A cool sequel in this White Knight series that I have quite enjoyed, although I don’t think it really needed a sequel, especially since this has drifted away so much from the original storyline. Nonetheless I love the artwork and vibes of the Black Label comics so came in excited to read more.

I do remember the first novel being very detailed with a lot of dialogue that arguably dragged at some points. (My review of it was very short compared to this one though.) However I felt this sequel did a much better job at having more action and a lot more shocks and cliffhangers between volumes. For the first half I also thought the new ‘villain’ Azrael was very cool, with an interesting backstory and motives, plus he looked awesome.

However it all soon started feeling like the last season of Game of Thrones. Big moments such as major deaths or identities being revealed were great shocks and kept me hungry to read more, but it sometimes felt a bit rushed. An example being when Azreal kills almost every villain of Gotham we know and love in about half a page like it’s nothing. Plus the dialogue didn’t feel as expertly detailed like in first novel, a lot of what I remember is just characters shouting at each other.

Also in the end I didn’t really like or cared for The Wayne family’s ancient secret that is revealed. It was a bit absurd but I get that’s the point of this comic series, to have an alternate take on everything we thought we knew, like a parallel universe. But to be honest after a while I found the Gotham’s origin story / flashbacks a bit boring and Batman’s ultimate reaction to it all seemed very out of character. Just because you find out your family’s history is a lie doesn’t change who you are now and all the good that you have done. And in my opinion it most certainly would not lead the Batman we know to change his morals and code just to defeat an opposition.

Anyway, I also found the final battle a bit short and expected Azrael to be a little harder to beat considering what he did to the other characters before. But that being said it was pretty unrealistic for him to be so strong and powerful in the first place considering he’s an old man with terminal cancer. I did like how he almost pushed Batman over the edge with a comment about his parents though. Batman’s initial reaction was quite a shock.

Finally, I didn’t really like how Jack Napier / The Joker was handled. It’s said that everything was his ultimate plan although he doesn’t actually do much himself in this sequel. Obviously he was the focal point in the first novel, but here his character didn’t have any much development. If anything it probably got worse and he simply became a side character. The moments of Napier coming in and out of control soon became predictable and his ending was very disappointing after everything.

Overall it’s hard for me to figure out what rating to give this comic. While reading it I really enjoyed it, but while reviewing it I’ve noticed many flaws. Plus I’m having to compare it to other comics I have read, as well as the first in the series.... Idk maybe I should have just wrote ‘Cool’ and left it as that.

Either way, I am still looking forward to reading the Harley Quinn spin-off series as I do like her character here.