Nightslayer
Encyclopedia
Nightslayer is a fictional character in the DC Comics
universe
. He first appeared in Detective Comics
#529 (August 1983), and was created by Doug Moench
and Gene Colan
.
Anton learned of his father’s death while travelling in the Orient studying the martial arts. At the funeral, Anton met his stepsister Natalia (also perhaps erroneously called Natasha) whom he had never met before and who had been raised in poverty. The long-separated step-siblings fell in love and began a partnership. Natalia quickly became accustomed to the life of luxury Anton had always known, but the couple soon used up their inheritance, in no small part because Natalia needed expensive medical help due to a rare "light sensitivity" skin pigmentation disorder.
Natalia and Anton adopted a nocturnal existence to protect Natalia from the damaging rays of the sun, while continuing to use the expensive medical equipment to treat her skin sensitivity. After the inheritance money began to run short, Anton and Natalia decided to keep themselves in their accustomed lavish lifestyle through burglary, following in their father’s criminal footsteps. Clad in a black body suit, Anton used his martial arts and acrobatic prowess to rob Gotham City’s rich as the "Thief of Night", while Natalia operated behind the scenes as "Nocturna
".
Anton, having spent much time in Asia
, proved to be a highly capable martial artist
. He and Natalia entered a life of crime together, he as the Night-Thief, and she as "Nocturna
", Mistress of the Night. However their burglary soon brought them into conflict with Batman
. The two had several clashes with the Darknight Detective, many of which ended with no clear-cut victor. For a while, the Nightslayer even traded identities with a delirious Batman.
After several clashes with Batman, Anton was eventually captured and sent to prison. Nocturna remained free and continued her life of crime along with a new ally, Nightshade. Anton finally escaped and, after being rejected by his beloved Nocturna, changed his style and became the murderous Night-Slayer. He killed Nightshade, an action which the more moral Nocturna abhorred, accusing Anton of slaying the night. After being betrayed too many times by Nocturna, Anton vowed to kill her. However, that never occurred as he was again put in jail by the Catwoman, while Nocturna seemingly died in an accident.
When last seen, Nightslayer was freed from prison in a mass breakout engineered by Ra's al Ghul.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
. He first appeared in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
#529 (August 1983), and was created by Doug Moench
Doug Moench
Douglas Moench , better known as Doug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok.-Biography:...
and Gene Colan
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
.
Fictional character biography
The son of a Gotham City millionaire (and undercover crime lord), Anton Knight was raised in a life of luxury and privilege. Even so, as a youth he yearned to improve himself, honing his body and mind to a sharp edge. He studied the martial arts and eventually left for the East to learn from the Masters.Anton learned of his father’s death while travelling in the Orient studying the martial arts. At the funeral, Anton met his stepsister Natalia (also perhaps erroneously called Natasha) whom he had never met before and who had been raised in poverty. The long-separated step-siblings fell in love and began a partnership. Natalia quickly became accustomed to the life of luxury Anton had always known, but the couple soon used up their inheritance, in no small part because Natalia needed expensive medical help due to a rare "light sensitivity" skin pigmentation disorder.
Natalia and Anton adopted a nocturnal existence to protect Natalia from the damaging rays of the sun, while continuing to use the expensive medical equipment to treat her skin sensitivity. After the inheritance money began to run short, Anton and Natalia decided to keep themselves in their accustomed lavish lifestyle through burglary, following in their father’s criminal footsteps. Clad in a black body suit, Anton used his martial arts and acrobatic prowess to rob Gotham City’s rich as the "Thief of Night", while Natalia operated behind the scenes as "Nocturna
Nocturna
Nocturna is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. The first storyline involving her began in Detective Comics #529 , but her first appearance is credited to Batman #363 , where she is first actually seen and mentioned by name. Nocturna was created by Doug Moench and Gene...
".
Anton, having spent much time in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, proved to be a highly capable martial artist
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
. He and Natalia entered a life of crime together, he as the Night-Thief, and she as "Nocturna
Nocturna
Nocturna is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. The first storyline involving her began in Detective Comics #529 , but her first appearance is credited to Batman #363 , where she is first actually seen and mentioned by name. Nocturna was created by Doug Moench and Gene...
", Mistress of the Night. However their burglary soon brought them into conflict with Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
. The two had several clashes with the Darknight Detective, many of which ended with no clear-cut victor. For a while, the Nightslayer even traded identities with a delirious Batman.
After several clashes with Batman, Anton was eventually captured and sent to prison. Nocturna remained free and continued her life of crime along with a new ally, Nightshade. Anton finally escaped and, after being rejected by his beloved Nocturna, changed his style and became the murderous Night-Slayer. He killed Nightshade, an action which the more moral Nocturna abhorred, accusing Anton of slaying the night. After being betrayed too many times by Nocturna, Anton vowed to kill her. However, that never occurred as he was again put in jail by the Catwoman, while Nocturna seemingly died in an accident.
When last seen, Nightslayer was freed from prison in a mass breakout engineered by Ra's al Ghul.