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Batman: One Dark Knight #1-3
Batman: One Dark Knight
Iconic Batman artist Jock delivers a bare-knuckle brawl through the blacked-out streets of Gotham!
All they had to do was get him across town.
It was the sort of mission Batman had run a thousand times. From high above the sweltering summer streets of Gotham, Batman would escort the GCPD as the dangerous metahuman super-villain known as E.M.P. was transferred from a temporary holding cell to his permanent home at Blackgate Prison in Gotham Harbor. E.M.P.’s electrical powers posed a dangerous threat, but the situation was well in hand.
Until it wasn’t.
Now every light in Gotham is out, the police have been knocked into disarray, and a broken, bleeding Batman must fight his way to Blackgate, block by block, dragging E.M.P. behind him. But it’s not just the gangs who want to make life difficult for him. The dark corners of Gotham contain many surprises…and E.M.P. has many more shocks to deliver before the night is through!
One of the most iconic Batman artists of the 21st century, the incomparable Jock (THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS, THE BLACK MIRROR), has focused all his storytelling powers on the tale of one very, very dark night in Gotham City. It’s always darkest before the dawn—if it ever comes…
Collects One Dark Knight #1-3.
All they had to do was get him across town.
It was the sort of mission Batman had run a thousand times. From high above the sweltering summer streets of Gotham, Batman would escort the GCPD as the dangerous metahuman super-villain known as E.M.P. was transferred from a temporary holding cell to his permanent home at Blackgate Prison in Gotham Harbor. E.M.P.’s electrical powers posed a dangerous threat, but the situation was well in hand.
Until it wasn’t.
Now every light in Gotham is out, the police have been knocked into disarray, and a broken, bleeding Batman must fight his way to Blackgate, block by block, dragging E.M.P. behind him. But it’s not just the gangs who want to make life difficult for him. The dark corners of Gotham contain many surprises…and E.M.P. has many more shocks to deliver before the night is through!
One of the most iconic Batman artists of the 21st century, the incomparable Jock (THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS, THE BLACK MIRROR), has focused all his storytelling powers on the tale of one very, very dark night in Gotham City. It’s always darkest before the dawn—if it ever comes…
Collects One Dark Knight #1-3.
168 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2022
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467 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
August 22, 2022
Batman must help the G.C.P.D. escort a dangerous metahuman known as E.M.P. from a temporary holding cell on one side of the city to his permanent home at Blackgate Prison on the other side. When this ends up going awry, a bloodied Batman must fight his way to Blackgate, dragging E.M.P. along with him before the rest of Gotham City catches up to them...
Oof I fucking hated this. But it’s not you Jock, it’s me. I just felt it was way too self-serious at times, the story never expands on any of the cool ideas Jock throws at the reader, and the mapped-out Gotham feels underused somehow. I also found Jock’s art to be lacking in some spots, his voice for Batman to be all over the place, and both the story itself and the subplots that run throughout it to feel extremely shallow and underbaked.
All of the villains of this, including Vasquez & a Batman rogue who pops up in issue 3, feel like cliches rather than fully-fleshed out characters. Vasquez is the main threat I guess, but her plan is stupid as fuck and laughably bad in execution. The ending for her character also feels like something out of a sitcom or an episode of Scooby-Doo. It’s excruciatingly dumb. E.M.P. is technically a villain and a new character I guess, but he’s more of a plot device than anything else. Not even worth diving into further.
I will say the art is gorgeous in spots, but other points can feel a bit under-drawn and rushed. It’s like Jock was given too many pages and didn’t know how to properly utilize each one with his pre-written story, which feels especially weird for a seasoned artist as talented as Jock. But other pages, like the shots of Gotham City’s skyline or the bridge action scene in the final issue, show just how amazing of an artist Jock can be when given the time and space. So it really isn’t all bad, it’s just severely lacking in a couple places. If it was more consistent, this probably would have gotten another star.
This book as a whole was just not my thing at all though, and I appreciate my roommate for letting me read all of the singles he bought. I’m not going insult people for enjoying a book that wasn’t my cup of tea, so I’ll just say this wasn’t the kind of Black Label Batman story that works on any level for me personally. I still applaud Jock for doing his own Batman book though, as it was probably rewarding for him to get to do that after drawing the character for so many other writers for so many years.
And I would still recommend this to those who like Jock’s Batman art or street-level Batman tales though. If you are a fan of Jock’s work, this will probably be amazing for you. The art is all blown up in the magazine-sized format, and the eventual hardcover will be well-worth any Jock fans' time. Just make sure to read physically and not digitally. I’ll just stick with books he draws for more talented writers for now. I probably wouldn’t have even read this in the first place if I wasn’t such a big fan of Black Label.
Oof I fucking hated this. But it’s not you Jock, it’s me. I just felt it was way too self-serious at times, the story never expands on any of the cool ideas Jock throws at the reader, and the mapped-out Gotham feels underused somehow. I also found Jock’s art to be lacking in some spots, his voice for Batman to be all over the place, and both the story itself and the subplots that run throughout it to feel extremely shallow and underbaked.
