10 Scariest Ever Batman Comics Stories
7. The Cult
It's not often that the Batman finds himself completely helpless. Sure, he's been brutalised and defeated far more often than his reputation suggests, but true fear doesn't come easily to a man trained by ninjas who spends his nights brooding on gargoyles and fighting demented murderclowns.
Rarely has Batman been so helpless than he is at the hands of sinister cult leader Deacon Blackfire and his underground army of followers. Kidnapped by Blackfire and brutally brainwashed to the point where he needs Robin to come and rescue him, the scars remain well after his escape: sure, he's been captured and beaten to a pulp many times before, but we've rarely seen Batman so mentally defeated also.
Of course the Bat made a full recovery in time, but the story remains one of the most brutal and chilling ever told. The artwork, by horror comics legend Bernie Wrightson, certainly helps in that respect too.