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Batman: The Knight #1-10
Batman: The Knight
Est-ce de la tristesse ou de la colère ? Ou les deux mêlés l'un dans l'autre, à travers les méandres de la psyché complexe de son nouveau patient ? Le Docteur Hugo Strange cherche les réponses à ces questions, en essayant de comprendre les mécanismes de défense psychologiques que l'adolescent a pu construire pour se protéger d'un événement traumatique de son enfance. Mais ce nouveau patient n'est pas exactement comme les autres... Ce nouveau patient est le jeune homme le plus riche de la ville, un certain Bruce Wayne !
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2022
166 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
About the author
Chip Zdarsky
871 books854 followersChip Zdarsky is a Canadian comic book artist and journalist. He was born Steve Murray but is known by his fan base as Chip Zdarsky, and occasionally Todd Diamond. He writes and illustrates an advice column called Extremely Bad Advice for the Canadian national newspaper National Post's The Ampersand, their pop culture section's online edition. He is also the creator of Prison Funnies and Monster Cops.
Source: Wikipedia.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 270 reviews
April 14, 2024
Minkoha & Bruce?!?! I know what you are.
October 12, 2025
I love this book. I had high expectations from the concept of the book to Chip Zbarsky's awesome run on Daredevil. I am happy to say it really delivered for me.
Bruce Wayne made a promise the day his parents died. He put himself on a path to make himself the best. What does that mean? Even though he is not sure, he will learn from the best and worst people. He is intense, driven, but also young, inexperienced, and a bit naive. He will make mistakes but never the same one twice. He will make life-long enemies, rivals, and friends, but can he find what he is looking for without losing himself or getting himself killed?
Everything about this book is spot on the story, the characters, the artwork, and the action. Follow Bruce around the world, learning and constructing the armour for the knight he is to become. The book finishes with a variant cover gallery.
Bruce Wayne made a promise the day his parents died. He put himself on a path to make himself the best. What does that mean? Even though he is not sure, he will learn from the best and worst people. He is intense, driven, but also young, inexperienced, and a bit naive. He will make mistakes but never the same one twice. He will make life-long enemies, rivals, and friends, but can he find what he is looking for without losing himself or getting himself killed?
Everything about this book is spot on the story, the characters, the artwork, and the action. Follow Bruce around the world, learning and constructing the armour for the knight he is to become. The book finishes with a variant cover gallery.
May 18, 2023
A re-hashing of Bruce's travels before becoming Batman that adds a lot (maybe even a little too much at times) to the already rich history of the character. For the most part, it's interesting, but there are moments which feel overly bloated and self indulgent. The art definitely helps to carry the more tedious narrative sections, and whilst it's not a perfect experience, there's still a lot to like.
September 26, 2023
Batman: The Knight
In this origin story, Chip Zdarsky shows in each issue how Bruce trained for each of the skills that make Batman the greatest detective and crime fighter in the world.
From the beginning, Bruce Wayne has a drive to become the best, at pretty much everything that has to do with crime fighting, to prevent the murder of any other little kid's patents. So, in order to learn the necessary skills, he leaves his home and he travels around the world to learn from the very best. From thieves and detectives in Paris, to martial arts masters in Korea and Ra's al Ghul, for various different reasons everyone agrees to train young Bruce. Early in his travels, he finds a friend, Anton. With their companionship and the antagonism that it creates, they travel together, until it's time to learn from the world's greatest marksman. There Anton's true side is revealed. The side that doesn't hesitate to kill. So, after he kills their trainer and he has a huge, violent fight with Bruce, he leaves, forcing Bruce to continue alone.
This was a very interesting and unique take on Batman's origin. First of all, something that's always very important to me, in any Batman comic, is Bruce's relationship with Alfred. I was very happy to see that, even if it doesn't play a very big role in the story, Zdarsky was able to write it incredibly well. It resembles a very intimate father-son relationship, filled with love and respect. Something else that I love to see in any Batman comic, is a focus on the lines that Batman refuses to cross (for example, killing). Since this is a story of Bruce slowly becoming Batman, there's a pretty big focus on that. Maybe not as deep as I would've wanted, but it's still a very interesting part of the story and I like the way that Zdarsky attempts to explain this aspect of Batman's character. Also, he perfectly showcases how these lines (limits) are what truly makes Batman who he is and seperate him from the rest. Furthermore, Chip Zdarsky's signature amazing narration is present in each issue, as well as his great dialogues that we got used to in his Daredevil run. Talking about Daredevil, even though Batman starts this comic in a very dark place, emotionally, it's less dark than Zdarsky's work on the main Batman title (at least in the first volume that I've read so far) and of course, way less dark than his Daredevil run. That being said, this comic still has a lot of dark and depressing aspects. Bruce learns to love the darkness (inside and outside of him) and he understands that his path will have to be a lonely one. Unfortunately the life of a crime-fighter is one filled with solitude. In general, Batman seems incredibly self destructive in this comic. He's unable and unwilling to let go, choosing to live with pain, realising that the love for his parents and the anger that their death creates inside him is one of his biggest strengths. All of these ideas seem pretty dark, but somehow the comic remains very enjoyable. All the travels and the training make this a fun adventure story, with a lot of erotic undertones, between Bruce and Anton.