All of the villains of this, including Vasquez & a Batman rogue who pops up in issue 3, feel like cliches rather than fully-fleshed out characters. Vasquez is the main threat I guess, but her plan is stupid as fuck and laughably bad in execution. The ending for her character also feels like something out of a sitcom or an episode of Scooby-Doo. It’s excruciatingly dumb. E.M.P. is technically a villain and a new character I guess, but he’s more of a plot device than anything else. Not even worth diving into further.
I will say the art is gorgeous in spots, but other points can feel a bit under-drawn and rushed. It’s like Jock was given too many pages and didn’t know how to properly utilize each one with his pre-written story, which feels especially weird for a seasoned artist as talented as Jock. But other pages, like the shots of Gotham City’s skyline or the bridge action scene in the final issue, show just how amazing of an artist Jock can be when given the time and space. So it really isn’t all bad, it’s just severely lacking in a couple places. If it was more consistent, this probably would have gotten another star.
This book as a whole was just not my thing at all though, and I appreciate my roommate for letting me read all of the singles he bought. I’m not going insult people for enjoying a book that wasn’t my cup of tea, so I’ll just say this wasn’t the kind of Black Label Batman story that works on any level for me personally. I still applaud Jock for doing his own Batman book though, as it was probably rewarding for him to get to do that after drawing the character for so many other writers for so many years.
And I would still recommend this to those who like Jock’s Batman art or street-level Batman tales though. If you are a fan of Jock’s work, this will probably be amazing for you. The art is all blown up in the magazine-sized format, and the eventual hardcover will be well-worth any Jock fans' time. Just make sure to read physically and not digitally. I’ll just stick with books he draws for more talented writers for now. I probably wouldn’t have even read this in the first place if I wasn’t such a big fan of Black Label.
October 28, 2022
GCPD are preparing to transport a dangerous meta-villain from Arkham to Blackgate - but Gotham’s gangs have other plans. The villain in question has electro-magnetic powers which get triggered once the convoy is attacked and soon Gotham is in a city-wide blackout. Batman must single-handedly carry the unconscious prisoner to Blackgate on foot through the dark night, while dodging the roving gangs, intent on ending both lives before the dawn arrives…
Jock is the latest artist who’s having a bash at writing as well as drawing and, like most such experiments, his Batman book, One Dark Knight, is One Bad Comic. It is woefully written and so stupid that I can’t review it properly without going into SPOILERS so I’ll say that now and recommend everyone who’s leaving the review here to save yourself the time and effort, don’t bother picking it up and avoid this utter drek entirely.
Everything about the premise is contrived. Why are they transporting the prisoner in the evening? Because then new character Edward M. Pressler, aka EMP, (woah - his initials are the same as electro-magnetic pulse, which also happens to be his power set!!1) can cause a blackout at night-time for the story to be set. Also, Gordon tries to dissuade Vasquez from doing the operation on this particular night because the city is all hot and bothered right now - yes, that’s the actual reason he gives! Wha… ?
Joining EMP is another new character, Rita Vasquez, the Head of the Prison Bureau of Gotham City, who conveniently happens to have major beef with EMP. So, all of the gangs in Gotham (by the by, THIS many gangs still operating in the city? Batman must be mega crap at his job!) unite to kill EMP and Batman. There’s no reason given for why they want to do this but I’m going to be charitable to Jock and suggest that he meant to imply that Vasquez was offering a substantial bounty for them killing EMP - because this simple explanation is never once mentioned in the dismal script.
But if Vasquez wanted EMP dead so badly, why does she create this entire plan of moving EMP from one location to another across town, especially as it then attracts the involvement of Batman, a major impediment to its success - if she has the resources to have all the gangs in the city, along with a number of GCPD, in her pocket, why doesn’t she simply use that reach to have EMP killed while he’s resident at Arkham? And why is she trying to use EMP’s son - who also happens to have the same power set - to kill EMP instead of just letting the gangs do it? It’s all so needlessly convoluted.
It’s such bad writing: the gangs are simply generic bad guys with seemingly no motivation while the main bad guy has a generic motivation and the ending is so cheesy, with the villain monologuing their entire diabolical plan only for Batman to reveal he was recording it all for the cops the entire time. It’s Scooby-Doo-level writing.
One Dark Knight would make a decent storyline - for a video game. Because I can see something like this working well as an Arkham game premise. That would also explain the abundance of gangs on the streets: plenty of targets for the player to have fun beating up, like in Arkham City, because the best part of the Arkham series was the fight mechanics of those games, which was second-to-none.
But as a story without the gameplay? It’s completely brain-dead and uninteresting to read, making its flaws all too noticeable. Jock is one bad writer and this Batman book is an amateurish waste of time.
Jock is the latest artist who’s having a bash at writing as well as drawing and, like most such experiments, his Batman book, One Dark Knight, is One Bad Comic. It is woefully written and so stupid that I can’t review it properly without going into SPOILERS so I’ll say that now and recommend everyone who’s leaving the review here to save yourself the time and effort, don’t bother picking it up and avoid this utter drek entirely.
