The Haunt of Roulette Dares
Story/Writing
Knight of Vengeance is unusual in that what grabs the interest of the reader isn't so much of what content is within the pages as much as what is without. Much of the story is built around the question Thomas Wayne, the Batman of this alternate universe, asks Jim Gordon - "This world is a bad place. If you could change it, would you?" And that is exactly what the reader is asking of Brian Azzarello, the writer of the story - if you had a chance to re-write the Batman universe, how would you approach it?
The story drops the reader late into Thomas Wayne's career as Batman while on the trail of Joker who has kidnapped Harvey Dent's twin children. This Thomas Wayne is very different from the vigilant and driven doctor and warm fatherly figure we know from previous stories, and it's also quite different from the Doctor Hurt character in Batman & Robin. In Knight of Vengeance, Thomas Wayne is depicted as a calloused and embittered soul, more akin to the older Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Returns or Batman Beyond, incapable of sharing his feelings with any one (often responding to questions with grumbles) except for his sole confidant in his fight against crime, James Gordon. As we learn, this Batman is driven by a desire for vengeance for the death of his son, and has no qualms over killing costumed super villains or running a casino to draw in the seedier element of the town towards him. He rules the town with an iron fist, even insuring that the police force is on his side after having it successfully privatized and under his watch. But there's one person whom he has allowed to run free, The Joker. And that leads to the question: Why hasn't this Batman, who has no qualms killing and has the law entirely on his side, taken out the most dangerous villain of them all? Perhaps there's more to the fact that both he and The Joker understand that "this world is a bad place."
Art
The artwork in this issue is fantastic. It's style fits the writing incredibly well and there are parts where the visuals do most of the storytelling for you, to the comic's benefit. The lighting places the story in the moments just before nightfall, giving this Gotham city a sort of smoldering, languishing quality, and building energy to the moment when Thomas Wayne descends into the night as Batman. Batman's costume it's self depicts the building vengeful rage buried within Thomas' psyche, transforming him into more of a demon (with blood red eyes and horns on his shoulders) and reflecting what happens when the Batman persona takes over the drives the man (similarly to Batman of Zur-En-Arrh). Shadows really give this issue a frightening mood and certain scenes really chill you to the bone.
My Tiny Squabble
Part of the joy of reading Flashpoint is seeing some of the cameos of fan-favourite characters and how they fit within this new universe. That being said, there were some moments that I felt were missed opportunities or that I felt weren't exactly on character. For instance, the fresh, young psychiatrist hired to evaluate Thomas Wayne's sanity at the beginning of the issue could have easily been Harley Quinn (or they could've hinted at that fact more strongly), and although I felt it was necessary for Penguin to be under Batman's thumb in order to show where Thomas is on the food-chain, Penguin's inclusion didn't bring very much to the issue otherwise.
Also, I just love Thomas Wayne's mustache and was sad to see it go (though I completely understand the reasons behind it's exclusion...still...what a great mustache!)
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars
Knight of Vengeance is unusual in that what grabs the interest of the reader isn't so much of what content is within the pages as much as what is without. Much of the story is built around the question Thomas Wayne, the Batman of this alternate universe, asks Jim Gordon - "This world is a bad place. If you could change it, would you?" And that is exactly what the reader is asking of Brian Azzarello, the writer of the story - if you had a chance to re-write the Batman universe, how would you approach it?
The story drops the reader late into Thomas Wayne's career as Batman while on the trail of Joker who has kidnapped Harvey Dent's twin children. This Thomas Wayne is very different from the vigilant and driven doctor and warm fatherly figure we know from previous stories, and it's also quite different from the Doctor Hurt character in Batman & Robin. In Knight of Vengeance, Thomas Wayne is depicted as a calloused and embittered soul, more akin to the older Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Returns or Batman Beyond, incapable of sharing his feelings with any one (often responding to questions with grumbles) except for his sole confidant in his fight against crime, James Gordon. As we learn, this Batman is driven by a desire for vengeance for the death of his son, and has no qualms over killing costumed super villains or running a casino to draw in the seedier element of the town towards him. He rules the town with an iron fist, even insuring that the police force is on his side after having it successfully privatized and under his watch. But there's one person whom he has allowed to run free, The Joker. And that leads to the question: Why hasn't this Batman, who has no qualms killing and has the law entirely on his side, taken out the most dangerous villain of them all? Perhaps there's more to the fact that both he and The Joker understand that "this world is a bad place."
Art
The artwork in this issue is fantastic. It's style fits the writing incredibly well and there are parts where the visuals do most of the storytelling for you, to the comic's benefit. The lighting places the story in the moments just before nightfall, giving this Gotham city a sort of smoldering, languishing quality, and building energy to the moment when Thomas Wayne descends into the night as Batman. Batman's costume it's self depicts the building vengeful rage buried within Thomas' psyche, transforming him into more of a demon (with blood red eyes and horns on his shoulders) and reflecting what happens when the Batman persona takes over the drives the man (similarly to Batman of Zur-En-Arrh). Shadows really give this issue a frightening mood and certain scenes really chill you to the bone.
My Tiny Squabble
Part of the joy of reading Flashpoint is seeing some of the cameos of fan-favourite characters and how they fit within this new universe. That being said, there were some moments that I felt were missed opportunities or that I felt weren't exactly on character. For instance, the fresh, young psychiatrist hired to evaluate Thomas Wayne's sanity at the beginning of the issue could have easily been Harley Quinn (or they could've hinted at that fact more strongly), and although I felt it was necessary for Penguin to be under Batman's thumb in order to show where Thomas is on the food-chain, Penguin's inclusion didn't bring very much to the issue otherwise.
Also, I just love Thomas Wayne's mustache and was sad to see it go (though I completely understand the reasons behind it's exclusion...still...what a great mustache!)
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars
