A re-imagining of Gotham city takes place with Sean Murphy's take on the lives of Bruce Wayne, Batman, and the Joker, Jack Napier. On the first pages of the Batman: White Knight comic, which released on the fourth of October, we see the iconic Batmobile driving into Arkham Asylum. A group of officers seems to be waiting for the driver with tension etched into their faces. It isn't until the next page that we see the mystery driver is the Joker, now with slicked-back hair, business attire clothing, and a trench coat asking about the condition of the Dark Knight.
One of the officers claims that he hasn't spoken since his incarceration. As Jack enters the cell, Batman, still in uniform and chained to the wall, stands as he hovers above the former Clown Prince of Darkness. Jack says, "Batman. I need your help."
So how did this all begin?
A flashback on the next page reveals that one year ago Joker is seen gliding through the streets of Gotham on what seems to be a hoverboard.The Joker tries to elude Batmobile by jumping off of a rising bridge and jumping onto rooftops, but The Dark Knight, along with Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, stay on the Joker’s trail. As he rushes into a crowd of construction workers the Batmobile begins to catch up with him. Despite the large crowd, Batman rushes in almost hitting one of the workers who is luckily lifted away by Nightwing, Dick Grayson, on his motorcycle.
As Barbara and Dick discuss the methods of the Dark Knight he rushes into an old building to find Joker. As the police along with Barbara and Dick arrive, we see Joker taunting Batman. He yells to Batman that, "The only reason Gotham allows you to exist is that they’re so terrified of me!” Angering Batman with through the loss of family through Robin,” Is that Nightwing or Robin?
I’ve lost track because they keep disappearing.”, and inability to protect the people of Gotham, Batman begins beating Joker until his suite is covered in his blood. Joker, holding up a bottle of pills, reveals that the reason that he came to the warehouse was to prove that he could get better and reveal that the true villain of Gotham was Batman.
Batman, being recorded by a stranger in a red coat, opens the bottle and begins stuffing the pills down Joker’s throat.
With the video going viral people begin to waver in their feelings towards the Dark Knight. Two reporters begin to give their stance on the “Batgate scandal”. The city is divided between keeping Batman accountable for his extreme actions and believes that he needs to be held accountable for his actions. Then, there are other people who believe that what Batman’s actions were necessary since he successfully deals with the criminals that the Gotham Police cannot.
As time progresses Joker seems to have been healed from his injuries from Batman according to Dr. Leslie Thompkins.
However, Dr. Thompkins also informs Jim Gordon, the commissioner of the Gotham Police, that the Joker seems to have made a complete mental recover due to the pills according to CAT scans and an IQ test which is well above that of a genius. Gordon then asks Dr. Thompkins about the Joker’s location and reveals that he’s been in Arkham library for the past three days working on his “legal case” against Gotham City and Batman.
With these details revealed to Gordon, he decides to meet with Joker in person to attempt to strike a deal with him. Joker refuses Gordon’s offer and states that he loves Gotham and that “it’s time I paid her back for the debt owned by the Joker. The city deserves better than you, better than the joker, and better than the Dark Knight.
So I’m going to be her White Knight.”
What's got into Batman?
So what exactly has gotten into Batman? In his chase with Joker, it’s evident that he’s presented much differently than he usually is in the comics. Driving on top of the homes of citizens, almost hitting a construction worker, and shoving a police officer as he tries to get to the Joker is definitely different a different set of tactics for the Dark Knight. #Batman has usually been presented as someone who will protect the lives of the innocent above everything else. Not only that, but his skirmish with the Jokers presents him as someone who could be a killer. Is this just a different kind of Batman, or is there a reason behind it?
Later on, we see that it is the latter. After the release of the Batgate scandal, Barbara and Dick interrogate Bruce to see what’s causing this odd behavior. Bruce leads the two to Alfred who is in a bed covered in medical equipment. He reveals that Alfred is dying and that he’s working with Mr. Freeze to help find a cure. This makes perfect sense as to why Batman has been acting so differently. His family has always been a soft spot for Bruce and the death of his most trusted family member logically explains why he hasn't been the Batman that people have expected him to be.
Silhouetted figure
So, who exactly is this silhouetted figure that appeared right as Batman begins pummeling Joker and spreading the rift between the trust that the Batman had established with Gotham?The best guess would have to be Harley Quinn.
Quinn has always been a prominent person in Joker’s life and who else would he bring along once he made his transition from Joker to Jack. If it was Harley, then it begs the question, “How did Harley know when to be there at that moment?” The most logical answer is that Joker planned the fight with Batman. If he could show Gotham that Batman was a danger to the city, and take away some of the trust that Gotham had in him as a Vigilante, then it would strengthen his case against Batman. With this, Jack would be able to take the Batman’s place and shine as the White Knight that he proclaimed he could be to the people of Gotham.
