DC Comics crafts a new Batman origin story with Daredevil writer Chip Zdarsky

Many, ManyBatman origin stories are not as exciting as those in the first issue. Batman: The Knight.

A 10-issue miniseries that charts Bruce Wayne’s emotionally fraught odyssey from vengeful boy billionaire to the world’s greatest detective begins cuts straight to the core of what makes a troubled young man do terrible things in its first installment. It’s not a superhero tale. Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico have sent Wayne on a journey of self-discovery and growth, in which psychological pain is as essential as his spectacularly drawn fistfights.

It’s mean, it’s moody, it’s good.

Who’s making Batman: The Knight

Batman: The Knight #1 unites Eisner Award winner Chip Zdarsky and artist Carmine Di Giandomenico. They both have been in Gotham City recently: Zdarksy completed a six-issue series on the anthology series. Batman: Urban Legends last August while Di Giandomenico illustrated three issues (#991-993) of James Robinson’s short stint on Detective Comics.Ivan Plascencia, a frequent collaborator of Di Giandomenico in his run on this issue, colors the issue. The Flash) and lettered by industry stalwart Pat Brosseau.

Is Batman The Knight the real deal?

Batman: The Knight #1 isn’t so much about how Bruce Wayne started on his path to the Batcave, but what he was feeling when he did it. This issue traces Wayne’s last disastrous semester at Gotham Academy: He’s tormenting bullies, generally freaking out his would-be girlfriend Dana Dunlop, and sneaking out of his mansion to pummel strangers in underground fight clubs. Bruce is, to be blunt, in a complete mess and Alfred Pennyworth his butler is on the brink of death.

This is why Dana suggests that he see her family psychiatrist, a curious doctor who finds Wayne’s plight intriguing and is really pushy about conducting shady hypnotherapy sessions. Hugo Strange, the young villain is present and adds to the danger. Strange’s conversations with Bruce are presented as the one relatively stable element in Batman: The KnightThe #1 issue is the best, while all other sections clearly show how close he’s to anger. Readers will quickly recognize where the real danger lies for Wayne in this story; the danger isn’t just on the streets, it’s in this room.

What is Batman: The Knight #1?

Image: Chip Zdarsky, Carmine Di Giandomenico/DC Comics

It’s the year 2022 and DC must have some kind of mandate that every generation gets its own Batman origin story. Batman: Zero Year It was first published in 2009, Batman, Year OneYou are 35 years old when you do not need to calculate. The Untold Legend of the BatmanThe better. Besides, there’s a Year Two Batman movie coming out this March, which just might send moviegoers and lapsed comic readers running to their nearest comic book shop to check out what this Bruce Wayne character’s been up to over on the printed page. Publishing a new origin story for Batman right now is a well-timed move on DC’s part.

Are there required readings?

It is short: no. This is an origin story, don’t be ridiculous.

But. If Batman origins are a dime a dozen, at least DC has had the wisdom to let each new take tackle a different aspect of Bruce Wayne’s formative years. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Zero Year depicts Batman’s first (or zeroeth) year as an overeager vigilante who may just be in over his head; Frank Miller and Dave Mazzucchelli’s Year 1 explores how Batman and then-Lieutenant Jim Gordon’s relationship evolved over the course of their first year in Gotham; Len Wein, John Byrne, and Jim Aparo’s Untold Legend ties the Batman’s origin to Robin’s and presents both as legacy characters: Bruce was technically the second Batman after his father’s one adventurous night as the caped hero (a story adapted from Detective Comics #235) while Dick Grayson was technically the second Robin, following Bruce’s first costumed foray as a masked Gotham City avenger.

Every story can be great and each has its own merits. They’re not necessarily required reading, but it is fascinating to see how the Batman saga clicks into place by reading these seemingly disparate stories. It’s still early days, but The Knight has the goods to become the latest essential example of how Batman’s story continues to remain fresh even as our real world continues to change around him.

Batman: The Knight: Is it good?

Image: Chip Zdarsky, Carmine di Giandomenico/DC Comics

If you’ve been reading Zdarsky’s ridiculously good Daredevil I have always wondered what he would do to tackle running. Batman, you’ve just hit paydirt.

The Knight is a more grounded origin story than what we’ve seen before. You’ll find the grappling hooks and escape artistry along with the muscle car miles further down the road. Zdarsky isn’t interested in racing to the familiar touchstones in Bruce’s long journey towards Dark Knightdom; he’s more invested in Bruce’s brilliant mind. And at this point in the story, Bruce’s brain is being pulled in all sorts of directions.

Bruce’s regular nightmares are point-blank recreations of the night his parents were murdered, the mugger’s gun barely obscuring his remorseless grin just before the weapon erupts and Bruce is shocked awake. And Bruce wakes up and finds that he’s still angry. He trains his body as a gymnast with no real goal in mind and releases his pent-up frustrations on nameless (and economically desperate) adversaries in Gotham’s underground fight clubs.

Di Giandomenico goes to great pains to make sure Bruce’s small tortures show on his face, his body, and his hands. The toll Bruce is paying is noticed by the people who care about him the most and this makes Bruce’s interactions with them that much more painful to read. Alfred once called him “spoiled, rich brat” and it is almost hard to hear the pain in his voice. Zdarsky has a remarkable ability to create deeply personal moments. Batman: The Knight#1 is a doozy.

In this tale, one thing is clear: Young Bruce desires to penalize people who cause harm to others. He does so with shocking cruelty. Alfred fears the worst and sees Bruce’s desire to punish people who hurt others. Bruce follows a path that neither can comprehend. Later, Bruce tests his growing deductive mind against an adversary in a scene with the kind of thrilling dramatic height you just don’t read in a first issue that often. Wayne, still as a child, experiences his first taste in justice. He discovers that it is something he enjoys. What terrible consequences might this lead to as Wayne navigates his new endeavor?

It’s a wild question, given what’s unearthed in Batman: The Knight#1. A new and terrifying take on Batman’s myth.

One panel that stood out

Image: Chip Zdarsky, Carmine Di Giandomenico/DC Comics

Wherever Bruce finds himself next, one things’ for sure: It’s gonna hurt.