Writer: Scott Snyder
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Jonathan Glapion
Colors: FCO Plascencia
Letters: Tom Napolitano
Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 is the first installment in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s bonkers swan song of this dynamic duos tenure on the Dark Knight. Quite possibly the one shining light that emerged from the ill-fated New 52 was Snyder and Capullo’s Batman. For four years these two talented creators crafted some incredibly entertaining Batman stories and became the benchmark for what Bat fans expect in the title today. Yet as the New 52 morphed into Rebirth their time on Batman came to an end. They briefly reunited during the Dark Knight: Metal event but their their final take on Batman is here with the prestige format DC Black Label event- Batman: Last Knight on Earth.
Batman: Last Knight on Earth feels like the direct continuation of Snyder and Capullo’s Batman. The tale begins with an unsolvable mystery, a mystery that Batman has been investigating for over a year. Someone has been leaving the outlines of bodies in random places all over Gotham but no one is ever seen and no one can figure out why. Except for Batman who sees a pattern and that pattern sends him to the ally where his parents died. The story then jumps to Arkham Asylum, where Bruce Wayne has been admitted for years after he killed his parents and has been imagining that he is the Batman while casting the doctors, nurses, and Arkham employees as his rogue’s gallery. The story then shifts again to the apocalyptic future where the DC heroes have lost and the world is a dangerous wasteland, a wasteland where Batman and the head of the Joker begin a journey to save the world. Three distinct stories that are completely different but within this issue it makes perfect sense and if this first issue is any indication these three issues are going to be a hell of a ride.
I didn’t know how much I missed Snyder and Capullo’s Batman until I read Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1. These two just have an incredible grasp on who the Dark Knight Detective is and their combined talents create some wonderful Batman tales. With a nice mixture of superheroics, horror, and dystopian futurism Snyder and Capullo really let themselves go creatively and DC was smart to put this title in their Black Label imprint that allows the book to be a little more mature (but not gratuitous). Any fan of the New 52 Batman run will feel at home with this book as it is Snyder and Capullo at their best but also any casual Bat fan will have no trouble jumping into this nightmarish future. I don’t know where this tale is going but I can’t wait to find out where Batman: Last Knight on Earth goes.
Verdict: Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 is a mind-bending ride that is visually stunning and a tour de force from the Bat team of note for the 21st Century and an absolute Buy!
