Batman (comic)

***Batman*** is a 1989 comic adaptation of the film of the same name, published by DC Comics. It was re-published in 1997 along with the comic adaptations of *Batman Returns*, *Batman Forever*, and *Batman & Robin* as part of a collection titled *Batman: The Movies*, and again as a standalone volume on November 26, 2019 under the title ***Batman: The 1989 Movie Adaptation***.

## Solicitation

*Batman pits the Caped Crusader against his greatest foe: The Joker, a crazed psychotic killer with a sinister smile and a comedic flair.*

## *Batman*

* **Written by**: Dennis O'Neil
* **Illustrated by**: Jerry Ordway
* **Colored by**: Steve Oliff
* **Lettered by**: John Costanza
* **Cover art by**: Jerry Ordway
* **Editor - original series**: Jonathan Peterson
* **Group Editor - collected editions**: Jeb Woodard
* **Editor - collected edition**: Scott Nybakken

### Synopsis

After seeing a movie at the Monarch Theatre, a family cuts through an alley in Gotham City only to be cornered by two muggers. One mugger knocks the father down with his gun and steals his wallet, after which the muggers flee. On a rooftop, the criminals look through their ill-gotten gains, but one suggests they leave because he is worried "the Bat" will get them. The other mugger is dismissive of the notion until Batman appears on the rooftop and attacks them. Batman knocks one of the criminals down, then punches the other and holds him over a ledge, and says he wants him to tell all of his friends about him. Batman then throws the mugger and leaps off of the roof, gliding off into the night.

At his apartment, Jack Napier watches a news report about District Attorney Harvey Dent's promise to take down Gotham City crime boss Carl Grissom. Napier's girlfriend Alicia Hunt says that Dent is talking pretty tough about Grissom, but Napier dismissively says that he would have killed Dent by now if he could touch Grissom. Alicia says Grissom would kill Napier if he knew about their affair, but he says that Grissom couldn't run this city without him and that he doesn't know. *Gotham Globe* reporter Alexander Knox arrives at the scene as the two muggers from earlier are taken into custody, and questions corrupt police lieutenant Max Eckhardt about whether they saw the Batman. Eckhardt claims they "slipped on a banana peel" and tells Knox not to publish anything about this in the paper. Eckhardt slips away and meets with Napier, who tells him he should "think about the future." Eckhardt says Napier will never be in charge because he's insane and Grissom knows it, prompting Napier to push him against a wall. Eckhardt draws his gun on Napier, who tells him to "watch the suit" and lets him go.

At the *Gotham Globe* office, Knox meets photojournalist Vicki Vale, who is interested in his investigation into Batman. She proposes that they combine their resources to publish a Pulitzer Prize-worthy article on the Batman. Knox says Commissioner Gordon has a file on the Batman somewhere but he cannot reach him, but Vicki says he will be at Bruce Wayne's charity benefit. She reveals she has an invitation and brings Knox along. Grissom meets with Napier and instructs him to oversee a job cleaning out their front Axis Chemicals. Napier asks Grissom to get someone else for the job, but Grissom insists he needs someone he can trust. As Napier leaves, Grissom asks Alicia to get him the phone so he can call Eckhardt. At Wayne's benefit, Knox questions Gordon about Batman, but he insists that if Batman existed they would find and arrest him. Knox and Vicki tour Bruce's weapons and armor collection, where they are met by Bruce himself. Alfred arrives and tells Bruce that Commissioner Gordon was compelled to leave unexpectedly, prompting Bruce to dismiss himself. In the Batcave, Bruce watches a security feed that shows an officer inform Gordon that Napier is cleaning out Axis Chemicals.

At Axis Chemicals, Napier and his men find that the safe in the office is empty and that the police are assembling outside. Eckhardt tells his men to shoot to kill, and the police engage in a gunfight with Napier and his men. Gordon arrives and tells the officers that Napier must be taken alive. Batman arrives as well and takes down one of Napier's men. Napier shoots and kills Eckhardt before he is confronted by Batman. He shoots Batman, but the bullet bounces off of his cape and ricochets back into Napier's face, causing him to fall off the catwalk into a vat of chemicals below before Batman can catch him. Batman is surrounded by police and releases smoke pellets to cover his escape through the roof. In the runoff from the factory, a white hand emerges.

