Azrael is still out on the loose, leaving Batman and company no time to mourn Jim Gordon. Not only that, a deeper truth about Gotham and the Wayne family is uncovered. Spoilers for Batman: Curse of the White Knight #5 follow.
A good portion of the best Batman stories of all-time have been told outside of the main DC continuity. There’s room to play and explore plot points, themes, and subject matter that wouldn’t be possible within the frame of the main universe. That’s what Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight have done so well. They create genuinely shocking moments that make this universe feel separate while also telling its own story, even if it is taking cues from other stories. That’s kind of apparent in this issue as, for all intents and purposes, this is now Sean Murphy’s take on “Knightfall” and it’s great.
The most surprising thing about this issue, other than the final couple of pages, has to be the decision to make the first 3/4ths of the issue incredibly slow-paced. There’s so much exposition and character moments with nothing really to break up that pacing. It’s something that hasn’t worked plenty of times before, but Murphy makes it work brilliantly. This is because his characters are so well-realized, and his world fleshed out so well that it’s impossible not to want to spend more time in it.
When it comes to the actual story though, it’s obvious that Murphy’s pulling from several different stories. “The Killing Joke” and “Knightfall” are the most obvious ones, but he’s not simply retreading, he’s doing something new. That’s none more apparent when Azrael ends up killing Bane and then a good portion of the inmates at Arkham Asylum. This is all before he dons his own version of the Batman suit. These serve some genuinely shocking moments that pay homage to another grandiose story while also willing to do its own thing. It’s smart storytelling that leaves you wanting.
Yet again, what else is there to say about Murphy’s art as well? He’s one of the best artists in the comic business and really has done no wrong in any of his works so far. That continues here as he perfectly captures the tone and emotion of his writing without ever forgoing his style. Matt Hollingsworth’s colors are exquisite as well. He and Murphy work so well together to create this version of Gotham City, making it stand out from the rest. No offense to Hollingsworth though, I kind of want a black and white version similar to Murphy’s Punk Rock Jesus.