Batman: Damned is a Grim Vision of the DC Universe

WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Batman: Damned #1 by Brian Azzarello, Lee Bermejo and Jared K. Fletcher, on sale now.

DC Comics launched its Black Label imprint with the release of Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's Batman: Damned #1. Set outside of established DC continuity, the issue features Batman teaming up with some unlikely heroes to investigate the death of the Joker. The horror-centric introduction makes it clear that this isn't the DC Universe readers have come to know, with some unfamiliar approaches to otherwise familiar characters. Some, in fact, seem like they might have come straight out of DC's newly-explored Dark Multiverse.

The Darker Knight

Batman himself is among them. The character isn't necessarily any darker than the Batman sometimes seen in alternate incarnations, but darkness certainly nonetheless surrounds him. When first seen, wounded and tended to by paramedics, he awakens demonstrating an almost mindless and animalistic survival instinct. He calms down once he's found -- and magically healed -- by none other than John Constantine.

Whatever demons might plague Constantine, the one haunting Bruce Wayne in Batman: Damned is far more sinister. Even as a child, Bruce is visited by an unknown, grisly spirit of a girl who seems to be the embodiment of his secrets -- secrets unknown, and perhaps buried within him. This ghastly form plays an early role in his eventual decision to embrace the symbol of the bat, and its voices continue to pester him in the wake of the Joker's murder. The unspoken implication is that Batman, who has no recollection of the Joker's fate, might somehow be involved in his death.

This spirit is seen visiting young Bruce while his parents fight -- yes, Thomas and Martha Wayne don't seem to be part of an idyllic union in this reality. In fact, the apparition is first seen by Bruce while his father is making eyes at another woman -- a woman who readers have seen before.

Thomas Wayne – Philanderer

The other woman in question is the mother of Bruce's best friend, Tommy Elliott -- aka the future Hush, at least in mainstream continuity. Thomas is seen taking notice of Mrs. Elliott as the families attempt to enjoy an afternoon in the park -- that is, seen by Martha. Unseen by anyone, save for Bruce, is the mysterious girl spirit calling to him from a distance. Martha later confronts Thomas about his potential infidelity and an argument ensues -- one that both Bruce and his ghostly pest overhear.

If this undead personification is some kind of manifestation of Bruce's secrets, could one of those secrets involve his father? Was Bruce aware of his father's infidelity, and unfairly asked to keep it from his mother? Tommy's mom is shown getting rather cozy with Thomas during a rooftop rendezvous, with Bruce in plain sight, so it's likely that Bruce wouldn't have been completely ignorant of his father's extramarital affair.

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Deadman's Unpleasant Side Effects

It's not just Bruce and his family who are afflicted with darkness. Boston Brand -- the Deadman, and not the brightest of characters to begin with – amps up his own creepiness. Deadman's hook has long been that of a disembodied spirit who can communicate by temporarily taking possession of a living person. That's creepy enough in its own right, but in the world of Batman: Damned, it's downright disgusting. The unfortunate individuals who Boston takes control of literally look possessed, almost as though they're in need of an immediate exorcism.

And that's the good part. When Deadman's spirit vacates the body of his host, they become violently ill.

Still, Deadman is on the side of the good guys -- maybe. He locates Commissioner Gordon and informs him that he saw the Joker get murdered, but also implies that Batman's behind it. He also seeks out Batman himself, cryptically informing him of a conspiracy against him. Whether Deadman's oblique comments are a threat or a warning remains unclear. As is whether Deadman is acting merely as an informant regarding this conspiracy, or as an active participant.

Zatanna – Street Hustler

Zatanna is seen on the streets of Gotham turning tricks -- magic tricks, that is -- that go beyond a mere sleight of hand. She just might be making more money than her mainstream superhero counterpart. Hustler or not, though, she seems willing to help a disguised Batman dig into the mystery of the Joker.

Of course, in this reality, Zatanna might not have any actual powers, beyond the illusory tricks used by every competent magician -- and she doesn't utter a single trademark backwards spell. But since most everyone else seems to be living a little closer to the dark side, it doesn't seem that Zatanna should be any different. Using her powers to make a living -- even on the street -- isn't that much of a moral lapse in a world such as this.

Same Old Constantine

If there's any writer who knows the character of John Constantine, it's Brian Azzarello. So perhaps it's no surprise that, of all the characters to appear in this issue, Constantine is pretty much the same as his regular counterpart in the DC Universe. There's no reason for him to change, really -- his integration into DC's superhero universe might seem misplaced to some, but here he feels right at home.

The world of Earth-0 might not seem the place for a chain-smoking, demon-conjuring con-man magician, but in this one everyone's been brought down to his level. In a reality where Thomas Wayne cheats on his wife and Zatanna cheats people out of their money, a John Constantine who has cheated demonic spirits to save his very soul fits right in.

There are plenty of other supernatural characters waiting to be added to this three-issue miniseries. Etrigan and The Spectre are floating about in the aether, ready to join the story in Batman: Damned #2, on sale Nov. 21.