The Bat-Man: Second Knight #3 Review

      

Writer: Dan Jurgens

Artist: Mike Perkins

Colorist: Mike Spicer

Letterer: Simon Bowland

Cover Artists: Mike Perkins, Marc Aspinall & Stephanie Hans

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $6.99

Release Date: February 25, 2026

 

In 1939, most people in Gotham struggled to put food on the table. The Great Depression has brought America to its knees, and a war rages overseas. When the Hood uses a series of bizarre and brutal murders to stoke Gotham’s fears, the Scarecrow spots a chance to realize his potential. Aiding the Hood, or Hangman, in killing community leaders, the Scarecrow uses his gas to bring the community’s fears to the boiling point.

 

After bullets rained on Julie Madison's film premiere, a new player bursts into the chaos. Some call him Superman. They claim he can fly. Bruce Wayne can thank him for saving Julie Madison’s life. But can he trust this super-powered do-gooder? And can Superman help him bring the Hood and the Scarecrow’s reign of terror to an end? Let’s grab a gas mask, leap into The Bat-Man: Second Knight #3, and see!

 

Story

Mayor Avril Vincent dislikes people hiding in their homes. He urges calm and community involvement. But Commissioner Gordon knows he cannot protect Gotham from the Hood's horrific slayings and the Scarecrow’s hallucinatory gas. He may have urged the Bat-Man to carry a gun and employed gas weapons recently. But having fought in World War I, Gordon cannot forget how machine guns and chemical weapons transformed battles into soulless slaughter. Still, when villains attack Gotham with a gas that turns neighbors against each other, Gordon must arm his men with Trench Sweepers and Tommy Guns to protect Joe Citizen.

 

After a mass shooting mars the premiere of The Night of a Thousand Cuts, Bruce Wayne is less worried about the movie he funded than what the terrorists will do next. His search for answers leads him to a nearby military base researching chemical weapons. But just as Lois Lane endangered Julie's life when she ran their car off the road, Superman threatens Bruce's attempts to safeguard his city.

 

Dan Jurgens roots his story in the 1930s with period dialogue and the conflicts that dominated people’s thoughts. His cast of characters shares their histories, fears, and what drives them. Jurgens pits the rich against the poor, the criminals against community leaders, and relationships versus careers. Yet The Bat-Man: Second Knight #3 is also about how we face setbacks. As Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent have grasped victory from defeat, a villain has seen his hopes for the future dashed. In an era when governments struggle to provide for their citizens’ needs, he seeks vindication by destroying civilization.

 

Art

Mike Perkins opens with Superman gripping his caped adversary amid fallen soldiers and a demolished concrete wall in an industrial lab. Bat-Man strikes an authority figure next to Lois Lane, while Maxie Cross battles cops in City Hall. Toting two handguns and wearing a gas mask, Commissioner Gordon and his masked squad look more like villains than heroes. Yet demons clad in uniforms and battle helmets loom over the mob, as if ushering the frightened citizens to Hell in The Bat-Man: Second Knight #3.

 

After Bat-Man and Superman's confrontation in a gray and green lab, Mike Spicer paints the traumatizing gas green. Dressed in blues and purple,  the Bat-Man may seem as dangerous to Gotham as the Hood. Yet Bruce Wayne drives a red car and wears a red robe. Wayne Manor's red fabrics and furnishings offer Clark Kent a warm welcome in his blue suit, red tie, and red handkerchief. The Scarecrow's brown attire links him with James Gordon. But unlike the Scarecrow, the Commissioner looks weighed down by his struggle to keep the city safe as another man in brown counsels the traumatized veteran.

