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revisins's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant. Kenetic. Ballastic. A proper, unrestrained take on the Batman mythos. I applaud what Murphy pulled off here. If there comes a moment where an adaptation needs to be done...this story would serve as an answer to "Do we need another take on Batman?" Yes. Yes we do. Follow the template here and it would be a proper salute to most of the cinematic/televised versions of the Dark Knight we've seen. Bravo.
roguescholar42's review against another edition
5.0
Didn't think I was going to like this as much as I did. It has the air of modern day, edge lord Batman that I find off-putting. "What if Joker was the real good guy and Batman was okay with hyper-violence and took things too far?"
Thankfully, it rises above this. It's a thoughtful look at the characters and their relationship to violence and Gotham. Most of the characters have arcs and all are treated with respect.
Thankfully, it rises above this. It's a thoughtful look at the characters and their relationship to violence and Gotham. Most of the characters have arcs and all are treated with respect.
lch_21's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ndizz87's review against another edition
3.0
I’m a huge Batman fan, and while I thought this series went way too fast for the amount of interesting ideas that it had, I was still very satisfied. From the interesting imagery to the tables being turned on the Dark Knight himself, I thought that it did a pretty good job of finding a way to tell a tale that hasn’t already been done a million times in the Bat-verse. While there are some pretty big flaws, the ideas and plots that came from it were incredibly interesting, even if it didn’t always quite feel like the Batman that we all know and are used to.
The plot centers around the Joker taking pills that make him incredibly sane, transforming him into Jack Napier (I loved how they used the name that Burton came up with in his original film). Due to his newfound sanity, he decides that the true cancer that Gotham has is, in fact, Batman and launches a campaign to rid the city of the vigilante. Through conniving and scheming, he’s able to turn the support that Batman once had into his own support, eventually being elected to city council as well as rekindle his relationship with the original Harley Quinn. However, this leaves his current Harley Quinn jilted. She dons the name Neo Joker and fights with everyone to release the Joker from Napier’s mind, putting the city on the brink in the process.
While this series was fairly intriguing, it never quite went deep enough with those interesting ideas or fleshed them out deep enough to sink your teeth into. The series also requires a hefty suspension of disbelief and that’s saying something. You’re reading about a vigilante that dresses up as a Bat to kick a clown’s ass. How much more disbelief do you need to muster? Well, quite a bit actually. When I say that the character’s you know and love are written in a way that doesn’t feel quite right, it’s a bit of an understatement
This has to take place in an alternate universe. Batman is a ginormous asshole who is destroying Gotham with his shenanigans, not really caring about the destruction he leaves in his wake. He’s constantly fighting with Nightwing and Batgirl. He basically admits he likes to make people hurt. Nightwing, on the other hand, acts like a spoiled brat who will use any situation to start an argument with Batman. Batgirl feels like a ragdoll being tugged back and forth between the two playing referee.
Then you have the Joker, or should I say Jack Napier. His sanity, while I’m super intrigued by the idea, can’t help but feel the air has been let out of the Crown Prince of Crime. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very interesting idea and definitely one that I haven’t seen before. This is somewhat refreshing because I do feel like we get lots of recycled plots with new finishes on them instead of genuinely new ideas. However, you ultimately trade in the expected, zany antics for his alter ego, Jack Napier pouring over law books in a library. I didn’t feel like I truly got to know Jack Napier. He was a bit of a mystery. He wants to be a White Knight, but he does some criminal things along the way that make you question who altruistic he really is, but then ultimately does come away with that impression. It was a bit of a toss but that didn’t so much come off as intriguing so much as confusing.
The biggest issue that I have, aside from the need for a ton of disbelief, is the pacing. It felt just so extremely rushed that it didn’t feel it gave itself enough time to wrestle and flesh out the concepts I felt it deeply wanted to explore. The way a character or situation reacts or unfolds came at such a clipper pace you just couldn’t believe that things were happening the way they were. I mean, the entirety of Gotham decides to choose Joker over Batman like someone simply flipped a switch. There wasn’t much build or exploration as to why that is. Sure, they mention why, but they tell rather than show. It was just like Jack Napier makes a speech one day after getting off for heinous crimes and the next he’s a city councilman with adoring supporters. I’m sorry, but this eight issue series needed to be more like twelve.
There were some shining spots in White Knight and I don’t want to downplay them. Specifically, the original Harley was a super intriguing idea that really paid off. She was clearly a well developed character attempting to find her path in her post-Joker world. I wasn’t expecting the dynamic between the original Harley and the newly sane Jack Napier. I couldn’t help but want so much for them to be able to walk off into the sunset together. The chemistry and development of their relationship was so good, I almost don’t think you needed to even have Batman in the series. It could have just been the original Harley and Jack attempting to move past their history, keep him sane, and develop their romance. It possibly could have been better.
While I was interested in the development of a second Harley Quinn, I ultimately think they could have done so much more with her. She was a jilted lover that wanted the same man, just a different personality. I didn’t see her as a legitimate threat. It was literally a second-rate Harley Quinn and the Mad Hatter against all of Gotham. They hardly seemed like a pair that could stand a chance. There was so much you could have done with that storyline. It felt ultimately like a letdown. Thank goodness the OG Harley was there to right the ship.
Another bright spot in the story was the idea of the Batman Destruction Fund. I did like how it was used against Batman. I also really appreciated the scene where Bruce comes to understand who the elite use Batman’s collateral damage to line their pockets while suppressing minorities and the lower socio-economic citizens. The scene where Bruce overhears how the millionaires make their money off of Batman’s destruction during a posh party intrigued me greatly. It didn’t amount to much and seemed to negate itself toward the end with a twist, it was a nice gem and one this reader hasn’t considered before. There is a lot of collateral damage that happens in Batman’s wake. This was the first anyone really addressed it before for me.
