Batman: The Knight #1 Review

 

Again with Feeling

Writer: Chip Zdarsky

Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico

Cover Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 18, 2022

I am a Chip Zdarsky fan and will always check out any new #1 from him.  Whether this book is needed or not will be determined later, but if anyone is going to get me to read the story of a young Bruce Wayne and his steps towards being Batman again, it's Chip.  So, how was the first issue, and will I be continuing?

I'll tell you right off the bat (pun intended), I liked this beginning of Batman: The Knight #1 a whole lot.  I still don't know if it's necessary, but I enjoyed reading it.    The issue opens with an angry young Bruce getting in trouble at school and is sent to a therapist to work things out.  Hugo Strange being the therapist is intriguing but not done in a wow moment type of way, even if it is a bit.

That's kind of the whole thing with this first issue.  Zdarsky plays it off more subtle, some might, but that plays well with the quiet confidence that Bruce has here, even as the reader sees he needs help.

Zdarsky gives readers a great dynamic between Bruce and Alfred that's clever in the way his Daredevil book is over at Marvel.  I liked his Red Hood story that kicked off Urban Legends, and many people liked Justice League Last Ride, but this already feels more like the Zdarsky I have been waiting to show up at DC.

As far as the story goes, this first issue sets up the tortured young man who wants to do good but doesn't quite know how to get there yet.  So, he looks at every interaction as a challenge and training.  The best parts are with Bruce and Alfred, which I could read all day.

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Bits and Pieces:

Batman the Knight #1 does feel vital because it goes beyond just seeing a young Bruce Wayne train to be Batman and deals with how he continues to cope with the death of his parents.  Thanks to Carmine Di Giandomenico's art, it also looks great and is an easy book to recommend, especially if you are a Chip Zdarsky fan.

8.5/10