Batman: White Knight #2

Batman: White Knight

by Sean Gordon Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth (Illustrator)

Public support for Batman dwindles and Gotham City’s 99 percent rally around ex-Joker Jack Napier’s crusade to expose decades of corruption within the GCPD. A proposition inspires new revelations about Harley and The Joker’s past; and as Jack transforms into a hero of the middle class and takes extreme measures to mobilize a revolutionary army of super-villains, Bruce struggles to stay focused on engineering a technological breakthrough to save Alfred.

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

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2017

About the author

After breaking into the industry at a young age, Sean Gordon Murphy made a name for himself in the world of indie comics before joining up with DC. In his tenure, he has worked on such titles as Batman/Scarecrow: Year One, Teen Titans, Hellblazer, Joe The Barbarian, and the critically acclaimed miniseries American Vampire: Survival Of The Fittest and The Wake with Scott Snyder. Murphy also wrote and illustrated the original graphic novel Offroad and the popular miniseries Punk Rock Jesus.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi, puddin’! I’m back too!


This is the comic book issue #2 of the event “Batman: White Knight”, which it will be a miniseries of 8 issues.


Creative Team:

Writer & Illustrator: Sean Murphy

Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth

Letterer: Todd Klein


JACK & HARLEEN

The Joker is no more, and now it’s only Jack Napier…

…but that’s not all, since Harley Quinn, any Harley Quinn, isn’t needed anymore, but…

…Dr. Harleen Quinzel is much needed for Jack, not mattered if he knows it or not.

I’m a psychiatrist, remember?

Jack’s plan is going as smooth as he has planned so far.

He’s free from Arkham Asylum once again, but not escaping, but found not guilty by law court…

…Gotham City is at his reach for his personal agenda to turn it against The Batman.

However, it’s logical that he’ll need muscle to support his plans, not mattered if those muscle is willing or not to support him.

Watch out, heroes AND villains!

Here comes Jack and Harleen!

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

White Knight #2 was my white whale. I for the life of me couldn’t find it anywhere. Finally found and LOVED.

This entire series is just awesome. Awesome!!!!

[Jedi JC Daquis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman White Knight continues to intrigue me as to how Sean Murphy is going to handle it. Will it be a drama story or will he make some action-packed scenes? This is a story of a cured Joker (or rather, Jack Napier) who is hell-bent on making things right in Gotham City.

The art is good. Such is expected from Sean Murphy. The writing on the other hand needs some more improvent. Issue two tried to convince the citizens of the city to believe in Joker, which they did. Unfortunately, it doesn't translate well to convincing the readers too. Perhaps the problem here is that Murphy has a tendency to portray the public as simple-minded, something which can also be observed in his Punk Rock Jesus.

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Comixology Unlimited, I get to read the first two issues. I loved them both. Great story and art. Devilishly clever plotline here. Intelligent writing. And the art is suited for the storyline. Oh and by the look at the end of issue #2 things are just getting warmed up. With this Elsewhere type approach anything can happen.

[Youmna · Rating 4 out of 5]

قراءة الامتحانات الحرام دي احسن الف مرة من القراءة في أوقات الفراغ والله 😂😂❤️

[Amin Matin · Rating 5 out of 5]

ایده بکر و بی نظیر به این میگن...

[Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman: White Knight issue 2 continues the strange tale of a out of control Batman and a Joker changed into someone we don't recognize or could never have been believed to have been possible. The transformation is complete and there is only Jack Napier.

The video of Batman's violence has exploded all over social media and people and talking heads alike agree that the Caped Crusader has gone too far. On trial for his life, the Joker makes an impassioned plea and the world recognizes that the Joker is no more and the man left in place, Jack Napier becomes the voice of the middle class citizen whose biggest fear is not the criminals on the street; but the vigilante street justice.

Batman has his own worries, mainly the illness that is taking from him his mentor and friend, Alfred Pennyworth.

As Napier begins his crusade against the Batman, he discovers a secret about his past that he never realized. A secret that will both aid and hinder him. A secret about the woman he loved; Harley Quinn. Together, they begin to build an army of resistance against the GCPD and the Batman. Supervillians that will do whatever Napier commands and with the support of the people of Gotham, will this finally be the end of the Batman.

Issue two continues this original and entertaining comic and ties together some of the more interesting questions of the Batman Universe. The interaction between the Harley Quinns is priceless and quickly becomes a driving theme in this tale. Is the Joker really acting for the good of Gotham or is this even a greater ingenious plan to destroy the Batman.

This comic is very much worth its following and those who miss it will be kicking themselves when this run is complete!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, just confused by a few things.

[Siona Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this story and what it's doing with the Joke, Batman, and now Harley has characters. Especially with the Harley Quinn reveal, that was really great (especially if you don't like what Harley has become in recent continuity).

[Dee Villarreal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't a fan of Dark Knight Rises because it really seemed to vilify the 99% and portray Batman as the hero for 1%, rather than Gotham itself, and doing so without presenting this as a problem. This series continues to impress. The art is not only incredibly beautiful, the story very naturally addresses the very real issues of police corruption and brutality, poverty and gentrification, crime and profiteering. Joker is now fully Jack Napier, and he truly wants to save Gotham. He truly wants to help those in society who are in need and suffer at the hands of capitalism. He wants to make an actual difference. While Jack is abandoning his obsession with Batman, Bruce refuses to abandon his obsession with Joker, and is starting to face the reality that he is part of the problem with poverty and criminality.

[Lerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of why Harleen lost Jack broke my heart.

[Centli Garcés Buendia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadie puede hacer las cosas solo, para bien o para mal siempre necesitamos de ayuda.

[Aron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow,...I'm impressed. This issue adds a lot of depth & direction to the story, I'm thinking this might be an absolute must read for Batman fans.

