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Batman Post-Crisis #108
Batman: Knight Out
After a tumultuous period-including being replaced by Azrael and a deadly contagion hitting Gotham City-Batman’s back to business in this collection of stories by the fan-favorite creative team of Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan, the creators of Bane! As Batman reels from the aftermath of the Final Night, the Riddler and Cluemaster unite for a uniquely vexing attack-and then Gunhawk and Deathstroke come to town! After all of that, if anything’s left of Gotham, Firefly might just burn it to the ground. Collects Detective Comics #703-718.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2020
30 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Dixon
3,426 books1,029 followersCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 24, 2020
It was refreshing to see 15 Batman issues from the 90's in a row without any interruptions for events. However, these stories weren't anything special. They are lackluster at best. Graham Nolan's art is solid. It worth a checkout from the library, but that's about it.
October 22, 2020
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Life has a way of making us feel miserable. It will make us beg for miracles, for a hand to pierce through the dark sky and offer us mercy, beg for any sign of hope within this mad world. It is during these trying moments that some are driven to the limit of their sanity, abandoning any sense of justice, remorse, or guilt as they refuse to think twice when confronted with the law. Alas, life will have made them see that any means would justify the end. In Gotham City, not many are able to dig themselves out of the grave they find themselves in. Instead, they pursue a life of criminality and pray that the Caped Crusader doesn’t look their way. Diving into countless events during the dark nights of this city is the legendary Batman creative team of Chuck Dixon (Batman: Knightfall, Robin: Year One) and Graham Nolan (Hawkworld, Superman) as they present us with a collection of past adventures featuring Batman (Bruce Wayne), Robin (Tim Drake), and Alfred Pennyworth.
What is Batman: Knight Out about? Collecting Detective Comics issues #703-718, this graphic novel is an anthology of several adventures where Batman and Robin go up against new and old foes to take them down before they harm anyone in the process. From playing The Riddler’s games, teamed up with his two associates, Query and Echo, to discovering the pitiful saga of Al Gabone, to stopping a revenge-driven man-machine known as Gearhead, there’s no moment to rest as Batman fights crime, often pushed to the temptation of breaking his own rule, and finds himself confronting criminals who are either driven to lawlessness or dumped in a vast and cold sea of full-on villainy.
Unlike other graphic novels, this reprint of past issues offers fans the chance to explore stories created by writer Chuck Dixon and penciller Graham Nolan centered around Batman and his rogues’ gallery. Read like a sequence of rarely connected episodes of crime-fighting, a lot of the narrative gravitates around typical action and adventure without ever diving into a complex or original story-arc. While a couple of villains presented here are well-known to fans, such as The Riddler, Deathstroke, and Firefly, this graphic novel also offers readers the chance to discover less notorious characters, from Gunhawk to Gearhead. Although they don’t leave any worthwhile impression on readers, it is the fun and borderline asinine story-telling that makes this collection somehow refreshing to pick up amidst more compelling stories.
The artwork by Graham Nolan and Jim Aparo offers a very traditional cartoon style that often feels very open and aerated, sticking to less but larger panels to display the characters in the middle of their crime-fighting sequences. Without overpopulating pages with dialogue either, the artwork simply flows from one sequence to another, allowing readers to gobble up the adventures without having too much time to think, thus stripped of those moments to realize the mundane stories that are being told. Colourist Gloria Vasquez also brilliantly contributes to this creative team’s comic book run by giving Gotham City the somber and sinister tone while also allowing the contrasting Bruce Wayne life to pop with life alongside Robin’s suit. While these stories aren’t that impressive, their derivative quality is sometimes exactly what you need every now and then.
Batman: Knight Out is an unfocused, episodic, and featureless collection of stories exploring the crime-fighting journey of Batman and Robin.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
October 12, 2020
This is getting close to when Dixon leaves the Batman main title and just writes Nightwing/Robin. And you can tell why editorial might have given him the boot.
It's not to say these are awful stories. Some are pretty solid. The best one in the collection would probably be Knight out for being silly but fun and the Final Night tie in which shows off Gotham in a different way but also Robin, Huntress, and Batman. The others, especially the riddler story, range from decent to bad. I really think this series was missing direction and went for a more Saturday morning cartoon feel but without the fun part.