Everything about the premise is contrived. Why are they transporting the prisoner in the evening? Because then new character Edward M. Pressler, aka EMP, (woah - his initials are the same as electro-magnetic pulse, which also happens to be his power set!!1) can cause a blackout at night-time for the story to be set. Also, Gordon tries to dissuade Vasquez from doing the operation on this particular night because the city is all hot and bothered right now - yes, that’s the actual reason he gives! Wha… ?
Joining EMP is another new character, Rita Vasquez, the Head of the Prison Bureau of Gotham City, who conveniently happens to have major beef with EMP. So, all of the gangs in Gotham (by the by, THIS many gangs still operating in the city? Batman must be mega crap at his job!) unite to kill EMP and Batman. There’s no reason given for why they want to do this but I’m going to be charitable to Jock and suggest that he meant to imply that Vasquez was offering a substantial bounty for them killing EMP - because this simple explanation is never once mentioned in the dismal script.
But if Vasquez wanted EMP dead so badly, why does she create this entire plan of moving EMP from one location to another across town, especially as it then attracts the involvement of Batman, a major impediment to its success - if she has the resources to have all the gangs in the city, along with a number of GCPD, in her pocket, why doesn’t she simply use that reach to have EMP killed while he’s resident at Arkham? And why is she trying to use EMP’s son - who also happens to have the same power set - to kill EMP instead of just letting the gangs do it? It’s all so needlessly convoluted.
It’s such bad writing: the gangs are simply generic bad guys with seemingly no motivation while the main bad guy has a generic motivation and the ending is so cheesy, with the villain monologuing their entire diabolical plan only for Batman to reveal he was recording it all for the cops the entire time. It’s Scooby-Doo-level writing.
One Dark Knight would make a decent storyline - for a video game. Because I can see something like this working well as an Arkham game premise. That would also explain the abundance of gangs on the streets: plenty of targets for the player to have fun beating up, like in Arkham City, because the best part of the Arkham series was the fight mechanics of those games, which was second-to-none.
But as a story without the gameplay? It’s completely brain-dead and uninteresting to read, making its flaws all too noticeable. Jock is one bad writer and this Batman book is an amateurish waste of time.
August 14, 2022
This was so good omg!
Its simply the story of Batman taking a criminal named EMP back to Blackgate in a blackout and well having to fight so many criminal and gangs and that fight with Killer croc was so cool and we learn who the villain is and when his child Brody comes into the pic and this woman named "Vasquez" also enters the scene and when all the pieces fit into place, its one of the most epic scenes of how Batman stops it and saves the day!
Its not the greatest Batman story and sure has flaws like it could have used more fight scenes of Batman vs other gangs but it does its work in 3 issues and I love the art here, Jock is a master at that and he makes you feel for the character of EMP and also has some great art pages here and I think thats the main draw of this story. So yeah its a good one-time read with wonderful art and a good action-heavy and heartfelt Batman story!
Its simply the story of Batman taking a criminal named EMP back to Blackgate in a blackout and well having to fight so many criminal and gangs and that fight with Killer croc was so cool and we learn who the villain is and when his child Brody comes into the pic and this woman named "Vasquez" also enters the scene and when all the pieces fit into place, its one of the most epic scenes of how Batman stops it and saves the day!
Its not the greatest Batman story and sure has flaws like it could have used more fight scenes of Batman vs other gangs but it does its work in 3 issues and I love the art here, Jock is a master at that and he makes you feel for the character of EMP and also has some great art pages here and I think thats the main draw of this story. So yeah its a good one-time read with wonderful art and a good action-heavy and heartfelt Batman story!
June 25, 2023
Batman must escort a prisoner that everyone seems to want dead across Gotham City. The art is pretty nice, but the story is just OK. I think it would have worked better if it were a more well-known villain.
November 22, 2022
A very good Batman book. Good story, with perfectly complicated artwork. I love the bigger hardcover format.
Batman is watching a prisoners transfer. I don't think it is a spoiler to say thing do not ho as planned. Now every electrical system in Gotham has been knocked out including the lights and all of Batman's gadgets and vehicles. Can even Batman deliver the prisoners across different gang turfs, his rouges and the usual police corruption (this is Gotham).
The never giving up will power is is what makes Batman well Batman. He is going to need every bit of it to survive, and more yo make hus delivery. Batman us battered and bruised but still unbroken. The book finishes with a varient cover gallery, the thumbnail panel from the book and character sketches.
Batman is watching a prisoners transfer. I don't think it is a spoiler to say thing do not ho as planned. Now every electrical system in Gotham has been knocked out including the lights and all of Batman's gadgets and vehicles. Can even Batman deliver the prisoners across different gang turfs, his rouges and the usual police corruption (this is Gotham).
The never giving up will power is is what makes Batman well Batman. He is going to need every bit of it to survive, and more yo make hus delivery. Batman us battered and bruised but still unbroken. The book finishes with a varient cover gallery, the thumbnail panel from the book and character sketches.
August 19, 2022
This is definitely one of the better Black Label things for me, I’ve always enjoyed Jock’s work and this one not exception. Croc’s fucking amazing. Bat’s amazing. Alfred’s almost sassy behavior made me giggle inside. It’s not as good as his previous works though. But definitely enjoyable and quick read.
