Batman: The Cult

[A.J. Trillzynski]

The Cult ….must read Batman stories …

By all appearances in 1988, Batman: The Cult was going to be a good, but standard, Batman tale. It begins with Batman abducted, a prisoner of charismatic Deacon Blackfire and his subterranean band of homeless followers. Kept hanging for weeks and barely fed, Batman slowly succumbs to Blackfire’s brainwashing. Yes, even the Batman can be broken and Blackfire does just that.

Starlin makes certain we catch every moment of Batman’s indoctrination into the cult, for the explanation of how Batman’s will is being worn down to the Dark Knight’s vivid hallucinations. Blackfire preaches justice, speaks the same message as the Batman, but says that brutality is the only way. It takes time, but Batman comes to agree with that position. After all, how could anyone doubt Deacon Blackfire ?

The controversy comes, in part, from the murder — the one Batman apparently commits. Armed with a machine-gun and hallucinating, Batman opens fire on what he thinks is the Joker. The dying man then changes to look like James Gordon and finally the truth is revealed. However, the murder is shown in such a fashion to one could argue Batman didn’t actually do the killing. But those are just the hardcore unable to accept the truth — Batman murdered a man while under the influence of a cult, incapable of controlling his actions or trusting his own senses.

The Cult is a brutal, dark story, but it’s absolutely enthralling. There’s perhaps a bit too much reliance on talking head news reports that look and feel too similar to The Dark Knight Returns, but overall this is a well-told mini-series. Batman has rarely been pushed to these limits and it’s refreshing to see that it’s not some hokey plot involving people from Bruce’s childhood. This is Batman at his lowest and it takes a good 50 pages for him to recover even after he’s free of the cult.

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.

This is Starlin and Wrightson at their finest. While everyone clamors to read Year One and The Long Halloween, comic fans should take the time to pick up Batman: The Cult. This is easily one of the best Batman stories every told.

 

[nujerz84]

bow my head in shame...

 

[A.J. Trillzynski]

finally found an article referencing this connection to the movie.. and damn didn't even catch the Gordon scene in the hospital, that is almost directly out of the comic

Comic Influences on The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012) features many references to the Batman comics. In some cases these are elements adapted directly from the source material. In other instances they're elements subverted to manipulate audience expectations. What follows is an overview of some of the references we spotted in the movie. A more comprehensive analysis may be forthcoming once the film is available on DVD. But for now, here are some of the connections between Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman film and the source material that inspired it

The film has parallels with The Cult (1988), most notably with regards to the villain recruiting an army of transients in the sewers beneath Gotham. The villains execute influential citizens and hang dead bodies in public as a warning to others.

Batman is captured by the villains and broken, both mentally and physically.

Bruce eventually escapes and leaves Gotham. He remains in exile for a prolonged period of time, leaving the city under the governorship of his enemies while he physically and mentally recuperates from his ordeal. He then trains himself in preparation to return, and we are told: "The Dark Knight will yet rise from the ashes of defeat."

The scene where Bruce visits Gordon in hospital might be another reference to The Cult.

 

[A.J. Trillzynski]

so looks like people are starting to wise up, here's from an article posted on mtv.com just today:

'Dark Knight Rises' Reading: 10 Stories That Inspired Christopher Nolan's Trilogy

by Ryan Rigley

In 2005, Christopher Nolan launched what is now considered the definitive Batman movie franchise with "Batman Begins." Now, with "The Dark Knight Rises" currently in theaters, Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy has finally come to end. But just because there won't be any more "Dark Knight" movies, doesn't mean that there isn't a ton of source material to start checking out!

One thing that the Nolan-verse did so well was capture the gritty realism of the Caped Crusader that we all know and love, while remaining true to his comic book origins. In fact, it seems like Nolan and his writers did a pretty extensive amount of research in order to create three Batman films that fans of the comic books can actually appreciate as well. With that said, here's our list of the ten Batman stories that most influenced the "Dark Knight" trilogy!

(#8) "The Cult"

One of the bleakest Batman stories ever written, "The Cult" sees the Caped Crusader being beaten, captured, and brainwashed by a crazed clergyman called Deacon Blackfire. During this story, Commissioner Gordon is left to recover in a hospital after being attacked by Blackfire's followers and the class warfare that ensues in the latter half of the story is quite reminiscent of "The Dark Knight Rises."
http://splashpage.mtv.com/2012/08/03/dark-knight-trilogy-christopher-nolan-comics/