Vandalised church immortalised in Batman comic

The Bat-Man: Second Knight retells the tale of the Dark Knight in the 1940s

A church once attacked by vandals has found an unexpected place in Gotham City after being featured in the pages of a new Batman comic.

In July 2024 the windows and doors of St Mary's church hall in Baldock, Hertfordshire, were smashed along with gravestones in the churchyard.

Hertfordshire Police investigated more reports of criminal damage in March.

Now the church has been immortalised in The Bat-Man: Second Knight, a retelling of the superhero's early years set in the 1940s and illustrated by British comic artist Mike Perkins.

Lay reader Mike Maddox said: "Mike Perkins heard about the vandalism to our churchyard and hall last year and, like many of us, was outraged."

Written by Dan Jurgens, Second Knight is aimed at mature readers and follows The Bat-Man: First Knight.

It is set in 1939, which was the year Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27 and that the character was introduced to the world.

The church and surrounding streets were replicated in Perkins' drawings, depicting scenes in Gotham.

It is not the first time the caped crusader has been tied to the county.

Hatfield House was used for the interiors of Wayne Manor in the 1989 film, while Knebworth House was used for exterior shots.

On his Instagram account artist Perkins wrote: "There I was, visiting friends, up the belfry of St. Mary's in Baldock and I was inspired to take a fair few reference photos.

"If we got approved for a sequel to The Bat-Man: First Knight at least I'd have some accurate atmosphere. (There WAS less blood in real life, though)."