Pre-Crisis Primer: I Like Pale Goth Chicks Too.

Detective Comics 529-530

Batman 363

'Nocturna'

Can't be bothered to fight crime with goth chicks around. She's so deep.

Oh boy.

These three issues represent the start of a multi-year run on Batman comics that I've been wanting to read for a long time. The same writer, Doug Moench, wrote the two titles Batman was appearing in at the time: Detective Comics and Batman. In an effort to create a stream-lined continuity for Batman, something the previous writer had started, Moench wrote both books as one, meaning the books would constantly crossover: one story continuing between both titles. Fun stuff, so let's dive in.

Batman hates your balloon.

cturna are introduced here and will going on to have a big impact in the next few years of Batman stories. Interestingly enough, while there won't be any stories directly contradicting these characters come the Post-Crisis, they will nary be mentioned past the 80s.

Regardless of what is to come Post-Crisis, both characters make a splash in this introduction with the Thief of Night besting Batman in combat by using the same methods: blending into shadows and attacking unseen while Nocturna (complete with classic comic book origin: lonely astronomer is performing an experiment that goes awry leaving her skin pale as night and incredibly sensitive to sunlight) is able to easily seduce the Dark Knight her connection to the darkness too much of an attraction for him. It's alright Batman, I dig creepy, poetic goth chicks too.

Nocturna's influence grows to infect Bruce Wayne's life as well; unable to shake her charms Bruce ignores the woman he's currently dating, Gotham News photojournalist Vicki Vale, who, much to her credit, doesn't really stand for this being ignored shit and lets Bruce have it with both barrels: asking him to get his shit together or she won't be around much longer. 

I love how sassy Batman is in that bottom-left panel.

The Thief of Night and Nocturna are a brother/sister team: she plans the heists and he carries them out. Batman is eventually able to get the best of the duo, finally besting the Thief of Night in combat while Nocturna makes a getaway, he does manage to recover much of what was stolen and imprison the Thief regardless of Nocturna's flight from his grasp. Not so lucky in his personal life, Bruce is unable to patch his relationship with Vale and Jason Todd takes the opportunity to literally run away and join the circus. Can't win them all Brucie-boy.