Batman White Knight Review

Batman: White Knight By Sean Murphy

SPOILER COMIC REVIEW 

Picture taken from:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d1/BatmanWhiteKnight_1.jpg/250px-BatmanWhiteKnight_1.jpg

First off I will be really honest with you. Although I am a huge and die hard fan of Batman and DC Comics from an early age, I am not an experienced comic book reader. Right now there are literally just two Graphic Novels sitting on my desk; Batman The Killing Joke and Batman White Knight. So I guess I'm really not the person who is qualified for a professional review. But I'm a fan who wants to share his thoughts through a blog so let's get started.

In Batman White Knight Sean Murphy has taken a "realistic" approach towards the politics of Gotham City and the GCPD. Many Batman fans (including my friends) have asked questions like "Why does Gordon seek assistance from a vigilante who's dressed like a Bat?" and "Is Commissioner Gordon and the entire GCPD that incapable of handling the task of protecting Gotham that they depend heavily on vigilantes?" In this comic these questions are addressed by Sean Murphy.

The story starts off with Jack Napier a.k.a the Joker entering Arkham Asylum, not as a captive though but as a person of respect and authority. After this, we see Batman locked up in an Arkham cell. Jack Napier asks Batman for help and then the story continues with a flashback in which Batman and the Joker (not the respectable Jack Napier, the JOKER) face off each other in a classic duel.

I have to say, Sean Murphy has made a version of the Joker whom we can be more sympathetic towards. I really felt sympathy for him when Batman was beating the crap out of him and a tears started to roll down Joker's cheeks as he claimed that one day he would make Batman a villian in Gotham's eyes. Plus I also liked that Joker was wearing a Batman shirt. It was something other than his usual iconic purple dress coat and made him look like a fan boy, so that was a unique touch.

The thing which I ADORED the most about this comic is the art. I just loved every bit of it espeacially the way they portrayed Gotham City. I also loved Batman's suit. It was unique, especially the collar part. The Batsuit with the collar really resembled the one in the DC Animated movie 'Gotham By Gaslight'

A side by side comparison of the Batman suit in Batman White Knight and Batman Gotham by Gaslight

The thing that surprised me the most in this graphic novel is Batman's crime-fighting methods. He is BRUTAL....I mean more than usual. Let's say that his fighting method is dirty. He almost kills the Joker by making him swallow a whole bunch of pills, he drives the Batmobile ON ROOFTOPS, and he pushes an innocent man out of the way while chasing the Joker! For me this was unBatman-like at first. Then I discovered the reason why he was not being himself, it was Alfred. Apparently he is dying and Bruce is deeply disturbed. 

There are also many major differences in Batman White Knight. In this comic, Dick Grayson is not the first Robin, Jason Todd was. Speaking of Jason Todd, that brings me to difference number two: JASON TODD IS NOT DEAD! He was about to be murdered by the Joker after being beaten and tortured when Jason refused to reveal Batman's identity but Harley Quinn stops the Joker and that brings me to difference number three. In this comic, Harley Quinn is actually SANE ! I don't really know if she pretends to be insane just to win Joker over throughout the Batman storyline, I can't tell. What also surprised me is the fact that in this story there are two Harley Quinns. The bad one eventually becomes Neo-Joker after she learns that the Joker is sane.

My favourite part in this comic is when Batman reveals his identity to Commissioner Gordon.

Anyways if I was to rate this comic out of 10, I would give it a 9.9/10. I just loved it! 

The Titans characters

The DCU Titans premiered exclusively on the DC Universe online streaming platform on October 2018. Unfortunately the DC Universe streaming service is currently only available in the United States BUT...Netflix distributed the show for international viewers and I was able to watch DC Titans on Netflix in Pakistan :)

So lets get to the point, I have created this blog so that I can discuss the similarities and differences between the Titans of the live action show and the Titans of the animated series and comic books.

Personally I really enjoyed and loved the show and can't wait for season 2 :) 

1) Dick Grayson a.k.a Robin 

I have to say, the DC Universe Titans nailed their Dick Grayson in every way ! 

Now I know that after watching the trailer, some people found themselves caught up in a controversy regarding Robin's "F@ck Batman" dialogue. Dick Grayson's anger towards Batman is very much understandable. People have to be reminded that in the New Batman Adventures Animated Series episode "Old Wounds" , Dick Grayson let alone swearing...PUNCHES Batman in the face before declaring that he quits being his sidekick. Then we all know he became Nightwing.

We all know that at some point in time Dick Grayson and his foster parent Bruce Wayne reach a point where they have a strained and complicated relationship but everything works out in the end :)

So...coming back to DC Titans (2018), yes Brenton Thwaites has nailed Dick Grayson and Robin. I mean, while I watched the show I really felt that Brenton Thwaites brought to life the comic book and the animated version of Dick Grayson in the show. 

(And is it just me or did you guys also found his fighting style similar to the fighting style of Ben Affleck's Batman?)

In the show , I have to say that Robin is perfect and the most comic book accurate character. His fighting style is accurate in which he also makes use of his staff , his grappler and also the Robin version of Batarangs (a.k.a Birdarangs). He also uses Wayne Enterprises tech which is VERY COOL. 

As the show progresses we can all see him becoming Nightwing espeacially when he burns his Robin suit and in the episode "Donna Troy" in which Donna (a.k.a Wonder Girl) advises and encourages Dick to carry out his job of stopping the bad guys. In reply Dick says that he doesn't want to become like Batman, then Donna says something which is directed to him becoming the Nightwing in the future. 

She says, "Then don't be Batman OR Robin, be something else." 

We all know what that something else is gonna be in hopefully later seasons. (Hint: It's Nightwing !)

Can't wait to see Robin in action in Season 2 :)

2) Garfield a.k.a Beast Boy

So now coming to the Beast Boy of the show. He is funny and light hearted and adds up to the fun. I will say that the show nailed Beast Boy's first appearance in Episode 1. Trust me you gotta watch that scene yourself 'cause I would not like to spoil that for you :) 

He is also a gamer which is pretty comic book accurate and he has a pretty cool gaming setup. 

Okay so difference number 1 of Beast Boy: He can only transform into one animal and difference 2: He doesn't stay green 24/7 , only turns green when he is about to transform and when he has fully tramsformed.

Despite these differences I really liked the Beast Boy of the show. And I also loved his Tiger scenes, they were soooo cool. I believe that not everything has to be comic book accurate inorder to be cool :)

Raven and Starfire coming soon......

I am glad that DC finally produced a live action version of Teen Titans :) I would give the show a 10/10