring to him what he is doing and where he really is. As he wakes up we find that batman is deprived and chained up to a sewer pipe with untreated wounds sloppy bandaged up.
He’s been down there at least a week, maybe longer as he can’t tell the time. He is fully aware of what the cult of deacon Blackfire is trying to do, these are all classic recruiting methods and he sees the signs in the other converts down there that surround and torment him with the word of Blackfire. First you seperate the mark from all familiar surroundings, you starve them to lower their resistance, disorientation and possible hallucinations will follow, and that leaves the victim vulnerable to suggestion. It won’t take much longer for the victim to experience revelation, but it won’t work on batman…right? He claims his sense of reality is too strong…but that’s really being put to the test here.
But what is the ripped deacon Blackfire’s story that his disciples constantly flood into Batman’s head? Through their stories they claim he has lived for thousands of years and was originally sent as a messenger from God to the Native Miagani people that resided on these lands before any pioneers. But the Miagani were too blind to see the glory of the messenger and became threatened by his power and demanded that he leave, the chief was especially jealous and the Shaman (deacon Blackfire) struck down the chief with the anger of god. The rest of the Miagani people fought against him and when they realized they couldn’t kill him outright, they decided to hide and bury him away, hoping that people would forget. They covered up the cave he was trapped in and erected a totem outside with warnings of evil spirits buried within. But the people suffered soon after that, their crops died unharvested and the game in the woods disappeared. The Miagani packed up and left for a new home, but ran into another tribe and were slaughtered. The cult sees this act as the tribe paying for their sins. If you haven’t noticed already, there are a lot of ideas in this cult about striking down sinners, an idea that we have already seen creep into Batman’s dreams. More on that later. The next part of Blackfire’s story comes in 1609 when a Dutch ship landed at what would eventually be Gotham city. They were surprised to find no Natives and setup two colonies. One by the shore and one father inland for better farming. There they stumbled upon the Shaman’s tomb, and believing it would be a good cave for a root cellar, they opened it only to find Blackfire…as ripped as ever. Naturally the cult believes Blackfire sensed what was in the men’s souls and killed them for it. The next day two men from the other settlement found the village deserted, with signs of blood and violence everywhere…but no bodies. The only clue was from a trapper who saw a mysterious naked man walking from the settlement. And of course we are supposed to believe that was Blackfire.
We’ve heard the tale of Blackfire, now what about the here and now? How did we get here, and how can batman be gone for a week and no one notice? Actually everyone has and these are strange times in Gotham. All of this started when batman noticed Deadon Blackfire’s mission pop up in crime alley. Naturally he kept some tabs on them to make sure there was no trouble, it’s a rough spot to setup after all. But batman soon forgot about it when the bodies started showing up. People actually believed it was his doing for a minute, criminals all over the city are popping up dead. But batman has an alibi, plus tbh ere are signs of multiple attackers. Batman figures someone else is trying to clean up the streets. At the same time politicians are going on the news and claiming that the homeless problem has been solved in Gotham. Sure you may see them on the streets, but do you ever see them sleeping there? The reporter points out that they are constantly getting reports of public shelters not having enough space, how can this be possible? The politicians chop it up to the private sector and that the problem wasn’t as bad as they thought to begin with. The reporter doesn’t believe it and neither does Batman. But the question remains, where are all the homeless going at night? The next event happened one night when batman came across a scene where a few guys killed a security guard just to steal some VCRs. But the robbers themselves were found chopped up, no one suspected batman this time, and the tracks from the perpetrators lead into the sewer system. But once they were down there batman had no way to find them. But a few nights later and all of the questions batman had were answered in a few foolish moves. Batman came across two young thugs, who don’t care about anyone else, holding up a street vendor. They shot him in the arm already and of batman didn’t step in it could have been worse. But they are still young and have the chance to change, so he left them with some broken bones they would remember. But batman missed the third person. They stepped out from the fog and shot batman in the side, as the vendor ran off and batman fell down to the ground…the gunman walked over to finish the job…only to turn over when a knife was stabbed in his back. Before batman could get up to see his rescuer, he was passing out again and waking up chained up in the sewer system with Deadon Blackfire and his followers welcoming him to the underworld empire. Robin (Jason), has of course gone to Gordon after not hearing back from batman for a week. But all Gordon can confirm is how bad it is out there, people are disappearing all over town and even the cops are creeped out from how little crime there is at night. There is no one on the streets. We see glimpses into the cults activities, anyone who tries to do anything illegal, such as selling drugs, is ripped into the shadows and slaughtered. We see another situation where a pimp is slashed up on the street, and the missing persons reports just continue to grow. One reporter says “I never thought I’d see the day that the police would be worried about there not being enough crime in Gotham.”
