DC Comics is Finally Delving Back Into Batman's Untapped Horror Mythos

Aug 22, 2023

DC Comics' Dark Knight is a versatile character in comics, and Batman is finally delving back into the horror side of his mythology this year.

DC Comics has cultivated a storied and diverse catalog of Batman comics throughout the brooding hero's 80-plus-years in pop culture. Still, the publisher is looking to flex the character's horror-focused muscles this fall. Whether it's street-level crime-noir or the more darkly supernatural roots of Gotham City's — sometimes literally cursed — history, the Dark Knight unsurprisingly is among DC's mainstream heroes that fit best within horror stories.

And, to be fair, it appears DC Comics has already made that more of a regular premise as of late, with writer Ram V, artist Rafael Albuquerque, and more spearheading the Gotham Nocturne arc for Detective Comics. But there will be a doubling down on this approach elsewhere, as Black Label comics' Gargoyle of Gotham and City of Madness will venture into Batman's horror mythology.

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While the mainline Batman book — currently helmed by Chip Zdarsky and artist Jorge Jiménez — takes precedence in terms of major storylines, DC's historic Detective Comics still endured the Golden Age to continue to tell wonderfully experimental tales. And with Ram V injecting some of his experience with the supernatural and occult from his Justice League Dark and Swamp Thing tenures into Batman's world, the Gotham Nocturne story arc has, so far, been a delightfully ominous change of pace. With the catalyst being a uniquely unshakable sense of dread overwhelming Bruce Wayne — even by Gotham's standards — this story arc sees the things that haunt the Dark Knight and literal supernatural forces creep onto the city's streets in a grimly stylized gothic opera.

On top of the aforementioned Albuquerque lending his talents to this run, the likes of Ivan Reis and Danny Miki also do a masterful job of setting the moody tone and stylish visuals of such a story. At the same time, it does equally well incorporating classic Batman villains through exciting new ways. Now a few issues into Gotham Nocturne's second act, Detective Comics is still finding ways to keep this corner of the DC universe, which has over 80 years of publication history under its belt, intriguing. Given how versatile of a character Batman is — from sleuthing through grisly murder cases and doing Dragon Ball Z-style fusions with Superman — Gotham Nocturne has been a great example of how gothic horror can come to the Caped Crusader as naturally as film-noir capers. Or, more specifically, in this case, how they can mesh with one another.

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Especially in the early parts of Bruce Wayne's career as Gotham's Dark Knight, Batman was popularly depicted through the lens of his enemies as an almost cryptic, foreboding entity. While that trait of the character is more emblematic of Batman's more somber depictions, it could make for an enticing element of horror in its own way. Writer/artist Rafael Grampá and colorist Matheus Lopes' Gargoyle of Gotham are looking to hone in on that early and otherworldly aspect of Batman's character in their four-issue prestige mini-series.

The concept of Bruce neglecting his daytime and public persona isn't exactly novel. Grampá using this as a springboard for Gargoyle of Gotham's premise could excitingly pave the way for some tantalizingly grim street-level horror. The mini-series sees Bruce completely abandon his civilian identity in favor of being the Dark Knight full-time, a take on Batman's loneliness that's seemingly akin to what the ending of Rocksteady's Arkham Knight video game alluded to. Combining that plot device with a new cast of villains and a bleak string of killings that promise to get deeply personal to Batman's life, Gargoyle of Gotham has some genuine potential to portray the hero as the monster lurking in the shadows that villains see him as, especially if DC's recent San Diego Comic-Con trailer for the series is anything to go by.

It's, admittedly, a level of grimdark that wouldn't fit in mainline continuity. However, that makes it another possible testament to how good the DC Black Label imprint has been to Batman and other iconic DC heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman. Like The Dark Knight Returns or Gotham by Gaslight under DC Elseworlds before it, Gargoyle of Gotham can carve out its own compelling sandbox in the realm of alternate continuity.

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Some of Batman's darkest comics available have been imbued with horror to some extent. Writer Grant Morrison and artist Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth easily come to mind for longtime fans, as it was one of the earliest examples of modern Batman comics that unabashedly veered into psychological horror. Meanwhile, the likes of Jim Starlin, Bernie Wrightson, and Bill Wray's The Cult ventured into some gruesome slasher and occult horror.

And going by writer/artist Christian Ward's comments, the spirit of both of these cult-classic comics — as well as Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's The Court of Owls — will be expressed across the Eisner Award winner's upcoming City of Madness three-issue mini-series. Between Arkham Asylum's way of forcing Batman's demons to the surface and The Cult's hyperviolent secret societies, City of Madness borrows from both to revolve around the hero discovering a door to a horrific mirror version of Gotham City that's been opened. And along with it, Batman's Eldritch-like parallel is set loose upon the overworld. Based on the previews shown, Ward's artwork is already dripping with unsettlingly surreal artwork inspired by McKean's art, but with a distinctive splash of neon to complement the series' Lovecraftian horror.

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Cosmic horror is something that more creators should explore with the Caped Crusader, as comics like Damned and The Doom That Came to Gotham demonstrate that they can provide thrilling twists on conventional Batman canon. These subgenres have an inherent level of darkness to them that can seamlessly work within Batman's malleable character and gloomily stylish world. Nonetheless, it's more than welcome to see DC Comics delve back into the potential of horror in the superhero's mythos. The narrative flexibility of both Batman himself and DC's increasingly diversifying catalog of comics can let this timeless character shine across different genres.

Guillermo Kurten is a journalism major at the University of Houston. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, he now resides in Houston. He is a fan of pretty much anything involving nerd culture. Video games, comics, movies, TV, anime, manga, you name it. He also has experience writing about soccer, specifically, the German team Bayern Munich.