Batman: White Knight By Sean Murphy
SPOILER COMIC REVIEW
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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!
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