Vicki visits Bruce at Wayne Manor and has dinner with him, and the two quickly develop romantic feelings for each other. Meanwhile, a seedy underworld surgeon finishes performing surgery on Napier, who removes his facial bandages and demands a mirror. Upon seeing his face, which is pale white with a permanent grin, Napier begins to laugh hysterically. He travels to Grissom's penthouse and confronts him for setting him up. Grissom tries to reason with Napier, but he responds that he now goes by "Joker" before shooting Grissom dead. The Joker picks up a bloodstained newspaper with a headline about Batman, and remarks "Wait 'til they get a load of me."

At the *Gotham Globe*, Vicki has Knox look up files on Bruce Wayne, but he can find nothing of interest. Knox tells Vicki to forget Wayne, but she declares that she is going to get answers about him. She photographs Bruce laying flowers in an alley before following him to City Hall, where a mob boss is surrounded by press. The boss informs the press that he has a signed affidavit from Grissom turning over control of his businesses to him until he returns, after which the Joker appears and says that Grissom signed the paper in his own blood with a pen which he is holding. The Joker then throws the pen into the boss' throat, after which his men, dressed as mimes, open fire on City Hall. Bruce watches astonished that Napier is still alive as he enters a car and escapes. Vicki runs to Bruce and says he could have been killed, but he apologizes and leaves.

The Joker watches a news report on the incident and is infuriated when a reporter asks Mayor Borg about Batman. The Joker asks what kind of a world they live in when a man dressed as a bat steals all of his airtime. Upon seeing Vicki being interviewed on the television, he becomes infatuated with her and tells his chief goon Bob that he is going to get a new girl after Alicia threw herself out a window. The news later reports on an epidemic of deaths in which the victims have experienced laughing fits before dying. The anchor says the cause of death seems to be a violent allergic reaction before his co-anchor suddenly begins laughing hysterically and collapses. The airwaves are hijacked by the Joker, who broadcasts a commercial announcing that he has poisoned Gotham's beauty products with a "new secret ingredient," Smylex.

Vicki arrives at the Flugelheim Museum to meet Bruce for dinner, but is informed he hasn't arrived yet. At Wayne Manor, Alfred tells Bruce that Vicki is going to be late meeting him, but he says he isn't meeting her tonight. The waiter at the museum gives Vicki a package which contains a gas mask and a note saying to put it on. She puts on the mask as the museum floods with poison gas. The Joker and his goons then burst in, and he takes a seat at Vicki's table. He explains that he considers himself "the world's first fully-functioning homicidal artist," and Vicki asks what he wants from her. He begins to say he wants "Batman's head upon a lance" before Batman crashes through the skylight and grabs Vicki, then escapes on a zipline. Batman and Vicki get into the Batmobile and drive away. Batman takes Vicki to the Batcave and provides her with documents explaining how the Joker is poisoning Gotham, telling her to take them to the press. He then knocks out Vicki with gas.

The Joker watches a news report about Batman having cracked his poison code, and smashes the television with an extending boxing glove. He then tells Bob that he is going to kill Batman. Bruce visits Vicki at her apartment to clear things up, but the Joker and his goons soon show up. Bruce grabs a poker from the fireplace and threatens the Joker, who asks him if he's ever "danced with the devil by the pale moonlight" before shooting him in the chest. The Joker and his goons leave, and Vicki runs to find Bruce, who is gone with only a metal tray with a bullet stuck in it in his place. Vicki meets with Knox at the *Gotham Globe*, where he reveals that Bruce's parents were murdered in front of him as a child in the same alley where she saw him leave the flowers. At the Batcave, Alfred provides Bruce with the file on his parents' murder, and he recalls the event vividly. He remembers that the gunman asked him "You ever dance with the devil by the pale moonlight?," prompting him to realize Napier is the one who killed his parents. Vicki appears behind Bruce, having been let in by Alfred, and says she loves Bruce but worries for his life. She asks about the future of their relationship, but Bruce declares that the Joker is still out there as he reaches for the Batsuit.