August 19, 2022
Jock is a fine artist. He can storytell a story. He just can’t write them.
I’ve seen the plot 2 billions times already- a prisoner has to be transferred from A to B in hostile territory- but I can live with that if the story is well told with good pacing, tension points and stuff in between.
And here lie the problems afflicting the book. If the action is decently managed the plot itself reads as a rulebook which isn’t very entertaining when you’ve read so many already.
An then the holes and the corny ways used to get the story going on. All of Gotham gangs unite to get to E.M.P. but we never know how it got done. How did the antagonist ever managed to do such a trick? .
Said antagonist is obvious from issue one. Eh, good luck trying to surprise the reader after that.
But I was actually surprised when I saw Gordon literally abandoning a wounded Montoya with an unarmed civilian with gangbangers closing in. As for Montoya she might be dead in a gutter somewhere as far as I know since that’s the last time I saw her. No more of Gordon from then on before he conveniently pops up in the last pages for a hackneyed twist.
I was also surprised when Batman let opposed factions of gangbangers kill each other without intervening.
But these weren’t good surprises.
I can’t imagine how Jock got through the editing process with these holes and characters so...off-character but the result is this book which I don’t particularly recommend. The art is good, the storytelling is good and I liked the dark/bright color chart (seems Jock colored the book himself) but this isn’t enough to redeem this boring and poorly constructed plot.
I’ve seen the plot 2 billions times already- a prisoner has to be transferred from A to B in hostile territory- but I can live with that if the story is well told with good pacing, tension points and stuff in between.
And here lie the problems afflicting the book. If the action is decently managed the plot itself reads as a rulebook which isn’t very entertaining when you’ve read so many already.
An then the holes and the corny ways used to get the story going on. All of Gotham gangs unite to get to E.M.P. but we never know how it got done. How did the antagonist ever managed to do such a trick? .
Said antagonist is obvious from issue one. Eh, good luck trying to surprise the reader after that.
But I was actually surprised when I saw Gordon literally abandoning a wounded Montoya with an unarmed civilian with gangbangers closing in. As for Montoya she might be dead in a gutter somewhere as far as I know since that’s the last time I saw her. No more of Gordon from then on before he conveniently pops up in the last pages for a hackneyed twist.
I was also surprised when Batman let opposed factions of gangbangers kill each other without intervening.
But these weren’t good surprises.
I can’t imagine how Jock got through the editing process with these holes and characters so...off-character but the result is this book which I don’t particularly recommend. The art is good, the storytelling is good and I liked the dark/bright color chart (seems Jock colored the book himself) but this isn’t enough to redeem this boring and poorly constructed plot.
September 15, 2022
Batman: One Dark Knight collects issues 1-3 of the DC Comics Black Label series written, drawn, and colored by Jock.
During a major heatwave, Gotham is at a boiling point. Rita Vasquez, the head of the Prison Bureau of Gotham City, is in charge of transporting villain EMP From Arkham to Blackgate. Gangs all around Gotham and set out to attack the prison convoy in an effort to either rescue or kill EMP. During the raid, EMP detonates forcing Batman to escort the villain to Arkham with many of vehicles, gadgets, and toys not working all the while fighting off every gang in the city.
One Dark Knight was my most anticipated book of the year and it delivers. Jock’s art is outstanding through out but especially shines in the single and double page spreads showcasing Gotham City as well as the final issue’s bridge battle. Batman grizzled appearance by the end of the book is iconic. I hope they make a statue out of pieces together costume. Jock has been one of my favorite artists since hitting the scene and finally gets to be showcased in an oversized DC Black Label series. I am honestly surprised it took this long for him to get a Black Label book.
The story is also great. You get the built up tension of Gotham with a street-level story. I also like how Jock created his own Gotham and you can feel Batman battling through it. Jock also doesn’t rely on focusing on the usual Batman rogue gallery other than a for a cameo in the last issue. Otherwise, Jock creates two new villains for the book. I hope Jock gets more chances to write Batman as he has a great feel for the character.
During a major heatwave, Gotham is at a boiling point. Rita Vasquez, the head of the Prison Bureau of Gotham City, is in charge of transporting villain EMP From Arkham to Blackgate. Gangs all around Gotham and set out to attack the prison convoy in an effort to either rescue or kill EMP. During the raid, EMP detonates forcing Batman to escort the villain to Arkham with many of vehicles, gadgets, and toys not working all the while fighting off every gang in the city.
One Dark Knight was my most anticipated book of the year and it delivers. Jock’s art is outstanding through out but especially shines in the single and double page spreads showcasing Gotham City as well as the final issue’s bridge battle. Batman grizzled appearance by the end of the book is iconic. I hope they make a statue out of pieces together costume. Jock has been one of my favorite artists since hitting the scene and finally gets to be showcased in an oversized DC Black Label series. I am honestly surprised it took this long for him to get a Black Label book.
The story is also great. You get the built up tension of Gotham with a street-level story. I also like how Jock created his own Gotham and you can feel Batman battling through it. Jock also doesn’t rely on focusing on the usual Batman rogue gallery other than a for a cameo in the last issue. Otherwise, Jock creates two new villains for the book. I hope Jock gets more chances to write Batman as he has a great feel for the character.
