The Monk

Few villains can claim they crossed paths with The Batman in the very earliest days of the Dark Knight's existence, but The Monk can — debuting in Detective Comics #31 in 1939, this Golden Age menace emerged from the pen of Gardner Fox and the art of Bob Kane at the absolute dawn of DC's superhero mythology. Haunting the pages alongside Bruce Wayne and Julie Madison, The Monk is a genuine piece of comics archaeology, a shadowy antagonist whose first appearance is recognized as a collector-significant key issue. With a presence that stretches remarkably across seven decades — resurfacing as recently as The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold — The Monk is a reminder that the strangest, most atmospheric corners of the Golden Age never truly fade away.