This is Batman: Beyond the White Knight. It is Written and Illustrated by Sean Gordon Murphy. The Coloring is done by Dave Stewart and the Lettering is done by Andworld Design. In this book, there is also a short story named Batman White Knight Presents: Red Hood. It is Written by Sean Gordon Murphy and Clay McCormack. It is Illustrated by Simone Di Meo and George Kambadais. The Coloring is done by Dave Stewart and Simone Di Meo. And the Lettering is done by Andworld Design. This book is the fourth installment of the White Knight Series. The story takes place twelve years after the previous installment. Bruce Wayne is in prison, trying to make up for the sins of his past. Derek Powers, the new CEO of Gotham Motors, has used his influence and wealth to transform Gotham into a futuristic hellscape. A new police militia, funded by Powers, named the Gotham Terror Oppression Unit (GTO) is running the city with an iron fist. And to top it all off, a new Batman, Terry McGinnis, has risen with a futuristic suit to help find the person responsible for his father’s death. With all this going on, how will Bruce adapt when he escapes from prison?
I think this book is good, but it is my least favorite of the White Knight series. Bruce’s character arc is good here. With everything that has happened with this series, Bruce has given up on Batman. He no longer wants to put anyone in danger because of his actions. So he has to learn to trust people again. It is interesting to see this version of Batman. I love the references and ideas from Batman Beyond. There haven’t really been any big uses of Batman Beyond in comics so seeing him was great. My big problem with this book is how much there is in it. There are so many story threads that the story becomes very bloated. There is Bruce’s arc of letting people in, the introduction of Terry and his arc, then there is the introduction of Harley’s kids, there is Nightwing’s heal turn as the leader of the GTO, the arc with Barbara Gordon trying to take down Derek Powers, and the relationship between Bruce and Red Hood. That isn’t even everything trying to be explored within this story. This causes a lot of these story beats to be half-baked. There is just too much going on.
Spoiler Alert: Another problem I have with this book is the inclusion of Jack/Joker. In this alternate universe, The Joker is a man named Jack Napier. Jack Napier is an ordinary man with The Joker being a split personality of sorts. In the previous installment, Jack was killed. But he comes back in this book as a hologram in Bruce’s head. The hologram isn’t one or the other but a fusion of both personalities. I am not the biggest fan of this. Number one, a hologram of a known psychopath stuck in some ones head, having conversations with that person, reminds me a lot of Cyberpunk 2077. Second, Jack/Joker is just comedy relief in the book. All he does for most of the story is crack jokes and swoon over Harley. I think it is supposed to be endearing, but its just annoying.
Another Spoiler Warning: One thing I love with this story is the antagonist, Derek Powers. He is a cold, calculated manipulator. I love how he plays almost the entire cast for fools at some point in the story. But what I love most, is that at the climax of the story, he becomes Blight. A supervillain who has control over radiation. His design is so cool and he goes off the rails by the end. I absolutely love it.
The art for this book is masterful. Sean Gordon Murphy is an amazing artist and this book might have his best work. The way he does action is so vibrant and cinematic. He has such great designs for each character that is kind of insane. And I will always appreciate the little easter eggs that Sean Gordon Murphy puts into all his books. Simone Di Meo also has some great artwork. Which is really cool, because he doesn’t do interior artwork that much. Dave Stewart is always great. All the art in this book is truly amazing.
Overall, this book is alright. It has some pretty big problems but it makes up for it with some good character moments, fantastic art, and memorable ending. I would recommend this book for anyone who is following this series.