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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In the highly anticipated sequel to Batman: The White Knight, although Jack Napier has digressed into his Joker alternate persona to a degree where he has lost control over the anti-Batman personality that Gotham embraced, his Napier Initiative and the GTO task force persist. What's different, though, is that Joker has the ultimate card left in his hand to play against Batman... and now is the time to play it. This information, though, will bring not just Batman and Bruce Wayne to his knees, but it will upend Gotham City as it's been known for hundreds of years.
But first he needs a vessel to deliver the deadly blow. That comes in the form of Azrael and his fiery sword of righteous fury.
I will admit that the legend that kicks off this story and is reflected upon every so often through the course of the book didn't always leave me wowed. It wasn't doing much for me initially. Felt a little forced and derivative. But it finally picks up about halfway through and redeems itself. And Azrael is not exactly my favorite baddie either. Another thing I didn't like is the idea that this entire story exists outside Batman canon. There's no way it can exist. It all would need to be undone. Read it and you'll understand.
What kept me interested here was the dynamic between Harley and Batman as well as Harley and Joker/Jack. Basically, Harley was the lynch pin and I loved it because Murphy's interpretation of her character, both emotionally and visually, is probably my favorite of any writer or artist.
Oh, and the final page cliffhanger promises a great next novel.
I'm not sure if all editions contain this, but the hardcover I had included a story at the end about the history of Victor von Fries (Mr. Freeze) and Thomas Wayne that I found to be a good read as well.
But first he needs a vessel to deliver the deadly blow. That comes in the form of Azrael and his fiery sword of righteous fury.
I will admit that the legend that kicks off this story and is reflected upon every so often through the course of the book didn't always leave me wowed. It wasn't doing much for me initially. Felt a little forced and derivative. But it finally picks up about halfway through and redeems itself. And Azrael is not exactly my favorite baddie either. Another thing I didn't like is the idea that this entire story exists outside Batman canon. There's no way it can exist. It all would need to be undone. Read it and you'll understand.
What kept me interested here was the dynamic between Harley and Batman as well as Harley and Joker/Jack. Basically, Harley was the lynch pin and I loved it because Murphy's interpretation of her character, both emotionally and visually, is probably my favorite of any writer or artist.
Oh, and the final page cliffhanger promises a great next novel.
I'm not sure if all editions contain this, but the hardcover I had included a story at the end about the history of Victor von Fries (Mr. Freeze) and Thomas Wayne that I found to be a good read as well.
Parallels and kinda carries on the themes of the first series, but doesn't really have the same clarity.
I won't write a whole superlong essay about this one like I did the first volume, but suffice it to say that this was more of the same, in a mostly good way.
Murphy uses all of the benefits of an Elseworlds tale that I spoke about before (being able to make true, permanent choices for characters without worrying about further continuity) and cranks the dial up, going scorched earth. As with part one, I really liked the ideas being played with here and the conversations its having with the larger Batman mythos in a meta sense and in-world, and I found the story itself to be supremely readable and page-turn-y, while I think that some of the transitions and executions (not the literal ones) were a bit muddled at times.
Spoilers.
I continue to adore this Harley Quinn, as Murphy clearly does as well. She is weirdly rational and almost Jessica Jones-like in this wild world and it really worked for me. I'm glad to learn that she's getting her own mini series soon. Her as a mother just made me like her more! (Though one pretty strong criticism was her cute little twins just silently hanging out amongst all of the horrors and action around them. Not that I want kids in danger or screaming with trauma, but it was a little silly to see them just calmly sleeping while Joker is firing guns around them.
Last time I forgot to mention his art at all, which is a shame because I think it's pretty great. I was a fan back during his WW2 American Vampire days and I think the style is great for a bat-book.
Azreal is handled pretty well, he's truly scary and unhinged just like he used to be, and his body count in this one was...staggering. I was pretty bummed to see all of the Gotham's rogues go out like that, but it seems that Murphy is deadset on making this world more and more different as he goes.
I found the deeper lore stuff to be fun and interesting, too. The cop stuff still a bit...fine? I like Gordon and Bullock and Montoya, but the GTO is still a bit of a clanger idea for me, and doesn't feel great as in militarizing the cops further. Interested to see where that goes. The inexplicably aged-up Duke Thomas barely had a word here, which isn't a great look.