 

Amid Mike Perkins detailed period art and Mike Spicer’s loaded palette of colors, Simon Bowland fills white balloons and boxes with black uppercase dialogue. The lettering grows bold for intonation and swells for raised voices, while Scarecrow’s dialogue has a haunted appearance. Sound effects accompany blows, alarms, gas, gunfire, and struggling engines in The Bat-Man: Second Knight #3. Yet they also herald the imposition of people the police might call leeches, and Bruce Wayne once dubbed hyenas and jackals. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Rabbi Jakob Cohen has always regarded people as inherently good. But he has watched his fellow Germans abandon their principles to commit atrocities in the name of patriotism. After finding haven in America, he saw corrupt and bigoted Americans prey on their neighbors. When the Scarecrow unleashes his gas, Jakob wonders if faith, education, and a system of laws can ever cure Humans of their selfish savagery. As Bruce Wayne races to protect Gotham by apprehending the Hood and the Scarecrow, The Bat-Man: Second Knight #3 ponders what drives us to push past our differences to create something greater than ourselves.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of The Bat-Man: Second Knight #3.

 

The Bat-Man: Second Knight #3 Preview

 

 

When a stranger comes to town, he doesn't walk. He flies! Bruce Wayne's grounding in science prevents him from believing that a man can fly. Still, Bruce admits that the Superman may be able to leap small buildings. 

Regardless of the stories swirling around Superman, Batman can use his help. There are madmen on the loose, and they're ratcheting up the fear in Gotham to an all-time high. Can Superman and Batman join forces to bring the villains to heel? And how will Bruce's determination to safeguard his city affect his relationship with actress Julie Madison?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

The Bat-Man: Second Knight #3 Preview

Writer: Dan Jurgens

Artist: Mike Perkins

Cover Artist: Mike Perkins, Marc Aspinall & Stephanie Hans

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 48 Pages

Series Length: 3 Issues

Price: $6.99 Prestige Plus (8 ½” x 10 7/8”) All Covers are Card Stock

Release Date: February 25, 2026

 

Dan Jurgens and Mike Perkins race toward the Endgame for Gotham City!

 

A cloud of fear has settled over the city, and the Scarecrow has the people of Gotham right where he wants them. Jim Gordon will take the fight right to Scarecrow’s seat of power…City Hall! But will Gordon have to challenge him on his own? Where’s the Bat-Man? The Dark Knight has found himself staring down a power unlike any he’s ever seen: a man of unlimited strength. A superman. And he has a lot of questions for the Caped Crusader. Will these two find common ground in time to thwart the Scarecrow and Hangman’s endgame?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

The Bat-Man: First Knight #1 Review

 

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 20^th 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. 

The Bat-Man: Second Knight #2 Preview

 

 

War is sweeping across Europe. The Great Depression rules the United States. With unemployment at 17%, some people haven't had a steady job in years. As people fill soup kitchens, a man abducts community leaders and murders them for spectacle. The Scarecrow approves. The Bat-Man doesn't. But can this mysterious hero end the wave of high-profile deaths turning Gotham into an inferno of fear?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

The Bat-Man: Second Knight #2

Writer: Dan Jurgens

Artist: Mike Perkins

Cover Artists: Mike Perkins, Marc Aspinall & Nimit Malavia

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 48 Pages

Series Length: 3 Issues

Price: $6.99 Prestige Plus 8 ½” x 10 7/8” All Covers Cardstock

Release Date: December 17, 2025

 

The fear of world war feeds the Scarecrow!

 

The Scarecrow emerges in Gotham City, and fear consumes the streets! And now that he has the murderous Hangman to do his bidding, the stage is set for Scarecrow’s next grand act. With terror and psychosis at a fever pitch across Gotham, the Bat-Man struggles to tame the city without destroying his personal life as Bruce Wayne…leading him to make a fateful decision about his relationship with Julie Madison…

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this with us.

The Bat-Man: Second Knight #1 Preview

 

The Great Depression was a defining era in United States history. When I was growing up, my father discouraged me from becoming an artist. He had seen friends who were gifted artists struggle to get by during this period of hardship. My grandparents also told me about how difficult it was to get by. When they had nothing, a gift of one dollar allowed them to buy a sack of groceries that prevented them from starving.

This beautiful tale takes us back to that era of hardship and uncertainty. Soup kitchens feed the hungry. People yearn for gainful employment. But the residents of Gotham have more to fear than starvation and unemployment. Much more. 

