While comic book history is rich with alien lore and mythology influence, an obscure Batman UFO-themed storyline told through two one-shots (“Batman: The Abduction,” “Batman: Dreamland”) was recently rediscovered. This hidden gem was found when Rob Kristoffersen from the “Our Strange Skies Podcast” tweeted about these under-the-radar comics he stumbled upon via social media.
“As I've researched UFOs, I've always been drawn to the oddities of 90s UFO and alien culture,” Kristoffersen said. “This was out there, even by Batman standards, given how the character has interacted with aliens before in the DC Universe.”
These were one-shots done by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle- the creative team behind the 1990s fan-favorite Batman title “Shadow of the Bat”. Many of the storylines of that era were reflective of the times and pop culture. Grant tackled topics like the war on drugs in “Shadow of the Bat,” and with “The Abduction” and “Dreamland “ they pulled from popular culture of the times like “The X-Files.”
“You can tell how many Batman stories from the 90s were inspired by and reflected in the times they were created in,” said Lance Laster, host of “Always Hold on to Arrow” podcast and comic expert.
It is interesting to see Batman directly address the abduction phenomenon and Area-51 separate from his usual interactions with ETs like Martian Manhunter and sky gods from the planet Krypton like Superman. Batman even references his experience with the grays as his first alien interaction outside of his Justice League members Superman and Martian Manhunter. The storylines involves multiple familiar Ufology tropes in missing time , electronic malfunctions, alien implants , ancient astronaut theory (Bruce Wayne references that abductions were once believed to be by elves, fairies , angels or demons ), astral projecting, mind-altering drugs and the men in black. There’s even a consciousness-controlling villain called the kook. At one point, Wayne attends a Gotham City UFO convention in disguise, as he is afraid of the stigma attached with being seen at an event like that.
What these two stories do well is tie in the world’s greatest detective’s frustration with not being able to find definitive answers, which is a perfect parallel to those who study the unknown. “The Abduction” ends on rather fitting note of :
“There are some mysteries even the Batman can’t solve.”
By MIKE DAMANTE
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