Batman: Last Knight On Earth #2 Battles The End Of The World
by Tony Thornley
For all the ways for the DC Universe to end, I have to think Batman: Last Knight On Earth’s take on the apocalypse is one of the most fascinating. What makes it so interesting though?
Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia, and Tom Napolitano tell us the tale of Batman at the end of the world.
Batman and the Joker’s head travel through Earth, trying to find allies and answers to try to reverse the condition the world had found itself in. This leads them to the middle of Kansas, where he learns about the last moments of Superman from an unexpected source and regains one of his greatest allies. It all leads to the only possible location for the final confrontation- Gotham.
Snyder weaves an excellent, fascinating tale of the DCU with Batman at its center. However, it’s a bit frustrating that Batman himself is little more than a plot device for much of the issue, because everyone else is more interesting than he is. A particular highlight is the use of Lex Luthor. Snyder’s take on his ultimate plot, as well as demeanor following give him a great amount of pathos and relatability, without redeeming him.
There is quite a bit of plot that this issue covers. It does result in some pacing issues- some portions of the issue are fast paced, while others drag to a halt. It also presents so many interesting ideas that we know may never get followed up on. The narration from the Joker does some to help this, and it’s still very good, but it does cause some bumps in the reading.
Capullo and Glapion’s work remains the highlight of the story. Batman’s cloned body is drawn as noticeably younger, but his demeanor and body language is world weary and experienced. It’s also impressive how much character they’re able to give the Joker even as just a disembodied head. The design of this dystopia is impressive too, as it’s not just a dark and dreary post-apocalypse, but instead has some thoughtful design choices in the different locales Batman and Joker find themselves in.
At the end of this issue, the last war of the DC Universe is upon us. I’m thrilled to see how it goes.
Batman: Last Knight on Earth #2 is available now from DC Comics/DC Black Label.