July 11, 2022
3.5 stars. It's an exciting premise, and it's visually well told, but it petered out in the third act. Worth a look.
December 5, 2022
Worth a look if you're a fan of Jock's art. It suits a Batman series well, especially one that takes place in the middle of the night. That's the conceit here: the GCPD needs to get a villain across town from Arkham to Blackgate, so they choose to send the convoy under cover of night. Unfortunately, the villain is a living EMP grenade and is pretty much instantly set off, plunging the city even deeper into darkness.
Batman is on the case. So are all of the city's gangs, for "reasons." There's also an obviously corrupt prison official who has it out for EMP. The chase elements are action-packed - the storytelling elements are lackluster. A fine skim, at the very least.
Batman is on the case. So are all of the city's gangs, for "reasons." There's also an obviously corrupt prison official who has it out for EMP. The chase elements are action-packed - the storytelling elements are lackluster. A fine skim, at the very least.
November 23, 2022
I have a feeling I'm supposed to know this guy/metahuman E.M.P!!??
I did appreciate the map/s of Gotham ..finally putting a visual to the district's and regions..
I did appreciate the map/s of Gotham ..finally putting a visual to the district's and regions..
October 20, 2022
A quick read and rather disappointing. The story was average at best barely filling three single issues. The art was slapdash and sloppy it was hard to tell one person from the next. Heck, I would have forgiven a lot but even the lettering looks like I did it and not done by a professional. DC Black Label comics are expensive and are advertised as being better than normal comics. One day it would be nice what got published made that standard. Seriously, there was less blood/guts than in a regular Batman comic.
January 8, 2024
Batman: One Dark Night by Jock is a dark Batman tale that task place in one night. Batman: One Dark Night is from DC Comics's Black Label for more mature storytelling. This story is brutal and very bloody. The visual style of the comic was gritty and reminded me of Frank Miller's drawing on The Dark Night Returns. The story is good but the art overshadows it. The art takes advantage of one-page and two-page images utilizing the full panel to tell one image or have a full image in the background. The story reminded me of the movie The Warriors which is about gang turf war, and one gang surviving every gang coming to get them. In this story, Batman has to take a dangerous criminal that every gang is out to get through the streets in a blackout. There's a good twist towards the end that you don't see coming that was well executed. The beginning is a little rocky as it starts the novel in the wrong place I feel, it should have started with a flashback and then to the present day. There is only one Batman villain from his rouge galley of villains, I will not say who because it was a fun surprise in the novel, but most villains are street-level gang members. The plot felt like a Batman game play-through as you're headed to the big boss battle. The way the story was told it was hard to sync in emotionally. Batman: One Dark Night Graphic Novel collects Batman: One Dark Knight #1-3. Batman: One Dark Night was published on September 20, 2022, by DC Comics's Black label.
Plot Synopsis: Batman is watching a prisoner van that is heavily guarded as it moves from Arkham Asylum to Blackgate Prison. The Van transports a criminal known as EMP that can turn himself into an electro-magnetic bomb, he can do this on purpose and sometimes not. The transport van is hit with an RPG before Batman can get to it and EMP goes off and blacks out all of Gotham City. It down Batman's Batplane and communication with Alfred. Batman is alone and has to transport EMP 40 blocks and over a bridge to Blackgate Prison on the ground. The way it went down Batman knows there's a puppet master to the gangs but can't figure out who.
What I Liked: The art is brutal but there's a beauty to it. I like the use of the full panels. I liked the twist in the story and was satisfied with how it turned out. I liked the villain who ended up showing up and felt he was right for this story. The story could have been better, but I ended up liking it. I liked EMP or Edward as a character when he tries to be a better person.
What I Disliked: The beginning could have been set up so much better. We could have established the bad guy's loss right at the beginning and what happened to EMP, to get locked up.
Recommendation: The story for Batman: One Dark Night is okay while the art is spectacular. I'm much more into story than art, but I will recommend this book, while it could have been better I still ended up liking it.
Rating: I rated Batman: One Dark Night by Jock 3 out of 5 stars. #'4 would be the rating I would give it if I could.
Plot Synopsis: Batman is watching a prisoner van that is heavily guarded as it moves from Arkham Asylum to Blackgate Prison. The Van transports a criminal known as EMP that can turn himself into an electro-magnetic bomb, he can do this on purpose and sometimes not. The transport van is hit with an RPG before Batman can get to it and EMP goes off and blacks out all of Gotham City. It down Batman's Batplane and communication with Alfred. Batman is alone and has to transport EMP 40 blocks and over a bridge to Blackgate Prison on the ground. The way it went down Batman knows there's a puppet master to the gangs but can't figure out who.
What I Liked: The art is brutal but there's a beauty to it. I like the use of the full panels. I liked the twist in the story and was satisfied with how it turned out. I liked the villain who ended up showing up and felt he was right for this story. The story could have been better, but I ended up liking it. I liked EMP or Edward as a character when he tries to be a better person.
