Batman: White Knight

Holy wow! I could NOT put this book down. I had to force myself to be a responsible adult for a bit, but once I picked it back up again, I did not stop reading until I finished. This was such an incredible imagining of the Batman/Joker relationship and all the little ways their tango has affected the people closest to them and the city around them. I loved how I was kept at the edge of my seat, constantly guessing if Jack/Joker was really reformed, and if Batman had really gone off the deep end. I loved seeing my favorite vigilante hero as an anti-hero and how people were finally holding him responsible for it. And I loved every gut punch the hidden truths brought the characters, especially Batman. An absolute MUST read for fans of show more Batman and his darker side! show less

Holy wow! I could NOT put this book down. I had to force myself to be a responsible adult for a bit, but once I picked it back up again, I did not stop reading until I finished. This was such an incredible imagining of the Batman/Joker relationship and all the little ways their tango has affected the people closest to them and the city around them. I loved how I was kept at the edge of my seat, constantly guessing if Jack/Joker was really reformed, and if Batman had really gone off the deep end. I loved seeing my favorite vigilante hero as an anti-hero and how people were finally holding him responsible for it. And I loved every gut punch the hidden truths brought the characters, especially Batman. An absolute MUST read for fans of show more Batman and his darker side! show less

I read this in two sittings because I couldn't put it down; this is my favorite Batman graphic novel. The visuals are incredible, the writing is intriguing, it's both topical and classic in its themes, Harley and Joker/Jack Napier have never been more interesting and I was intrigued until the very end. The GTO was an awesome touch and despite a few wonky comic-booky mind control craziness, everything in this story makes complete sense and is grounded 100% in terms of motivations, actions, history, etc. Seeing callbacks to previous Batman stories was done marvelously.

Holy wow! I could NOT put this book down. I had to force myself to be a responsible adult for a bit, but once I picked it back up again, I did not stop reading until I finished. This was such an incredible imagining of the Batman/Joker relationship and all the little ways their tango has affected the people closest to them and the city around them. I loved how I was kept at the edge of my seat, constantly guessing if Jack/Joker was really reformed, and if Batman had really gone off the deep end. I loved seeing my favorite vigilante hero as an anti-hero and how people were finally holding him responsible for it. And I loved every gut punch the hidden truths brought the characters, especially Batman. An absolute MUST read for fans of show more Batman and his darker side! show less

What if The Joker became the good guy, and Batman the bad? This brilliant take on their dynamic explores their relationship with Gotham, highlighting Bruce's paranoia and inconsistent views on his city. The Joker works surprisingly well as a good guy, and with Harley (who's bigger and more important than you can imagine) by his side, they're an unstoppable duo.

Distrust runs as a theme throughout the narrative, highlighted by everyone's increasingly uncomfortable views towards Batman. It worked wonders, even making me question my feelings towards Bruce's philanthropic (or lack of) activities in Gotham.

The ending could've been done better though. Ultimately, it's all reset, which sort of takes the fun out of the narrative and all the show more possibilities it inspired. But within it all is a great story that will be talked about for years to come. show less

I wasn't going to read this but relented due to all the buzz the book is getting. I should have stayed the course, because this is just a few interesting Elseworlds/What If? ideas wrapped up in a whole lot of comic book dreck. And some of the ideas seemed less like inspiration and more like a writer grinding an ax over his own pet peeves about how things are being done wrong by others. Odd, unpleasant, boring.

Murphy's take on Batman seems heavily influenced by Batman: The Animated Series, but his writing and art fall short of that aspiration.

This was suggested to me by someone who got me hooked on both Donny Cates and Jeff Lemire, so I trust his recommendations.

Now, to be clear, I'm really not a DC guy. I've always been a Marvel fan. Green Arrow and Green Lantern just seem silly. Superman is vastly overpowered. Wonder Woman? No. But there's always been a hint of something about Batman that has intrigued me over the years, and I have read [b:Batman: The Killing Joke|96358|Batman The Killing Joke|Alan Moore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1346331835l/96358._SX50_.jpg|551787], [b:Batman: Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth|22374|Batman Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth|Grant show more Morrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388209338l/22374._SY75_.jpg|1807553], [b:Batman: The Cult|107128|Batman The Cult|Jim Starlin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551512701l/107128._SY75_.jpg|103259], and of course, [b:Batman: The Dark Knight Returns|1117136|Batman The Dark Knight Returns|Frank Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1181141395l/1117136._SY75_.jpg|1104159] (we'll pretend Miller stopped writing after that one). I enjoyed each of these.

So I was told that White Knight sat firmly and comfortably with these others. Sorta yeah, sorta no.

The art was stellar throughout, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. The story was...interesting. I liked the twist initially, even if it felt forced—then again, what major change to any comic book character doesn't feel forced if not worked up over several issue? —and the romance with the first Harley Quinn was, to my mind, the best part of this story.

Which is interesting, because I just can't stand Harley Quinn.

However, for me, the big failing was Batman himself. He seemed very much a secondary character throughout this story, seemingly dragged along in Napier's wake. And, while I get that this is part of the story itself, it didn't let me into how Batman was dealing with basically his entire world being flipped on its head.

So ultimately, while it wasn't a bad story, I don't really feel like it's good enough to stand beside some of those mentioned above. show less