Comic Review: Batman: Arkham Knight Books 1, 2 & 3

I was taking a quick break from Judge Dredd comics to jump into the Batman verse. I happened to be in my local library when I noticed they had the entire Arkham series sitting on the shelf. So, I took the opportunity to grab them all and read them back to back. I thought I would combine it into one post because it is all one story. So sit back and enjoy.

Arkham Night One

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Illustrator: Viktor Bogdanovic

Pages: 144

Commercial Fluff: The Joker is dead. Arkham City is closed. As a new day begins, Bruce Wayne finds himself in devastating pain, recovering from his injuries and questioning whether his role as Batman is still necessary for the city's survival. But as the sun rises in Gotham City, dangerous new threats emerge from the shadows...and the Arkham Knight is just beginning. Don't miss this in-continuity prequel comic set before the events of the brand-new video game Batman: Arkham Knight!

Review

Quick story overview to start us off.

The Joker is dead! It's a big spoiler if you don't play the games, but it must be said. The victorious Bruce Wayne struggles to run his job and be Batman (no surprise there). Following the death of Joker, a void has been created in the criminal world, and everyone is trying to claim their part. Foremost among these is the Penguin, aided by Mr. Hammer and Captain Sickle, the Russian clowns.

Alongside the Penguin, we also get appearances from Harley Quinn, Killer Croc and Kid Shark. Then, to round out the action, we have a random mystery character dressed in high-tech armour who enjoys killing criminals - not entirely sure who this is. Still, I can only assume he will play a more significant role in the other comics.

The story is pretty dull, and the artwork is lovely, but I doubt I would have picked up the other comics if I didn't have them.

3 out of 5

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Arkham Knight Two

Commercial Fluff: The prequel to the best-selling video game continues!

The Venom-fueled super-villain Bane has broken out of Gotham Stone Ridge Penitentiary, and this time, he’s amassed an army of followers ready to overrun the city and install him as ruler of Gotham. To defeat him, Batman will need an army of his own, and he’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with allies and enemies alike to fight for their city.

But Bane isn’t the only threat facing the Dark Knight. While Jim Gordon runs for mayor as part of Bruce Wayne’s “Gotham Reborn” city revitalization plan, Harley Quinn and the rest of the Suicide Squad are after the billionaire’s head, as ordered by the Penguin himself! And through it all, someone new is watching from the shadows.

Review

The story continues, and I hope it improves....spoiler - it does not. Following the first tale, Bruce and Barbara spend much of the comic convincing Commissioner Gordon to run for Major of Gotham. Though everyone knows he will do well, Gordon has doubts that verge on annoyance.

We then get a metric ton of villains dropped into the story - Bane steps up first, being broken out of Gotham Stone Ridge Penitentiary. Then we get a Penguin and Harley mini adventure, finishing with Poison Ivy's entrance. This seems complete overkill, but I can only assume all these characters end up in the computer game.

Then the comics go weirder, introducing the Suicide Squad to the mix in the form of Deadshot, Boomerang and Killer Croc. It then all becomes pretty complicated with double-crosses, blackmail, bike theft and the Arkham Knight stirring up shit.

This is a bit too much to take in as a comic-form newbie to the Batverse. I'm halfway through the series, which is now really dragging for me.

2.5/5

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Arkham Knight 3

Commercial Fluff: The prequel to the best-selling game BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT!

Back on the streets, a mysterious enemy lurks in the shadows of Gotham, the Arkham Knight. Gathering super-villains like Harley Quinn, the Scarecrow, Bane and Two-Face, Batman must prevent a catastrophe and save Gotham.

Review

I'm struggling with this now. I am finding myself switching off and not caring anymore. The artwork is excellent, but the story is meh at best. I didn't finish this one. They lost me entirely on this series and could be with ease one of the worst stories I've read this year!

1/5

Final Thoughts

Complete garbage. I seriously regret picking these up and reading them. I like Batman, but these comics did him zero justice. It even made me not finish a comic, which is entirely unheard of.

From what I can tell, it added nothing to the computer game lore and seemed to move entirely from any lore I know. What I am trying to say is don't bother with this; it is dull. Feel free to disagree below, and thanks for reading.