The artwork, by Carmine Di Giandomenico is absolutely incredible. It took me a few issues to get used to it, because it's very unique, but once I did, I absolutely loved it. The action scenes are fantastic and amazingly dynamic, the exterior scenes (especially the ones in the snowy mountains) are beautiful and the use of perspective is very interesting and functional.
Overall, this is a great Batman origin story for the modern age. I'm not going to compare it with classic masterpieces, like "Batman: Year One", since Chip Zdarsky attempts to do something very different (and succeeds), but I'm going to say that this is for me an essential read for anyone who wants to get into Batman.
9.5/10
In this origin story, Chip Zdarsky shows in each issue how Bruce trained for each of the skills that make Batman the greatest detective and crime fighter in the world.
From the beginning, Bruce Wayne has a drive to become the best, at pretty much everything that has to do with crime fighting, to prevent the murder of any other little kid's patents. So, in order to learn the necessary skills, he leaves his home and he travels around the world to learn from the very best. From thieves and detectives in Paris, to martial arts masters in Korea and Ra's al Ghul, for various different reasons everyone agrees to train young Bruce. Early in his travels, he finds a friend, Anton. With their companionship and the antagonism that it creates, they travel together, until it's time to learn from the world's greatest marksman. There Anton's true side is revealed. The side that doesn't hesitate to kill. So, after he kills their trainer and he has a huge, violent fight with Bruce, he leaves, forcing Bruce to continue alone.
This was a very interesting and unique take on Batman's origin. First of all, something that's always very important to me, in any Batman comic, is Bruce's relationship with Alfred. I was very happy to see that, even if it doesn't play a very big role in the story, Zdarsky was able to write it incredibly well. It resembles a very intimate father-son relationship, filled with love and respect. Something else that I love to see in any Batman comic, is a focus on the lines that Batman refuses to cross (for example, killing). Since this is a story of Bruce slowly becoming Batman, there's a pretty big focus on that. Maybe not as deep as I would've wanted, but it's still a very interesting part of the story and I like the way that Zdarsky attempts to explain this aspect of Batman's character. Also, he perfectly showcases how these lines (limits) are what truly makes Batman who he is and seperate him from the rest. Furthermore, Chip Zdarsky's signature amazing narration is present in each issue, as well as his great dialogues that we got used to in his Daredevil run. Talking about Daredevil, even though Batman starts this comic in a very dark place, emotionally, it's less dark than Zdarsky's work on the main Batman title (at least in the first volume that I've read so far) and of course, way less dark than his Daredevil run. That being said, this comic still has a lot of dark and depressing aspects. Bruce learns to love the darkness (inside and outside of him) and he understands that his path will have to be a lonely one. Unfortunately the life of a crime-fighter is one filled with solitude. In general, Batman seems incredibly self destructive in this comic. He's unable and unwilling to let go, choosing to live with pain, realising that the love for his parents and the anger that their death creates inside him is one of his biggest strengths. All of these ideas seem pretty dark, but somehow the comic remains very enjoyable. All the travels and the training make this a fun adventure story, with a lot of erotic undertones, between Bruce and Anton.
The artwork, by Carmine Di Giandomenico is absolutely incredible. It took me a few issues to get used to it, because it's very unique, but once I did, I absolutely loved it. The action scenes are fantastic and amazingly dynamic, the exterior scenes (especially the ones in the snowy mountains) are beautiful and the use of perspective is very interesting and functional.
Overall, this is a great Batman origin story for the modern age. I'm not going to compare it with classic masterpieces, like "Batman: Year One", since Chip Zdarsky attempts to do something very different (and succeeds), but I'm going to say that this is for me an essential read for anyone who wants to get into Batman.
