Batman and the blimmin monster men. If I’d known that’s what The Bat-Man: First Knight was, I never would’ve picked it up. Well, in for a penny, etc. so I pushed through once I realised what it was and, yup, this retelling is about as good as the others, ie. gahbage, see?
The monster men was one of the first Batman stories, appearing in 1940’s Batman #1 (the first official comic featuring the Dark Knight, hence this book’s subtitle), and has been retold over and over the years, for no discernible reason because it’s never been good. Matt Wagner did a version in the 2000s, then Steve Orlando did another in the 2010s for DC’s short-lived Rebirth line - both sucked, as did the original.
I guess it’s time for another worthless rehash and Dan Jurgens and Mike Perkins’ version (if you say their names together out loud it sounds like you’re low-key burping) is the 2020s retelling of these bloody monster men.
Set in 1939, around the time of Batman #1, “someone” is assassinating key political figures in Gotham - the newly-emerged and mysterious Bat-Man is on the case to find out.
Riveting stuff.
The only good thing I have to say about this book was that Mike Perkins’ art was first class. He draws Bruce like a young Gregory Peck though his design of Batman’s suit… I mean, those horns are a choice, eh?
Dan Jurgens. This man. The dull things that happen in the first few pages repeat throughout the entire book. He’s completely unable to tell a mystery story, he has no idea how to build up tension or drama, and the motivations of the instantly forgettable villains are utterly stupid. He’s such a bad writer - he’s never written a good comic and yet, somehow, he keeps getting work, which is the only real mystery he’s able to conjure up.
So that’s The Bat-Man: First Knight - another pointless, completely boring (albeit the prettiest) retelling of one of the oldest and most uninteresting Batman stories. Stop it, DC - stop it! Stop. It.
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