Review Shooter: Flashpoint: Batman: Knight of Vengeance

For the past 3 months, I’ve gone back and forth on how to deal with all the Flashpoint tie-ins. By the nature of the beast, reviewing them as an individual issue is a daunting task because its hard to see them as isolated events. Instead, each has served to enhance the Flashpoint universe in some special way. During the first month, I did a rundown of each mini and what it had to offer.

Now that we are coming to the end of the tie-ins, I felt it was time to reflect upon the series I personally kept up with. As they begin to wind down, we can see the larger picture at work, and how these stories worked in the context of the grander scheme of things. And most importantly, to find out if it is worth your time and money.

Batman: Knights of Vengeance has perhaps been the most prolific tie-in series. It makes sense as it stars DC’s most popular character, but for your money, it is perhaps the best-written and drawn series of them all.

The concept is simple enough, takes the common mythos of Batman and turn it on its head. Instead of Bruce’s parents dying that night in the alley, it is actually Bruce himself who bites it. Much like his son did many decades ago, Thomas Wayne takes the loss hard and dons the famous cape and cowl. And throughout the main Flashpoint series (he is a focal character there as well) and tie-in, Knights of Vengeance, the Batman story has been re-ignited with fun twists and turns along the way. The most shocking (at least to me) coming in issue 2 when we discover the identity of the Joker.

Issue 3 brings the emotional weight of the series to a hold in the most magnificent of ways. As we are shown the whole backstory, it begins to dawn on you just how much tragedy has struck this family. It also shows that people cope in many different ways. Granted, this isn’t a psychological study because I’m certain most people don’t dress up as animals to cope with loss, but you get the idea.

All of this is bought together by some truly stunning panel and coloring work. There are scenes in this book that really reminds me why I read comics. A wonderful mixture of coloring, lighting and artistry comes together. Hats off to Mr. Risso for 3 fantastic issues.

I will skip over the new reader accessibility for this review. One, because it covers an entire arc of a series, but more importantly because it is a “Tie-in” it does makes it more difficult to suggest without reviewing the whole event. I will however recommend every and anybody to check out this fantastic run for a fresh and interesting take on the Bat-verse.

Recommendation: Buy The Trade