Overall, this is probably Dixon weakest Batman collection to date. While I enjoyed moments I can't say any will stick with me. Even Legacy, the second weakest of Dixon stuff, has something that this was missing. Maybe Urgency, or stakes, but either way this one failed to deliver either.
A 2.5 out of 5.
It's not to say these are awful stories. Some are pretty solid. The best one in the collection would probably be Knight out for being silly but fun and the Final Night tie in which shows off Gotham in a different way but also Robin, Huntress, and Batman. The others, especially the riddler story, range from decent to bad. I really think this series was missing direction and went for a more Saturday morning cartoon feel but without the fun part.
Overall, this is probably Dixon weakest Batman collection to date. While I enjoyed moments I can't say any will stick with me. Even Legacy, the second weakest of Dixon stuff, has something that this was missing. Maybe Urgency, or stakes, but either way this one failed to deliver either.
A 2.5 out of 5.
March 9, 2022
Love all the Tim/Bruce/Oracle/Alfred stuff. I miss Alfred and when Babs was Oracle ☹️
March 27, 2021
Chuck Dixon has an impressive history writing Batman, particularly paired with artist Graham Nolan, but "Knight Out" -- although full of single issue content never before reprinted-- falls short of either creator's best work. Perhaps it's a matter of this content being from the last of a nearly 6 year consistent run with the Dark Knight, perhaps new opportunities were getting more attention (the issues of Detective Comics reprinted here coincide with Dixon's highly successful launch of the 1997 Nightwing series).
There are some noteworthy moments in this collection, particularly Slade Wilson/Deathstroke's first guest appearance in a Batman comic. Ultimately, however, this book felt like a chore to get through, and reading through other Bat books from the same era only reinforces my feeling that something is less than inspired here.
There are some noteworthy moments in this collection, particularly Slade Wilson/Deathstroke's first guest appearance in a Batman comic. Ultimately, however, this book felt like a chore to get through, and reading through other Bat books from the same era only reinforces my feeling that something is less than inspired here.
April 12, 2025
Batman: Knight Out, written by Chuck Dixon and primarily illustrated by Graham Nolan, is one of those underrated collections that deserves more attention. It’s a must-have for Batman fans, as it finally collects, for the first time, the Detective Comics issues set between the events of Legacy and Cataclysm.
The collection opens with a Final Night tie-in. I like the interaction between Robin and Huntress in this story. It’s followed by another one-shot that features a low-level criminal. It’s a refreshing change of pace. Not every story needs to be part of a larger story arc or event.
Next is a three-issue arc featuring the Riddler and Cluemaster that, on paper, should have been great given their similarities. However, it fell flat for me. Also, it’s not really a team-up since one of them is forced to wear a vest full of explosives.
That arc is followed by a three-part story where Dixon and Nolan bring back Gunhawk, a character they originally introduced during Knightquest. Gunhawk is in a slump—his partner wants out, and he’s desperate to prove himself. The story also features Deathstroke, who is wearing a blue costume. This was my first time encountering that look, and personally, I prefer his classic orange-and-black design.
Then we come to Detective Comics 711, titled “Knight Out,” which also happens to be the title of this collection. I don’t know why this particular issue was chosen as the title of the book. That said, I love this story. It follows Bruce Wayne as he deals with an armed robbery without ever suiting up as Batman. That is awesome. It’s no surprise this story was also selected for Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years.
The next issue kicks off a two-part story featuring the first appearance of Gearhead. I’m not particularly a fan of his character design, but he should be considered the featured villain of this book, as he appears in two separate story arcs.
Following that is a two-issue mystery story that includes Firefly, though he’s not the main antagonist. Also, there’s a guest protagonist whose identity I won’t spoil, as the reveal is a key moment in the story.