9.5/10
November 29, 2022
Easily one of my favorite Batman books of all time. This is the story of Bruce traveling around the world as a young adult to become Batman. It's so frikkin good!! I highly recommend it to any comics fan. 5/5 stars and a new favorite.
December 4, 2023
I will start with something, I liked art and that's it. Ghost-Maker is character I don't care about, or his faux yaoi. He is what blue checks Batman is. Writing for Talia was classic misogyny. I need Chip away from her.
August 14, 2025
aghhh trop bien omg
March 25, 2023
4.25
Interesting stories that connect to a larger story. It feels like Zdarsky's Daredevil treatment of Batman, which I'm sure is what DC wanted.
Interesting stories that connect to a larger story. It feels like Zdarsky's Daredevil treatment of Batman, which I'm sure is what DC wanted.
September 22, 2023
While exciting at moments, the pacing seemed to slog for me, and the artwork was unnecessarily dark. Readable but not great.
December 7, 2023
fuck my stupid life why am i a batman guy now
December 19, 2022
I like it. The first three issues start Bruce on his journey, where he learns how to be a criminal. He meets Ducard and learns how to be a detective. And then in issue three stops a serial killer and discovers the darkness inside of him.
I liked that they explain how Bruce finds his trainers by getting a list from Ducard.
The last two issues introduce Ghost-Maker, I think, which is exciting. For a story about a part of the Batman mythos that is normally glossed over I found it very intriguing. Bruce fails a lot in his journey. He's awkward and young. It's clear he's not Batman and I find that interesting.
I liked that they explain how Bruce finds his trainers by getting a list from Ducard.
The last two issues introduce Ghost-Maker, I think, which is exciting. For a story about a part of the Batman mythos that is normally glossed over I found it very intriguing. Bruce fails a lot in his journey. He's awkward and young. It's clear he's not Batman and I find that interesting.
Read
August 27, 2024Of all the Batman origin stories—across comics and movies alike—Batman: The Knight is the finest one we've ever seen, easily wiping the floor with the bleak and bland Batman: Year One. This ten-issue comic books takes readers back to before Bruce Wayne became Batman, beginning with his reckless schooldays before taking us on a globetrotting journey, on which he will learn from the deadliest killers and the smartest thieves, in order to become unbeatable.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-batman-c...
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-batman-c...
August 27, 2023
This origin felt off to me. I really didn’t like the addition of “Anton” into Bruce’s story. I felt like this character took away the focus from the main story, which is Bruce learning from all kinds of different masters. Bruce has enough internal conflict that I don’t think we needed this dramatic side story. Bruce needed to go on this journey solo, not have some tag along that stunted the plot by making it bloated and predictable.
August 11, 2023
Very good origin story. Very well-written with great artwork.
July 21, 2025
‧₊˚⚔️✩ ₊🦇⊹
4⁺˖✧
4⁺˖✧
July 13, 2025
(4.5) most goated training montage of all time and im not just saying that cause bruce is bi-curious in this one
April 25, 2025
He's the GOAT
October 10, 2023
Нарешті прочитав лімітку "Batman: The Knight" від Здарскі та Ді Джиандомініко.
Ця лімітка розповідає про молоді роки Брюса у той період коли він втік з Ґотему та подорожував світом у пошуках різних вчителів. Як на мене то ідея створити таку лімітку непогана, все таки ��а цьому етапі в житті Брюса не часто зосереджуються, а тут автором ще й є автор основної серії. Що може піти не так?
Як виявилося багато чого. По-перше це подарунок від Тайніна яким є Ґоустмейкер. Персонаж сам по собі непоганий і я спочатку радий був його бачити, але досить швидко він мене почав бісити, Здарскі його прописав як штампованого френемі суперника. Сам Брюс мене тут також бісив, але тут можливо це так і було задумано, хоча я не впевнений. Він тут прописаний як пацан який через свій вік вчиняє необдумані рішення, то в незаконних боях візьме участь то з дому втече нічого не сказавши Альфреду. Тема з тим, що він поступив імпульсивно і чи не кинути йому це все тут досить часто з'являється і якщо перший раз це було норм то далі воно швидко набридає. Ну і найбільше мені в цій лімітці не сподобалося це те, що вона банально нудна. За місцевими подіями було досить нецікаво спостерігати.
