Here we are folks, it’s time! What time you may ask? 1939, of course! Yes, we’re diving back into Dan Jurgens and Mike Perkins’ The Bat-Man: First Knight. Last we saw, our beloved caped crusader was strapped into the electric chair about to get fried. How will he escape? Read on and find out.
Pulp Fiction
Picking up this book again after a long week was exactly what I needed. Good art and good writing? In a currently releasing Batman book? It must be my birthday. It even manages to improve on the first issue!
So, how does The Bat-Man escape his electrically induced fate? With a little help from his friends of course. The commissioner turns off the power right before our hero perishes allowing him to escape, much to the chagrin of Warden Shelby. This passage here highlights a lot of what I like about this series. First off, Bruce’s ability to survive the electric chair is fully explained without using any cheap cop-outs, which really helps me feel Jurgens’ strengths as a writer.
On the subject of cops, the ensuing argument between Gordon and Shelby was a very riveting read. While I do have my issues with some of the dialogue, I felt that this conversation was very natural, and really helped to outline the tension in the Gotham police force. It helps solidify the state of things, with the warden’s extreme views put against Gordon’s no-nonsense style of thinking showing not only the split in the minds of the GCPD but of Gothamites as a whole.
After committing grand theft auto, Bruce manages to stumble back home and I gotta say, I love this version of Bruce Wayne. Normally when writers take away his family and allies, he becomes overly bitter and resentful, and they’re stories I don’t tend to enjoy. With First Knight, I don’t get that feeling at all. It all feels very fresh and new, and I just enjoy his mannerisms. I particularly enjoy the way he speaks. He doesn’t have an internal monologue, but rather, an external one as he speaks to himself aloud.
Julie Madison comes around and helps patch Bruce up a bit whilst talking about their lives. She hasn’t played a large part in this story, but I do enjoy her inclusion, and it gives the readers a chance to see how Bruce talks to others when he’s not in the cape and cowl. Not long after she leaves, Bruce must re-don his evening attire to try and get to the bottom of this mystery. Man, I love it when the Batsuit is kept in a vault, and this comic certainly makes it look cool.
I don’t want to spoil any more of the plot, but I will mention that I am very intrigued to see what The Voice is planning to do, and who it ends up being. I just hope Jurgens manages to stick the landing because I can easily see how it could end up being very underwhelming.
Any critical notes I have are the same as last time. The story is intriguing and all, and I adore the world being built but again, the dialogue can feel quite heavy-handed. I have mentioned I am interested in The Voice, but I don’t particularly like the way he speaks. With such phrases as “Bring me his head Johnny, and if his d*** has been cut off and stuffed in his mouth, so much the better”, I can’t help but remember why I’m cautious of Black Label books. I don’t have an issue with swearing, not at all, I just find that a lot of writers equate using those words as an example of “maturity” and “grittiness”.
Jurgens has already proven his story is mature and gritty, and I’m just not a fan of how overly edgy the dialogue can be. It can also be too overtly expositional at points, but I find that on that front, there’s been a big improvement since last time.
Those wonderful toys
Wow. I can’t believe I was ever doubting Perkins’ ability to illustrate this series. The art has grown on me tenfold and I find that each page is still a delight to look at. Mike Spicer’s colours blend in seamlessly with the world and helps me get engrossed in the story. I particularly enjoy the way that smoke is drawn, looking more like tendrils which just ooze with style.
Something I hadn’t previously mentioned was the design of the actual physical book. For this series, they’ve used a magazine format which allows the issues to be wider. I am not usually a fan of this, but I feel as though the creative team utilizes it to its full extent. The extra width really allows for some cool pages.
The way traditional Bat-items are visually adapted really fit this world. In this issue especially, we get to see the utility belt and goodies contained within. What would a Bat-Man carry in 1939? Well, he’s got his bat-rope that we’ve previously seen. The Batarang makes its first appearance and to my delight is almost identical to its first appearance in Detective Comics #31. Oh, and Bat-Man carrying brass-knuckles around makes perfect sense and also happens to look insanely cool.
Recommended If…
- The current Batman ongoings aren’t doing it for you (applicable to most people I should think)
- The 85th anniversary has got you feeling nostalgic
- You want to see some absolutely stunning art
Overall:
An improvement on an already fantastic first issue! It has its problems no doubt, but nothing that severely disrupts my enjoyment. The story is still intriguing, the art is stunning and the dialogue has improved, if only a bit. I struggle to think of anyone who wouldn’t enjoy this in some way. Come on man, has got purple gloves and knuckle dusters. What’s not to like? I feel like this is one of the best Bat books releasing right now and I’m sad it’s coming to an end so soon. All good things must come to an end!
Score: 9.5/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
