Batman: White Knight #8 Review

Writer: Sean Murphy / Artist: Sean Murphy / DC Comics Give this series a movie already. Batman: White Knight sticks the landing in one of the best series of the year. Full of action, emotion, and several twists and turns, this series is a dark joyride complete with Batman bending the whip with the Joker riding shotgun. As Joker and Napier teeter back and forth for control of their shared body, Batman has to work alongside them to save Gotham city. That’s the concern right on the tip of your nose, but what’s more interesting are the relationships that are implicated as Napier has his last stand, Harley squares off with the Neo Joker, and Batman reaches the culmination of everything he’s done in Gotham for the past countless years: all the villains he fought and in some way created.

And while Batman and the Joker are the obvious odd couple that draws attention to this series, the true hero — and emotional pull — comes from Harley Quinn. Now more than ever she gets her due as one of the brightest masterminds in Gotham, far more than the quirky prankster criminal sidekick. This is the most fleshed out you’ll ever find Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, and in a lot of ways this series is about just how important she’s always been, despite being underestimated. Or maybe because of it. Overall, a great end to an epic miniseries, one I’d love to see as a DC animated movie. Until then, Batman: White Knight can hold its spot in book form as one of the best Batman stories I’ve ever read. …