Єдині номери які мені сподобалися це 2,3 та 7. В 2 і 3 номері Брюсі прибуває в Париж в якому зустрічає місцеву крадійку Сіру Тінь та починає вчитися у неї, далі їх знаходить Генрі Дюкард і разом вони ловлять місцевого вбивцю. А 7 номер розповідає про те як Брюс поки вчився у Затари дізнався про існування магії. Номер взагалі непогано показав стосунки Брюса та Затанни і кінцівка з тим як Брюс та Джон сидять та просто розмовляють мені дуже сподобалося. Здарскі тут також вкинув цікаву ідею з тим, що Джон Затара був хорошим другом Вейнів і що Брюс та Затанна разом виросли, це мені нагадало стару історію про зустріч Брюса та Кларка коли вони були ще малими. З хорошого також можу виділити непоганий малюнок Кармайна Ді Джиандомініко.
В результаті "Batman: The Knight" вийшов досить прохідним тайтлом, читати звісно можна, але це найслабше з того, що виходило від Здарскі по Бетмену.
Ця лімітка розповідає про молоді роки Брюса у той період коли він втік з Ґотему та подорожував світом у пошуках різних вчителів. Як на мене то ідея створити таку лімітку непогана, все таки ��а цьому етапі в житті Брюса не часто зосереджуються, а тут автором ще й є автор основної серії. Що може піти не так?
Як виявилося багато чого. По-перше це подарунок від Тайніна яким є Ґоустмейкер. Персонаж сам по собі непоганий і я спочатку радий був його бачити, але досить швидко він мене почав бісити, Здарскі його прописав як штампованого френемі суперника. Сам Брюс мене тут також бісив, але тут можливо це так і було задумано, хоча я не впевнений. Він тут прописаний як пацан який через свій вік вчиняє необдумані рішення, то в незаконних боях візьме участь то з дому втече нічого не сказавши Альфреду. Тема з тим, що він поступив імпульсивно і чи не кинути йому це все тут досить часто з'являється і якщо перший раз це було норм то далі воно швидко набридає. Ну і найбільше мені в цій лімітці не сподобалося це те, що вона банально нудна. За місцевими подіями було досить нецікаво спостерігати.
Єдині номери які мені сподобалися це 2,3 та 7. В 2 і 3 номері Брюсі прибуває в Париж в якому зустрічає місцеву крадійку Сіру Тінь та починає вчитися у неї, далі їх знаходить Генрі Дюкард і разом вони ловлять місцевого вбивцю. А 7 номер розповідає про те як Брюс поки вчився у Затари дізнався про існування магії. Номер взагалі непогано показав стосунки Брюса та Затанни і кінцівка з тим як Брюс та Джон сидять та просто розмовляють мені дуже сподобалося. Здарскі тут також вкинув цікаву ідею з тим, що Джон Затара був хорошим другом Вейнів і що Брюс та Затанна разом виросли, це мені нагадало стару історію про зустріч Брюса та Кларка коли вони були ще малими. З хорошого також можу виділити непоганий малюнок Кармайна Ді Джиандомініко.
В результаті "Batman: The Knight" вийшов досить прохідним тайтлом, читати звісно можна, але це найслабше з того, що виходило від Здарскі по Бетмену.
September 6, 2025
masterpieces about the Batman beginnings with toxic yaoi in the background
August 26, 2023
This series goes back to Bruce's time before he is Batman, but traveling the world to train with various masters in the skills and methods he thinks he will need. It's one of my favorite times to read about, because I think it's ripe for new material. Zdarksy fleshes out some of this time period and more importantly giving the background of Ghost-Maker and how he and Bruce met, developed a friendship and then eventually went their own ways. Every couple of issues you see them with a different master while learning more about Bruce and why he valued "Anton's" friendship so much. There are a few masters that have been seen before (Zatarra for instance) and possibly a couple new ones (I'm not positive I've read every story from this time period.)
I'm a little on the fence with the idea that Bruce is doing all of this training while using his real identity (for the most part). Yeah, I guess his face is well-known and maintaining a disguise while training might be difficult. I guess at this point he doesn't really know the dangers of being Batman and how a secret identity may be important.
The art is solid, but the style just doesn't appeal to me. There's really nothing wrong with it, but I didn't care for it.
It's another fine addition to Bruce's formative years. As Zdarsky typically does, he adds some depth to the characters and doesn't just fill it with action scenes.
I'm a little on the fence with the idea that Bruce is doing all of this training while using his real identity (for the most part). Yeah, I guess his face is well-known and maintaining a disguise while training might be difficult. I guess at this point he doesn't really know the dangers of being Batman and how a secret identity may be important.
