Batman: The Knight #3 Review

 

Knight Flight

Writer: Chip Zdarsky

Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico

Cover Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 15, 2022

Batman: The Knight shouldn't have surprised me as much as it has.  I am a certified Chip Zdarsky Fanboy (don't ask me where I got my certification - the first rule of Zdarsky Club...) and love origin stories.    Still, I think most fans were wondering, not if this series would be good, but if it was necessary.  I think we will all have to wait until it's over to say genuinely, but I am enjoying it so far.  Does that love continue after this issue?  Let's find out!

Batman: The Knight opens up where we left off the last issue.  Henri Ducard confronting Bruce and Lucie while the police check out Mr. Glonet's mansion.  Now, we know that Glonet is the Serial Killer, The Foundling, but the police don't, and that, unfortunately, causes some problems at the start.  However, the gist of this story is to see what Bruce and his new friends do to stop Glonet.

Another thing going on here is something that Eric guessed on our Podcast as we went through the last issue.  It wasn't a coincidence that Ducard showed up when he did, and we find out his true motivations at the beginning of the issue.  It is a nice reveal that puts Henri back in a more comfortable and familiar place concerning Bruce and his mission.

As far as Glonet goes, I have enjoyed this series for its character moments and interactions, so I've been thinking of the serial killer story as a secondary affair.  Unfortunately, the same might be true for Zdarsky.  The whole thing feels like it never gets going and leads to Bruce having a eureka moment, followed by the reminder that he isn't ready to return to Gotham and be its Dark Knight.

Again, the things that do shine are the character beats like what happens to Henri because of Bruce's inexperience and Lucie having to let Bruce go by the end.  The Glonet stuff does a decent job of framing it all but does little else.  It's a shame it's not more memorable, but it just isn't.

I still am excited to see what comes next, but this is my least favorite issue of Batman: The Knight so far.  I'll still take a down issue from Zdarsky over many current writers best, though, and I am guessing things will pick right back up next month.  Plus, Carmine Di Giandomenico's art is excellent and fits the story well so far.

Make sure to listen to our Weekly DC Comics Recap and Review Podcast to hear us talk more about this book.  Just look up "Weird Science DC Comics" anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to rate, review, and subscribe!

Bits and Pieces:

Batman: The Knight #3 was an okay ending to the first story arc of the series.  Chip Zdarsky shows Bruce as the angry young man who is not ready to return to Gotham just yet but is willing to put in the work to get there eventually.  Unfortunately, the background story was not as compelling as the character interactions, and that needs to change if this series wants to be memorable and feel necessary by the end.

7.5/10