Batman: White Knight #3 Review

Writer: Sean Murphy / Artist: Sean Murphy / DC Comics There’s so much to love in this iteration of Batman and the melting of Gotham’s mythos with reality. No doubt a hard line to walk, taking the fantastical elements of a caped superhero and his greatest villains and apply real-life logic the consequences of their ongoing struggles, but Batman: White Knight attempts just that: to allow Batman to be Batman is an expensive, unchecked abuse of power and money that ultimately amounts to political corruption. The result is a Batman story that adds a layer of thoughtfulness that brings Gotham close to home. And the costs of his methods – to the city and, on a personal level, the relationships around him – are high. Alfred is on his deathbed, unable to be the moral compass that helps keep Batman under control. Nightwing and Batgirl are at their wits end, nearly to the point of standing up in opposition against their leader who is more unhinged now than ever. Even Commissioner Gordon is having second thoughts about the mayhem he unofficially sanctions. All the while, Batman continues his stubborn recklessness and Jack Napier – formerly the Joker – is there to highlight the corruption of it all to show the people, and the laws, how they allow it to happen.

While the issue’s pull comes from the growing emotional strain between our long-known characters, the plot hook comes from a surprise introduction. There’s a second Harley Quinn, scorned by the newly-sane Joker, who’s about to make…