As the third act in the White Knight series, Sean Murphy brings us Batman: Beyond the White Knight. Picking up 10 years after the events of Curse of the White Knight, we see the ramifications of those events. With a new Batman appearing out of nowhere, only Bruce knows the dangers behind the new Batman and his suit.
DC Comics/ Black Label
Writing and Art by: Sean Murphy
Colors by: Dave Stewart
Letters by: ANDWORLD Design
With Bruce Wayne behind bars, he is helpless to prevent the GTO and others from misusing the Wayne family fortune. After seeing a suit he thought was destroyed, Bruce has to do everything in his power to escape and stop this new Batman. Like his Bat Suit, other secrets are just as hard to bury.
With the introduction of fan favorites, Terry McGinnis and the Batman Beyond suit, Sean Murphy gives us a new unique villain to open the Batman: Beyond the White Knight chapter. He gives enough of a back story to new readers to explain the current events without over-explaining them.
As the primary writer and artist, Murphy’s art is consistent throughout the issue. With the introduction of new characters and aging others by 10 years, we see a balance between focusing on the current appearance and the story’s development in the panels. This balance also extends to how balanced the panels are with profiles, backgrounds, and actions. That balance is displayed perfectly when Bruce tries to reconcile with Jason Todd.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Murphy has been able to stay consistent with his storytelling, and it is evident in Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1. For fans of the previous two installments, it is worth staying on and picking up this issue. As he can manage new and old readers without giving one or the other preference helps develop the new story. I still have some reservations that there might be too much going on for him to explain everything adequately, but we have learned not to underestimate his storytelling.
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