Legends of the Dark Knight #1

Legends of the Dark Knight #1

DC Comics 2021

Written & Pencilled by Darick Robinson

Inks by Darick Robinson & Richard P Clark

Coloured by Diego Rodriguez

Lettered by Simon Bowland

​ BAD NIGHT, GOOD KNIGHT begins!

Legendary Creator Darick Robertson (The Boys, Happy) crafts a horrifying night in Gotham City that will change Batman forever. A new player in the city is selling a deadly chemical and all of Batman's villains want to buy. Batman is going to have to stop the chemical from being sold, and stop a deadly stand-off between The Penguin and Mr. Freeze!

I was actually a big fan of the first volume of this title. What Darick is doing here reminds me of that beautifully in how we see this tale from Batman’s past case files. This is an amazing introduction to the series and it really involves Gordon and his men as they recount their interactions with Batman during this case and it really is angle and perspective that we don’t see happening and I have to say the ingenuity behind it is completely and utterly exceedingly well done. This makes me excited to see what else that Darick has in store for us as he continues to tell this tale.

I love the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see is amazing! The dialogue, the character interaction and the way that they act and react to the situations and circumstances that they encounter really do flesh these characters out in some marvellous ways. The pacing we see is incredible and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story, the characters involved and the twists and turns along the way we are pulled into this as it engages us.

I am enjoying the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story are emerging and are carries throughout the book. The way we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is so well achieved. There’s a natural flow to the way that this unfolds and how the events occur and it really does engage the readers mind, draws us in so we’re invested in the story and it just thrills you as it reminds you of a less darker time in Batman’s history.

The interiors here are mindbogglingly brilliant to see! The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level of quality in the detail work is beyond gorgeous. I cannot believe how mind numbing the work is and how the faces, facial expressions and body language are able to further the characterisation. That we see backgrounds judiciously utilised within the composition of the panels to create the depth perception, that sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is sensational. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is divine! How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows the eye of a master colourist.

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I’m thrilled with this and I couldn’t be any more excited to see a Batman title considering i’m not the biggest fan of the character. This tale of Batman, Gordon and the GCPD working to foil the plans of some of his biggest adversaries alongside a new one I’ve never seen before has all the hallmarks becoming an instant classic. Hopefully this will be the standard that everyone who comes after this arc has to strive to live up to in terms of the level and quality of the storytelling.