Gotham is empty and all the devils have fled. All that is except for Azrael and Batman who are about to have their final showdown. Spoilers for Batman: Curse of the White Knight #8 follow.
Well, here we are. The finale of Curse of the White Knight has arrived. After the last couple of issues have been relatively mediocre compared to the rest of the series, does this final issue pick things back up and end well? For the most part, yes it does, but there are some pacing issues that really keep it from being a perfect finale to this story. At its heart though is a great Batman character piece that brings the issue, and story, home.
So, to start off with the good of this, which is most of it, this is a tense, nerve-wracking ride from beginning to the end. Batman’s hunt for Azrael here is a great version of the idea of Batman being willing to finally kill. It’s a struggle that most versions of Batman deal with, but here it feels all the more palpable. From the fact that he uses an assault rifle to the fact that he even slits Azrael’s throat, Batman’s struggle in this issue feels real. However, by the end, he feels like a true Batman, willing to save the life a man he wanted to kill, simply because it was the right thing to do. This is the first time in either White Knight or Curse of the White Knight that Batman has felt like Batman which is weird to say about the issue where he also uses a gun.
There are also a couple of character threads that come together well in this final issue, specifically Harley and Bruce’s relationship. This is something that has been developing from issue #1 of the series and comes to a head here. And basically, without coming right out and saying, the two have fallen in love with each other. If someone had told me that this was going to happen before I read the series, I would 100% been against, but after reading Curse of the White Knight, it works on pretty much all levels. Here’s hoping that it will develop even more in the inevitable third installment of the White Knight-verse.
There are some other great character moments in this issue as well, specifically between Nightwing and Batman, but this is where the pacing issues arise. So much of this issue feels rushed and doesn’t really let you breathe or allow you take in what has just happened. There are a couple of moments where it does, but often, it moves at a breakneck pace, which doesn’t allow for character moments to follow through to their fullest extent. The pacing definitely doesn’t destroy the issue, but it’s too fast for its own good at times.
And what else is there to say about Sean Murphy’s art in this issue that hasn’t already been said. His art is genuinely fantastic. His layouts are great, figures are wonderful, and his ability to convey emotion is fantastic. There’s really not much to say about his art in this series that hasn’t already been mentioned in other reviews.
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