Batman: White Knight

I pre-ordered this paperback after reading the outstanding teaser. The concept of The Joker going good as another play, in his long line of schemes was intriguing. I think the writer did a fantastic job of setting up the argument, used by the joker in his case against the collusion between GCPD & an increasingly unhinged Batman. Personally, I’m a big proponent of tossing canon out the window to enjoy a writer’s exploration of characters in a new space, which was why I was so excited to read this book.Here comes the but, the insistent dog whistles and head nods to leftist cause de-jure became repetitive, with the subtlety of a ball pin hammer. I think Mr. Murphy has talent, I would be enraptured then flip the page and run smack into loaded cultural or political jab with zero nuance. Which I think makes their inclusion so jarring, the book goes from a great story to bad political editorial page-to-page.Let me give you an example.Early in the book people are protesting GCPD because a viral video of Batman beating The Joker to a pulp, while GCPD looked on, was released. The video is synonymous with police brutality and the public is rightly upset. It’s a head nod to BLM and policing standards, it works. It’s certainly a political message with references to real world events, it’s well executed, and it works within the framework of the story.In another scene a slight of frame Harley Quinn kicks another woman in the face, insults the size of her breasts, then through dialog preaches to the reader about feminism. It’s incredibly poorly executed and just all round bad.Unfortunately, there’s more bad examples than good, which constantly pulled me from what should have been a spectacular story. In my opinion, it’s more than fine to inject politics into comics but the author has a narrative to craft and nurture. The political points must intermingle seamlessly with that narrative & can’t have more in common with a twitter post, than a point in a story.

This is one of the best comics I've ever read. I wasn't familiar with Sean Gordon Murphy before this, but I'm a fan now. I only knew one thing going into this story, Joker was somehow a good guy. I didn't know if it was a "what if" title, and elseworld or anything at all, and I think that's the best way to experience it. I won't give anything away, but the writing, the dialogue and the art are all top notch. There are actual twists and plotlines that should remain canon, because they're just too good to ignore. This is an instant classic and it makes just about every other current comic look like amateur hour. This is hands down my favorite Batman graphic novel, even above The Dark Knight Returns. If you're at all into Batman or comics, you'll love this.

Sean Murphy masterfully writes and illustrates this fresh, and out of canon, take on the streets of Gotham. The Joker, hysteric turned hero, slides into his same identity as the man Jack Napier. Armed with the law on his side, he turns Gotham against the bungling GCPD and their off-the-payroll vigilante, Batman. Branding himself as a man of the people, Napier takes to dismantling his enemies with due process instead of chaos. Riots. Intrigue. Hidden motives. White Knight is an exciting, wonderfully illustrated twist on the familiar angles Batman is frequently seen from. I dig the way Murphy played with character and costume designs here, especially his redesign of Batgirl.This is not for the little ones. White Knight is a book for a mature audience with its share of violence, language, and sexual themes/content.

One of my favorite Batman Stories.Print is good, I like the larger size but the binding is the exact same as the paperback instead of premium binding. For the price it should come with better binding. It's the only reason I like hardcovers.

This is how DC starts their new "Black Label" and I could not be happier. I devoured this book in 2 sittings and loved looking over the title again to see the excellent art & detail. Kinda weird that The Joker's cell looks like my work office...

This was such a really unique take on the whole Batman & Joker dynamic. I found it great from beginning to end. Batman is posed as the super-criminal, while the Joker (aka Jack Napier) is cast into the light as the hero... or White Knight of Gotham.The story and art are extremely well done, and I found the entire book very enjoyable. Although the story takes place in an alternate reality set from the universe that we know Batman, it was a very fresh perspective on the relationship that Batman & Joker really share with each other.I'll be looking for more work done by the author, and I certainly recommend this book to the fans out there. Two thumbs up! It was cool to see such a role reversal, and make this a book worth reading. It's a job well done in my opinion.

