Justice League: Gods and Monsters – Batman # 1 2015 NM-

Justice League: Gods and Monsters – Batman #1 (2015) is a prequel one-shot to the DC animated film, detailing the tragic origin of this universe’s Batman. In this "Elseworlds" continuity, Batman is not Bruce Wayne but Dr. Kirk Langstrom, a scientist who inadvertently transforms himself into a pseudo-vampire while trying to cure his own terminal cancer. 

Plot Summary: "Hunger"

• The Tragic Cure: While a student at Gotham University, Kirk Langstrom attempts to use vampire bat DNA and nanite technology to cure his lymphoma. While the serum successfully eradicates the cancer, it mutates his DNA, leaving him with an insatiable hunger for human blood.
• A Darker Justice: Horrified by his transformation, Langstrom isolates himself but eventually chooses to channel his bloodlust by preying exclusively on "society's dregs"—violent criminals and mobsters.
• The Moxon Conflict: The issue follows Langstrom’s early "heroics" in Gotham as he wages a mini-war against crime boss Lew Moxon. The story explores his struggle to maintain his remaining humanity while being viewed by the public as a literal monster. 

Character Powers & Abilities

Unlike the original Batman, this version possesses genuine superhuman abilities due to his mutation:

• Superhuman Physiology: He has super strength (roughly 20 times that of a human), super speed, and enhanced agility.
• Vampiric Traits: He has fangs for feeding, infrared thermal vision, and a powerful healing factor that cured his original illness.
• Genius Intellect: Even as a vampire, he remains one of the world's most brilliant scientific minds, originally part of Lex Luthor’s elite "Luthor's Boys" student group. 

Creative Team & Critical Reception

• Writers: Bruce Timm and J.M. DeMatteis.
• Artist: Matthew Dow Smith, with colors by Jordie Bellaire.