Posted in: Batman, Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, DC Comics | Tagged: Batman #138, chip zdarsky

More Reasons to Read Chip Zdarsky's The Knight Before Batman #139

Batman: The Knight was a 10-issue series, written by Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Carmine Di Giandomenico, that ran through 2022.

Published Sat, 04 Nov 2023 08:17:08 -0500

by Rich Johnston

Last updated Sat, 04 Nov 2023 10:13:36 -0500

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Article Summary

'Batman: The Knight' was a critically-acclaimed 10-issue series by Chip Zdarsky.
The series explores Bruce Wayne's journey to become Batman and his interactions with mentors.
Skills taught to Bruce range from controlling fear, espionage, disguise, to marksmanship.
The learnings explored in 'The Knight' are prominently featured again in 'Batman' #139.

Slight Batman #139 spoilers ahead. Batman: The Knight was a 10-issue series, written by Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Carmine Di Giandomenico, that ran through 2022. And it probably got him the job writing the ongoing series for DC Comics right now.

The story of Batman: The Knight is set in Bruce Wayne's early days as he underwent the journey to become the Dark Knight, alongside Anton, the man who would become Ghost-Maker, and finding mentors who would teach him new skills he would deem necessary for his new vocation.

Such as Daniel Captio, who helped him try to control his fear and emotions, and who shows Bruce a picture of Bruce's girlfriend Dana and Alfred Pennyworth, shot in the head, enraging Bruce.

Or the previously established Master Kirigi of the Paektu Mountain in North Korea who plans to teach the students a technique that will kill people in one hit, and finds himself being trained alongside assassin's apprentices.

Or Avery Oblonsky, ex-KGB Agent and jail warden, who trains him in espionage and disguise and then sends him to be trained by Luka Jungo, the world's greatest marksman.

And all suddenly returning to the fore in Batman #139. Is this a little foreshadowing for the series to come as the Mindbomb explodes around him? Batman #139 is published by DC Comics on Tuesday.

BATMAN #139 CVR A JORGE JIMENEZ
(W) Chip Zdarsky (A/CA) Jorge Jimenez
NEW STORY ARC BEGINS! BATMAN VS. THE JOKER, MORE BRUTAL THAN EVER! Following the cataclysmic events of The Gotham War, Batman finds himself completely isolated from his family, struggling to keep the rage of Zur in check. But he can't stop, because he's out there, haunting the city, taunting the Dark Knight: The Joker. And the new Batman is ready to stop him once and for all. Mindbomb begins! Retail: $4.99 In-Store Date: 11/7/2023

Batman: The Knight
The origin of Batman and his never-ending fight against crime in Gotham City is modern mythology, but what of the story in between? Superstar writer Chip Zdarsky (Daredevil) and acclaimed artist Carmine Di Giandomenico (The Flash) will take Bruce Wayne on a fraught journey, making allies and enemies, on his training to become Batman in Batman: The Knight Vol. 1! How did an angry, damaged young man grow into the most accomplished detective and crime-fighter the world has ever known? How did the Dark Knight…begin? Bruce Wayne's journey toward becoming the Dark Knight has begun, and he has many hard lessons to learn before his education is complete. His adventure begins in the City of Lights, Paris, where he'll train with a world-renowned cat burglar and come into contact with a horrifying serial killer stalking the city's wealthy elite…will this "first test" for the young Batman prove deadly? Batman: The Knight Vol. 1 collects Batman: The Knight #1-10!