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

The Bat-Man: Second Knight #1

Writer: Dan Jurgens

Artist: Mike Perkins

Colorist: Mike Spicer

Letterer: Simon Bowland

Cover Artists: Mike Perkins, Fabrizio De Tommaso, Marc Aspinall & Jorge Fornés

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $6.99/$7.99 (Variant Covers)*

Issue Length: 48 Pages

Series Length: 6 Issues

Release Date: September 17, 2025

 

The year is 1940. Most of the Western world is embroiled in a war against a fascist regime whose march across Europe shows no sign of defeat. With the specter of global war looming, it’s a time of fear and paranoia for those living in Gotham. It’s only been a few months since the city was rescued from undead monsters by the masked vigilante known as The Bat-Man, but a vicious killer has been on a murder spree that’s taking the city to its breaking point. 

 

Bodies are turning up in theatrically gruesome ways…all staged with the killer’s calling card: a hangman’s noose. While The Bat-Man endeavors to solve the spate of murders, a young reporter from the Daily Star named Lois Lane arrives in Gotham. Meant to cover a movie premiere, it doesn’t take long for Lane to find herself caught in the grips of a new villain in Gotham. One whose mastery of fear will plunge the city into chaos!

 

Note: This perfect bound, magazine-size issue was originally solicited as 32 pages for $3.99/$4.99 (Card Stock). The longer length may mean a shorter series (which would be a shame, as it features such compelling art and storytelling). We’ll see!

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #6 Preview

 

 

They say our greatest adversary is ourselves. In Mitchell Shelley's case, that's infinitely true. He has lived many lives. Mitchell has seen many ages. He has had many names. And every time Mitchell dies, he is reborn with new powers. Yet as he lives each new life on Earth, Mitchell also inhabits a place beyond time and space. 

In this final issue, Ram V concludes an epic saga that revolves around two questions. Is there a difference between saving the universe and falling in love? And secondly, if you lose your memories, is that the same as dying?

Here's all the info on this final issue from DC Connect:

 

Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #6

Writer: Ram V

Artists: Anand Rk & Mike Perkins

Colorist: Mike Spicer

Letterer: Aditya Bidikar

Cover Artists: Jeff Dèkal & Evan Cagle

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99

Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: September 3, 2025

 

The end is nigh for Resurrection Man as he suffers at the hands of his greatest enemy…himself. But can the two men put their differences aside long enough to save the universe from its imminent death? Gashadokuro has come, and he’s ready to feast!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

The Savage Sword Of Conan #4 Review Part 2

 

Writers: Jim Zub, Patch Zircher, Jeffrey Shanks, Fred Kennedy & Ron Marz

Artists: Fernando Dagnino, Patch Zircher, Dean Kotz, Eryk Donovan, Andy Belanger & Mike Perkins

Pin-Ups: Nick Marinkovich, Fernando Dagnino, Patch Zircher, Dean Kotz, Eryk Donovan, Andy Belanger, Mike Perkins & Roberto De La Torre

Letterers: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt

Cover Artists: Alex Horley & Cary Nord

Publisher: Titan

Price: $6.99

Release Date: August 28, 2024

 

The symbol inscribed on a black stone permeates time and space. It haunts the rich and poor alike, tempts people in remote villages and bustling towns, and calls heroes to battle. How might its power challenge Conan, Soloman Kane, and the Pict scout Brissa? And how might it affect lesser-known Robert E Howard characters like Conrad, Kirowan, Dark Agnes, and El Borak? Let’s grab our battle axes, leap into Savage Sword Of Conan #4, and find out! 

 

 

 

Horror From The Tomb: Story

In Jeffrey Shanks’ story, Steve O’Donnell sent John Conrad and John Kirowan an urgent summons. John Kirowan loaned him a dark book about Earth's prehistory, and O'Donnell believed he had discovered a Stygian city. John Conrad doubts O'Donnell's judgment. Conrad’s doubts appear warranted when he spies a box of dynamite in O'Donnell's tent. But the tent and excavations are devoid of people. When Mahmoud left to escort O’Donnell’s friends from Cairo Airport, the dig site was a hive of activity.