The art is solid, but the style just doesn't appeal to me. There's really nothing wrong with it, but I didn't care for it.
It's another fine addition to Bruce's formative years. As Zdarsky typically does, he adds some depth to the characters and doesn't just fill it with action scenes.
July 3, 2023
Маєте бажання почитати черговий ориджин Бетмена? Якщо так, тоді тримайте лімітовану серію коміксів «Бетмен: Лицар» #1–10 від Чіпа Задрскі та Карміне Ді Джандоменіко.
Брюс після своєї трагедії вирушає в подорож, щоб набути різноманітних навичок від різних людей у своєму прагненні стати Бетменом. Спочатку це виглядало, як багатообіцяюче дослідження його характеру. Аналізуючи різні аспекти особистості Брюса в інших людях, ми могли б ретельно проаналізувати ці риси під різними кутами зору. Однак другорядні персонажі, зрештою, не змогли реалізувати цей потенціал, що призвело до простого переліку навичок, яких він навчився, перебуваючи в тій чи іншій країні, від тих чи інших особистостей.
І все би було гаразд, адже це просто ще одна історія становлення Бетса із хорошим малюнком Карміне Ді Джандоменіко. Яку можна було б читати, або пройти повз. Але ж ні, потрібно було впихнути цілий випуск із кацапією, який мене вибісив до не можливості. Тим самим, зіпсувавши узагалі будь-який позитивний бік цього коміксу. У результаті маємо, такий ориджин, де є частина з кацапами, і гарну візуальну частину, яка допомогла дочитати цю серію коміксів до кінця. І ще виглядає так, що ця серія матиме продовження.
Одним словом, можу не кривлячи душею, радити пропускати цей комікс і почитати натомість щось інше.
Брюс після своєї трагедії вирушає в подорож, щоб набути різноманітних навичок від різних людей у своєму прагненні стати Бетменом. Спочатку це виглядало, як багатообіцяюче дослідження його характеру. Аналізуючи різні аспекти особистості Брюса в інших людях, ми могли б ретельно проаналізувати ці риси під різними кутами зору. Однак другорядні персонажі, зрештою, не змогли реалізувати цей потенціал, що призвело до простого переліку навичок, яких він навчився, перебуваючи в тій чи іншій країні, від тих чи інших особистостей.
І все би було гаразд, адже це просто ще одна історія становлення Бетса із хорошим малюнком Карміне Ді Джандоменіко. Яку можна було б читати, або пройти повз. Але ж ні, потрібно було впихнути цілий випуск із кацапією, який мене вибісив до не можливості. Тим самим, зіпсувавши узагалі будь-який позитивний бік цього коміксу. У результаті маємо, такий ориджин, де є частина з кацапами, і гарну візуальну частину, яка допомогла дочитати цю серію коміксів до кінця. І ще виглядає так, що ця серія матиме продовження.
Одним словом, можу не кривлячи душею, радити пропускати цей комікс і почитати натомість щось інше.
January 29, 2023
This was SO good.
I've seen some people complain about Bruce having a partner during his training arc because they feel like it makes Bruce "less special" but honestly I completely disagree. If anything it makes him even more special in my eyes. As Bruce said in #10, Minhkhoa is hollow. He doesn't have Bruce's compassion or love and no amount of training will turn Minhkhoa into the hero Bruce is. That's something unique to Bruce.
Anyway their dynamic was super fun, I just recently read Tynion's Batman run where they joined forces so I can't wait to see them work together in future comics hehe
Also a veeery big fan of all the bi!Bruce hints lol make Batman canonically bisexual you cowards
I've seen some people complain about Bruce having a partner during his training arc because they feel like it makes Bruce "less special" but honestly I completely disagree. If anything it makes him even more special in my eyes. As Bruce said in #10, Minhkhoa is hollow. He doesn't have Bruce's compassion or love and no amount of training will turn Minhkhoa into the hero Bruce is. That's something unique to Bruce.
Anyway their dynamic was super fun, I just recently read Tynion's Batman run where they joined forces so I can't wait to see them work together in future comics hehe
Also a veeery big fan of all the bi!Bruce hints lol make Batman canonically bisexual you cowards
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2024
*2.5*
Esta crónica de Zdarsky, se centra en la juventud de Bruce Wayne y en su iniciático (?) viaje por diferentes lugares del mundo, donde especialistas en distintas disciplinas lo modelan para su futuro batiheroico. El esquema se repite varias veces por lo que llega a hacerse reiterativo, pero lo que realmente es preocupante es como muchos guionistas recurren a este planteo episódico, del cual poco importa el orden de capítulos cuyo vinculo es escaso, intentando hilvanar un relato con pretensiones de clásico.