What I Disliked: The beginning could have been set up so much better. We could have established the bad guy's loss right at the beginning and what happened to EMP, to get locked up.
Recommendation: The story for Batman: One Dark Night is okay while the art is spectacular. I'm much more into story than art, but I will recommend this book, while it could have been better I still ended up liking it.
Rating: I rated Batman: One Dark Night by Jock 3 out of 5 stars. #'4 would be the rating I would give it if I could.
October 7, 2022
As much as I previously liked Jock's art, I think it's best when seen as the occasional pinup or cover. While his storytelling is ok, seeing a full book of his art almost takes away from it; as if it shines a light on what's NOT good about his art. His style, when seen in full, often comes off as messy and rushed. There were also a few points in the book where it wasn't clear to me what was going on, from a visual perspective.
The basic premise of the book is: Batman has to escort a dangerous person from one end of the city to another, through multiple neighborhoods during a time when the entire city is on edge; Basically run a gauntlet. Why Bruce wouldn't just pay to helicopter the prisoner to Blackgate, well I guess you just have to ignore that. There is a subplot with city politics but the motivations there are a little weak and some details are left out which would have helped explain things. It's not a bad attempt for a first time writing but it just falls into the seemingly endless list of average/below average Batman stories that have been published.
The basic premise of the book is: Batman has to escort a dangerous person from one end of the city to another, through multiple neighborhoods during a time when the entire city is on edge; Basically run a gauntlet. Why Bruce wouldn't just pay to helicopter the prisoner to Blackgate, well I guess you just have to ignore that. There is a subplot with city politics but the motivations there are a little weak and some details are left out which would have helped explain things. It's not a bad attempt for a first time writing but it just falls into the seemingly endless list of average/below average Batman stories that have been published.
July 24, 2023
This one has to be an instant classic. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, setting the whole story over a period of just one night, with extra moodiness thanks to the main villain being EMP, cleverly creating the darkest possible setting for what is a very tough night for batman. A gritty night that consists of just one simple prison transfer ends up giving us one of the coolest one off batman stories I have yet read.
April 4, 2023
I enjoyed this one-and-done story a lot, and I respect a comics creator who can wear multiple hats on a project.
February 12, 2024
Story is very meh. Feels like an art book a lot of times, but only the full-page/two-page spreads actually strike me. Thankfully, when Jock's art hits, it hits HARD. I'm thankful I bought this one rather than reading digital so that I can revisit the art physically.
December 30, 2023
It’s not an epoch-defining work, but it’s quite enjoyable for the initiated. The artwork is FANTASTIC and that’s always a big thing for me.
Comics, after all, is a visual medium and if the art is great you create something that can be revisited for the sake of just enjoying the art. Aside from that great art are some genuine emotional moments that happen along the way, including a subtle moment given to Gordon that re-establishes the WHY of his character.
It’s also nice to see Batman focused on *protecting* a prisoner instead of just “making sure he’s contained/punished.” It’s a good dynamic to explore.
It gets a little messy story wise at the end and honestly I think it could have benefitted from a fourth and/or fifth chapter to the story. So while this is nowhere near the “Batman has been redefined for me for all time” level, I very much enjoyed it.
Comics, after all, is a visual medium and if the art is great you create something that can be revisited for the sake of just enjoying the art. Aside from that great art are some genuine emotional moments that happen along the way, including a subtle moment given to Gordon that re-establishes the WHY of his character.
It’s also nice to see Batman focused on *protecting* a prisoner instead of just “making sure he’s contained/punished.” It’s a good dynamic to explore.
It gets a little messy story wise at the end and honestly I think it could have benefitted from a fourth and/or fifth chapter to the story. So while this is nowhere near the “Batman has been redefined for me for all time” level, I very much enjoyed it.
February 1, 2023
Jock is an absolutely incredible artist. His writing though…lacks a bit. Or a lot. It lacks a lot. I hate to say this, but this wasn’t good. This read more like a FanFiction about Batman than anything else. I absolutely hated the dialogue and the story was too predictable. 2 stars earned for the incredible art alone, but there’s just not much more to give this one credit for.
November 4, 2024
This was an intense and action-packed comic, but the execution in end wasn't it.
November 23, 2022
Jock is one of the best artists working in comics today. My introduction was upon reading his Vertigo work from Faker to The Losers, and then eventually his collaborations with Scott Snyder where he illustrated Batman: The Black Mirror and Wytches. Especially when it comes to the Dark Knight, Jock has proven himself to be one of the best artists on that character, so anytime he gets to do anything Batman-related, it might as well be an event.
Haven’t written anything since his days in 2000 AD, Jock was given his own Batman comic to draw, colour and write. This was something I was trepidatious about, considering the danger of artists having 100% control over the creation of a comic, a key example would be early 90s Image comics, where the art may be eye-popping, the writing has often been uninspired.
So what is Batman: One Dark Knight about? From high above the sweltering summer streets of Gotham, Batman would escort the GCPD as the dangerous metahuman super-villain known as E.M.P. was transferred from Arkham Asylum to his permanent home at Blackgate Prison in Gotham Harbor. However, when rival gangs battling out what to do with the metahuman, his electrical powers go out of control, causing a city-wide blackout.
