Reviews

Batman - Biały Rycerz by Sean Murphy, Maria Lengren

aman757's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have been interested lately in the concept of the "white knight," particularly regarding how the term can be used to refer to race, though doesn't always. And being that Batman is a comic book superhero character that has to me existed at the intersection of making racial commentary without explicit stating it, I decided this would be an interesting comic book to read despite this not being a preferred genre for me. I did find some of the psychology concepts contained in this comic intriguing, though it did seem that many of these concepts, both explicit and implicit, were intended to obscure or mask ideas, rather than enlighten. Some of the evidence I'd point to for this would be how the comic started with the idea of the city of Gotham perceiving Joker to really just be a misunderstood, decent person and Batman being a villainous, out of control vigilante.

This shift in perception changed when Batman force fed psychosis medication to Joker. But as the comic progresses, there are multiple layers added to this, including a sort of dual personality within Harley Quinn, Joker using his newfound access to the Gotham police to empower the cities villains and a female Neo Joker, and a partnership between the band of villains and the gangs of the primarily minority-populated part of town called Backport. And in addition to this, it was revealed that there was a connection to the technology used by Mr. Freeze and the Third Reich. And that Bruce Wayne's parents had a connection with the Nazis who supplied the technology. Also too, Bruce Wayne was partnering with freeze to sustain the life of his butler Alfred, who eventually passed away.

All of these factors made for interesting plot developments. But to me, all of these various developments also took away from the comic making any truly meaningful social commentary. And that is why, though I can see some of the entertainment value in the Batman character, I think the use of the character goes too far at times by delving into various social issues, while obscuring them with overly complex storylines.

yodamom's review against another edition

5.0

Easily the best Batman Story I've ever read. Batman is darkly twisted in this alternate universe. The Joker is not so twisted and everything is.... amazing. This book felt much more grown up, more detailed and dover into darker places than the past Batman books i've read. The illustrations WOW, just fantastic, Matt Hollingsworth is a new favorite.
I am on board for this new series, sign me up for book 2.

austex_93's review against another edition

4.0

Would recommend to anyone who enjoys Batman stories. It was unique seeing The Joker as a "good guy". A couple emotional moments that I won't forget.

rosiereading's review against another edition

dark mysterious

4.75

raaachoo's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

half a star for the art but that cannot save how dreadful the writing was like i actually hated it

using real imagery from blm protests for this joker shit made me mad too because did the author just toss the fact joker is racist and a mass murderer? why would we back him up. acab forever we dont need joker for that. absolutely bullshit

aceinit's review against another edition

4.0

The ending of this series was inevitable (both in the literal sense of “this is the end of the story” and in the stories of Napier/The Joker, Harley, and Bats), but I am still going to sit here and be emotional about it for a while.

josemclr's review against another edition

4.0

Es uno de los mejores elseworlds de Batman que he leído (que no son muchos pero sí algunos). Tiene su gran dosis de acción pero también de emotividad y los personajes están muy bien desarrollados. Definitivamente leeré la secuela.

konigtheis13's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

4.25

wedgelovespizza's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

blanchebloom's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this so muchhhhh I even cried at times yes just yes gotta get all the spinoffs and sequels and prequels now