Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Illustrated by Brad Walker
Published by DC Comics
The anniversary issue of this book was nothing short of awesome. This book just picks right up where that book ends. Tomasi is bringing the Arkham Knight into continuity and it’s just amazing! I love the set up here and was completely enraptured from start to finish.
We see the Knight right off the bat. He is giving a big speech to his acolytes and it is glorious! It’s a great way to start the issue and you just know this guy is going to be a pain in the butt for Batman.
It’s a wonderfully drawn sequence by artist Brad Walker that really gets your blood pumping. It’s an awesome start!
Then, we see Commissioner Gordon and a few cops at a playground.
There are a bunch of dead bats spread all over a jungle gym. Gordon questions why this is happening, of course.
Gordon calls Batman. Batman is in the Batcave. And guess what?
Batman is having a very similar problem with a bunch of dead bats strewn about the cave.
It seems like somebody is trying to send a message! Batman does what he can to figure out why this might be happening. He visits Francine Langstrom to get an idea. And that’s when everything gets shot right off to hell.
Francine turns into a human bat, much like her husband Man-Bat does. Batman chases after her when she tries to escape. Then, the skies of Gotham light up!
What is happening? Things go to hell pretty quick after this part.
Batman is attacked on all fronts. It’s a pretty brutal scene to watch. The Arkham Knight watches the attack happen. And then, at the last moment, he strikes! And just like that the two are meeting and that’s where we end the issue.
It’s great. Tomasi really has been firing on all cylinders since he started writing this series and it’s quite impressive. And I’m a huge Brad Walker fan. His art and storytelling at both tops. I have a feeling this storyline may end being a classic.
RATING: A