It takes the whole first issue for that set-up of the blackout to happen, so initially you are reading a Batman story you have seen many times, which is our hero escorting a villain (albeit a new creation for this book) with help from the police, at least from Commissioner Gordon. However, once the lights go out, that’s when the book kicks into gear, with Batman, not having many resources, having to physically carry E.M.P. and escort him to the prison with a few obstacles along the way.
While there is a plot going on, in terms of how E.M.P.’s past crimes influencing the current situation involving street violence, vengeance and the occasional superpowers, One Dark Knight is at its best when it just embraces its action-filled premise that evokes John Carpenter’s films such as Escape from New York. As a DC Black Label title, sure you have characters dropping F-bombs, but it is really an excuse for Jock to go unhinged with his art, which is some of his best work to date, with a greater use of double-page spreads, as well as Batman’s extravagant case having a mind of its own.
Jock’s art is never slick and polished, but rougher and messier than conventional standards, which always work when it comes to darker stories and certainly when it comes to the streets of Gotham, there is a constant grittiness to that world, with an over-emphasis of shadows given the context of the story. The action is gnarly with a classic black-and-blue Batman being a brawler when it comes to the fights, especially his confrontation with Killer Croc where blood spurts out and our hero just looking battered and yet still manages to get up.
While the writing doesn’t reach the emotion or even horror of Scott Snyder when he was writing Batman, Jock gets just the character and celebrates him in his own way through his always-great art and simple action-filled premise.
Haven’t written anything since his days in 2000 AD, Jock was given his own Batman comic to draw, colour and write. This was something I was trepidatious about, considering the danger of artists having 100% control over the creation of a comic, a key example would be early 90s Image comics, where the art may be eye-popping, the writing has often been uninspired.
So what is Batman: One Dark Knight about? From high above the sweltering summer streets of Gotham, Batman would escort the GCPD as the dangerous metahuman super-villain known as E.M.P. was transferred from Arkham Asylum to his permanent home at Blackgate Prison in Gotham Harbor. However, when rival gangs battling out what to do with the metahuman, his electrical powers go out of control, causing a city-wide blackout.
It takes the whole first issue for that set-up of the blackout to happen, so initially you are reading a Batman story you have seen many times, which is our hero escorting a villain (albeit a new creation for this book) with help from the police, at least from Commissioner Gordon. However, once the lights go out, that’s when the book kicks into gear, with Batman, not having many resources, having to physically carry E.M.P. and escort him to the prison with a few obstacles along the way.
While there is a plot going on, in terms of how E.M.P.’s past crimes influencing the current situation involving street violence, vengeance and the occasional superpowers, One Dark Knight is at its best when it just embraces its action-filled premise that evokes John Carpenter’s films such as Escape from New York. As a DC Black Label title, sure you have characters dropping F-bombs, but it is really an excuse for Jock to go unhinged with his art, which is some of his best work to date, with a greater use of double-page spreads, as well as Batman’s extravagant case having a mind of its own.
Jock’s art is never slick and polished, but rougher and messier than conventional standards, which always work when it comes to darker stories and certainly when it comes to the streets of Gotham, there is a constant grittiness to that world, with an over-emphasis of shadows given the context of the story. The action is gnarly with a classic black-and-blue Batman being a brawler when it comes to the fights, especially his confrontation with Killer Croc where blood spurts out and our hero just looking battered and yet still manages to get up.
While the writing doesn’t reach the emotion or even horror of Scott Snyder when he was writing Batman, Jock gets just the character and celebrates him in his own way through his always-great art and simple action-filled premise.
August 28, 2023
Love the artwork of Jock…but the writing? So incredibly boring. There really isn’t anything that hooks you in this comic or anything that makes it worth sitting through.
August 9, 2022
I hate to shit on Jock, he’s one of the most iconic Batman artists out there but man, this wasn’t good at all. The premise and introduction did the work well enough but the middle and ending were just so dull, it was hard to stick to it given how little interest I had in seeing the arc play itself out. The art also isn’t Jock’s best, this isn’t as good as his Black Mirror, GA Year One of his many amazing covers. It isn’t bad by any stretch but his dull story didn’t get the save from his art that it needed.
December 8, 2024
Reminded me of the Bruce Willis movie 21 Blocks.
December 16, 2022
3.5 stars
The only single issue of Batman I have sought out and purchased was a one-shot by Jock from a handful of years back. Its angle was the gentrification accelerated by Bruce Wayne's "urban development," and I thought it did a pretty good job while also looking stunning.
This Black Label mini-series is centered on a metahuman I'd never heard of called E.M.P. There are multiple references to a catastrophic event caused by this guy five years prior, but I'd never heard about that either, so it didn't carry the weight it might've otherwise. I'm also unsure of whether Vasquez has been a recurring character. Overall a good read for Batman fans.
The only single issue of Batman I have sought out and purchased was a one-shot by Jock from a handful of years back. Its angle was the gentrification accelerated by Bruce Wayne's "urban development," and I thought it did a pretty good job while also looking stunning.