(Update) Sequel inbound, currently ongoing from 9/10/19 Sean Murphy is currently working on the sequel to this and has already released a few issues. The title is Curse of the White Knight. A description is as follows: The Joker recruits Azreal to help him expose a shocking secret from the Wayne's family's legacy-and to run Gotham into the ground!As Batman rushes to protect the city and his loved ones from danger, the mystery of his ancestry unravels, dealing a devastating blow to the Dark Knight. No idea how many issues or when a complete physical release is planed, but if you pick this up and love it, just know a sequel is in the works! (Back to the review)Batman White Knight is an 8 issue arc released from 2017-2018 written and drawn by Sean Murphy with Matt Hollingsworth doing the colours. This also the first collected edition that's part of the Black Label but there are others that are going to be re released under the Black Label such as Watchmen (Wikipedia), Superman Year One (Wikipedia), and I've seen the Dark Knight series by Frank Miller listed on Amazon among others. This arc follows the Batman New 52 side of things which I haven't yet read but plan on it.The story here is Batman is chasing the Joker, once Batman has caught him he brutally beats him even though the Joker had surrendered, this is witnessed by GCPD along with Batwoman and Nightwing. The act is recorded or photographed and brought forth and displayed on the news. With this new look at Batman, it sparks debate between residents in Gotham if Batman really is doing good for the community. With the Joker on meds that have brought his sanity back, he's building a case for his freedom and demands Batman be made accountable for his actions not just for himself but other citizens of Gotham.It's an interesting story and one I've been eagerly waiting to dive into. Here we see the roles reversed where Joker now Jack Napier, is now the “White Knight” and Batman as the villain. It was great getting to see Jack Napier and how clever he is and with Joker gone the impact it has on the city. We also learn that Jokers obsession with Batman is caused from him being his biggest fan (as hinted on the cover) which was interesting. I have always been impressed and thought it was more interesting when the art and writing are done by a sole person, they are able to deliver the story they imagine and draw it as they imagine it. The story was written very well with a great plot that was gripping every second with several surprises along the way. The artwork was also well done and to my style, with detail where needed but also providing a dark mood.Overall, one of the more enjoyable Batman tales I've read and one I'll definitely come back to. White Knight delivers a well executed and uniquely gripping story with great artwork and because of this, it perhaps could one day be regarded as one of the must read Batman titles on a list and in my opinion would be rightfully deserved. I do believe I will look into Sean Murphy's other works if this is what he's capable of. I could easily suggest that any fan of Batman pick up this if you're interested, you won't regret it.Hopefully you found this review helpful and happy reading.

After a standard murderous rampage,A furious batman beat joker nearly to death,then callously stuffs joker's mouth full of new Antipsychotic drugs.The joker awakens now fully sane with a plan to save gotham that leaves the dark knight out in the cold.The joker's cold brilliant intelligence is now on the right side of the law and is fun to watch and his plan unfold.Batman meanwhile get more and more unhinged and during a pursuit destroys a construction site meant to be joker's new library for the poor people of gotham.It is a good book and recommended reading but not the ground shaking classic a lot of people are saying it is.When i heard the author was planning a sequel i just wondered WHY?

This is an awesome story. This is the best comic mini series I have read in a long time. The blurb at the back said that this was"Unlike anything we've seen before".For once this is not just hype. This is truly unlike any Batman story I have ever read. Every Batman fan has heard of the Joker and everyone has an option on him. Now I met Jack Napier, and he could be even more dangerous then the Joker.Removing the Joker' s insanity was one thing the made this comic great, the second ingredient was removing Batman's conscience and support system. This makes for a much darker, dangerous and reckless Batman. The artwork is great an suits the story perfectly. It is a great mix of old gothic art work and new technology at the same time. The surprises are actually surprising. They were definitely not things I saw coming. Everything was great from beginning to end. Even though this was a elseworld like miniseries but I would love to see where this story goes from here.Every chapter starts with the issue cover, then the cover gallery at the end has the varient covers of issues 1 to 8.I loved this series, if I had one complaint about this book it would be that I would have liked more of Batman in the story, but the way the story is set out I know why it was done this way. Super awesome story and I can think of someone who should be the next White Knight. Read this book then join me in begging for a sequel please!!

Part of the DC Black Label collection, this follows the Joker aka Jack Napier as he gains some semblance of his former self, and becomes a hero for Gotham. Meanwhile, Batman aka Bruce Wayne is proving to everyone that he isn’t the problem, but the solution… This was a wonderful dark take on the role reversals of Joker and Batman – I think there was some deep exploration of their characters. The characters of Jack/Joker have some grain of truth, which is a little worrying. Bruce/Batman plays against this brilliantly – trying to think and outwit someone with a high IQ. The danger of the Neo Joker is a lovely touch, and it’s once again highlighting two sides to every story. I found parts of myself and my abusers in this tale, which was harrowing, but shines a light on the human psyche. Trigger warnings for drug taking, violence and self-harm throughout. I loved this graphic novel – the artwork and details were what I’ve come to expect, and I highly recommend this. I’d love to see this as a film adaptation – animated or live-action, I don’t mind!

When people started comparing this to the killing joke I decided I had to take a look myself.Being honest, I don't know what else to compare it too.Unlike the killing joke this is not an origin story.It feels like it could take place during the new 52 era of batman.It poses some interesting questions such as why batman is excused for his more brutish methods of capturing criminals.What happend to Harley Quinn and can Mr freeze ever find a cure for nora, if he does would their be consequences of using it?This also had a dark knight returns vibe to it when batman becomes the adversary in gothams point of view.The joker is proven to be more than a match for batman when he is sane and holding a clear thinking mind.What deducts a star from me is how the third act of the story transpires.It feels a bit cheesy and almost anti climactic, some of the story you were able to predict rather early on too.However this is definitely worth a read.I would also like to mention the art is just stunning and it's always nice to see me freeze. He's probably the only character in comic books that I feel needs to be included In more stories.