This was originally featured as a Comic Book LoveFest spotlight that was spearheaded by Team Zissou at the AV Club.

In the early 1990s, I used to get the Entertainment This Month catalog in the mail. I was always excited to get it month to month because it would preview new comics coming out and it was an easy way to order comics and have them shipped directly to your house.

I remember seeing this one comic that blew my mind when I was 12 years old and I had to have it. My mom ordered this comic for me (as well as a few others). The comic in question was Batman: In Darkest Night.

Batman: In Darkest Night (DC Comics, 1994) is an Elseworlds prestige format comic book one shot written by Mike W. Barr with art by Jerry Bingham. The story features an alternate reality where Bruce Wayne becomes Green Lantern instead of Hal Jordan.

On the fateful night Bruce Wayne is trying to decide how he will fight crime and instill fear into criminals, a bat doesn’t fly through his window like normal continuity; instead, a holographic projection of Abin Sur reaches out to Bruce.

Abin Sur’s ship crash landed on the grounds of Wayne Manor and Bruce is given Abin’s power ring and battery.

Bruce’s first act as Green Lantern is to stop a heist at Ace Chemicals by the Red Hood and his gang. Red Hood and company are stopped by Bruce without incident, thus stopping the creation of the Joker in this universe.

Next, the Guardians of the Universe reach out to Bruce to check on Sinestro and the crimes he has committed on his home planet, Korugar. Bruce apprehends Sinestro and Bruce deputizes Katma Tui as Sinestro’s replacement as protector of Sector 1417.

Sinestro is banished to Qward for his crimes and gains the Yellow Power Ring.

Bruce( as Green Lantern) reaches out to Commissioner Gordon about the mugger responsible for the Wayne murders in Crime Alley all those years ago. Gordon rebuffs Bruce for his recent actions in Gotham and Bruce takes his leave of Gordon.

Gordon is researching the deaths of the Waynes and figures out who was responsible for the crime when Sinestro arrives, gets the information from Gordon, then kills the Commissioner.

Sinestro confronts Joe Chill and absorbs his mind and the memories of that fateful night in Crime Alley.

As the story continues and we see the ongoing battle between Bruce and Sinestro, we are offered glimpses of variations of Catwoman, Two-Face, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash.

A nice call back to this one shot was during Geoff Johns’ run on Green Lantern when Batman is chosen as a member of the Sinestro Corps. Batman also wields the Yellow Light of Fear during Forever Evil. Batman also wields a Green Lantern ring for a short period of time in John’s Justice League #50.

This past summer looking through back issues, I was able to find a copy of Batman: In Darkest Knight for $5.00. As soon as I saw it, I grabbed it immediately.

While doing research for my Love Fest feature, I found out that there are almost 40 Elseworlds stories featuring the Caped Crusader. Most comic book aficionados know of the highly popular Gotham by Gaslight, Holy Terror, and Batman and Dracula: Red Rain, but I chose In Darkest Knight because this is a comic that holds a place near and dear to my heart and it’s definitely a high octane story that flew underneath a lot of people’s radar.

Batman: In Darkest Knight is reprinted in Elseworlds: Batman Vol. 1 that was recently released by DC Comics.

If you can find this one shot on the cheap, I highly recommend it.

I love it and I know you will love it too.