Overview: In Batman: The Knight Volume 1, Bruce Wayne travels the globe, learning tricks of the trade from a variety of international tutors.
Written by: Chip Zdarsky
Art & Cover by: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colors by: Ivan Plascencia
Letters by: Pat Brosseau
This graphic novel review contains spoilers
The period of time before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman is usually summarized best by “he traveled the world learning from experts in all subjects and trained his mind and body to their limits.” But to this point, to my knowledge, we have never really seen a definitive story that seeks to explore the events of that time period. Many will remember that the TV show Gotham focused on a young Bruce Wayne prior to becoming Batman. However, that show was basically just doing the Batman stories in Gotham City except without Batman. Batman: The Knight is, in my opinion, the definitive look into what those years might have been like for Bruce. Not only does the story take us across the world with Bruce to different exotic locales, it also gives us insight into the psyche of Bruce Wayne and why he becomes the way he does as Batman.
Each minor story arc within this collected edition essentially focuses on Bruce learning a particular skill (or set of related skills) from a master in that area. For much of the story, Bruce is accompanied by Anton, also known as Minhkhoa Khan (later known by the alias Ghost-Maker), who serves as an ally, rival and contrast to Bruce himself. In addition to the skills he learns from the masters, Bruce often also indirectly absorbs a lesson in ethics from the flaws of the masters. The story starts with Bruce as a young man in Gotham, mostly angry and obsessed with pushing himself to increasingly reckless endeavors and serving justice around him. His goal at this point isn’t really defined (he thinks he wants to be some kind of cop), but his girlfriend at the time, in a moment very reminiscent of Rachel in Batman Begins, tells him to “think bigger.” After being arrested, participating in an underground fighting ring, and a falling out with Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce resolves to undertake his journey.
The Many Mentors of Bruce Wayne
The first mentor Bruce encounters in this story is in Paris and is a rather unlikely one; Lucie aka The Gray Shadow, who is a femme fatale cat burglar very similar to Selina Kyle many years later. She teaches Bruce the arts common to thieves: stealth, parkour, safe cracking etc. Despite the age difference, Bruce can’t help but feel an attraction to her; an indication of the type of woman he would find interesting, but Lucie is only interested in being a mentor and friend. In the course of their lessons, they steal an item from someone who turns out to be a serial killer. This puts them on a collision course with the detective Henri Ducard, who has been hired by Alfred to find Bruce and also happens to be investigating the murders. As Ducard makes himself part of their team, Bruce observes Ducard using the deductive reasoning and process that is essential to the work of a detective. He also notes Ducard’s ability to get into people’s heads and destabilize them emotionally. After resolving the issue with the serial killer, Lucie lets Bruce go, as she has nothing more to teach him and his temperament is too hot to be in her line of work. They part amicably, and Bruce becomes Ducard’s apprentice for a while.
Bruce then travels to North Korea where he seeks Master Kirigi, a Japanese martial artist. The scene of Bruce arriving is also reminiscent of the scene in Batman Begins. Kirigi helps Bruce hone his body and learn advanced martial arts and ninjutsu techniques. It is here Bruce meets “Anton” (Minhkhoa), who is a fellow student. Kirigi does not care about the motivations of his students or the ethics of how they apply it; he only cares about the art itself. This approach is similar to Minhkhoa’s, who doesn’t really care about right and wrong; he simply wants to be the best ever for the sake of the art. Bruce’s time in Korea comes to a close as he decides to leave when Kirigi teaches lethal techniques to a band of students from the League of Assassins. He is attacked by those same students on his descent from the mountain, but with Anton’s help, they fight them off and leave together.
The next story arc starts with Bruce and Anton in prison being interrogated by the KGB. They have been looking for an ex-KGB agent named Avery Oblonsky. It turns out that the whole interrogation was a test from Oblonsky, and they pass. Oblonsky is a master of disguise, espionage, and manipulation. In their lessons, Anton is the more natural student. For Bruce, these lessons will prove invaluable later in life in crafting the disguise of the public playboy persona as well as his work as Matches Malone and other disguises. On top of the skills, Oblonsky is teaching them to be adaptable and improvise as plans fall apart and circumstances change. In their final test, Bruce appears to fail at first, but then rallies and uses his lessons to win the challenge and obtain the book of sensitive information belonging to a military official. He also showcases his sense of morality by getting rid of it; a move that Minhkhoa would probably not do.
The next master is found in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. His name is Luka Jungo aka The Swiss Mark, a former assassin who retired after he developed a guilty conscience. This master teaches Bruce and Minhkhoa about marksmanship and the use of various weapons and firearms. Luka also offers them a cautionary tale about the danger and seductive nature of the gun to men like them. Bruce, who is already against guns, feels even more vindicated in his decision not to use them. When Anton is revealed to not have similar feelings, Luka turns on him because he does not want to unleash another killer. In the ensuing standoff, Anton kills Luka, is able to beat Bruce unconscious, and leaves.