Batman assaults Axis Chemicals in the Batmobile, destroying it, only for the Joker to fly overhead in a helicopter. He tells Batman he is going to the Gotham bicentennial festival and that he should show up, as he will be killing a thousand people an hour before he does. The Joker stands atop a float at the festival and begins throwing out money to the crowd. Vicki and Knox watch and notice that the balloons are filled with Smylex gas. Batman arrives in the Batwing while the crowd realizes the money the Joker is throwing out is fake and has his face on it. As the Joker releases the gas on the crowd, the Batwing snatches the balloons and carries them away. Infuriated, the Joker shoots Bob while his goons flee as the Batwing approaches. The Joker pulls out a comically long gun and fires an explosive shell at the Batwing, causing it to crash and explode. The Joker holds Vicki at gunpoint and tells his men to pick him up from the top of the Gotham City Cathedral in ten minutes. He takes Vicki with him to the top of the cathedral, with the injured Batman in pursuit. The Joker uses his acid flower to loosen the bell in the bell tower and cause it to fall, blocking the police from following. Batman reaches the roof and is attacked by the Joker's goons as the Joker dances with Vicki. Batman defeats the goons and asks the Joker if he's ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight before punching him. The Joker tells Batman that he created him by knocking him into the chemicals, but Batman punches him through a wall and says he made him first by killing his parents. Batman punches the Joker off the roof, but the Joker pulls Batman and Vicki down as well. Batman and Vicki hang on a ledge while the Joker taunts them and loosens the bricks by stomping on them. The Joker's helicopter arrives and drops a ladder, which the Joker climbs. Batman and Vicki pull themselves onto the ledge and Batman throws a Batarang attached to a rope around a nearby gargoyle, then throws a Batarang attached to the other end of the rope around the Joker's leg. As a police chopper approaches, the Joker's chopper tries to leave, his goons unaware that he is tied to the gargoyle. The gargoyle breaks off of the ledge and pulls the Joker off the ladder, smashing through the ledge Batman and Vicki are standing on and causing all three to fall. Batman catches Vicki and fires a grappling hook, then swings them both through a window, while the Joker crashes to his death on the pavement. As the police inspect the Joker's body and find a laugh box in his pocket, they see Batman's costume on the ground nearby, and pull it away to reveal Knox underneath. With Vicki standing in the crowd, Bruce slips away unseen.

Gordon, Mayor Borg, and Dent hold a press conference at City Hall announcing that Knox is not really Batman. Gordon reads a letter they received from Batman this morning, which says to call him if the forces of evil should ever threaten Gotham again. Knox asks how they call him, and Gordon unveils the Bat-Signal. Knox sees Vicki and asks if she's covering the press conference, and she replies that she is going to "disappear for a while." He asks her about their Pulitzer Prize, and she tells him to get it for her before kissing him. She bids Knox farewell and heads to a limousine driven by Alfred. He tells her that Bruce will be a little late, to which she responds she is not surprised at all. As the Bat-Signal shines on a skyscraper, Batman swings through the city skyline on a rope.

### Appearances

#### Characters

* Bruce Wayne / Batman
* Jack Napier / The Joker
* Vicki Vale
* Alexander Knox
* James Gordon
* Harvey Dent
* Alfred Pennyworth
* Bob
* Carl Grissom
* Max Eckhardt
* Mayor Borg
* Alicia Hunt
* Vinnie Ricorso
* Thomas Wayne
* Martha Wayne

#### Organizations

* Gotham City Police Department
* Joker Goons

#### Locations

* Gotham City
	+ Monarch Theatre
	+ Axis Chemicals
	+ Gotham City Hall
	+ Flugelheim Museum
	+ Gotham City Cathedral
* Wayne Manor

#### Objects

* Batsuit
* Utility belt
* Bat-Signal

#### Vehicles

* Batmobile
* Joker helicopter
* GCPD helicopter

#### Weapons

* Batarang
* Grappling hook

## Quotes

**Batman**: Tell your friends. Tell all your friends. I *am* the night.

**Alicia Hunt**: You look fine.

**Jack Napier**: I didn't ask.

**Jack Napier**: We've been ratted out here, boys.

**Jack Napier**: Nice outfit.

**Carl Grissom**: Jack, listen... We'll cut a deal...

**Joker**: Jack? Jack's dead, my friend. You can call me... **Joker!**

**Joker**: Wait 'til they get a load of me.

**Joker**: Bat Man! *Batman*! Can somebody please tell me what kind of a world we live in... where a man dressed as a bat gets *my* airtime!? This city needs an enema.

