Comic Review: Batman: Curse of the White Knight #7

Batman: Curse of the White Knight #7

DC Comics

Writer/Artist: Sean Murphy

Batman: Curse of the White Knight #7 brings the second act of Sean Murphy’s White Knight saga closer to its lethal conclusion. As the Wayne family’s secret is revealed, the stakes rise ever higher for Batman and his allies in the GCPD. 

Following CotWK #6’s revelation about Edmond Wayne and his one-time ally Bakkar, Bruce Wayne struggles to process the changes to his identity and to his and his family’s role as prominent figures in Gotham. Though Bruce makes progress in repairing his relationships with members of the GCPD and with the injured Barbara Gordon, he fails to reconcile his personal growth with his new knowledge of his family history, leading him to make a daring choice broadcast to all of Gotham and to challenge the dying Azrael to a final confrontation.

Murphy maintains the high quality of storytelling that he has displayed since the first volume of White Knight, with constant twists offset by more introspective moments between both traditional and unexpected pairs of characters. Bruce remains the focal point of this issue’s slower burning story as he seeks the advice of the reformed Harley Quinn and the hospitalized Barbara Gordon in considering Batman’s future. In terms of storytelling, this is a great place in which to find Bruce: we’ve seen Batman defeated before, but not quite in this way. The separate elements of the story aren’t wholly original on their own, but Murphy combines them to make something truly new and memorable.

As always, Murphy and Matt Hollingsworth knock it out of the park on art. The customary throwbacks to Batman history (a certain car and a certain Jean-Paul Valley pose, in this case) are nice touches that don’t interfere with the story. Otherwise, despite not having much action, CotWK #7 meets the high artistic standard that Murphy has set, showcasing his talents for mood, perspective, and detailed technology and backgrounds. 

Batman: Curse of the White Knight #7 delivers another great read from Sean Murphy and Matt Hollingsworth. As usual, Murphy gives the characters room to breathe and reflect, enhancing our enjoyment of the story by immersing us in the characters’ thoughts; however, he manages to strike a solid balance between introspection and solid action, or in this case the buildup of tension before the showdown. This issue alone creates enough hype for the series’ finale, and if Murphy maintains his previous level of quality, it’s shaping up to be incredible.

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