Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Books/Comics

‘Batman: Curse of the White Knight #1’ (review)

Written and Illustrated by Sean Murphy
Published by DC Comics/Black Label

 

Sean Murphy has returned with the sequel to his critically acclaimed White Knight saga, under DC’s Black Label imprint.

Following up such a blockbuster success is difficult because the bar is already extremely high.

Batman and The Joker are the Yin and Yang of Gotham City, and the first thirty pages of the original turned that concept upside down in engaging fashion.

Curse of the White Knight’s opening salvo isn’t the mind-blowing game-changer of its predecessor.

However, it doesn’t need to be. The world is already established. Murphy adds to the mythology, provides some stanch reminders, and injects a mystery dating back to when the Wayne family first arrived in Gotham.

Bruce reads a heartwarming letter from Alfred where reveals within reveals come to light. Meanwhile, The Joker looks to not only destroy Batman, but he wants to expose a Wayne family secret. Joker’s unbridled dedication is scary because he already knows Batman’s secret identity.

However, merely revealing it is not good enough for him.

Crippling the Wayne legacy is the endgame.

A rewritten version of former Batman ally Azrael is introduced. When we meet him, he’s down on his luck and receives grave news. Sympathy for his predicament is an integral aspect of another important revelation.

The final page lends credence to Sean Murphy’s statement that Azrael will be a far more significant threat to Batman than the Joker.

Those are some mighty big words; however, the imagery is something we haven’t seen before in this revised world with seemingly no rules. The founding of Gotham plays a major role in the coming events, and it appears Batman, Joker, and Azreal are tied to its secrets

The best comics are often those where the writer and artist are perfectly aligned with their creative vision. Murphy takes on both roles, and his artwork is a visual splendor augmented by the coloring of Matt Hollingsworth. Majestic cathedral stained glass unveils a hellfire that illuminates the pages in the final frame.

Last time, Gotham’s present was the vehicle that drove the narrative.

This time around, Sean Murphy looks to history as the driving force. The Joker knows things, and Batman has absolutely no idea what is heading his way. Murphy has produced an excellent setup issue where the past and present collide to dictate the future.

Grade: A-

 

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

DISCLAIMER

Forces of Geek is protected from liability under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and “Safe Harbor” provisions.

All posts are submitted by volunteer contributors who have agreed to our Code of Conduct.

FOG! will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement.

Please contact us for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content.

SOCIAL INFLUENCER POLICY

In many cases free copies of media and merchandise were provided in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. The opinions shared on Forces of Geek are those of the individual author.

You May Also Like

Reviews

Written by by Mark Millar  Art by Juanan Ramirez  Published by Millarworld / Dark Horse Comics   Like Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and a...

Reviews

Selected and introduced by Jenette Kahn Foreword by Marjorie Liu Published by The Folio Society   The Folio Society always produced books that have...

Reviews

Written by by Kyle Starks Art by Fran Galán Published by BOOM! Studios   As regular readers of my FOG! reviews know, one of...

News

Marlow the manatee isn’t exactly superhero material. He sleeps a lot, eats a lot, toots a lot, and has never ventured out of his...