So how is batman holding up through all of this and what are they doing to him? Well we have already seen the deprecation of food and the stories they fill his head with. We have also seen the torture, including using a hot iron against him, when he laughs back at the foolishness of their stories. And the little amount of food they do give him seems to be dosed with something. We also see them shoving the pain of others into his face as justification for their actions. Remember that pimp I mentioned they killed earlier? One of the women he pimped out is part of their cause, and it turns out that one night when he was coked out he took a knife to her. She lost a few fingers and her face has been disfigured. Blackfire uses her as an example for their actions, of they left it in the hands of the cops or ever batman that pimp would be back out on the street in no time. At this time we can see the cracks starting to show in Batman’s will, his realization of the criminals he has let live and what pain they have caused others because of it. The thoughts that maybe Blackfire is right, maybe he actually is that old start to creep up. Everything really comes to a head when Blackfire gives batman that final push as he injects batman with hallucinogens then has his people carry batman to a room with “proof.” Batman looks forward to see a giant totem of the deacon, just like the one from the story. But this one is a few stories tall and according to Blackfire has grown more powerful, capable of providing revelation to those who look upon it. I’m not exactly sure how real this totem is, but batman seems to believe it with those drugs in his system and finally batman looks to it and is “saved.” His moment of enlightenment had come and he falls into the deacon’s arms. Batman had been converted. That night we see the range of the Deacon’s attacks spread. They aren’t just targeting murderers or pimps, they are targeting the future. Don Perry is one such example, he was born in a rough neighborhood and is trying to use his drawings to one day save enough for school and get out. But that also means he has to do some things he doesn’t like to survive, like being a batman for a numbers runner. To Don it’s not that big of a deal…but to the cult…sufficient to say they squash any dreams be has with a nailed up bat all over the pavement. As the issue comes to an end we see Deacon Blackfire conversing with a creepy long haired fellow named Jake, who is in charge of keeping all of the zealots in line, which now includes batman. Blackfire claims he has spent lifetimes preparing for this, he has felt like he has always owned the city and now it’s about to become a reality. Wow the art in this book is top tier, especially that final overview of the city.
He’s been down there at least a week, maybe longer as he can’t tell the time. He is fully aware of what the cult of deacon Blackfire is trying to do, these are all classic recruiting methods and he sees the signs in the other converts down there that surround and torment him with the word of Blackfire. First you seperate the mark from all familiar surroundings, you starve them to lower their resistance, disorientation and possible hallucinations will follow, and that leaves the victim vulnerable to suggestion. It won’t take much longer for the victim to experience revelation, but it won’t work on batman…right? He claims his sense of reality is too strong…but that’s really being put to the test here.
But what is the ripped deacon Blackfire’s story that his disciples constantly flood into Batman’s head? Through their stories they claim he has lived for thousands of years and was originally sent as a messenger from God to the Native Miagani people that resided on these lands before any pioneers. But the Miagani were too blind to see the glory of the messenger and became threatened by his power and demanded that he leave, the chief was especially jealous and the Shaman (deacon Blackfire) struck down the chief with the anger of god. The rest of the Miagani people fought against him and when they realized they couldn’t kill him outright, they decided to hide and bury him away, hoping that people would forget. They covered up the cave he was trapped in and erected a totem outside with warnings of evil spirits buried within. But the people suffered soon after that, their crops died unharvested and the game in the woods disappeared. The Miagani packed up and left for a new home, but ran into another tribe and were slaughtered. The cult sees this act as the tribe paying for their sins. If you haven’t noticed already, there are a lot of ideas in this cult about striking down sinners, an idea that we have already seen creep into Batman’s dreams. More on that later. The next part of Blackfire’s story comes in 1609 when a Dutch ship landed at what would eventually be Gotham city. They were surprised to find no Natives and setup two colonies. One by the shore and one father inland for better farming. There they stumbled upon the Shaman’s tomb, and believing it would be a good cave for a root cellar, they opened it only to find Blackfire…as ripped as ever. Naturally the cult believes Blackfire sensed what was in the men’s souls and killed them for it. The next day two men from the other settlement found the village deserted, with signs of blood and violence everywhere…but no bodies. The only clue was from a trapper who saw a mysterious naked man walking from the settlement. And of course we are supposed to believe that was Blackfire.
