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The Batman First Knight #1:
CREATIVE TEAM:
Dan Jurgens (Writer)
Mike Perkins (Art and Cover)
Mike Spicer (Colors)
Simon Bowland (Letters.)
PUBLISHER: DC COMICS
This first issue sees Jurgen and the team return to a gritty Gotham fueled by a World War on the horizon and the ramifications of a Great Depression coming to a close.
Batman is going back to his roots in an all-new way, without the help of Alfred and an unlikely life long friendship in Commissioner Gordon, this issue gives us a fresh perspective on DC’s most popular hero.
The Art:
Mike Perkins and Mike Spicer are a dynamic force in this issue blending the gritty and dark underworld of Gotham with a colorful and familiar look of Batman. I really enjoyed how they contrast the two with Gotham and the crime ridden scenes blended in dark and an air of despair. Meanwhile, when Batman enters the scene his suit is bursting with color and life.
The suit choices they made also work for me in this world. The ears are at an angle and we see a return of the purple gloves with the underwear on the outside look, making this outfit a lot of fun visually. I found myself captured by each panel finding some new detail.
The Writing:
Jurgens makes some choices in this issue that make a lot of sense and, oddly enough, work for me. I like that Alfred is nowhere to be found; instead, Bruce has a deep friendship with Commissioner Gordon.
It provides a fun take: What if Bruce were truly alone in his mission to fix Gotham? Simon makes great use of the space with his lettering and brings out the emotion from the scenes. These relationships will be a lot of fun to explore as we get the next two issues.
Overall:
The return to a Batman who does not have access to technology creates a challenging world for Batman that we have not seen in a while.
It is refreshing, dark, yet there are funny moments such as Batman hiding his face from Commissioner Gordon. I am excited to see where the mini series takes us and to explore the grotesque creatures in Gotham’s underbelly.
9.5/10 Cigars.
Thank you so much for checking out my review. You can find my other reviews and our podcast episodes by heading to http://linktr.ee/hopsgeeknews.
