Batman: White Knight #1

Finally, I'm getting around to reviewing Batman: White Knight!
You may recall I did some similar blogs about Harley Quinn and her roles in this a bit earlier last year.

The covers here are nice, Joker and Harley in nice evening wear.. looking quite civil. The only throwback to their glory days of crime is Joker's purple/green tie and Harley's diamond motif. He's not even smiling but there is a horrifically eye catching Joker face at the bottom if you found yourself missing that. The alternate cover is black and white (geddit?) and while they're more of a focus on Batman and his proteges, Joker (and Harley?) still appear at the bottom. There's even a little logo for them, three diamonds and a rosette. More on that later.


Oh, you want more? Well here's another cover, summing up the theme of the comic a bit more than the other two.

The issue opens up mostly silent as we watch the Batmobile make it's way up to Arkham Asylum. Once there, the guards offer to take him in but Batman states he knows his way around. Visiting a particular cell we see.... wait.. Batman chained up?! And the Joker come to visit?!

WHAT A TWIST!!

What's even happening, I hear you say? Well, let's go back, one year ago, to the innocent days where a skateboarding Joker and a terrifyingly determined Batman trying his best to run him down was the status quo. Yeah, you read that right.

Some strange costumes here - the T-shirt and suspenders thing I could actually see Jared Leto's Joker wearing but Batgirl (even though she's the voice of reason here) fighting crime in a T-shirt is just downright bizarre.

Wait nevermind, it's actually long gloves not bare skin.

Nightwing has to save a random construction worker and tells Batgirl to get a tighter grip on Batman despite her protests.

We don't hear much from Batman himself, he leaves to follow Joker solo on foot - mowing down a trying-to-be-helpful guard on the way.

Following Joker into an industrial warehouse, the usually silent Dark Knight is prompted into a conversation that's a little on the lucid side for Joker. He questions if Batman pays for the damage he caused to the city or if the city has to.

Arriving outside, Batgirl and Nightwing are surprised that the warehouse is full of old pills and wonder what Joker wants with these. Inside, Joker is still extremely lucid and is making some appropriate points about Batman's behaviour.

Joker states that Batman is Gotham's greatest villain and reveals that he's been taking the pills and making himself better. Batman takes the bottle from him and forces them down Joker's throat, and holding his mouth so Joker can't throw the pills up or even breathe while his proteges and the police force look on in horror.

Someone else is there too.. seemingly unnoticed by the others in the chaos of the moment but able to record the incident on her phone.

The footage appears on Gotham Insider where one newsreader is concerned about implications for the police force which is already under allegations of corruption while the other doesn't care much for legalities as long as Joker is behind bars.
Behind the scenes in hospital, the police are also divided about it.




There are two full spreads here, one showing Jack's history and
becoming the Joker, the other showing his obsession or fandom with Batman.

It's apparent that in this continuity, the Joker hasn't been as severe a menace - one of the newscasters even states that GCPD has never been able to pin more than a robbery on him.

It also seems a little strange that Arkham would allow him to keep all his trinkets in his cell but eh, it looks cool.





Barbara and Dick start a loud intervention at Wayne Manor but Bruce drops a bombshell - he's got an extremely sick Alfred in his basement and is using Freeze technology to try to help him.

Later, Batman visits the Joker and we see that Jack Napier has destroyed all of his collectables.. he makes a point but internally, someone like me weeps for the value of those items.

The major is chewing out Gordon and stressing over the fact that people are protesting outside their building. Dr. Leslie Thompkins arrives and declares that Jack has made a full recovery physically and that mentally, he appears to be cured. She warns the GCPD to watch out because he appears to be making the most of his newfound sanity and high IQ to prepare a case against them.

In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Gordon takes Montoya and Bullock with him to speak to Jack and offer him a deal. During the conversation, Jack manages to remove his own handcuffs but shows he's not a threat by speaking to them rationally and not strangling anyone. He's incensed about the GCPD's corrupt nature and Batman's reckless vigilantism.

Oh shit indeed, Bullock.

The Short End of the Jester Schtick

A nicely drawn comic with an interesting premise. Jack Napier - no longer the Joker - calling bullshit on Batman's violent escapades and bringing the city to it's feet with him.
Jack calls himself Gotham's White Knight - an obvious answer to the Dark Knight. One of the newscasters made mention of social justice warriors fighting for Jack's cause.

He believed it was stupid, but while a white knight is commonly referred to now as someone who comes to mainly women's aid in order to up their chances of scoring - the actual definition of white knight is someone or something that comes to someone else's aid.

This vision of a sane Joker having had enough with Batman's schtick is an especially interesting one because we can see there's no elaborate trick behind it and it leaves you wondering what is going through Batman's mind.

A particularly grim version of Batman in this series but it fits the bill nicely.

Wotta Comedian!

Joker: Ha ha ha! Congrats on another great performance, partner! Great leap over Gotham Ferry. Wait till they make a play-set out of that!

Random Cop: Go get him, Batgirl! You're my daughter's favourite!

Joker: We're a team, Bats. Admit it! That's our dynamic. All that's missing is the make-up sex. 

Joker: I see Gotham more clearly than any of you... but you won't admit it. To you, I'm just a psycho in make up. 

Maggie: Yes, but where's the accountability? If the police won't stop Batman from crossing the line, then who will? The optics on this are terrible, and it only makes things worse for the GCPD who are already plagued with accusations of corruption and police brutality. 
Other reporter: That was the previous commissioner -- Gordon has been working hard to overturn public opinion. The SJWs need to give him a chance! 

Gordon: The GCPD has nothing to do with Batman, remember? Far as I'm concerned, we're not even having this conversation. 
Bullock: No offence, commissioner, but that's bullshit. I wanted to arrest Batman but you wanted to sit back and do nothing while he beat Napier unconscious. That loophole isn't going to work anymore. 

Bullock: The Joker's right: if Batman had been wearing a badge, you'd charge him with assault!

Bruce Wayne: Come with me. 
Nightwing: Do you own any buildings without secret passageways?

Major: He's the Joker. He's 100 percent mental condition.

Napier: I love Gotham, and it's time I paid her back for the debt owed by the Joker. The city deserves better than you, better than the Joker and better than the Dark Knight. So I'm going to be her White Knight.