One of several comics to spin off from the final installment in the Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Knight: Genesis turns its eye on the game’s big villain. Who is the Arkham Knight, and what made him? Spoilers for the game follow.
What’s included?
Inside the Genesis trade, you’ll find all six issues of this miniseries. We covered these on Batman News as they were released, so be sure to check out those reviews for more detail about each installment. Here’s the breakdown:
- Batman: Arkham Knight: Genesis #1, originally published in August 2015; written by Peter J. Tomasi, with art by Alisson Borges, colors by Dave McCaig, letters by Deron Bennet, and cover art by Stjepan Sejic (read the original review)
- Batman: Arkham Knight: Genesis #2, originally published in September 2015; written by Peter J. Tomasi, with art by Alisson Borges, colors by Dave McCaig, letters by Deron Bennet, and cover art by Stjepan Sejic (read the original review)
- Batman: Arkham Knight: Genesis #3, originally published in October 2015; written by Peter J. Tomasi, with art by Dexter Soy, colors by Dave McCaig, letters by Deron Bennet, and cover art by Stjepan Sejic (read the original review)
- Batman: Arkham Knight: Genesis #4, originally published in November 2015; written by Peter J. Tomasi, with art by Dexter Soy, colors by Dave McCaig, letters by Deron Bennet, and cover art by Stjepan Sejic (read the original review)
- Batman: Arkham Knight: Genesis #5, originally published in December 2015; written by Peter J. Tomasi, with art by Dexter Soy, colors by Dave McCaig, letters by Deron Bennet, and cover art by Stjepan Sejic (read the original review)
- Batman: Arkham Knight: Genesis #6, originally published in January 2016; written by Peter J. Tomasi, with art by Dexter Soy, colors by Dave McCaig, letters by Deron Bennet, and cover art by Stjepan Sejic (read the original review)
Who is the Arkham Knight?
If you’ve played Arkham Knight, and if you have some better-than-average understanding of Batman lore, then you probably guessed the identity of the title character fairly early. There are only so many people with enough intimate understanding of Batman’s dealings to know what the Knight knows and do the sort of damage that the Knight does; and only one of those would possess both the anger at Bruce and the training necessary to pull it off.
If that first paragraph fails to resonate with you, I’ll just tell you: I am talking about Jason Todd, the second Robin. Killed at the hands of the Joker, resurrected as the brutal Red Hood, Jason came back to Gotham with a chip on his shoulder. Angry at Batman for not exacting vengeance on the Joker, he left a trail of criminal bodies in his wake before forcing the Dark Knight to confront his greatest failure face-to-face.
Arkham Knight takes a fair bit of license with the backstory: instead of dying, Jason found himself a captive of the Joker, subject to the physical and psychological torture of a madman for years. Genesis explores this torture in flashback, while a small selection of scenes in the present show Jason—now the Arkham Knight—make preparations for his assault on Gotham.
This volume’s greatest strength lies in the flashbacks. Jason’s story has never resonated with me, because I’ve always found his portrayal unsympathetic. What the game—and to a much greater extent Tomasi—presents is far more resonant. Consequently, Jason’s anger at Batman seems tragic rather than petulant, and his brutal resurrection identity seems genuinely redeemable. The final installment is particularly effective, and is a worthwhile read even if you never pick up the trade again.
The book’s two primary artists (Alisson Borges and Dexter Soy) have complimentary styles, so in one sense, there is good visual continuity, even once Soy takes over with the third issue. There are marked improvements in layout and background detail, though, and a most welcome uptick in clarity, especially in busier panels. Soy also draws one of the best Jokers you’ll ever set eyes on.
Colorist Dave McCaig does a fine job recreating the visual bleakness that helps define the Arkham games, but he also has some opportunities to make things pop when appropriate. Letterer Deron Bennet flies under the radar, which is usually a good thing when you’re talking about lettering. All of the text is readable and well-placed, and if there are any typographical errors in the volume, I don’t remember them.
In the end, Genesis is a decent story from a talented group of creators, that is nonetheless handicapped by its relationship to the game. Few tie-ins can get over this hurdle (I can only think of one, in fact), and while this one makes a respectable attempt, it still fails to establish its own independent value.
Bonus material
After you read the story, you’ll find a cover gallery, featuring three variants for the first issue of the series. Jim Lee did one of them, but in my opinion, even that one isn’t distinct enough to be a selling point.
Value: dirt cheap
Genesis is decent, but it’s hardly essential reading. The final installment is the best of them, in my opinion, and you can probably track it down for a negligible sum. That said, if you have a particular affection for the games and want to own the trade anyway, you should be able to find it at cheaper and cheaper prices as time goes by. And if you visit any conventions throughout the year, you might score a copy for a few bucks from a vendor. The cheapest I see on Amazon at time of writing is eight bucks for a used paperback—you can do better than that if you’re patient.
Overall
Like many video game tie-ins, Batman: Arkham Knight: Genesis feels limited by its inspiration. Even though its release came after the game, and even though it was allowed to deal with—and focus on—the biggest spoiler from that game, its scope remains narrowed by what it must point to. A nevertheless interesting read, look for it in your local library or at a convention, and then pass it on to the next curious reader.
SCORE: 5.5/10
