Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist: Mike Perkins
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Cover Artists: Mike Perkins, Ramón Pérez, Marc Aspinall & Jacob Phillips
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $6.99
Release Date: March 5, 2024
As he sits in his upholstered chair before a roaring fire, a man ponders how the 20th Century has shaped America. The country is enduring a Great Depression. Yet he foresees a glorious new era for them. He tells his followers to await his orders. Who is the Voice? And how does he intend to reshape Gotham in 1939? Let’s grab a plate of pasta, leap into The Bat-Man: First Knight #1, and see!
Story
Commissioner James Gordon pushes through the reporters outside Nick and Joe’s Italian Spaghetti House. But he’s not prepared for the crime scene inside. Vincent Hodges was one of Gotham’s leading Councilmen. Now, he’s just a headless corpse. Ruby isn’t his widow, but Maxie’s girl was spending the evening with him. She tells him that a couple of big mooks stormed in and beat poor Vinnie to a pulp.
The reporters may regard Bruce Wayne as Gotham's Little Lord Fauntleroy. Police officers may be jealous of the orphan's wealth. But James Gordon calls Bruce Wayne a friend. Like the Commissioner, the young socialite is concerned about the recent rash of high-profile slayings. Still, when Bruce repeats rumors about Beast-Men walking the streets, Commissioner Gordon cuts him off. Most of his force is on the take. The mayor is demanding that he find the perpetrators. Gordon must focus on what's real, not imaginary.
After introducing the setting and the stakes, The Bat-Man: First Knight #1 follows Bruce Wayne's double life of deep-pocketed socialite and secret crimefighter. With people struggling amid the Great Depression, he knows they need someone in Gotham that they can believe in. Still, Bruce keeps everyone at a distance to protect his secret identity as the Bat-Man.
People will slip through the cracks in any society. The Great Depression was an exception. Dan Jurgens immerses readers in an era when the United States government seems incapable of caring for its citizens. Morals have fallen, and the police give the mob a free hand. Struggling Gothamites notice people across the globe rallying around strong leaders with isolationist polices. But while killers walk the streets, people glimpse shadows in the night. One is the Bat-Man. It's too early to know whether he could become a symbol of hope. But in this era of broken promises, they'll reach for anything that promises a better tomorrow.
Art
Mike Perkins uses widescreen panels to give The Bat-Man: First Knight #1 a panoramic feel. Black borders and heavy inking evoke the darkness hovering over Gotham. Dots and smudges suggest the people’s struggle to get by in an era when the world seems against them. The inking emphasizes creases in clothing, the texture of the roads, and seeps into walls and buildings. Yet towers gleam in the sky, promising an escape from the darkness hovering over the city, at least for the privileged few.
Mike Spicer adorns the detailed art with vibrant colors. The palette suggests a classic Black and White film given a new life through modern coloring. A zeppelin hovers in a sky filled with colors akin to the northern lights. Blue uniforms make a strong presence in streets filled with Model T Fords and their successors. Ruby shines in a brown fur stole and a pearl white dress adorned with a red corsage. Yet, playboy Bruce Wayne's film star looks glow pink as he steers his white car into an abandoned warehouse. When Bruce changes into a blue suit, he casts a gargoyle-like shadow on a nearby wall.
After The Bat-Man: First Knight #1 opens with an iconic title page, Simon Bowland fills white balloons and boxes with black uppercase dialogue. The lettering grows bold for intonation, swells for raised voices, and occasionally changes color. Italicized words float in clouds when individuals fight for their lives. Sound effects accompany combat, shattered glass, and the Bat-Man's inventions as Bruce Wayne urges himself to be more careful, lest broken bones become a way of life. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
In an era when corruption runs rampant, movies offer an escape from reality. A gap separates the wealthy from those struggling to make ends meet, and the death penalty seems the only thing keeping crime in check. In The Bat-Man: First Knight #1, a hero who suffered childhood trauma risks everything to protect everyone else from sharing his nightmare.
Rating 9.8/10
Find The Bat-Man: First Knight HC at your local comic shop and at Amazon.com.
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