Steve Long 
Steve returns to Gotham City to explore Sean Murphy’s latest DC bonanza Batman: Beyond The White Knight
Before I talk about Beyond the White Knight, if you haven’t had a chance to check out any of the previous Batman White Knight books, I highly suggest that you do yourself a favor and go read those. They are all really good. Written and drawn by Sean Murphy, Batman: White Knight came out in 2017 on DCs Black Label imprint. It is a look at a near-future where the Joker seems to be cured of his madness. It tells the story of Jack Napier (Joker) who seeks to redeem himself and prove to Gotham that Batman has done more harm than good to the city.
CURSE OF THE WHITE KNIGHT
Two years later, in 2019, the sequel came out. Curse of the White Knight, also both written and drawn by Murphy, continues the story of Joker trying to rid the city of Batman by getting assistance from Azrael. This book is equally as good as the first one and reveals some pretty crazy secrets about the Wayne family.
Since then, the writer has started a sort of Murphyverse within DC Comics. In addition to the aforementioned stories, he also wrote White Knight Presents Von Freeze in 2019 and White Knight Presents Harley Quinn in 2020. A Presents Red Hood title is also expected for a summer release.
REVELATIONS
So that brings us to Batman: Beyond the White Knight. It is set ten years after the events of Curse. Bruce Wayne at this point has already not only revealed himself to be Batman. But also donated his entire fortune to the city of Gotham. He is currently in prison. Gotham is a police state. Barbara Gordon is the police commissioner; Dick Grayson is the commander of the paramilitary group Gotham Terrorist Oppression Unit, and Jason Todd is a guard at the very prison where Bruce Wayne is incarcerated.
The opening pages find Terry McGinnis (yes, the one from Batman Beyond) searching through the ruins of the Batcave and finding an advanced version of the Batsuit, which he takes. So far, Beyond the White Knight is a thrilling continuation of the story. I love how it dives deeper into the relationship between the Bat-family, especially the relationship between Bruce/Batman and Jason Todd/Robin. I also really enjoyed the subplot about Harley Quinn who, at this point, is the mother of a set of teen twins. It will be fun to see more interactions between Harley and her rebellious teen daughter in future issues.
VERDICT
Much like its predecessors, Beyond has sensational artwork and stunning colors (done by Dave Stewart). Sean Murphy presents brilliant visual storytelling with this latest edition of his White Knight series. And I am looking forward to seeing more of this story.
Batman: Beyond The White Knight is published by DC Comics and is available to BUY NOW!
Steve is a fan of Star Wars, punk rock, comic books, and cats. In addition to writing for Future of the Force, he also sings for punk band Get Fired and hosts the podcast Rebel Rock Radio!
