Review: Batman Last Knight on Earth #1

At this point what more can be done? We have seen so many different types of Batman stories taking place in the past, present, future is there really room left to explore? If there is you would think two creators with a lot of experience with the character would be able to find it. That is the case with Batman: Last Knight on Earth as Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo join forces once again to take on the Caped Crusader this time under the Black Label Imprint. With no concerns with continuity or connection to what was they have seemingly found that room to bring Batman into a brand new and broken world.

A new world needs building and that is what this issue provides. In true Snyder fashion with each step forward, we learn a little more about where we are with this underlying uncertainty of the truth behind this new reality. What begins as a routine investigation into a string of crimes leads Batman down a rabbit hole impossible to escape from. He awakens in what appears to be a type of psychiatric ward where he is the star patient. Bruce Wayne is very much real but Batman is supposedly a figment of his own broken psyche. Those villains he spent his life fighting are actually doctors trying to save him. What is real, and what is fiction still is unclear.

Anytime you enter into ”˜it was all a dream“ or ”˜it was a figment of the imagination“ you are wondering into some dangerous territory. Any premise can work with the right execution but when you sow doubt into your premise you risk undercutting your story before it even begins. Considering where the story opens and the massive jump that occurs after there is a chance nothing is at it seems. For some that may make what comes next matter less as they wait for the proverbial hammer to drop that reveals what is really going on. Until then there is great value in living in the story moments as they come.

Comics have been filled with many different types of dystopian futures where all appears lost. What is massively different from this tale is the means to which the world failed. Where the wound that leads to the destruction of society was self-inflicted. Hope appears absent although the reappearance of Batman has ignited a possible spark to make one last effort before all is lost for good. Even so is there anyone left worth saving? While the stakes are limited based on the premise, the ideas being explored are promising. Ideas looking at the necessity of Batman and how he is newly defined for each generation until to the point of rejection then rebuilt into something new.

Despite the amount of world building within the issue, the story“s general flow is fluid throughout. The dialog is naturally filled with a lot of information that hints on what is to come without exploring every aspect in unnecessary detail. With that you also have certain elements that work more in concept than in the story. As the cover shows Batman discovers Joker in this lantern-like jar that leads to some striking imagery. If the story delivers upon its promise it can easily enter into the echelon of infamous Batman iconography. How that imagery came about was a bit rush as if the idea was more important than the reasoning. As mentioned there still a lot of uncertainty with the narrative in general so this is something that can easily be addressed in upcoming issues.

Saying Greg Capullo is a great Batman artist is basically pronouncing affection for the liquidity levels of water. Â Still, it is still worth doing. From his incredible detail and ability to capture every level of human emotion. There is a specific moment with a tranquil face of Alfred when Batman learns that truth that is striking in its quiet beauty. When you then juxtapose that with his designs for this twisted broken world it is evident this was a story crafted to fit his many talents as an artist. Colorist FCO Plascencia provides a sense of place for each distinct location. As we open in today“s Gotham colors are dark and distant to represent the world of Gotham. When Bruce awakens into the supposed mental hospital the colors lighten and become more mundane. The color palette lacks any dynamism as everything is illuminated under lifeless florescent lighting. Then as this new world is explored the colors become more rustic as if the atmosphere is decaying into a lifeless state.

Final Thoughts:

Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 is on its way to being Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo“s Magnum Opus on the character of Batman. One where their history allows them to create an unexpected future that can deeply explore the fundamentals of who Batman is and how he got that way. It may take a few more steps than necessary to get there but once the story begins to take shape you get the sense you reading the early beginnings of something special.

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Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Inks: Jonathan Glapion

Colors: FCO Plascencia

Letterer: Tom Napolitano

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Daniel Clark

A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.