We’ve heard the tale of Blackfire, now what about the here and now? How did we get here, and how can batman be gone for a week and no one notice? Actually everyone has and these are strange times in Gotham. All of this started when batman noticed Deadon Blackfire’s mission pop up in crime alley. Naturally he kept some tabs on them to make sure there was no trouble, it’s a rough spot to setup after all. But batman soon forgot about it when the bodies started showing up. People actually believed it was his doing for a minute, criminals all over the city are popping up dead. But batman has an alibi, plus tbh ere are signs of multiple attackers. Batman figures someone else is trying to clean up the streets. At the same time politicians are going on the news and claiming that the homeless problem has been solved in Gotham. Sure you may see them on the streets, but do you ever see them sleeping there? The reporter points out that they are constantly getting reports of public shelters not having enough space, how can this be possible? The politicians chop it up to the private sector and that the problem wasn’t as bad as they thought to begin with. The reporter doesn’t believe it and neither does Batman. But the question remains, where are all the homeless going at night? The next event happened one night when batman came across a scene where a few guys killed a security guard just to steal some VCRs. But the robbers themselves were found chopped up, no one suspected batman this time, and the tracks from the perpetrators lead into the sewer system. But once they were down there batman had no way to find them. But a few nights later and all of the questions batman had were answered in a few foolish moves. Batman came across two young thugs, who don’t care about anyone else, holding up a street vendor. They shot him in the arm already and of batman didn’t step in it could have been worse. But they are still young and have the chance to change, so he left them with some broken bones they would remember. But batman missed the third person. They stepped out from the fog and shot batman in the side, as the vendor ran off and batman fell down to the ground…the gunman walked over to finish the job…only to turn over when a knife was stabbed in his back. Before batman could get up to see his rescuer, he was passing out again and waking up chained up in the sewer system with Deadon Blackfire and his followers welcoming him to the underworld empire. Robin (Jason), has of course gone to Gordon after not hearing back from batman for a week. But all Gordon can confirm is how bad it is out there, people are disappearing all over town and even the cops are creeped out from how little crime there is at night. There is no one on the streets. We see glimpses into the cults activities, anyone who tries to do anything illegal, such as selling drugs, is ripped into the shadows and slaughtered. We see another situation where a pimp is slashed up on the street, and the missing persons reports just continue to grow. One reporter says “I never thought I’d see the day that the police would be worried about there not being enough crime in Gotham.”
So how is batman holding up through all of this and what are they doing to him? Well we have already seen the deprecation of food and the stories they fill his head with. We have also seen the torture, including using a hot iron against him, when he laughs back at the foolishness of their stories. And the little amount of food they do give him seems to be dosed with something. We also see them shoving the pain of others into his face as justification for their actions. Remember that pimp I mentioned they killed earlier? One of the women he pimped out is part of their cause, and it turns out that one night when he was coked out he took a knife to her. She lost a few fingers and her face has been disfigured. Blackfire uses her as an example for their actions, of they left it in the hands of the cops or ever batman that pimp would be back out on the street in no time. At this time we can see the cracks starting to show in Batman’s will, his realization of the criminals he has let live and what pain they have caused others because of it. The thoughts that maybe Blackfire is right, maybe he actually is that old start to creep up. Everything really comes to a head when Blackfire gives batman that final push as he injects batman with hallucinogens then has his people carry batman to a room with “proof.” Batman looks forward to see a giant totem of the deacon, just like the one from the story. But this one is a few stories tall and according to Blackfire has grown more powerful, capable of providing revelation to those who look upon it. I’m not exactly sure how real this totem is, but batman seems to believe it with those drugs in his system and finally batman looks to it and is “saved.” His moment of enlightenment had come and he falls into the deacon’s arms. Batman had been converted. That night we see the range of the Deacon’s attacks spread. They aren’t just targeting murderers or pimps, they are targeting the future. Don Perry is one such example, he was born in a rough neighborhood and is trying to use his drawings to one day save enough for school and get out. But that also means he has to do some things he doesn’t like to survive, like being a batman for a numbers runner. To Don it’s not that big of a deal…but to the cult…sufficient to say they squash any dreams be has with a nailed up bat all over the pavement. As the issue comes to an end we see Deacon Blackfire conversing with a creepy long haired fellow named Jake, who is in charge of keeping all of the zealots in line, which now includes batman. Blackfire claims he has spent lifetimes preparing for this, he has felt like he has always owned the city and now it’s about to become a reality. Wow the art in this book is top tier, especially that final overview of the city.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2024
Batman has been captured!
