Batman: Beyond the White Knight #3
- Writer
- Sean Murphy
- Artist
- Sean Murphy
- Letterer
- AndWorld Design
- Cover Artist
- Sean Murphy, Dave Stewart
- Publisher
- DC
- Price
- $4.99
- Release Date
- 2022-05-24
- Colorist
- Dave Stewart
For the past ten years, Batman has stayed in jail, incarcerated on charges of vigilantism and endangering the lives of Gothamites. As penance, he has given his family's wealth to the city. The money and resources have turned Gotham into a technological marvel. But when Bruce discovers that Derek Powers has stolen his most advanced Batsuit, he breaks out of prison, knowing that Powers' plans can't be good for anyone. Meanwhile, the GCPD clashes with the militaristic GTO, a privately-owned law-enforcement entity that uses excessive force to bring order. Written and illustrated by Sean Murphy with colors from Dave Stewart and lettering by AndWorld Design, Batman: Beyond the White Knight #3, published by DC Black Label, piles new miseries on old man Bruce as the once-feared hero becomes the underdog in the fight for Gotham's future.
Batman: Beyond the White Knight #3 opens with Terry McGinnis infiltrating Gotham Tech in his state-of-the-art Beyond suit to steal a microchip that will help Powers remotely control the Batsuit. But even with the high-tech gadgets and armor at his disposal, Terry's inexperience almost jeopardizes the mission. On the other side of town, Bruce and Harleen quarrel about the former's headstrong behavior and propensity to alienate people. Jack Napier's projection throws one truth bomb after another at the hero in an attempt to stir something in the grumpy brute. To complicate matters further, one of Harleen's twins runs away from home, so Bruce dons a prototype Beyond suit and scours the city in search of his adoptive daughter.
For a man who had multiple sidekicks in the past, Bruce is often surprisingly stubborn about asking for help from his former associates. His naïveté has time and again put his life and the lives of others in unnecessary danger. Batman: Beyond the White Knight #3 shows that the strength of a hero does not lie in the cape on his back but with the people by their side. This issue jumps from narrative to narrative, transitioning from riveting suspense to heated drama and back to a knuckle-dusting brawl as personalities collide and Batarangs clash. Bruce's revelatory retorts to a non-existent Jack Napier provide exposition and fill the reader in on the frictional relationship between Powers and Bruce. Sean Murphy enrichens his Murphyverse with a steady supply of intrigue, turning the adage of "teaching old dogs new tricks" on its head.
Sean Murphy brings the old brick and mortar structures of Gotham City to a new era of techno-modern architecture, incorporating the retro aesthetics of searchlights and blimps alongside glass-paned skyscrapers. His crisp lines and radial hatchings give a gristly look to the artwork while adding life and age to the characters. While the Beyond Batsuit takes direct inspiration from the classic animated series, Bruce's prototype low-tech suit appears to be a hybrid of the Knightmare and White Knight suits. It is an inspired design that stands out against the long shadows of the backdrop.
Colorist Dave Stewart plays with the light and shadows accordingly to create a dramatic effect in the panels. For flashbacks, he uses a muted violet tone while engulfing the present narrative in a sinister crimson shade. When words fall short, Andworld Design's minimalistic onomatopoeias come into play.
Batman: Beyond the White Knight #3 moves at a steady pace, letting the reader take in the ebbs and flows of the storytelling in one big breath. The issue finally allows Derek Powers to show his true colors. He's not a ruthless mercenary like Azrael or a smooth-talking politician like Napier -- he's a calculating businessman willing to manipulate people and destroy lives to get what he wants. With Bruce still playing within Powers' playbook, he inevitably comes face-to-face with the shadow of his past, albeit in a new avatar. Luckily, he still has a few allies because he might soon need their help liberating Gotham.
