Writer/Artist: Sean Murphy
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: AndWorld Design
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #1 returns us to the alternate universe established last year in Batman: White Knight. Superstar creator Sean Murphy once more returns to his gritty Gotham City where an aging Batman must once again deal with the scheming machinations of the Joker. While Batman: White Knight dealt with a Joker gone straight, cured of his madness and does his best to help chart Gotham onto a better course the Curse of the White Knight looks at what happens when the Joker unleashes Gotham’s deepest and darkest secret.
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #1begins in 1685 with a conflict between two of what will one day become Gotham City most distinguished families, the Wayne’s and the Arkham’s. it seems that Gotham has a long history of monsters and it apparently falls to the Wayne’s to deal with Gotham’s monsters. The book then jumps to Arkham Asylum and the Joker, now fully returned to his maniacal madness, as he once again escapes and plans to undo all of the good he did as Jack Napier, Gotham’s White Knight. Commissioner Gordan is quick to get Batman on the case as well as the GTO (Gotham Terrorism Oppression unit) which still includes Nightwing and Batgirl. Yet will they be enough to deal with the Joker? With the discovery of bones over three hundred years old, the rebirth of an ancient line of knights, and the Joker on the loose is Batman still good enough to save Gotham? I imagine that’s what we’re going to find out in Batman: Curse of the White Knight.
I loved Sean Murphy’s Batman: White Knight and was ecstatic when I read there would be a sequel. Murphy’s take on Batman as well as his allies and his rogues is one of the freshest takes on Batman in some time. Murphy’s sketchy and kinetic artwork is a perfect fit for the Dark Knight Detective. Murphy also has a talent for writing as his story has great pacing, wonderful intrigue, and is very exciting. Matt Hollingsworth’s dark colors are a great compliment to Murphy’s art and helps to make Batman: Curse of the White Knight #1 one hell of a read.
Verdict: Buy! Batman: Curse of the White Knight #1 is a wonderful follow up to Batman: White Knight. Sean Murphy has returned to the dark world of Gotham and an aging Batman who hopefully has one last fight left in him and we are all better for it.
