Batman: White Knight ( 2017-2018), written and illustrated by Sean Murphy
Now here's an age-old question: what if Joker would go sane? How dangerous would a sane man, with Joker's intellect be? Would he do good or bad? What would make him tick? Here's an answer artist and writer Sean Murphy came up with. It all begins, like it has ended so many times before, Batman chasing the Joker through the streets of Gotham. As the Joker points out, mockingly to his nemesis, this time around Batman seems to be a bit more ruthless than usual. Not that he minds, it's all about the chase. But chase to where?
Why, there's an old medicine storage unit, filled with all kinds of fantastic little pills. Pills the Joker is dead set on consuming just to teach Batman a lesson. See, he has gotten into his head, that these pills would make him sane and that would be a slap against Batman and what he has tried to do by using force and at times brutal violence. In the end, maddened Batman stuffs the unknown pills down Jokers hatch, the whole thing being filmed and sent to the net, becoming viral evidence of the Bat taking things too far. This, again, shakes the frail faith of Gothamites towards GCPD and vigilantism they've turned their blind eye on, especially because Joker slips into a coma because of the pills.
It isn't the Joker who wakes up from the coma but Jack Napier. The pills have done precisely what Joker thought they would do, they made him sane, blocking his serial killer personality away. This new, saner man, takes on the books and provides proof of that GCPD doesn't have a foot to stand on in what comes to his arrest. It is Batman, who is the bigger danger than he ever was. Gordon agrees and reluctantly Jack Napier is set free because of how well Jack is able to play the strings of SJW movement.
Knowing that the Joker has done bad things, Jack seeks out Harley and proposes to her only to find out that the woman he has thought as Harley isn't the Harley he thoughts she was. Harley Quinzel had left him ages ago after Joker had become too deranged and abusive. The new woman, Marian Drews, was originally a hostage that became obsessed with Joker and is not interested in Jack, she wants Joker. But luckily for Jack, Harley has kept things in check and comes getting her puddin back and tells him why she left. The straw that snapped the camels back was, the Batman obsessed Joker who kidnapped Jason Todd who was Robin at the time. He tortured the lad and as Harley was unable to stop him, she sought out Batman's help. They were too late and Joker never divulged what he did with the boy or his body.
With Harley on his side, Jack sets out to become the White Knight of Gotham. To do this, he wants to tear down Batman. The first thing he needs to do is to take control of all the criminals of Gotham. This leads him into finding the little, dark secret of the city, Batman devastation fund, in the ballpark of 3 billion dollars a year. The money is what it takes to rebuild the devastation the dark knight leaves in his wake. Knowledge of this gives Jack political leverage and he becomes a councilman. Even Gordon and Batman's allies, Nightwing and Batgirl, are forced to recognize that what Jack is saying about Batman has a ring of truth about it.
But why has Batman become more aggressive? It's because of Alfred. He is dying and Bruce has teamed up with Mr, Freeze to save him. As it has been stated numerous times before, Alfred is Bruce's moral compass. He has kept him in check, controlled the damage Bruce being Batman has caused to the people close to him. For decades, Alfred was the father Bruce had wanted and needed and now he is about to die, which is about the worst thing to a man who can't let go, who is unable to say goodbye.
A new threat rises over Gotham in the form of a woman Joker created. Marian wants Joker back, he's the one she loves and she is dead set on taking him back from Harley. She turns herself into Neo Joker and with Mad Hatter begins the quest of finding out how to do so. Together the unlikely duo becomes the worst danger in Gotham's history. Taking control over the brain-controlled criminals, Neo Joker finds out the big secret: the Wayne family, after the war, provided funding to an ex-Nazi scientist, the father of Victor Fries. The secret is a huge freeze cannon she ends up using against the whole of Gotham in order to drive Joker back out from the mind Jack.
Batman ends up providing all of his wonderful toys to GCPD. With the help of several Batmobiles, stylistically going as far back as the classic Batman '66, the good guys manage to get to the ice cannon and unfreeze Gotham. Harley takes out Neo Joker, almost killing her in the process.
In the end, it is Jack, who is able to fight against his alter ego long enough, who ends up redeeming Batman and Harley. Jack confesses his crimes and is once again sent to Arkham. He even manages to give Harley what she has craved for, his love in a form of marriage before he turns back into Joker. How happy of an ending that is for her, is anyone's guess.
Sean Murphy does a great job with Batman: White Knight. It uses many of the tropes of the Batman universe but manages to spin them into new fashion. In many ways, the story breaks up many status quos of Batman and how the world he exists in functions. There are a lot of old things in the story that are given a new, more profound meaning, tying up the history of decades of a wildly sprawling universe into a coherent, cohesive whole, as unbelievable it might sound. This version of Batman isn't a part of the main universe of Batman-mythos, whatever that might be at the moment. White Knight is a thing of its own, but what it does with the material is not only convincing, it works better than most of the mainline stuff because it also is free of the confined lines of trying to follow some bigger arch set there.
White Knight is a great Batman story, looking at Gotham and the characters who dwell in it from multiple perspectives. The world itself is insane, but the people living in it, the sane and insane alike, are trying their best to exist in it. It's a good story even if you aren't a fan of Batman. It helps to be aware of who some of the people in it are, but not knowing much shouldn't be a hindrance for enjoying the ride. Knowing just makes it a bit better though.
Sean Murphy has already begun work in creating sequels. Batman: Curse of the White Knight has already been published in its entirety and a third instalment is on its way.
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