En relación al arte, el dibujo de Di Giandomenico no es lo mio, parece artificial, como encargado por un ilustrador sin tiempo, a una de estas tecnologías que están muy en boga últimamente.
Esta crónica de Zdarsky, se centra en la juventud de Bruce Wayne y en su iniciático (?) viaje por diferentes lugares del mundo, donde especialistas en distintas disciplinas lo modelan para su futuro batiheroico. El esquema se repite varias veces por lo que llega a hacerse reiterativo, pero lo que realmente es preocupante es como muchos guionistas recurren a este planteo episódico, del cual poco importa el orden de capítulos cuyo vinculo es escaso, intentando hilvanar un relato con pretensiones de clásico.
En relación al arte, el dibujo de Di Giandomenico no es lo mio, parece artificial, como encargado por un ilustrador sin tiempo, a una de estas tecnologías que están muy en boga últimamente.
November 23, 2025
48%
Oof… not the worst thing ever, but I had a few issues. The first, like, half of this or so was actually alright - showing Bruce’s early training around the world, going to different cities and learning from various masters. It’s cool to see his mindset and skills develop as he travels more, so that was a part of this I appreciated.
But the writing for this graphic novel was all over the place. Especially the character writing for Bruce himself, which is a bit iffy. But ESPECIALLY ‘Anton’, the friend Bruce trains with earlier in the book. Why did this guy have to exist😭 to farm for female readers who like Yaoi, Zdarksy?? He did a whole bunch of stuff including straight up murder and even almost killing Bruce himself, and his actions are played off as ‘self-defence’ and Bruce goes along with that. Yeah… alright, man. That whole sequence at the end of Bruce’s training at the psychologist guy’s house was just disjointed as all hell, honestly. I thought it was a dream sequence at first with how weird it played out.
The ending kinda somewhat lands, I guess? I just wish the trainee friend guy didn’t exist, or got killed off at some point - cuz to have him as a new part of Bruce’s pre-Batman lore is kinda goofy to me.
Also, the writing occasionally felt like a YA comic, if that makes sense? Not necessarily detrimental, but I think it didn’t quite align to the slightly grittier vibe I was hoping to get from a Batman story that follows his early training.
Overall it was kinda meh though, with a few fun scenes and backstory on Bruce’s training to becoming Batman, but most of it involved a character I had absolutely no interest in. At least the art was alright too, though, I suppose?
Oof… not the worst thing ever, but I had a few issues. The first, like, half of this or so was actually alright - showing Bruce’s early training around the world, going to different cities and learning from various masters. It’s cool to see his mindset and skills develop as he travels more, so that was a part of this I appreciated.
But the writing for this graphic novel was all over the place. Especially the character writing for Bruce himself, which is a bit iffy. But ESPECIALLY ‘Anton’, the friend Bruce trains with earlier in the book. Why did this guy have to exist😭 to farm for female readers who like Yaoi, Zdarksy?? He did a whole bunch of stuff including straight up murder and even almost killing Bruce himself, and his actions are played off as ‘self-defence’ and Bruce goes along with that. Yeah… alright, man. That whole sequence at the end of Bruce’s training at the psychologist guy’s house was just disjointed as all hell, honestly. I thought it was a dream sequence at first with how weird it played out.
The ending kinda somewhat lands, I guess? I just wish the trainee friend guy didn’t exist, or got killed off at some point - cuz to have him as a new part of Bruce’s pre-Batman lore is kinda goofy to me.
Also, the writing occasionally felt like a YA comic, if that makes sense? Not necessarily detrimental, but I think it didn’t quite align to the slightly grittier vibe I was hoping to get from a Batman story that follows his early training.
Overall it was kinda meh though, with a few fun scenes and backstory on Bruce’s training to becoming Batman, but most of it involved a character I had absolutely no interest in. At least the art was alright too, though, I suppose?
November 17, 2023
Batman: The Knight collects issues 1-10
Of the DC Comics series written by Chip Zdarsky, drawn by Carmine Di Giandomenico, and colored by Ivan Plascencia.
