1989 Batmandirected by Tim Burton, it was a landmark film for a number of reasons, and its legacy is such that the film continues to spawn comic book sequels that continue the story of Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight to this day. However, there was an earlier comic book sequence that has been all but forgotten today, but which saw several Batman characters make their debut in the world of Batman. Batman ’89.
The comic book sequence in question was actually a comic strip, running from November 6, 1989 to August 3, 1991. With the aim of capitalizing on the enormous success of Batman film, the syndicated strip was the first time Batman had appeared in the newspaper’s comics section since the early seventies.
Featuring a dream team of artist Marshall Rogers and uncredited writer Max Allan Collins, the strip loosely follows the events of the film, albeit with some changes. Batman wears his classic blue and gray costume from the comicsand the characters generally resemble their DC Comics counterparts, unlike how they appeared in the 1989 film.
Batman Forgotten ’89 Sequel Features Catwoman, Robin, the Penguin and More
The comic predates all other sequels
The debut story reinvented Catwoman as a vigilante seeking revenge against a gang known as “Crime alley cats.” Batman gets involved when his mission turns deadly, leading them to team up to take down Gotham’s biggest drug kingpin, “Bull” Pitt. Although the subject matter is darker, the strip feels closer to the Adam West-starring show from the sixties. Still, Collins proved adept at providing the scripts, with his experience writing both the DickTracy strip and the mainstream Batman comics adapting very well to his new mission.
Marshall Rogers was responsible for the drastic reinvention of Deadshot during his run Detective comics with writer Steve Englehart, an overall influence that is still felt on the supervillain to this day.
The real bright spot of this first story is easily the art. Rogers is easily one of the greatest Batman artists of all timeresponsible for a groundbreaking series in the late 70s with writer Steve Englehart that produced one of the greatest Batman stories of all time in “The Laughing Fish.” The daily strip format did not always allow Rogers’ strengths to shine, as the artist was known for his creative layouts and intricate architecture in his urban settings. Still, Rogers’ talent is on display, and any Batman The work of the artist (who died very young, at the age of 57) deserves a more in-depth examination.
More DC Fans Need to Know About This Sequel
After the first Catwoman run, Rogers and Collins left the strip; they were replaced by William Messner-Loebs, Carmine Infantino and John Nyberg. The overall tone shifts even more towards the cartoon, though there are some fun twists on classic Batman lore along the way. The Penguin, the Riddler, Robin and many others are featuredand the strip does an impressive job of constructing a long-running story arc that sees prosecutor Harvey Dent transform into Two-Face. It was also revealed that the Joker survived the plunge from the church tower at the end of Batmanbut connections to the ’89 film remained tenuous at best.
Outside of the reprints that were published The Comic Magazinethese strips were never collected by DC Comics, which seems like a missed opportunity. They may not be the best Batman stories of all time, but they are a significant part of the 1989 film’s legacy and should be widely available in beautiful editions for fans to rediscover today. Although it may not be part of the official continuity in any capacity, the Batman the daily strip inspired by the 1989 film is an interesting piece of lost and forgotten media to remember.