BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #1

Comics superstar David Finch takes full creative control (both writing and illustrating!) on this brand-new Batman monthly series! Joined by the best of the best – Scott Williams – on inks, this new series is sure to be on everyone’s must-read pile!

Delving into the more supernatural and esoteric areas of Gotham City, the 6-part storyline explores the horrific murder of one of Bruce Wayne’s childhood friends…and the terrible ramifications the brutal crime has on Batman’s life!

Written by DAVID FINCH
Art by DAVID FINCH & SCOTT WILLIAMS
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant cover by ANDY CLARKE
Sketch variant cover by DAVID FINCH

Price: $3.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 0.2%

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  1. Hmm. Not sure how this will be, but I’m still pretty stoked. Finch did great art on Batman: the return. As for writing, we shall see.

  2. I don’t really know what to expect, but I’ll be buying this for the cover alone.

  3. I don’t know if I can support a book that is a month late before the first issue comes out. Sounds like this series will be a bunch of forgetting what happened last issue.

  4. I’m also a little disappointed that issue #1 is shipping late…good thing I only pre-ordered this one.

  5. I am always concerned when artists attempt writing.  Not saying that this will be poor, mind you, but once bitten, twice shy (more like 7 times bitten really)

  6. I’m always down to give a book a shot. Usually i give books their first arc to wow me, but with Batman Inc as amazing as it is, this has one and only one shot.

  7. Of course I’m gonna check it out.  It’s BATMAN, people!

  8. Yea, trying to consolidate my Bat-books right now.  Batman Inc. is a def, as is Streets of Gotham, which is done soon I heard though; then there’s also Batgirl, but not following Batman or Detective, nor Batman & Robin right now, so there’s still room for this.

  9. @ franktiger – No detective? You must not be a fan of Dick. (I’m not even going to clarify that.)

  10. i’d rather have the book’s first issue be delayed than further down the line. I don’t understand people who are already getting butt hurt over a series they’ve never read. 

  11. @MoodSmoothie  Oh no man, I was Robin and my big bro was Batman back in the day, so def a fan of Dick (no pun intended, believe you me), and miss him being Nightwing actually, wish they gave him his own persona, because Dick deserves it, and am sure lots of peeps feel the same, that Dick should continue his evolution from Robin to Nightwing to … kinda felt it woulda been something different than his just becoming another Batman, like something even better, because Dick was the kind of character who was just so bright and open enuf to learn from Bruce’s mistakes, so it woulda just made sense to me that he became something all his own, alas, he is just another Batman now, but who knows, we’ll see.

  12. Oh, and I know peeps like Detective, but it just didn’t do it for me, one of those things.

  13. @Franktiger  – Lol, i hear ya. You have a point about Dick not having much persona of his own. if we didn’t have the bat symbol on the chest, I doubt anyone could easily tell the difference anymore. It was easy at first, he was more talkative and extravagant. Not so much now. Unlike Azreal in the 90’s, you knew he was definitely different.

  14. @Franktiger Totally agree about Dick. After so many years in his solo book becoming his own man, not wanting to be like Bruce, fighting against becoming Batman-Lite … he’s now Batman-Lite — literally lol. There’s no reason he can’t do the exact same job he’s now doing as Nightwing. Especially now that Bruce Wayne has come out & said he funds Batman. The urban myth/creature of the night/fear factor is gone. Everyone now knows it’s just a man in a costume, so it makes no difference if he wears a cape of not.

    No idea how the writing will be on this (trying to be open-minded ), but no doubt the art is gonna be NICE.

  15. I’m looking forward to Finch.  I really like his art and am really hoping to be blown away.  I’ve not picked up a straight up Batman-only book in quite a while.  Here’s to the Dark Knight.

  16. I will wait, if this turns into a good book I’ll buy the trade or HC.

  17. I’ll give it a shot, but I’m not expecting much. I like Finch’s art OKAY, but as with Jock on Detective…I wish the inside art looked like the cover art. And based on what Finch has said in interviews, I’m not expecting much from the story or writing quality.

  18. @froggulper  — A bit of an unrealistic expectation isn’t it?  you’re not getting interior art like cover art unless you don’t mind only getting 2 issues per year.

  19. @wally: Who said it was what I “expected”? I’m just saying that if the art on the inside looked like the art on the outside, I’d be way more likely to buy every issue. I like Finch’s covers way more than his interiors, which are comparatively (and understandably) “rushed”. And for the sake of argument, yeah, I’d prefer it if they only put out two issues a year and the interior art looked like the covers. I’m not TheNextChampion; I don’t care if something’s late.

  20. @MoodSmoothie  @WadeWilson  Yea, that’s been the challenge since Dick took over the cowl, to make him distinct from Bruce while in the same costume, and I think when it comes down to it they really didn’t do all that great a job at it.  I think Dini was the best at it on Streets of Gotham, but I think the trick was giving Dick his own persona, all the while showing what he’s learned from Bruce, what he’s trying to emulate from Bruce.  