A teenage Bruce Wayne sets forward on a mission to be the best he can possibly be against criminals. The only problem is that to be better than the world’s best criminals, he first needs to be taught everything they know. Bruce travels the world to learn from the likes of Henri Ducard, Avery Oblonsky, Master Kirigi, Giovanni Zatara, Luka Jongo, Ra’s Al Ghul, and more who are each the master of their criminal craft.
Am I crazy or is this just a rehash and fleshed out origin of young Bruce Wayne from Tynion’s run on Batman when he introduced Ghostmaker? I swear I have read some of these stories before. Zdarsky gives up an updated origin of Bruce Wayne on his journey that will eventually lead him to become Batman. The problem is we know where it is all heading. There isn’t much you can add to make this stand out from any previous young Bruce Wayne stories because it all leads to Bruce Wayne completing his training, returning to Gotham, and taking up the mantle of Batman. This book only serves to add Ghostmaker to the equation, but again, Tynion already accomplished this. The book could have easily cut a couple issues as there are some very repetitive ideas in the maxi-series.
Giandomenico’s art is strong throughout the series and helps the book stay visually interesting when the story isn’t doing the job. I especially liked the art in the Zatara and Zatanna issue.
Overall, if you have read Tynion’s run, I do not think you really need to read this book. If you did miss out, you can give this book a read before diving into some of the recent Batman events.
Of the DC Comics series written by Chip Zdarsky, drawn by Carmine Di Giandomenico, and colored by Ivan Plascencia.
A teenage Bruce Wayne sets forward on a mission to be the best he can possibly be against criminals. The only problem is that to be better than the world’s best criminals, he first needs to be taught everything they know. Bruce travels the world to learn from the likes of Henri Ducard, Avery Oblonsky, Master Kirigi, Giovanni Zatara, Luka Jongo, Ra’s Al Ghul, and more who are each the master of their criminal craft.
Am I crazy or is this just a rehash and fleshed out origin of young Bruce Wayne from Tynion’s run on Batman when he introduced Ghostmaker? I swear I have read some of these stories before. Zdarsky gives up an updated origin of Bruce Wayne on his journey that will eventually lead him to become Batman. The problem is we know where it is all heading. There isn’t much you can add to make this stand out from any previous young Bruce Wayne stories because it all leads to Bruce Wayne completing his training, returning to Gotham, and taking up the mantle of Batman. This book only serves to add Ghostmaker to the equation, but again, Tynion already accomplished this. The book could have easily cut a couple issues as there are some very repetitive ideas in the maxi-series.
Giandomenico’s art is strong throughout the series and helps the book stay visually interesting when the story isn’t doing the job. I especially liked the art in the Zatara and Zatanna issue.
Overall, if you have read Tynion’s run, I do not think you really need to read this book. If you did miss out, you can give this book a read before diving into some of the recent Batman events.
May 31, 2024
Solid read as a young Bruce Wayne sets out around the world to study under mentors...the absolute best in their fields.
It starts off with the premise of whether Bruce is motivated by vengeance or actually justice..and I felt it kind of wandered off that path.
It starts off with the premise of whether Bruce is motivated by vengeance or actually justice..and I felt it kind of wandered off that path.
August 16, 2025
that anton and bruce situationship was a little too insane
February 1, 2025
I love Batman.
Want to read
November 24, 2023read this as single issues but you bet your ass imma read it again
May 21, 2025
i think i'm a changed person for reading this ... wow.
zdarsky does an amazing job at imbuing bruce wayne with the complexities that more modern takes on batman (like batman 2016! blegh!) have lost. i really struggle with enjoying most modern runs in dc because they all feel way too overly reliant on action/battle sequences to keep the plot going. in my opinion, using this as a crutch so often lends a hand to very blatant mischaracterization. you need to have a narrative in order have a reason to fight, you know? that's why runs like hellblazer 1988 are so great -- you spend more time inside of constantine's head than you do out of it. his personhood provides the reader with ground to stand on, with context to consider when he does whatever it is he ends up doing.
