Silent Knight? Isn’t that an old DC adventure character? Appeared in early issues of The Brave and the Bold, was a past life of Hawkman and possible ancestor of Jonathan Kent? Well, he doesn’t appear in the first issue of this seasonal mini-series but it has that anything can happen feel, so who knows?
I mean, in this first of four issues we have a jingle of carol singers stopped in their tracks by supernatural creatures…
… appearances by the princess of prestidigitation…
… Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing…
… and of course, Santa Claus himself.
Mind, this isn’t the jolly old roly poly Father Christmas of Golden Age Batman stories, as seen in a Forties insert on Dan Mora’s wonderful cover. Nope, this is a Norse-inflected, musclebound bringer of joy – and death. But only to the very, very naughty.
Writer Jeff Parker never fails to massively entertain with his scripts, and here we have a rollicking first chapter detailing a new, old threat to Gotham City, a robust response from Batman and his allies and a reunion between old friends.
Because of course. Parker provides a fairplay laugh here and while this book isn’t short of intense drama, there are plenty more amusing moments to leaven the mix, such as that personality-perfect comment from Babs about Zee’s library. A cute little bit of business involves Zee’s address, which is trivia fan perfect. As always with Parker, the dialogue hits the mark every time.
The vampire mob are scary if you’re a regular citizen, but surely not enough to occupy Batman, Super Santa and the other heroes for the next few weeks of comic book buying? Happily, there’s a final page mastermind who does look rather more formidable… and I wouldn’t be surprised if more, bigger baddies are waiting in the wings.
Penciller Michele Bandini‘s storytelling is strong throughout, with sharp heroes, creepy villains and a splendid flashback sequence. I especially like his spiky Damian who, for once, isn’t in ