For my first piece for Batman News, we go back in time to Batman’s first case. Yes, we’re going to be looking at Dan Jurgens’ The Bat-Man: First Knight. This is the first book of a 3 issue Black Label series going back to the Caped Crusader’s roots, but does it justify its place among the myriad of Batbooks being released?
Of Bats and Men
This isn’t your grandpa’s Batman story. Well, maybe it is, as this tale takes place in 1939 and serves as a retelling of early Batman adventures. If you didn’t know this beforehand, the first few pages do their best to show you. Newspaper clippings detailing the current events leading up to World War 2. Opening monologue detailing the Great Depression’s effect on Gotham City. Oh yeah, this is definitely a period piece.
Our story begins, as all good ones do, in a spaghetti house. Commissioner Gordon is investigating the murder of Councilman Vincent Hodges and right from the beginning, we can see how the artwork perfectly complements the plot. I have never read anything illustrated by Mike Perkins before and when I saw the previews, I was not a fan. After reading it, I simply don’t remember why I disliked it, as there’s no artist more suited for the task. The book harkens back to old-school noir and hardboiled detective stories, the art visualising the griminess and dirt the dialogue shows us. The red light of the city casts long dark shadows into the room as it falls upon the dead body, the blood surrounding it also full of textured darkness. I can practically hear old-timey jazz music playing in my head as I read this book, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I can’t give all the credit to the inks, Spicer’s use of colour is equally as amazing. Be it the bright red lights of the city, or the piercing orange of headlights clawing their way out of the darkness, the comic carries a distinct visual identity that stuck with me the whole time. Reading this feels like watching a movie on film, in the best way possible.
On the subject of colour, let me talk about my favourite thing. The purple gloves are back! After the commissioner is dropped back to the station by his young socialite friend Bruce Wayne, the young man dons these gloves and reveals himself to be… The Bat-Man. Gasp! I love Bill Finger’s original Batman design. The curved ears, the larger utility belt and the purple gloves are simply iconic. Perkins seems to realise this and instead of changing it, seems to lean into it more. We can see the wire in the cape, the steel soles in his boots and the curvy ears manage to not look ridiculous. This is possibly my favourite version of this suit.
A welcome remix
The Bat-man’s investigation leads him to the Mayor’s Mansion, where he encounters the Monster Men! I won’t spoil any more of the story, but I can tell you what it does best. It only really takes from the first 2 or so years of Batman’s history. It isn’t afraid to omit certain characters or details we’ve gotten used to in later Batman stories but it also works very well at remixing the characters it already has to work with. Jim Gordon, the Monster Men, the appearance of a certain Julie Madison all feel fresh, even if they’re not original characters. More importantly, Batman goes back to his roots, and actually does some detective work!
This is not to say that the book is without its flaws. While the detective elements are great, the pacing sometimes lets them down. The book’s format doesn’t give it an awful lot of time to breathe and while it rarely bothered me, I did sometimes feel like I hadn’t even processed a mystery that Bruce had just solved.
The dialogue can also feel a bit heavy-handed, often reiterating things we have already seen or heard in the book. I really noticed this during Batman’s conversation with a rabbi about the current state of Gotham and the world, as Bruce had had a very similar talk with Gordon earlier. The conversation gives us a great look into the psyche of a scared Gotham resident. He’s not just afraid of criminals but of the rise of fascism and other white supremacist ideologies, whilst also providing some human connection for Batman. I just wish that the conversation was a bit more implicit, and didn’t reiterate what we already knew.
Recommended If…
– Period pieces interest you
– You want a good early Batman story
– Seeing the purple gloves fills you with happiness. As they should.
Overall
This one pleasantly surprised me, as I’m a bit wary of Black Label books. I find stories often use the label as an excuse to focus too much on being violent and “mature”, rather than being consistently good. First Knight manages to balance the two very well, whilst also managing to do what many runs have failed to do recently. It has a story with an inexperienced Batman that is enjoyable to read! I strongly recommend this book, it has great art and a promising plot. I’m excited to read the next issue and to see where this adventure leads!
Score: 9/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purposes of this review.
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