 

Jeffrey Shanks’ tale in The Savage Sword Of Conan #4 is a fraught supernatural mystery. Danger forces one partner to reverse his position at the risk of becoming a hypocrite. Their discovery threatens their friendship and raises the ire of the local authorities.

 

 

 

Horror From The Tomb: Art

The three men cross the dunes on camels. Kirowan, Conrad, and Mahoud appear tiny as they descend ladders into the multilevel excavations. Conrad holds a lamp aloft while Kirowan traces imagery on a stone wall. An overhead camera angle shows the men discover a coffin with a familiar symbol inscribed on the top. Eryk Donovan's art evokes the otherworldly history Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan discover when they ignore Ardeth Bay’s warnings and unearth Imhotep in Stephen Sommers’ movie The Mummy.

 

Matrimony: Story

Dark Agnes battles pirates aboard a ship on a storm-tossed sea. Then she climbs a rocky hill toward a manor house surrounded by barren trees. She climbs through a window and enters Duke Ilya Kursonovich's home. Dark Agnes explores an armory. She spies a symbol inscribed on a wooden panel instead of a black stone and bursts into the adjacent room. There, a dark priest captures her in his spell and sends her to a land of dreams where the symbol invades her memories.  

In Fred Kennedy’s tale in The Savage Sword Of Conan #4, Dark Agnes and Etienne Villiers travel east to work as mercenaries. Their plans changed when they reached Chartres. Black magic summoned the dead from their graves. Townspeople lived in fear of human sacrifices and unholy rights. Dark Agnes and her friend decided to investigate the Duke’s home. But Etienne never showed, so Agnes investigated alone. 

 

 

Matrimony: Art

Andy Belanger's haunting and lifelike imagery makes this tale mesmerizing. Belanger uses a variety of highly detailed art styles. Manga mixes with classic children's book illustrations and Prince Valiant. Shading and ink washes are highly refined. You never quite know where you are with each stroke of Belanger's pen or brush, but you know you’ll enjoy the ride.

 

Black Oasis: Story

In Ron Marz's tale, a man recounts his childhood adventure with Francis Xavier Gordon. He was the son of a tribal chief. When he was young, another chieftain abducted him. His father, not wanting to cede money or lands to his rival, hired Gordon to rescue him. Gordon spirits the boy from his imprisonment at night, then transports him across the desert on a camel.

 

Although Gordon hails from Texas, the locals call him El Borak, which means swift in their tongue. Gordon reads the desert landscape like a native. Although six men pursue them, Gordon knows the sun will make the day unbearably hot. Ignoring the boy's protests about dark magic, Gordon brings him to an abandoned temple.

 

 

Black Oasis: Art

Mike Perkins portrays figures clad in Arab robes riding camels across bleak deserts. El Borak and his charge arrive at a temple carved into a sandstone cliff. Unlike Indiana Jones, no Nazis await the Texan inside the labyrinth. But among the pictographs and symbols etched into the stone walls, Gordon spies the sigil of the Black Stone between spiral columns. Robert E Howard’s El Borak stories are more adventure fiction than sword and sorcery, and that’s true with this final story in The Savage Sword Of Conan #4. But it’s a rip-roaring reminder of the frantic fighting that made Marvel’s original series so much fun.

 

Lettering

Richard Starkings, Jimmy Betancourt, and Tyler Smith fill dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with uppercase and lowercase words. The Gawr speaks giant white words in black balloons. Sound effects help us hear werewolves howl, a flintlock discharge, Kirowan losing his revolver, Dark Agnes accepting a man's hand, and El Borak bringing a sword to a gunfight. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

When the Black Stone assaults Conan’s sanity, other heroes rise against this black magic that ripples through space and time. Soloman Kane, Brissa the Pict, Conrad and Kirowan, Dark Agnes, and El Borak join our barbarian hero in battling the symbol that drives people to evil and raises the dead in The Savage Sword Of Conan #4.

 

Rating 9.6/10