We learn how and why through the use of flashbacks.
Criminals are being killed by groups of people. Bats was on the case, until he was knifed in the back and captured by the ‘religious zealots’ worshipping Deacon Joseph Blackfire.
We see Batman struggling to maintain his hold on reality as we are told Blackfire’s ‘history’. Not to mention Gotham’s history as well.
Commissioner Gordon and Robin discuss that crooks are asking the police to help find their crook buddies.
Over 500 have gone missing in a week!
Eventually, after Batman resisted for a week, Blackfire drugs the hero and he finally relents, stating he has been ‘saved’!
Blackfire goes to the vacant streets of Gotham and proclaims that finally, he truly rules ‘his city’.
We learn how and why through the use of flashbacks.
Criminals are being killed by groups of people. Bats was on the case, until he was knifed in the back and captured by the ‘religious zealots’ worshipping Deacon Joseph Blackfire.
We see Batman struggling to maintain his hold on reality as we are told Blackfire’s ‘history’. Not to mention Gotham’s history as well.
Commissioner Gordon and Robin discuss that crooks are asking the police to help find their crook buddies.
Over 500 have gone missing in a week!
Eventually, after Batman resisted for a week, Blackfire drugs the hero and he finally relents, stating he has been ‘saved’!
Blackfire goes to the vacant streets of Gotham and proclaims that finally, he truly rules ‘his city’.
April 11, 2022
“I don’t belong here! Perhaps it’s that sweet taste of the forbidden that entices me to stay.”
A gritty Batman story that opens upon our vigilante hero being brainwashed by a religious cult bent in cleansing Gotham city.
This was a good opener with dark undertones I’m digging so far. Let’s see where we get now that the exposition is out of the way.
A gritty Batman story that opens upon our vigilante hero being brainwashed by a religious cult bent in cleansing Gotham city.
This was a good opener with dark undertones I’m digging so far. Let’s see where we get now that the exposition is out of the way.
July 10, 2023
having not read a comic in a minute, being thrown into Batman: The Cult is like coming home to see your room be untouched. fantastic start.
book is slightly dated however, mainly slang and some bits of dialogue.
book is slightly dated however, mainly slang and some bits of dialogue.
November 9, 2023
So far- so good! Love the story of Batman being broken down- plus the mystery of where all the homeless people were disappearing to! Deacon is a great villain- a much different villain than other Batman stories! I’ll keep reading to see how this story goes!
July 13, 2024
Stunningly 90s artwork that kept me engaged throughout. The verdict is still out on the storyline as I've got to read the next two volumes to fully discover if I like it. But so far, its violent and moody, everything i enjoy about a good batman story. Well find out!
Read
February 26, 2022native american fetishism so far, but I’m gonna keep going just for bernie wrightson’s gorgeous art
August 7, 2024
The art and whole vibe of this story are incredible. And I like Batman's monologue about how he'll go easy on the young tough criminals but not too easy.
August 15, 2024
Nao esperava mas foi uma otima leitura .
A questão de um culto tentando dominar gotham e os casos que são mostrados são muitos bons. Empolgado para continuar
A questão de um culto tentando dominar gotham e os casos que são mostrados são muitos bons. Empolgado para continuar
September 10, 2024
Una locura como arrancó esta serie...
October 21, 2024
Great series. Looks like a big inspiration for Frank Miller's Dark Knight stories.
Read
January 5, 2025i’m so confused
July 24, 2025
Ok this was kind of creepy
August 3, 2025
Beautiful art and an intriguing story so far! Also love that Jack Kirby reference, Don Perry tho 😞
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews