Over the past decade, which Batman series has been the best? Probably the one created for New 52 by Snyder and Capullo. Why? Because it was they who implemented new solutions to the mythology of the Dark Knight over the course of several years, including the Court of Owls. The Last Knight on Earth is another project that may not build on much of the past, but is noteworthy.
A crazy version for people who are patient and with strong nerves
When I first looked at the cover, I thought I was dealing with some kind of Batman from the Green Lantern Corps. However, the more I delved into the story, the more I wondered. The cover of the last knight on Earth shows not Batman-lighthouse keeper, but the Dark Knight, who carries not a ring in his lampshade, but the head of the greatest arch enemy – the Joker. This is a preview of what awaits us inside, and a lot will happen.
Bruce Wayne, after his routine action, falls into a coma and ends up in a mental hospital…. As it turns out, Batman is only the state of mind of a sick Bruce, who made up his opponents. The stay in the psychiatric clinic lasts more than two decades, making Bruce furious. He wants to escape from the Arkham Asylum at all costs to discover the truth about what happened, and during this journey he is accompanied by none other than … the head of the Joker, which, contrary to appearances, may turn out to be useful. However, Wayne will have to use all available means and allies to face someone who, to me, is a cross between Darkseid and Batman. Batman has always seemed like a geek, because who in their right mind fights as a masked crusader? Probably just a playboy with a huge mountain of money and the syndrome of undervalued child. Well it seems
Mad Max in Batman version
Greg Capullo’s illustrations match Snyder’s script perfectly. With his frames, he tries to convey the sense of a psychedelic post-apocalypse similar to Mad Max or other films of this type. The artist makes sure that his drawings are full of details and adjusts them to the level of the narrative, not avoiding mixing bright colors with dark ones – well, after all, we are dealing with an extraordinary story about Batman!
Cohesion
The very idea and multi-level narrative are something that encourages you to follow the plot with each frame. It would seem that something more can be made of it, and the story presented would be good as a wider event. We have many references to the multiverse here, and it would certainly be great material for a longer story. Apart from these places, I have the impression that the authors are nodding to the equally fixated Morrison and his Arkham Asylum.
Batman: The Last Knight on Earth is a title that sounds interesting, but a bit uneven, and may elude many readers. This is not an outstanding work, nor is it a chapter in Batman’s history that we need to know, although the variation the authors have given us is noteworthy with a moment of free time on our part. The Joker is especially worth our attention, as he is something completely different from the Prince of Chaos of Gotham we know.
