Batman: Last Knight on Earth (2019-) #1

DC Comics

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Greg Capullo

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman run is the highlight of the New 52 era of DC, at least for me. It drew me into comics for the first time and hooked me. I still recall withdrawing Death Of The Family from my local library in 2014 and was both equally horrified and enraptured. I’ve followed Snyder’s work since then, from his indie work such as Wytches to his more recent stuff, like The Batman Who Laughs and Justice League. I’ve actually been looking forward to Batman: Last Knight On Earth for a while now, and when I purchased the issue I held it with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Could it possibly reach the lofty expectations I had?

Batman: Last Knight On Earth’s premise is an extremely intriguing one. What if Bruce Wayne awoke in Arkham Asylum…. and was never Batman? And the secondary question, who is Bruce Wayne when the end of the world arrives? It’s these questions that immediately face us in Batman: Last Knight On Earth, and that set the scene for everything to come, every revelation, every familiar face, and new evil. Oh, and along the way he encounters a decapitated talking Joker head. It’s as insane and brilliant as it sounds.

Character-wise, there’s stuff here even for the most avid DC reader. Since this is set at the end of the world, we’re introduced to new versions of old DC staples, such as Wonder Woman. Except this isn’t the Wonder Woman you know and love from her current solo series or Justice League. This is a Wonder Woman who has been through hell and lived through it. It’s not just Wonder Woman either. We’re reintroduced in a way to Batman himself, who we know to see through the lens of a perceived madman. It’s an interesting spin from Snyder, and Cappullo’s incredible art really shines when showing these new ideas off.

Speaking of Capullo’s art, this might be my favorite art he’s done for a book yet. He paints an incredible picture of the end of the world, and what might become of our heroes afterward. There are certain pages here that I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase as prints if the opportunity came up

Batman: Last Knight On Earth #1 is a wonderful and promising beginning to a series that has the potential to be known as Snyder’s greatest Batman story. With Snyder’s writing at its best since The Court Of Owls and Capullo’s best art since then too, I’m fully on board with whatever comes next and I cannot wait until the next issue.