This Black Label mini-series is centered on a metahuman I'd never heard of called E.M.P. There are multiple references to a catastrophic event caused by this guy five years prior, but I'd never heard about that either, so it didn't carry the weight it might've otherwise. I'm also unsure of whether Vasquez has been a recurring character. Overall a good read for Batman fans.
August 30, 2022
Le transfert d'E.M.P., metahumain aux pouvoirs électriques, d'Arkham à Blackgate ne se passe pas comme prévu et Gotham se retrouve dans le noir complet... Batman est en mauvaise posture mais va faire son possible pour aider EMP et l'amener en "sécurité".
J'ai bien aimé ce tome qui se passe en une nuit, le style de dessin moderne, les couleurs qui ressortent bien dans cette ambiance sombre, la course contre la montre avec un batman comme j'aime qui va plus être dans l'aide aux autres que le combat.
J'ai bien aimé ce tome qui se passe en une nuit, le style de dessin moderne, les couleurs qui ressortent bien dans cette ambiance sombre, la course contre la montre avec un batman comme j'aime qui va plus être dans l'aide aux autres que le combat.
December 25, 2022
★★★ - liked it
This is the first thing I've ever read that was written by Jock, and I was underwhelmed. A pretty basic story from start to finish without any real surprises. I was unimpressed with the villains especially (maybe my own fault, but I've never even heard of E.M.P.), and the small appearance from Killer Croc didn't do much to redeem that.
In terms of the art, it was good, but not great...which is weird, because I'm usually a fan of Jock's art. The whole thing was very dark (hence the title), but maybe the coloring is what threw me, or maybe it was too much of that Jock grit all at once, rather than something like Black Mirror with alternating art every other chapter.
Still, I wanted to read Batman after Kevin Conroy's passing, and this fit the bill.
This is the first thing I've ever read that was written by Jock, and I was underwhelmed. A pretty basic story from start to finish without any real surprises. I was unimpressed with the villains especially (maybe my own fault, but I've never even heard of E.M.P.), and the small appearance from Killer Croc didn't do much to redeem that.
In terms of the art, it was good, but not great...which is weird, because I'm usually a fan of Jock's art. The whole thing was very dark (hence the title), but maybe the coloring is what threw me, or maybe it was too much of that Jock grit all at once, rather than something like Black Mirror with alternating art every other chapter.
Still, I wanted to read Batman after Kevin Conroy's passing, and this fit the bill.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2025
"So down here, in the filth and dirt of Gotham...where unspoken horrors live and prey... is where I need to stay."
The enjoyment of a superhero story is in seeing the protagonist go up against impossible odds, get knocked down, and get back up again. Jock does that incredibly well here with a stylish and brutal art style that perfectly captures Gotham and Batman. The plot is rather simple but exciting, Gotham is in a blackout and Batman has to carry an unconscious villian across the city while being hunted down by different gangs.
The enjoyment of a superhero story is in seeing the protagonist go up against impossible odds, get knocked down, and get back up again. Jock does that incredibly well here with a stylish and brutal art style that perfectly captures Gotham and Batman. The plot is rather simple but exciting, Gotham is in a blackout and Batman has to carry an unconscious villian across the city while being hunted down by different gangs.
October 13, 2022
Read in single issues, and perhaps the wait between issues made this an even more uninteresting experience for me.
The premise itself feels like it could just be a single issue from an ongoing Batman title. We follow Bats as he escorts an inmate across a blacked out Gotham City. The description for the book includes the mention of it being a sweltering summer night, which I felt was a confusing added descriptor since it isn't something that plays any relevance to the story. Set dressing, I guess.
Everything about this comic felt so self-serious which wouldn't be an issue if the villains weren't absolute cartoons. Jock's artwork is of course quite nice, but even then there are portions where it is quite apparent to my untrained eye that deadline crunch was felt.
Would have been nice as a one-shot and not a series of issues that just dragged the already thin premise way too long.
The premise itself feels like it could just be a single issue from an ongoing Batman title. We follow Bats as he escorts an inmate across a blacked out Gotham City. The description for the book includes the mention of it being a sweltering summer night, which I felt was a confusing added descriptor since it isn't something that plays any relevance to the story. Set dressing, I guess.
Everything about this comic felt so self-serious which wouldn't be an issue if the villains weren't absolute cartoons. Jock's artwork is of course quite nice, but even then there are portions where it is quite apparent to my untrained eye that deadline crunch was felt.
Would have been nice as a one-shot and not a series of issues that just dragged the already thin premise way too long.
November 11, 2022
I don't understand why this was praised so much and I don't understand the fascination with Jock's work.
This definitely belongs in the Black Label imprint because this Elseworlds / Multiverse Batman has a pretty wrecked universe. I'm glad this isn't in the standard DCU.
EMP? Cliche. The plot? Derivative. The art reminds me of Jae Lee's black and white early work.
This definitely belongs in the Black Label imprint because this Elseworlds / Multiverse Batman has a pretty wrecked universe. I'm glad this isn't in the standard DCU.
EMP? Cliche. The plot? Derivative. The art reminds me of Jae Lee's black and white early work.
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