Hey Comic Fans, welcome to Your 97th Co(s)mic ComicBook B'Cast. For this edition, I'm going to take a look at a 4 part storyline written by Jim Starlin (yes, that Jim Starlin) with art from the legendary Jim Aparo and Mike DeCarlo.
The four part storyline took place in Batman issue 417 to 420.
The year was 1988 and I'm talking about Ten Nights of the Beast. This 4 issue storyline was published one year after Batman: Year One.
I was told about Ten Nights of the Beast by a friend who absolutely raved about it.
In Ten Nights of the Beast, the KGBeast comes to Gotham City to kill nine people crucial to America's Star Wars initiative.
A KGB agent together a team comprised of agents from the CIA, FBI, the GCPD and an unofficial addition to the team, Gotham City's very own Dark Knight to stop the KGBeast.
Despite their very best efforts, the beast manages to kill all nine on his kill list. The beast used numerous methods to kill his 9 targets. I don't want to spoil it for you, so please try and look for this storyline, you won't regret it.
Okay, with 9 confirmed kills, does that mean the beast is done? Nope. He has an additional target on his kill list. He goes after President Ronald Reagan.
Here's one spoiler for you, Batman managed to save Ronald Reagan.
Throughout the four issue of Ten Nights of the Beast, you're treated to a nail bitting storyline and solid artwork from Jim Aparo and Mike DeCarlo. Really solid work here.
There's also a memorable moment involving Batman and the KGBeast where Batman managed to detain him.
The beast however managed to free himself from Batman's grasp by doing something really drastic. I won't spoil it for you, you've gotta get a copy or grab the collected version to see what happened.
I'm just going to say the KGBeast had the whole situation well in hand. Yeah.
So how did Batman finally deal with the beast? Well, despite the fact that the beast had killed so many people, it was a foregone conclusion that he will never be brought to justice for his crimes. Even if they sent him back to Russia, the beast would kill more people in Russia, he wasn't a people person, the KGBeast.
So, what happened in the end?
Well, again, I'm going to leave you with the page above. If you have the chance, find Batman issue 417 to 420 or you could just get the tradepaperback. Like this one.
A really beautiful cover by Mike Zeck and Phil Zimelman.
I really enjoyed Ten Nights of the Beast. I thought Batman had come up against a foe that was nearly impossible for him to defeat. Storys like this one really captures your attention and you just can't wait for the next issue to see what happens. In my opinion, it's a great four part story.
Oh one other thing, the other thing that attracted me to Ten Nights of the Beast are the covers to Batman issue 417 to 420.
And that's what I'm going to share in the next B'Cast, so stay around comic fans.
Take care.
