Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1

Batman: Beyond the White Knight

by Sean Gordon Murphy, Dave Stewart (Colorist)

A lot can change in 10 years, especially in Gotham! Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne, may be behind bars, but the real criminals are still out there. Gotham Motors CEO Derek Powers has seized control of the Wayne family’s assets and is using them to transform the GTO and the city they’ve sworn to protect. Crime is down, but at what cost? A new Batman has emerged in Powers’s city, and only Bruce is fully aware of the dangers to come. It’s time to destroy the mantle for good, but he’ll need one of his forgotten sons’ help to do so. Enter Jason Todd…the first Robin?! In this thrilling sequel to the blockbuster comic book hits Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight, writer/artist Sean Murphy invites the audience to go beyond the Gotham they know to discover an engrossing new take on the city and its heroes. Welcome to Neo-Gotham and the world of Beyond the White Knight!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels

37 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2022

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

[Burton Olivier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell yeah, stoked to be back in the White Knight verse. Excited to learn what happened while we were away and to see where all this is going to go. Even the kinda hack reveal at the end got me excited.

[Siona Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool continuation of the White Knight universe. Batman Beyond is probably the first ever piece of superhero content I remember being exposed to and as such it has had a huge impact on me. I think this stayed true to the essence of BB while adapting it to the White Knight universe well.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting first issue! Not too much happens as its mostly setup but I'm very interested to read more! I also love how Sean Gordon Murphy draws Bruce Wayne with a constant Batman silhouette shadow even though he's not wearing the costume!

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly I'm a little confused. But I have the two trades on order for the White Knight so I'll be able to catch up, hopefully before this gets too far along. The art had a nice jagged feel to it while still respecting the Batman Beyond vibe (at least for the suit) and I really appreciated that.

Seeing Terry working for Derek Powers gave me pause, Jason being the first Robin.... Let's just say I might end up changing my rating after I've read the other comics, but as far as a first issue for someone who has no idea what's happening goes- this was intriguing and I'm interested.

I really did appreciate the moment Jason and Bruce had in the jail cell, that felt very genuine to me, but like I was also missing a lot. They both look really aged, and then Harley looks really young, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to figure more out by going back and catching up as to why she's so youthful.

I always feel bummed out that whatever good Bruce chooses to do with the Wayne fortune is corrupted but it's unsurprising Derek Powers chooses to do bad things.

Tldr: I'm confused, not entirely lost because they're not asking you to know too much just yet, but for a "Batman Beyond" story Terry's in like 2 pages. And I have some catching up to do, but I'm excited to do it.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start for this new series. The alternate universe provides some originality and a different side to the story. Curious to see where we'll go!

[The Wintermute System · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooooo.... I enjoy this alternate universe, but I'm fine reading it on Hoopla - until Murphy was like 'but what if I use Jason Todd as a main character, huh? WHAT THEN?'

Well, then, I don't pay attention until this is sold out and shell out more money than I wanted to on e-bay to buy this issue because I desperate wanted it in paper format, I guess. (G-d bless my comic book store guy, who held me issue two at a moment's notice, really doing Hashem's work there, though so shout out to him.)

I am OBSESSED. I realize issue two might not have as much Todd in it, because it seems like that's where they're going from the description, but fuck, this first issue kills me. Just really kills me.

Batman is not a great dad by all means, he even admits to being a big brother when children - like Jason and Dick Grayson - were looking for a father. He admits to not being able to see what they needed and apologizing for it, whereas Jason is... less angry. Sure, Batman used him, and apparently didn't go looking for him after Jason ran away, but he's still somehow less of a shitty father than normal, not in jail Bruce Wayne. Go figure.

It made me cry a little. And hate regular Batman more.

Jason is submitted as the problem child - and yes, I know he didn't start out that way. But it's been baked into his backstory long enough that it seems like it's mostly agreed that, hey, yeah, even without all that trauma there was just something about him that he was going to end up the way he did. And yet he's very much Jason Todd here, and he didn't? If he hadn't died, or been constantly betrayed, or if Batman didn't send him on missions than get mad they went wrong and took it out on Jason, he might have had a chance...

And that makes Jason's current status in the Batfamily all that more tragic, in my opinion. This is so good at showing how truly terrible Batman really is, which is ironic because this version of Batman is supposed to be the one 'gone wrong.'

Well, what can I say: I am loving it and hope Batman stays decent in one universe, even if it's not the prime universe.

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never tire of Sean Murphy's alternate Bat-verse. I've read them all and will read them all. This arc is off to a good start. I'm not terribly familiar with Terry or Batman Beyond, so I'm looking forward to a story I don't know (but, by the same token, I won't know how it twists away from canon, either). With exception for the exposition to give us Todd's story, which is a little out of character for White Knight and probably necessary for the side series coming up, the art and text fill in what's been happening with these characters since Harley's story ended. The overall feel is sadness, and I think I feel saddest for Harley after everything she went through to look as haggard and to resort to fighting again life she did with Joker. :( I love Bruce's heart to heart with Jason and the glimpses of what's been going on in Gotham. It's great to back!

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 4 out of 5]

El Whiteverse sigue su estelar curso y ya alcanza de lleno el futuro distópico de esta nueva Gotham City... Y, pues claro que es readaptando Batman Beyond. Sean Murphy sigue fascinando en su faceta de autor completo logrando una narrativa visual que explota totalmente los personajes y el entorno haciendo suya la reinvención batmitológica más fascinante de este siglo. Incluso este nº de presentación sorprende incluso con el cameillo de Terry en una estampa ya bien conocida pero que en el meridiano de la grapa se nos ofrece una información por la cuál aún no discernir totalmente la implicación de este nuevo Batman para el futuro más opresivo e incierto de esta Gotham que quizás necesite de regreso a sus reconocidos Caballeros.

Incluso se nos testea otra nueva miniserie spin-off que sigue engrandeciendo el Whiteverse con un esperado episodio del Red Hood de este Universo.

[Drake Zappa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean Murphy is not only a masterful illustrator but a master of storytelling inside and outside of the context of his art, as proven through his ongoing white knight universe. I have thoroughly enjoyed each book in the Murphyverse so far and this series appears no different, another incoming masterpiece from the man himself!

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Harley’s twins Bryce and Jackie are teenagers now wtf?! They were just babies in her White Knight series! And poor Jackie! Girl is really going through it but also she is SO much like Joker where Bryce is more like Harley. Damn I love this series and it’s great to be back in this universe.

[Adhit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotham Masa Depan, Bruce Wayne telah tiada, kini perusahaannya dipegang oleh seseorang bernama Derek Powers. Dan ia bukanlah seorang Batman.

[duo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally found a place with the current issues. I’m positive that the White Knight trilogy is one of the best Batman stories. Top 5 for me.

[72bf5f83-1b9b-4084-bc4b]

Captivating first issue from a unique take on the batman beyond story.

[David Cassady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so excited to see where this story goes

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

First two issues of the miniseries made into one collected 'book'...

SO good. This Murphy-verse keeps on chugging.
===
(This is great, but you really should read the entire series)

[Thezachespinoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest entry of the "Gordonverse" is another superior entry in already spectacular take and subsequent run on DC's most beloved character. Here's hoping that DC will continue this limited series.

[MR P · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You're not replaceable, Jason. You are special. And you left a giant hole in my life.

I guess... I've been trying to fill it ever since."