All in all, I simply liked the White Knight. It had some fairly intriguing ideas, but it was far too rushed for this reader to really appreciate them. The characterization is all over the place, but the relationship between the original Harley and Jack Napier was surprisingly sentimental. I will probably continue on with the Curse of the White Knight. I'm not sure I’ll have my hopes particularly high, which is sad because there are some really fun ideas in this slim series.
The plot centers around the Joker taking pills that make him incredibly sane, transforming him into Jack Napier (I loved how they used the name that Burton came up with in his original film). Due to his newfound sanity, he decides that the true cancer that Gotham has is, in fact, Batman and launches a campaign to rid the city of the vigilante. Through conniving and scheming, he’s able to turn the support that Batman once had into his own support, eventually being elected to city council as well as rekindle his relationship with the original Harley Quinn. However, this leaves his current Harley Quinn jilted. She dons the name Neo Joker and fights with everyone to release the Joker from Napier’s mind, putting the city on the brink in the process.
While this series was fairly intriguing, it never quite went deep enough with those interesting ideas or fleshed them out deep enough to sink your teeth into. The series also requires a hefty suspension of disbelief and that’s saying something. You’re reading about a vigilante that dresses up as a Bat to kick a clown’s ass. How much more disbelief do you need to muster? Well, quite a bit actually. When I say that the character’s you know and love are written in a way that doesn’t feel quite right, it’s a bit of an understatement
This has to take place in an alternate universe. Batman is a ginormous asshole who is destroying Gotham with his shenanigans, not really caring about the destruction he leaves in his wake. He’s constantly fighting with Nightwing and Batgirl. He basically admits he likes to make people hurt. Nightwing, on the other hand, acts like a spoiled brat who will use any situation to start an argument with Batman. Batgirl feels like a ragdoll being tugged back and forth between the two playing referee.
Then you have the Joker, or should I say Jack Napier. His sanity, while I’m super intrigued by the idea, can’t help but feel the air has been let out of the Crown Prince of Crime. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very interesting idea and definitely one that I haven’t seen before. This is somewhat refreshing because I do feel like we get lots of recycled plots with new finishes on them instead of genuinely new ideas. However, you ultimately trade in the expected, zany antics for his alter ego, Jack Napier pouring over law books in a library. I didn’t feel like I truly got to know Jack Napier. He was a bit of a mystery. He wants to be a White Knight, but he does some criminal things along the way that make you question who altruistic he really is, but then ultimately does come away with that impression. It was a bit of a toss but that didn’t so much come off as intriguing so much as confusing.
The biggest issue that I have, aside from the need for a ton of disbelief, is the pacing. It felt just so extremely rushed that it didn’t feel it gave itself enough time to wrestle and flesh out the concepts I felt it deeply wanted to explore. The way a character or situation reacts or unfolds came at such a clipper pace you just couldn’t believe that things were happening the way they were. I mean, the entirety of Gotham decides to choose Joker over Batman like someone simply flipped a switch. There wasn’t much build or exploration as to why that is. Sure, they mention why, but they tell rather than show. It was just like Jack Napier makes a speech one day after getting off for heinous crimes and the next he’s a city councilman with adoring supporters. I’m sorry, but this eight issue series needed to be more like twelve.
There were some shining spots in White Knight and I don’t want to downplay them. Specifically, the original Harley was a super intriguing idea that really paid off. She was clearly a well developed character attempting to find her path in her post-Joker world. I wasn’t expecting the dynamic between the original Harley and the newly sane Jack Napier. I couldn’t help but want so much for them to be able to walk off into the sunset together. The chemistry and development of their relationship was so good, I almost don’t think you needed to even have Batman in the series. It could have just been the original Harley and Jack attempting to move past their history, keep him sane, and develop their romance. It possibly could have been better.
While I was interested in the development of a second Harley Quinn, I ultimately think they could have done so much more with her. She was a jilted lover that wanted the same man, just a different personality. I didn’t see her as a legitimate threat. It was literally a second-rate Harley Quinn and the Mad Hatter against all of Gotham. They hardly seemed like a pair that could stand a chance. There was so much you could have done with that storyline. It felt ultimately like a letdown. Thank goodness the OG Harley was there to right the ship.
Another bright spot in the story was the idea of the Batman Destruction Fund. I did like how it was used against Batman. I also really appreciated the scene where Bruce comes to understand who the elite use Batman’s collateral damage to line their pockets while suppressing minorities and the lower socio-economic citizens. The scene where Bruce overhears how the millionaires make their money off of Batman’s destruction during a posh party intrigued me greatly. It didn’t amount to much and seemed to negate itself toward the end with a twist, it was a nice gem and one this reader hasn’t considered before. There is a lot of collateral damage that happens in Batman’s wake. This was the first anyone really addressed it before for me.
All in all, I simply liked the White Knight. It had some fairly intriguing ideas, but it was far too rushed for this reader to really appreciate them. The characterization is all over the place, but the relationship between the original Harley and Jack Napier was surprisingly sentimental. I will probably continue on with the Curse of the White Knight. I'm not sure I’ll have my hopes particularly high, which is sad because there are some really fun ideas in this slim series.
emmatalksaboutbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
calistaw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kimhancock11's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this story. It gave so much dimension to both Batman and the Joker. I loved the art of Harley and the costumes. It was so logical and interesting.