    But yea, it does feel like he’s sorta a Batman-lite now, which is really not consistent with Dick as a character, cus he always wanted to be his own persona, he rebelled from Bruce by becoming Nightwing, and I understand that he returned to the cowl because Gotham needed their Batman, but you’re right, now that Batman Inc. is up and running, I think Dick should feel free again to try and establish his own identity, separate but still in honor of and in tune with the theme of Batman.  I don’t have good suggestions for a name, but I don’t he should go back to Nightwing.  Maybe Batwing or something?

  21. Finch is one of my favs and teaming him with another all time fav in Williams should be eye candy…I’m waiting to see how his “writing” skills are and if they compare with his art. It’s tough to do both, only the best have but I will be getting the first couple to see…

  22. Not only is the cover art jaw-droppingly awesome, check out the awesome logo too.  I’m in.

  23. Batwing lol

  24. Nice cover treatment there.

  25. @deadspace  I know, horrible suggestion, a lot worse than Darkwing, but Daffy called dibs on that one.

  26. Really wanted to love a “grittier” Batbook like Finch promised, this isn’t it though. Met exact expectations; great art and barely-there writing style. Dunno why this concept isn’t being handled by a writer with proven chops or an up&comer with some legit heat. At least there’s Detective this week…

  27. @froggulper  –i don’t think his interiors are rushed like you say. I mean cover art pays more than interior page rates so its a work/vs compensation kind of thing. He’s also writing the book,  so i mean at some point something has to give to get it released. Also covers are posed pinups, whereas you can’t do alot of the things layout wise that makes those covers work on interiors.

    Looking at his style from this cover and Brightest Day, i don’t think i’d like that highly refined painted style on interiors. I don’t think it would work that well.

    I give artists credit when they can find a way to streamline their style for interior art to meet deadlines and not overwork themselves with extra unpaid labor. 

  28. super stoked for this issue but cant get it till tomorrow cause you know being in ireland and that means that until january I gotta wait till thursday……..I seem to be meandering on this comment oh well

  29. This was punishingly bad.

  30. @glunders  – are you serious? Ahhh man …. 🙁

  31. there’s that melodramatic mommy’s boy batman that some people have been missing.

  32. If the fear/creature of the night is gone, will it be fair to say that GM ruined Batman?

  33. @NathanNicdao No.

  34. @NathanNicdao  Yes.

  35. This is literally the antithesis of Grant Morrison’s Batman. If that’s your thing, go for it. Pick up some Spawn trades on the way out, too.

  36. Thanks for your answers! It’s a tie, then.

    I’m on the fence about everything that’s developing in Batman now. I’m along to see where it goes. Maybe that’s why DC is publishing a variety of Bat Books, to cater to everyone.

    When Bruce announced Batman Inc on GM’s last B&R, I was shouting ” NO! NO! NOOO!! “
    But Batman Inc has been fun. So I’m really undecided.

  37. Did anyone else get a Hush vibe from this story.

    Batman and Killer Croc fight over his involvement in a kidnapping
    Bruce flashes back to a childhood friend
    Batman tours the rogue’s gallary for clues

    Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I got a really strong Hush daja vu. Not to say I didn’t enjoy it, I did, I prefer Detective though. I think I’m gonna wait until this is collected. Save some pennies.

  38. @NathanNicdao  It would be absolutely false.

  39. @Zeppo  Yeah I totally got the Hush vibe.  Probably is partly due to the fact that Finch’s style is very much from the school of Jim Lee.  Still, the art was pretty, the writing was pretty mediocre.  Probably won’t be picking this up again.

  40. I too got the Hush feel with this.  

    The art looked great, and I like Finch’s take on the Penguin, but yea, like someone said already, not too sure about the mamma’s boy version of Bruce, or the faking out Croc with a placebo antidote, didn’t like that part really.

  41. I’m pretty sure this was supposed to be in continuity, but it really didn’t feel like it was.

  42. Loved the placebo…Batman spare Croc pain, why?

    I thought the action scenes were fantastic.  Finch had a little trouble relating the detective part of the plot, reminded me a bit of a Bond film in that way.

    I’m definitely in for issue #2, I think Finch did a nice job out of the gate and want to see more.  How about that splash page of Batman with the rain running down his costume into the gutter.  Wow!  Also, final shot of Penguin’s eye.

    While I disagree with Glunder’s negativity, I do actually agree with his Spawn comments…this felt very Spawn in parts!  That was certainly the part I was least comfortable with 😉

  43. @glunders  I’m assuming this was meant as a dig, but if this is like Spawn, I may need to check it out. 

  44. A bit of Hush, a lot of Broken City. Pimp Croc!

  45. Okay at best.  considering its the first big writing project for Finch, i guess it could have been worse.  The story was generic, but the art was good.  I would drop this book, but lets face it, where going to be lucky to get 6 issues this year, the way the Finch does things.

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