The Good

Having the name "ARKHAM KNIGHT" slapped across the cover of this digital comic guarantees I'm going to check it out. I mean, as someone who loves Rocksteady's work with Batman, how could I resist a prequel to their upcoming game, especially when it's just $0.99 per chapter? The thing is, digital comics tend to be hit or miss. I guess that applies to most things in life, but it's clear some digital comics are worth following and others, well, let's just be nice and say you can live without reading them. However, one thing -- well, one person -- gives me hope this digital comic will be able to keep my attention beyond the second chapter: Peter J. Tomasi. That's right, the writer of the very awesome BATMAN AND ROBIN run has the opportunity to write the Dark Knight again, yet this time it's in a totally different universe and with a totally different cast.

Tomasi's name being in the cover raised my expectations. I mean, the guy's already doing a terrific job with the Bruce over in the New 52. Thankfully, he once again proved why I have high hopes when it comes to him writing about the world of Gotham. Aside from not being a fan of the ending, this is a great script. It capitalizes on the Bruce and Alfred relationship in a funny and slightly emotional way. There's a line in here that made me laugh -- something that was completely unexpected going into this one -- yet it doesn't take away from the weight of the conversation. You can still feel the bond they share and Alfred's remarks give us a nice amount of buildup. We know there's some tough times right around the corner for Bruce -- it was revealed today that the game's story will get pretty dark and heavy -- and Alfred's remarks feel well-earned, not forced. It's a little tough to fully appreciate them since, for many of us, it's been so long since we've witnessed what Batman went through in Arkham City, but it's easy to remember the highlights and that's more than enough to remind us just how crazy and punishing his recent mission was.

Another welcome surprise is the brief yet fun appearance of a new villain. Technically, they take a name you're already familiar with and it humorously ties back to one of the most epic boss battles in the franchise's history. It's an amusing little dose of action and it's used to set up something much bigger and way more attention-grabbing. Here's hoping we'll begin to see that element fleshed out a little more.

The Bad

Viktor Bogdanovic, Art Thibert and John Rauch's pages aren't bad, but the visuals aren't exactly the highlight of the story, either. I appreciate just how much time went into bringing the city to life and much of the work is solid -- especially the coloring in the earlier sequences -- but it never really drops your jaw, either. Some of the character work is a tad stiff and occasionally facial structure seemed a little odd. They're minor gripes, but the point is this is a book that's going to sell you with its writing.

Personal criticism, a.k.a. I'm sure some of you will strongly disagree and that's fine: I'm really not a fan of the ending. Joker has received more than enough love in this franchise and Arkham City gave him a great end. To give him even more material feels unnecessary to me. Right when we chimed in on his autopsy, it was blatantly obvious something would go wrong. I'd much rather see the story move forward with the new narrative instead of taking a step back and focusing on a way to use the Clown Prince of Crime yet again. Who else would have loved to see a strong cliffhanger with the Arkham Knight or another villain lurking in the city? I get Tomasi can't reveal too much about the new character -- he needs to leave gamers with plenty of mystery when they're playing Arkham Knight -- but something new would have been greatly appreciated.

Minor gripe: Fellow BATMAN AND ROBIN fans may think Arkham Knight's debut feels a little similar to Nobody's debut. Still, it has me excited.

Minor inconsistencies: In the opening sequence, Batman seems to roughly drop Joker's body -- so hard that it gets a "SLAMM" onomatopoeia. But in the game, I remember the Caped Crusader gently laying down his enemy's lifeless body. It shows that even though this is a despicable and beyond evil person, Batman isn't one to be disrespectful. Also, the damage to Batman's body was different. Here, he has a bloody wound on his chest and leg and not much elsewhere. I remember him having several tears in his armor, yet no blood, and several of those are missing. Look, I know this is nitpicky, but if you're going to leap back into such a memorable ending, a little more attention to detail would have been cool. I appreciate the settings were the same and it's neat they follow-up at that point, but those few small things stood out to me.

The Verdict

Sure, they want to create a satisfying story with this series, but I'm guessing the primary goal is to make sure the upcoming video game remains on our radars and, when it comes out, we'll shell out whatever it costs to buy the game. So, does this opening chapter get me even more excited for Rocksteady's final Arkham game? Yes, I'd say it does. It thrives because it's able to embrace the city and cast we've come to know so well while also offering some great dialogue between Batman and Alfred. I'm left wanting more. I want to see Batman interacting with his other allies; I want to see which other villains will pop up and how they'll be handled; I want to see more exploration of the city I was able to glide around. And I'm left really wanting to play Arkham City all over again. ARKHAM KNIGHT is off to a strong start and it should absolutely be read by fans of the video game franchise. This doesn't feel like a blatant cash in; it feels like a passion project.

Debating whether or not to get this in print.

I still play the Arkham games. They are all so very satisfying. I'd actually been considering getting their comic book counterparts. This seems like a good idea.