[20hrsinamerica · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I'm still intrigued. I still don't mind all the text bubbles even if at first glance it looks like a lot, reading ultimately feels smooth.

However, 2 issues. This whole old versus new Harley? It's an interesting twist on her costume changes but it feels very convenient. Although A+ on reminding readers Harley is very smart. Second, and I'm going to get political here, but the comic does so first so...honestly, minorities would NEVER buy Jack's BS. His speeches as written are definitely playing off Trump and Trumpism. And when you look at stats, minorities did not vote for Trump. White dudes and white women did. It's these people who respond to the elitism, populism, and "gatekeeper" rhetoric. Minorities, as a whole, would not exonerate Joker - they'd still see him as a murdering psycho (after all, as noted by the focus on certain neighborhoods like Backport, they would have been the ones most affected by Joker's antics) even if they attributed some of that to the system. And I honestly can't tell if Murphy doesn't get that, or if he's specifically aligning different stances into a mishmash for the sake of storytelling. But it's heavy handed (not saying comics shouldn't be political - far from it) just it feels sloppy and a tad too simplistic of analysis.

Also, I'm confused by the whole Freeze scene. What place does it have in this story? I'm sure somehow it'll tie in, but it felt really jarring.

I'm also guessing with the reference to Jason Todd, I have to accept this as an AU where Joker might actually be "cured" (although as both he and Harley note, Jack isn't free from psychoses) versus an elaborate trick (or maybe no one knows Jason is Red Hood yet?)...but I'm still not sure I buy it. Certainly, Jack is no white knight, even if he is "cured" in this context. Ultimately, though, it's still a story about a fucked up codependent relationship, even if Joker is "gone".

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm torn. I love the references to past stuff, but it is kind of going in a weird direction that I'm not sure of.

[Evelyn Blackwater · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you skim over the strange use of terms like SJW by broadcasters and the weirdly anti feminist declaration of feminism by the original Harley Quinn AND you likewise skim over the fact the most relatable character in the piece (Barbara Gordon) is tossed away by the story and our oh so serious male leads as fodder- then yeah... if you can overlook all those eyebrow raising moments like I did, you'll have a good time.
I'm not trying to be a Debbie downer. I just tend to look at anything fiction wise with a more feminist eye first. Terms like SJW being used by news broadcasters in this is strange because, as far as I can tell, we're supposed to be looking at both the Joker and Batman in a very ambivalent light. The politics in this piece are just all overt the map and hard to gauge.
As a story itself it's engaging as fuck. The art is beautiful and the colors even more so. Good enough I wanna give it four stars. Just a lot to look over.

[Chris Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not convinced by the Joker’s new personality, or the story’s premise. Also unclear if Murphy is being ironic. Batman is viewed and shown as villainous, but his care towards the ailing Alfred contradicts this portrait. Also ironic is Jack Napier’s claim to fight for the 99 percent while donning an expensive suit. Even more ironic is the ending. Is Napier really turned good? Or is Murphy leading us on?

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Jack Napier has become a hero for the middle class and is turning folks against the GCPD and Batman. He and Harley have plans to start a revolution and become Gotham's new heroes and it was so good. Harley told nothing but the truth when she said that Joker was in love with Batman. Obsessed with him. It was also great getting some insight into Harley and Jack's relationship when he was still the Joker.

[Maurice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second part to this story arc will definitely leave you wondering what will happen next. As The Joker is slowly gaining the trust of Gotham, you wonder what card he may have up his sleeve. Especially when he's seen talking to Batman's rouge gallery. Looking forward to reading the next upcoming issue!

[Marisa Carpico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of this can be a little heavy-handed, but the work Murphy is doing in critiquing the Batman oeuvre is incredible. The Harley stuff in this is absolutely brilliant—particularly the way it takes down the current iteration. Do wish the actual story were as clever as the criticism, but that's the unimportant part and I know it.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 Harley's... That threw me for a loop. Man I have been away from comics awhile. It's interesting turn of events, could Harley be our litmus test as our "judge" if this whole reformed criminal act is real. Who is the little girl next to Killer Croc? Why would a reformed criminal need to control all of the super-criminals? So many questions?

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was confused by the inclusion of two Harleys. Feels like a commentary on the character's costume change. Some of the Mr. Freeze stuff actually feels a little reminiscent of the Harley Quinn episode in which he appeared today. And it's weird seeing Clayface in Harley's presence without it being the exuberant version from the show.

[Alvaro Zinos-Amaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent artwork but the story gave me pause several times, with leaps and unlikely developments. Also not loving the portrayal of the female characters. So, like in #1, visually stimulating, but disappointing writing.

[Emilija · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the two Harleys surprised me, and a rather positive surprise. It only did hurt knowing that he forgot the Harley he loved, he didn't even notice that she was gone, but it gives me some comfort knowing that at least, he loved her.

[Kay ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artwork is different, not my cup of tea. I don’t think the Joker could ever redeem himself but I agree with Harley that he’s in love with Batman.

I didn’t plan on picking this up but I was able to find it for $1 so I figured why not.

[Aasher Blaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ame

No me espere que había dos Harleys pero como entro la original fue wow, tengo muchas expectativas sobre lo que seguirá sucediendo y por primera vez batman me cae mal aunque creo que es el objetivo.

AMO A HARLEENNN

[Mohamed Mossad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, it keeps getting better I hope it doesn't suck at the end.

[Derek Neveu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all over the place. I love the double Harley and the knock on The Suicide Squad version, but what is the point of half of this?

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well things are certainly getting interesting. Though I wonder if whatever politics they’re playing with will end up insulting the reader in the end with its lack of depth. I guess we’ll see.

[Catherine Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great comics out right now.