The next story is a heartbreaking one-shot about a typical Gotham criminal who does whatever he can to protect and provide for his family. Reluctantly, he gets involved in a robbery, and the consequences are tragic. The one-shots in this book are absolutely killing it, and this one stands out all the more because it’s illustrated by the great Jim Aparo. Graham Nolan’s art is superb throughout the collection, but Aparo hits different.
The final story arc is a two-parter featuring the return of Gearhead. I’m not sure why Dixon brought him back so soon, but I’m not complaining. These issues give us a great showcase of just how special and well-equipped the Batmobile really is.
Collects Detective Comics (1937) 703-718.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
The collection opens with a Final Night tie-in. I like the interaction between Robin and Huntress in this story. It’s followed by another one-shot that features a low-level criminal. It’s a refreshing change of pace. Not every story needs to be part of a larger story arc or event.
Next is a three-issue arc featuring the Riddler and Cluemaster that, on paper, should have been great given their similarities. However, it fell flat for me. Also, it’s not really a team-up since one of them is forced to wear a vest full of explosives.
That arc is followed by a three-part story where Dixon and Nolan bring back Gunhawk, a character they originally introduced during Knightquest. Gunhawk is in a slump—his partner wants out, and he’s desperate to prove himself. The story also features Deathstroke, who is wearing a blue costume. This was my first time encountering that look, and personally, I prefer his classic orange-and-black design.
Then we come to Detective Comics 711, titled “Knight Out,” which also happens to be the title of this collection. I don’t know why this particular issue was chosen as the title of the book. That said, I love this story. It follows Bruce Wayne as he deals with an armed robbery without ever suiting up as Batman. That is awesome. It’s no surprise this story was also selected for Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years.
The next issue kicks off a two-part story featuring the first appearance of Gearhead. I’m not particularly a fan of his character design, but he should be considered the featured villain of this book, as he appears in two separate story arcs.
Following that is a two-issue mystery story that includes Firefly, though he’s not the main antagonist. Also, there’s a guest protagonist whose identity I won’t spoil, as the reveal is a key moment in the story.
The next story is a heartbreaking one-shot about a typical Gotham criminal who does whatever he can to protect and provide for his family. Reluctantly, he gets involved in a robbery, and the consequences are tragic. The one-shots in this book are absolutely killing it, and this one stands out all the more because it’s illustrated by the great Jim Aparo. Graham Nolan’s art is superb throughout the collection, but Aparo hits different.
The final story arc is a two-parter featuring the return of Gearhead. I’m not sure why Dixon brought him back so soon, but I’m not complaining. These issues give us a great showcase of just how special and well-equipped the Batmobile really is.
Collects Detective Comics (1937) 703-718.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
May 12, 2023
In terms of issue number sequentiality, Batman: Knight Out, which collects Detective Comics #703-718, could be viewed as an unofficial "Road to Batman: Cataclysm" or "Road to Batman: Road to No Man's Land Omnibus," but more appropriately, it is neither of those things. You definitely don't need to read this before you hop on the NML train. What we do have here is a smattering of self-contained one-shot stories and a couple multi-issue arcs, with no major events apparent. Aside from issue #704, which I thought was pretty fantastic, there is nothing mind-blowing in this collection. Gearhead is a campy fun villain. He's like a cyborg Dick Tracy villain.
With the help of an editor at a big publisher, Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan can churn out some fun little stories. Interpret that however you'd like.
With the help of an editor at a big publisher, Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan can churn out some fun little stories. Interpret that however you'd like.
February 7, 2021
For a couple of years in the 90s, I dropped Detective Comics from my pull list, resulting about a 30 issue gap, in an otherwise complete run from issue 598 to present. This hardcover collects about half of those issues, none of which were part of “Contagion,” “No Man’s Land,” or any of the other plethora of “bat-family” multi-issue, multi-series arcs. That being said, I really enjoyed this “blast from the past” spate of Chuck Dixon nineties Batman tales. It’s a mixed bag, of course, but surprisingly entertaining, nonetheless. I especially enjoyed Nolan’s art when inked by Bill Sienkiewicz, Bob McCleod, and particularly Eduardo Barreto. Some solid stories, peppered with some silliness, and great character moments for Alfred and Tim Drake. Well worth the price on Amazon.