anyway, back to b:tk! i think that this is honestly one of the best runs i've read in awhile. hurts my heart that it was only a limited run, but considering the story it's telling, the decision makes sense. it's heavy with its narration, but not to the point where i felt bogged down reading it. as an origin story, narration is required in order for the reader to truly understand a character's psyche. it follows bruce during his journey training to be a vigilante. it's very easy to turn what bruce/batman stands for into something more perverted, and by that i mean turning what both bruce/batman represent into a vehicle for alpha male-ness or toxic masculinity. b:tk, however, does not shy away from bruce's faults and vulnerabilities; he is still just a man. it strips away the current characterization of batman -- someone who can never fail, someone who always has a contingency plan, someone who is cold and unfeeling and infaillible -- and reveals instead his soft underbelly. in b:tk, bruce is a kid who makes mistakes, who isn't perfect, who gets hurt and hurts others. you really get the sense that he's still unconvinced of his ability to do good, since he feels that who he is in the moment was born purely out of violence. minhkhoa khan was also an amazing addition to the story. he's a foil to bruce, a dark mirror. he's what bruce could've been, had the events in his life played out any differently. i wish we had gotten to know more about him, but it honestly does make more sense to keep his character a mystery. i really do support the #ghostbat agenda.
the art was also very, very good in this book!! giandomenico does such a great job at depicting bruce as the scrappy young man he is. the character designs for all the side characters are also very distinct. very pleasing to the eye!!!
my only gripe with the story is that i felt it leaned into something i see very often when writers deal with talia al ghul. they strip her of her agency and she becomes very one-note, which saddens me. of course there was the obligatory kiss between her and bruce, but i felt it kinda came out of nowhere. it really didn't help that they gave her SUCH AN UGLY HAIRSTYLE TOO. HELP? SHE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS. zatanna was another issue. i personally am not very familiar with her character, but it did really feel like these female characters (with the exception of lucy and avery, who are both characters created just for this run) didn't really have much going on for them. i am being so serious when i say bruce had so much more chemistry and tension with minhkhoa than he did with both talia and zatanna combined. i wish his relationship with the two of them was more fleshed out.
but yeah!! all in all, i really enjoyed this!! i will be brain-rotting about this for weeks to come!!
zdarsky does an amazing job at imbuing bruce wayne with the complexities that more modern takes on batman (like batman 2016! blegh!) have lost. i really struggle with enjoying most modern runs in dc because they all feel way too overly reliant on action/battle sequences to keep the plot going. in my opinion, using this as a crutch so often lends a hand to very blatant mischaracterization. you need to have a narrative in order have a reason to fight, you know? that's why runs like hellblazer 1988 are so great -- you spend more time inside of constantine's head than you do out of it. his personhood provides the reader with ground to stand on, with context to consider when he does whatever it is he ends up doing.
anyway, back to b:tk! i think that this is honestly one of the best runs i've read in awhile. hurts my heart that it was only a limited run, but considering the story it's telling, the decision makes sense. it's heavy with its narration, but not to the point where i felt bogged down reading it. as an origin story, narration is required in order for the reader to truly understand a character's psyche. it follows bruce during his journey training to be a vigilante. it's very easy to turn what bruce/batman stands for into something more perverted, and by that i mean turning what both bruce/batman represent into a vehicle for alpha male-ness or toxic masculinity. b:tk, however, does not shy away from bruce's faults and vulnerabilities; he is still just a man. it strips away the current characterization of batman -- someone who can never fail, someone who always has a contingency plan, someone who is cold and unfeeling and infaillible -- and reveals instead his soft underbelly. in b:tk, bruce is a kid who makes mistakes, who isn't perfect, who gets hurt and hurts others. you really get the sense that he's still unconvinced of his ability to do good, since he feels that who he is in the moment was born purely out of violence. minhkhoa khan was also an amazing addition to the story. he's a foil to bruce, a dark mirror. he's what bruce could've been, had the events in his life played out any differently. i wish we had gotten to know more about him, but it honestly does make more sense to keep his character a mystery. i really do support the #ghostbat agenda.
the art was also very, very good in this book!! giandomenico does such a great job at depicting bruce as the scrappy young man he is. the character designs for all the side characters are also very distinct. very pleasing to the eye!!!
my only gripe with the story is that i felt it leaned into something i see very often when writers deal with talia al ghul. they strip her of her agency and she becomes very one-note, which saddens me. of course there was the obligatory kiss between her and bruce, but i felt it kinda came out of nowhere. it really didn't help that they gave her SUCH AN UGLY HAIRSTYLE TOO. HELP? SHE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS. zatanna was another issue. i personally am not very familiar with her character, but it did really feel like these female characters (with the exception of lucy and avery, who are both characters created just for this run) didn't really have much going on for them. i am being so serious when i say bruce had so much more chemistry and tension with minhkhoa than he did with both talia and zatanna combined. i wish his relationship with the two of them was more fleshed out.
but yeah!! all in all, i really enjoyed this!! i will be brain-rotting about this for weeks to come!!
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