The Batman: First Knight #1 – Dan Jurgens, Writer; Mike Perkins, Artist; Mike Spicer, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Dan Jurgens is a writer who has been associated with DC Comics almost as long as I’ve been alive—over thirty years now, including some of the most significant comics in DC history. But in all that time, he’s mostly had a reputation as a continuity guru—rarely being associated with prestige comics. So the fact that he’s dipping his toe into Black Label is a huge event, and this 1939-set Batman noir is a very intriguing divergence for him. With Mike Perkins—a much darker artist than he usually works with—the two plunge us into a very different Gotham, one in the shadow of the Depression and with the creeping threat of Nazism looming. And in that, two men battle to keep the city safe.
Jim Gordon is pretty similar to the one we know, albeit a bit more bedraggled as he attempts to solve a string of serial killings targeting prominent citizens. He doesn’t know what to make of this mysterious Bat-man—but he is close to Bruce Wayne, a charming but isolated dilettante who Gordon has been looking after since his parents were murdered. This Bruce is more guarded than we’re used to, and doesn’t even have Alfred in his corner—it’s just mentioned that the “Family Butler” left when Bruce went to college. His version of Batman is also much more down-to-earth, designed in a shabby underground lab and tested against gangsters and mooks in a world without supervillains.
But things in this issue take a dramatic turn when the killers invade the Mayor’s house—and it becomes clear that they’re not entirely human. A classic noir with horror accents is an interesting touch, but this issue’s biggest strength is its sense of time and place. This is a Golden Age comic through and through, with some very strong additions—including Bruce finding a new ally in Rabbi Jakob Cohen, a principled man fighting to protect his people in an increasingly racist city. I’m not sure if this version of Batman is Jewish like the main-line one, but this really informs the way that scene plays out. This is one of the best books Dan Jurgens has written in a very long time, and it’s about time he made his mark on the Caped Crusader.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