I'll give this a try.

Curious that the criticism section is so long and detailed while the book was rated four stars.

I'd say what's stated is significantly more important than how many words are used. Many of them are minor criticisms and one is a personal criticism about the decision to use a certain character.

@k4tzm4n: most epic boss battles in the franchise's history

The first time I played that boss fight I thought my game had glitched. One Punch!!

Yeah you basically summed up my problems wit this book. It' good, but with me reading two main batman books three sidekicks and a unrelated spin-off I'm not sticking with this.

Sorry, but that's not happening. Working on an editorial instead. You're more than welcome to write a review, though!

Are you going to give the second chapter a chance before dropping it, though? At just 99 cents per chapter, its not really putting a huge burden on your pull list, you know?

Cool review.

@k4tzm4n: honestly there are better batman stories out there like batman, detective comics and, batman eternal my batman budget is at 30 dollars every month (when you count the trades and sidekicks) I'm not interested in piking up an extra 4 dollars on to it.

Oh AND IS MORTAL KOMBAT GOOD FOR NEW READERS.

Honestly, I wouldn't say it's the most new-reader friendly comic around. If you're familiar with the games, you'll be fine. It goes pretty heavy into the mythos, though, so I don't think you'll fully appreciate what's going on. They make it so you understand who the key players are, but you probably won't get as much out of it.

YOU'RE COOL. I mean, thanks!

I hate digital stuff so I'm gonna have to wait for print sadly.

I'm glad they reference Arkham Origins in this story. That games gets so much hate, but I just recently replayed it and it's not as bad as everyone says. I understand a lot of the criticism, such as the game bugs and the Joker being the main enemy when everyone was excited to see Black Mask, but it still wasn't that bad. I blame the problem on Joker fatigue. Had this been the first game in the series, people would have enjoyed the twist, but since this was the third game in the series people were eager to see a villain that wasn't the Joker for once.

As far as the story goes, it's nice to know it's still considered canon. I was worried it would be ignored because Rocksteady considers their story a "trilogy" but it appears references to Origins are still going to be made. I like that a lot.

did the arkham knight video game ever come out ??? i been waiting for it but haven't heard anything about it... unless i have just been so out of the video game loop its not funny...

@darkseid_beyond: Rocksteady themselves confirmed Origins was canon a long time ago, anyways.

I'll read these when the run is over, since I don't want to have to wait.

I can't get past his eyes though...Batman without white eyes just seems wrong to me. Creepy kind of.

Agreed, but just so you know, they're white in the comic.

I'm playing Arkham Origins right now and it's not bad. It plays just like the other Arkham games except the top buttons have changed. I do wish the Joker was not around. This was a perfect opportunity for another Batman villian to get the spotlight.

I was thinking that maybe the Arkham Knight could have something to do with Protocol 11. The old Arkham Asylum facility became the base of operations for Tyger Guards who watched over Arkham City. It was also believed that Hugo Strange controlled his Tyger Guards using mind control techniques he stole from Jervis Tetch. Perhaps when he activated Protocol 11 before his death, he activated a set of orders hidden in the subconscious of his Tyger Guards and now they are carrying out his vengeance. How they end up working for the Scarecrow is still a mystery, but it's possible it's nothing more than a partnership of convenience since they both want the same thing. The Scarecrow forces Batman out in the open and the Arkham Knight uses the opportunity to hunt him down.

What I really want to know is how are the League of Assassins going to come into play? If you collect every piece of information hidden through all the games, you start to see who the true villain of the series is and that is Ra's al Ghul. He became addicted to Lazarus and was experimenting below Wonder City in an attempt to find a cure for his addiction. In Arkham Origins we discover that Bane was also trying to find a cure for his own addiction to Venom, which Lady Shiva contacts him about. She tells him that her Master, Ra's al Ghul is interested in his research in TN-1, which is a precursor to Titan. After the events of that game we learn that Ra's al Ghul has manipulated Quincy Sharp into opening Arkham Asylum, which was closed at the time, and this is where research on Titan was carried out. It's also worth noting that Doctor Young, who developed the Titan formula, had Ra's al Ghul's body stored in her officer and in Arkham City we learn that his DNA is a key ingredient in creating a cure for Titan.

After Batman defeated Ra's al Ghul in Arkham City, his body was recovered by the League. I would expect them to return at some point in Arkham Knight, especially since Talia was also killed in Arkham City. Ra's al Ghul cannot be happy at all with Batman.

Isn't that odd though, since from what I remember he never has white eyes in the games?

@muyjingo:

His eyes are white when he has detective vision on, but that's about it.

this issue was pretty awesome not sure what will happene by always to see that we are in for alot of surprises :3

AO reference,those in denial should accept it.

I don't understand why some people would think it's not canon. Am I forgetting an atrocious plot point or something? While the game isn't nearly as polished as Rocksteady's projects, I don't think it's a bad game at all.