May 12, 2025
Not all that great and entirely skippable.
This collects all Detective Comics issues in between the Legacy and the Road to No Man's Land storylines. All of these stories in here are standalone and could be read at any time, or not at all.
The stories neither use the huge rogues gallery effectively nor is any of the extended Batman family contributing in a meaningful way. As such, these stories get stale quite quickly.
I did like the Firefly a lot, but I disliked the Riddler story just as much.
The artwork is quite good though which saves this book from being just 2 stars.
Not even useful for completionists, as this is just collected in a standard sized hardcover and nobody likes those.
This collects all Detective Comics issues in between the Legacy and the Road to No Man's Land storylines. All of these stories in here are standalone and could be read at any time, or not at all.
The stories neither use the huge rogues gallery effectively nor is any of the extended Batman family contributing in a meaningful way. As such, these stories get stale quite quickly.
I did like the Firefly a lot, but I disliked the Riddler story just as much.
The artwork is quite good though which saves this book from being just 2 stars.
Not even useful for completionists, as this is just collected in a standard sized hardcover and nobody likes those.
July 15, 2022
This is a somewhat bizarre collection as there is no theme or story element throughout, just 16 straight issues. First off, there is some delightful art from Batman classic artist Graham Nolan. He was the artist I started reading on Batman books. There were some really good stories and some less so. Gearhead was the central focus of five issues and he's hard to like. Overall, the was a good look back at Batman in the 90s.
December 13, 2020
Great compilation of stories. However, my one dislike was the artwork in one panel of Savage Metal. Bruce’s feet went beyond the frame while his robe didn’t and they did an overlay of his face but only parts of the robe were included. It was highly distracting.
April 10, 2021
No big arc here, just a collection of shorter tales in their publication order. The stories are quite readable, but often the villains are laughably lame (Gunhawk, Gearhead, etc.), except for a fun Riddler tale. Dixon can't resist mocking Democrats with some distasteful pointed digs.
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July 25, 2022Doesn't really work as a cohesive volume
The individual issues are fine, although nothing special, but putting them together into a single volume highlights their flaws. This is some old school comic book material that doesn't really live up to today's standards.
The individual issues are fine, although nothing special, but putting them together into a single volume highlights their flaws. This is some old school comic book material that doesn't really live up to today's standards.
October 29, 2023
These were just random batman stories, a couple had 2 or 3 issue arcs. Nothing bad about them but also nothing truly stands out. No major bad bat villain. If your just trying to read all batman, these are solid Dixon and mostly Nolan/Aparo Detective Comics stories.
November 18, 2020
The first half or so was really fun. Just fun standalone stories. The latter half got into some weird ones that I just didn’t enjoy at all.
January 15, 2021
Nothing really bad about these stories, just nothing overly amazing either. Some I really enjoyed and others where just meh.
March 9, 2021
Rereading some old Batman stories. These stories are from the days when comic books were made to be enjoyed not to push some social agenda.
March 21, 2021
Great comic book for relaxing.
December 10, 2021
Pretty boilerplate Batman stories. I did really like the titular "Knight Out" tale though, as it focused on Bruce Wayne rather than Batman in a fun way.
April 29, 2022
This book was a refreshing turn after some of the more recent garbage I have read. The artwork was A+ to B- depending on the artist and I rather enjoyed the story especially the Jon Jones visit.
June 13, 2023
3.5 stars. Solid and consistent in both writing and art.
February 11, 2024
This one is very enjoyable!
Not the most grim Batman story I’ve ever read but the wide-array of villains was quite entertaining.
Happy Reading, everybody!
Not the most grim Batman story I’ve ever read but the wide-array of villains was quite entertaining.
Happy Reading, everybody!
May 6, 2024
It was ok.
Not the best of Chuck Dixon to put it lightly. I would skip this. A few good stories but Chuck is way better than this book.
Not the best of Chuck Dixon to put it lightly. I would skip this. A few good stories but Chuck is way better than this book.
September 5, 2024
Typical 90s era writing which is so much better than what we get today however not among the better Batman stories or runs but still an enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews