Batman: The Knight #2 – Chip Zdarsky, Writer; Carmine Di Giandomenico, Artist; Ivan Plascencia, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: How does Chip Zdarsky turn Batman’s origin into twelve issues? By filling in the blanks. As many times as we’ve seen the Waynes get shot, we actually know precious little of what happened between that fateful night in Crime Alley and Bruce’s debut as Batman. There’s a span of many years in there, and so much to explore that Zdarsky almost seems to treat it like an anthology. After last issue focusing on Alfred and a new member of Bruce’s supporting cast who introduced him to his first villain, none of those characters appear this issue. Instead, Bruce is an adult, has absconded from Wayne Manor and Gotham, and is patrolling Paris looking to learn from the best—only to find out many teachers promise more than they offer. As a mysterious serial killer stalks the city, Bruce finds himself hot on the trail of a legendary cat burglar—who shows that Bruce had a type from an early age.
The mysterious Grey Shadow, actually an older woman named Lucie, is clearly a Catwoman allegory but one who adds some new wrinkles to the archetype. After she clearly humiliates Bruce when he tries to apprehend her, she takes pity on the young vigilante and takes him under her wing. So to become the perfect vigilante, Bruce will have to become the perfect criminal. It’s great to see Bruce off-balance here—awkward, fumbling, and reckless. The killer plotline only lurks in the background, but it does provide the opportunity to bring in another major player from Bruce’s training, the ruthless Henri Ducard. Here a consultant for the Paris police department, he’s clearly got a hidden agenda that starts to play out at the end of the issue. While it’s not quite as emotionally powerful as the first issue, this installment takes Bruce a long way down the line to actually becoming Batman.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