Back to the States
Our next chapter finds Bruce in New York under the tutelage of John Zatarra. The dynamic with this mentor is different, it’s more familial, because Zatarra was family friends with the Waynes back when Bruce and Zatanna were children. Zatarra, at this point, is a bit burnt out and depressed due to the death of his wife. The lesson here for Bruce on a personal level is the danger of getting lost in the pain of the loss of loved ones. The conclusion of this chapter offers that using the power of memory in a positive way to remember departed loved ones is the better path to take. Bruce’s interactions with Zatanna are also perfect in my opinion. It reads as two friends who care deeply about each other with a hint of attraction but ultimately unavailable due to the paths they’ve chosen. Not only does Zatarra teach Bruce escape artist tricks and sleight of hand, he also introduces Bruce to the idea that magic is real and that there are unseen worlds and beings. This chapter also answers why Batman doesn’t attempt to use magic. Bruce is convinced he can learn magic if he applied himself, but the magical cost would be all the other skills he has learned.
The next master is an individual named Dr. Daniel Captio, who refers to himself as the smartest man in the world. Bruce’s goal here is to hone his mind and turn it into a fortress. Dr. Captio has many similarities to Lex Luthor and he’s kind of a bizarro mirror for Bruce. Where Bruce is full of emotion, Captio is completely devoid of it to the point of being kind of nihilistic. In observing this flaw of Dr. Captio, it’s almost as if Bruce realizes the dangers of becoming too aloof and removed from humanity. Batman, for all his wealth and prowess, is very much a champion of the people. ou see Bruce embrace being filled with emotion and love for the people he cares about when he uses that as fuel to defeat Ra’s al Ghul’s messenger Harris Zuma. Zuma’s attack comes after Anton/Minhkhoa tries to warn Bruce, and Zuma invites Bruce to complete his training with Ra’s al Ghul.
Enter Ra’s al Ghul
The boys have now reconciled and traveled to train with Ra’s al Ghul at his Lazarus facility in the desert near Abu Dhabi. Ra’s is able to teach them everything they’ve learned, but at a higher level, and also impart secret spiritual techniques that have been lost to time for everyone else. More than this, Bruce also realizes through observing Ra’s that it is possible to mobilize his vast resources to affect change. As we know, many years later, Bruce will use his company to build infrastructure and support in Gotham as well as build Batman Inc. globally. Talia is also at the facility and we get a sense of how complicated their relationship will eventually become in the future. As always, there is mutual attraction between them, but ultimately too many differences to make things work. It is at Lazarus that Bruce finally discovers Anton’s real name is Minhkhoa Khan. Ra’s al Ghul, at the end of their training, eventually pits them against each other to see who will become his right-hand man. The differences in personality and philosophy between Bruce and Minhkhoa finally come to a breaking point. Minhkhoa is only too ready to fight while Bruce does not wish to fight his friend. Bruce wins the fight by tapping into his emotions and saying Minhkhoa being empty and devoid of emotion is why he will always lose. But of course, Bruce is eventually unwilling to go along with Ra’s al Ghul’s plan to destroy before rebuilding and turns on him by destroying the Lazarus facility. Bruce defeats Ra’s al Ghul, but he is seriously injured when Talia stabs him to defend her father. Minhkhoa returns to save Bruce and carry him out of the collapsing building, and the two part on decent terms.
At this point, Bruce decides he is satisfied with his training and decides to return to Gotham to become Batman. There is a really short but moving scene where Bruce is reunited with Alfred. Their relationship in this story touches on what it means to be a father figure but also give a young man the space to discover who he is going to be as a man. One thing I really liked about the structure of the story is Zdarsky leaves open the possibility of returning to this time period before the official emergence of the Batman. There are time gaps between the individual chapters in this story that can be filled in later; hopefully with a Batman: The Knight Vol 2.
Carmine Di Giandomenico’s art is fantastic throughout the book and really elevates this to being among the best graphic novels I’ve read in the past 5 years. The sheer intensity Bruce is depicted with is perhaps my favorite aspect of the art. It is the same look he has as a young boy, a teenager, and as a young man, and it is palpable, jumping off the page. Plascencia’s colors and use of light and shadow (so important for any Batman related book!) are also impeccable. Brosseau’s lettering is very easy to read and never obscures any of the panels, which is vital for a book like this where there is sometimes quite a bit of script on a page.
I would recommend this book to all Batman fans who are interested in Bruce’s journey to becoming the Batman. I also think the book holds even wider appeal to anyone who is interested in a globe-trotting story of action and espionage. I eagerly await a Volume 2 in this series.
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with copies of the original issues of this series as they were released but not of this new edition. You can find this collected edition and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this edition digitally either for Comixology through Amazon or as a physical copy in a hardcover form at Amazon or from Things from Another World.
