The Cult is a pitch dark, brutal entry in the history of the Bat that has been largely forgotten due to several controversial elements of the story. Published in 1988 as a four-issue Prestige Format miniseries, similar to the format established by The Dark Knight returns two years earlier, The Cult puts readers off-balance from the beginning of the very first issue. We find out that Batman has been captured by self-proclaimed 'Messiah' Deacon Blackfire and his army of 'Underdwellers' (brainwashed homeless citizens of Gotham) and is in the process of being drugged, beaten and brainwashed into submission to the cult. It's an off-kilter and upsetting way to begin the story, which must have been the exact intention of writer Jim Starlin and artist Bernie Wrightson. Fans are used to seeing Batman as an infallible, unbeatable hero who always finds his way out of any situation, but much of this story features him in various states of crippling fear and disorientation, doped up to the eyeballs and experiencing distressing visions. Whenever Batman finds his way back to health and defeats Blackfire, the reader feels vindicated. This is a victory that feels earned, precisely because of the unexpectedly dire circumstances our hero is in at the beginning. The story was the source of much controversy due to Batman's use of guns, and there is no doubt that certain portions of the tale are uncomfortable to read as they just don't fit with our interpretation of the Bat. The image of Batman holding a machine gun (even if that gun fires tranquilizers instead of bullets) is a strange and off-putting one, as is the horrifying scene were a drugged Batman seemingly shoots and kills an innocent Gothamite. Even though it's easy to see what Starlin was aiming for, these elements probably should have been changed by DC editorial. Christopher Nolan was obviously heavily inspired by The Cult when making The Dark Knight Rises. The idea of a villain commanding a subterranean army of followers, successfully cutting Gotham off from the rest of the world and ruling with fear and mass killings, was used to great effect with Bane in the movie. Several panels even appeared to be lifted verbatim for the film, including the image of soldiers that had been sent in to help liberate the city being hung from a Gotham bridge in full view of the media.
