Sean Murphy, Batman: White Knight Iss. 5, p. 17; Dark Knight Batmobile

I haven’t been this excited about a Batman book since Miller & Mazzucchelli’s Year One. The grand themes, characters, environments, vehicles, and storytelling in White Knight are absolutely outstanding, IMHO. The story seems like such a natural extension of the Batman mythology to me, but it’s unprecedented in several ways, and it’s a page turner!

And what an original look and feel to Murphy’s art --- atmospheric yet completely solid. The detail and texture he shoehorns into every page is hard to appreciate in reproduction, so I was delighted to get something original from this story.

I really wanted to get a page showing the Batmobile in action; as great as Murphy's faces and figures are, it's clearly Murphy’s favorite character in this book. Few comic artists can make a car chase exciting on the page like he can. I’m a huge Blade Runner fan, so the opening panel with an airborne explosion behind a “flying” spinner-like Batmobile got my attention. The final panel with an obsessed Dark Knight at the wheel is terrific, too, but my favorite panel is in the center with the B-mobile's mandibles taking a bite out of the van; just can't get enough of Murphy's hardware.

I really like the overall composition of the page, and even prefer it in B&W. Fun use of Poison Ivy’s powers and I’m glad one of the Harley Qs gets her face on the page, if only a distant portrait. There’s some nice architectural touches in the corners and fun urban landscapes as well.

So I went ahead and shelled out some money for pricey new art when there are vintage pages by classic artists floating around... Won’t surprise me, though, if BWK turns out to be a classic itself (based on the first 5 issues anyhow…). I'm delighted to have something original from this series!

Thanks for taking a look!