Overall I thought this one might have been stronger than the first. A bit clearer, if still suffereing from the bit of getting stuck in the mud as the first part did occasionally. I'm invested in this series now and hope it continues to be this fun to read.
Murphy uses all of the benefits of an Elseworlds tale that I spoke about before (being able to make true, permanent choices for characters without worrying about further continuity) and cranks the dial up, going scorched earth. As with part one, I really liked the ideas being played with here and the conversations its having with the larger Batman mythos in a meta sense and in-world, and I found the story itself to be supremely readable and page-turn-y, while I think that some of the transitions and executions (not the literal ones) were a bit muddled at times.
Spoilers.
I continue to adore this Harley Quinn, as Murphy clearly does as well. She is weirdly rational and almost Jessica Jones-like in this wild world and it really worked for me. I'm glad to learn that she's getting her own mini series soon. Her as a mother just made me like her more! (Though one pretty strong criticism was her cute little twins just silently hanging out amongst all of the horrors and action around them. Not that I want kids in danger or screaming with trauma, but it was a little silly to see them just calmly sleeping while Joker is firing guns around them.
Last time I forgot to mention his art at all, which is a shame because I think it's pretty great. I was a fan back during his WW2 American Vampire days and I think the style is great for a bat-book.
Azreal is handled pretty well, he's truly scary and unhinged just like he used to be, and his body count in this one was...staggering. I was pretty bummed to see all of the Gotham's rogues go out like that, but it seems that Murphy is deadset on making this world more and more different as he goes.
I found the deeper lore stuff to be fun and interesting, too. The cop stuff still a bit...fine? I like Gordon and Bullock and Montoya, but the GTO is still a bit of a clanger idea for me, and doesn't feel great as in militarizing the cops further. Interested to see where that goes. The inexplicably aged-up Duke Thomas barely had a word here, which isn't a great look.
Overall I thought this one might have been stronger than the first. A bit clearer, if still suffereing from the bit of getting stuck in the mud as the first part did occasionally. I'm invested in this series now and hope it continues to be this fun to read.
I was a little apprehensive about re-reading Curse of the White Knight. While I loved Murphy’s twists on traditional Batman lore and his takes on the characters in the original White Knight, the honeymoon phase had definitely worn off when I re-read it last year. Curse of the White Knight isn’t without its flaws either. It struggles under the weight of trying to be its own thing and a sequel to a critical darling. But once it finds its footing, it becomes a great continuation of Bruce’s acceptance of the harm Batman has caused and his steps towards finally rooting out all of the corruption in Gotham. What pushes this from a 3 to a 4 star for me is the one-shot detailing the history of Victor Von Freeze and the struggles he and his family endured in Nazi Germany. It’s a well paced tragedy drawn by guest artist Klaus Jansen (who has some VERY personal ties to the subject matter). It’s one of the best Mr. Freeze stories in years and adds some fascinating layers to his character and relationship with Nora. Overall, if you enjoyed White Knight, you’ll likely enjoy Curse of the White Knight as well. It’s a fun continuation with the same rockin’ style of the last book.
I don’t think this reaches the heights the first book did, however it was still very well done. I thought the ending kinda approached the original, and I wish irl billionaires would go the Wayne route, but regardless, the comic was still very enjoyable. I think this series is for me what The Dark Knight Returns is for a lot of people. That series is too right-wing for me, and I honestly cannot stand Frank Miller and his bigoted views. This series on the other hand is more inline with my political beliefs (again even tho they very toned down in this volume), and while I definitely don’t feel the need to build an echo chamber, I also don’t care to read/listen to conservative idiocy the likes of which Miller spouts.
I think there is at least one more volume in this series given the ending, which I am still interested in. I think it would be cool to see a similar treatment done for other heroes as well. Definitely a cool elseworlds concept.
I think there is at least one more volume in this series given the ending, which I am still interested in. I think it would be cool to see a similar treatment done for other heroes as well. Definitely a cool elseworlds concept.
"Murphy-verse" Batman continues to be my all-time favorite Batman comics. This one is a direct sequel to "White Knight," but manages to be really different from its predecessor in the best way possible.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes