Batman: Blades

by James Robinson (Writer), Tim Sale (Penciler)

While the Batman is distracted with a serial killer who targets senior citizens, a new vigilante, the swashbuckling Cavalier, begins his own war on crime.

Genres: Comics, Batman, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

96 pages, Unknown Binding

First published July 1, 1992

About the author

James Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays.

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robinson has managed to nail the balance between being a comic book and staying grounded in some level of reality. The dialogue flows wonderfully, and, once again, the humanisation of Batman is executed very well through prose, art and actions. Tim Sale's art also never misses. Not everything in this world is black or white, and Blades is a good example of how Gotham operates in shades of grey.

[Ludwig Aczel · Rating 2 out of 5]

5.5/10
The weird, sometimes silly, yet somehow charming art of Tim Sale matches well this weird, sometimes silly, yet somehow charming story.
Toning down the rhetoric monologues would have helped, of course. Also, the explanation of the mystery of the cavalier/girl relation at the beginning of the third issue could have been handled in a less clumsy and verbose way. But it's not like I am expecting much better from a Batman comic book. So, overall not too bad.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars
Individual issues rated below -

Legends of the Dark Knight #32: 2.5/5
Legends of the Dark Knight #33: 3/5
Legends of the Dark Knight #34: 4/5

[robins' round · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story. It's short, just 3 issues, but the ending hit me in the feels so hard I teared up (and that's unusual for me!). It was so unexpected too, there was no sign it's going to be a (very) emotional story at the beginning.

To be honest, it's kind of silly - the premise of it. Batman is too busy spiraling, after starting to work on a case that hits just /a little/ too close to home, and so he lets another vigilante be the protector of Gotham. Cavalier is flirty, cheerful, smug, and actually puts effort into connecting to the public. In short: a completely different vigilante than Batman. But I really grew to like Hudson; it's hard not to root for him.

He's very self-aware. He knows why he became a vigilante, he knows what his pros are and knows how to use them. Cavalier's reasons are much more selfish than Bruce's (at least at the beginning), sure, but in the end, he also has his own moral code he follows, even if it costs him his life. In the end, he is a man, who went down the wrong path for good reasons (well, kind of), and chooses to deal with the consequences of it by himself.

The last page? "Remember Batman, the potential for evil is in every man. In every man. Even you... even you... even you..." Gave me chills. It's a morbid reminder I prefer not to dwell on, but oh, I'm sure Bruce does.

PS. Tim Sale's artwork is, as always, lovely. Bonus points just for that

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, look at this little gem of a fucking story. Never hear anyone talk about this one.

Batman is fighting crime but a new Zorro like hero comes into Gotham to help. Things happen, reveals and people not who we think they are, begin to show their true face. But behind every action is a consequence and the ending was really well done. If like brutal, yet lots of detective work Batman, this is one to pick up!

[Mariano Lastiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blades es una interesante sorpresa entre la infinidad de comics que han quedado desapercibidos dentro de la historia del encapotado. Tiene un tufillo a acercarse a la idea de Tierra 2, pero por suerte la evade para plantear una suerte de vueltas de tuerca fascinantes ¿Que pasaría si el caballero de la noche estuviera tan ocupado en un caso?¿Acaso permitiría que el resto del crimen quedara impune? Si hablamos del momento donde no estaba conformada la batifamilia, Blades nos la responde usando a un personaje olvidado de los primeros años del comic. Y sin duda, es el elemento más interesante de la historia. Un personaje que hace hazañas superheroicas, arrastrada por motivaciones mucho menos oscuras y más frívolas, sin perder la gracia. Como siempre, todo termina en tragedia, pero el impacto de Blades esta en la calidez del personaje y no en el guión. Y a veces eso es mejor que el enfrentamiento con el enemigo de la semana.

[Chema Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una fabulosa historia de Batman engarzada con un trágico y arrebatador halo romántico. Una delicatessen exquisita basada en un personaje co-protagonista inolvidable y una trama muy bien hilada, de emociones a flor de piel . Un 10.

[Zac · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of a Zorro-like character being at the centre of ‘Blades’ didn’t really appeal to me to begin with, but this turned out to be a great story. The swashbuckling Cavalier takes to the streets as Gotham’s new celebrity hero while Batman is preoccupied with Mr. Lime - a serial killer who targets the elderly. Though Lime isn’t a super powered villain, he manages to elude Batman, and Bats is driven ill by his obsession to catch the killer. And while the Cavalier seems to be the hero the city needs, he is tragically corrupted. A great character whose relationship to Batman is explored in interesting ways, I was a bit disappointed by the last few pages, which seemed to lack imagination of where to go. Tim Sale’s art is good, but the page layouts are busy. A surprisingly good tale.

[Sotofunkdamental · Rating 4 out of 5]

Espadas cuenta con guión de James Robinson y dibujos de Tim Sale. Una lectura entretenida que formó parte de esa gran serie llamada "Legends of the Dark Knight", que trajo obras tan interesantes como Presa, Veneno, Chamán, Gótico, Fe o Rostros, entre muchas otras. Argumento: "Mientras Batman se distrae con un asesino en serie que ataca a personas de la tercera edad, un nuevo justiciero, el Caballero, comienza su propia guerra contra el crimen".

[drown_like_its_1999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new vigilante named Cavalier has appeared in Gotham seeking fame. Preoccupied with a particularly beguiling case, Batman turns a blind eye to the actions of this new crime fighter and lets the newcomer take minor events off his hands. Cavalier soon becomes obsessed with the thrill of vigilantism and involves himself in the life of a woman with a troubled past. He quickly goes too far to protect her and puts himself on a trajectory to conflict with the caped crusader.

What is a common Batman setup of a new vigilante gone awry is given a entertaining and impeccably rendered treatment. The plot is still relatively unoriginal but does a competent job at developing the new character's motivations and provides ample material for Sale's engrossing art. While his style isn't quite as distinctive as it was with Long Halloween, Sale delivers cinematic compositions and dynamic panelling that ooze personality.

[Rizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice little surprise. James Robinson (while he was still good), and TIM SALE? The story lives up to its pedigree as we get a story pretty heavily referencing Batman's ties to Zorro. And come on, it's Tim Sale.

[Rodrigo Tello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buena historia clásica de Batman, a destacar el acertado final y los dibujos del gran Tim Sale

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at who The Batman could have been?

I always enjoy the art of Tim Sale.

[Nitoy Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

finally read and complete this run...one great batman story....

[Sameh Magdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art..great story..One of the best Batman short stories out there.