**Vicki Vale**: What do you want?

**Joker**: My face on the one-dollar bill.

**Vicki Vale**: I take it you're joking.

**Joker**: *Do I look like I'm joking?*

**Joker**: Those toys. Where does he get those wonderful toys?

**Joker**: I have given a name to my pain and... it is *Batman!* Bob, you got to possess strength to inflict greater pain! We got a bat to kill. And I want to clean my claws!

**Joker**: Tell me something, my friend. "*You ever dance with the devil by the pale moonlight?*"

**Bruce Wayne**: What?

**Joker**: I ask that question of all my prey... just before I send a draft through their domes. Never rub another man's rhubarb.

**Joker**: I'm only laughing on the outside. My smile is just skin deep. If you could see inside I'm really crying. You might join me for a weep.

**Joker**: My balloons! Those are *my balloons!* He stole my balloons! *Why didn't somebody tell me he had one of those things...?!*

## Trivia

* This comic adaptation differs from the film in several ways.
	+ Dialogue is changed.
	+ Some brief scenes are removed.
	+ When Napier pushes Eckhardt and Eckhardt draws a gun on him, Bob does not draw a gun on Eckhardt as in the film. Instead, Napier tells Eckhardt to "watch the suit" and stands down.
	+ Napier kills Eckhardt before he meets Batman for the first time, rather than after. Batman also does not grab Napier only to release him after Bob holds Gordon at gunpoint.
	+ The bullet that hits Napier in the face ricochets off of Batman's cape rather than his gauntlet.
	+ The Joker first sees Vicki Vale on the news rather than in a photograph taken by Bob. Upon deciding that he will make Vicki his "new girl," the Joker mentions that Alicia died after throwing herself out a window. In the film, this does not happen until much later, with Alicia still being alive and present when the Joker meets Vicki at the museum.
	+ In the Joker's commercial, he poisons the captive who used "Brand X" with Smylex. In the film, there were two captives, one alive who used "Brand X" and one dead from Smylex.
	+ The Joker's meeting with Vicki at the museum is shorter, with Vicki throwing water in his face as Batman arrives rather than before.
	+ Batman and Vicki escape in the Batmobile without any resistance from the Joker's goons.
	+ The Joker announces that he is going to the Gotham bicentennial festival to Batman while escaping in his helicopter, rather than announcing it earlier on television.
	+ The crowd realizes that the money the Joker is giving out is fake and has his face on it, echoing his earlier stated desire to have his face on the one-dollar bill. This was going to be shown in the movie as well, but was cut.
	+ The Joker does not ask Bob for the gun he uses to shoot him. Instead, he already has it.
	+ The Batwing does not open fire on the Joker and his goons. Instead, the goons simply flee before the Joker shoots the Batwing out of the sky.
	+ Batman battles the Joker's goons all at once in the bell tower, rather than one-by-one.
	+ The final confrontation between Batman and the Joker plays out differently. As the Joker escapes on the ladder, Batman and Vicki pull themselves onto the ledge he was standing on. The Joker's helicopter is forced to leave quickly because a police chopper is approaching. Batman manually throws Batarangs at both ends of a rope at the gargoyle and the Joker's leg, rather than firing a grappling hook that attaches to both. The Joker's goons in the helicopter notice the weight of the gargoyle before the Joker falls. When the Joker finally falls, the gargoyle attached to his leg smashes through the ledge Vicki and Batman are on, causing all three to fall at the same time. Batman swings himself and Vicki through a window after stopping their fall with a grappling hook.
	+ Vicki is in the crowd that gathers around the Joker's body. Batman leaves his costume behind at the scene, with Knox hiding underneath it, and slips away from the crowd unmasked.
	+ It is Commissioner Gordon who reads Batman's letter instead of Harvey Dent. As a result, Dent has no speaking lines in the entire comic.
	+ Vicki kisses Knox on the lips instead of the cheek.
	+ The comic ends with the Bat-Signal shining on a building rather than into the sky, with Batman swinging on a rope rather than standing on a rooftop.
* Jerry Ordway and Steve Oliff, who illustrated and colored this comic, respectively, later collaborated on a variant cover for *Batman '89* #1 in 2021.
* The writer of this comic, Dennis O'Neil, also wrote the comic adaptation of *Batman Returns*.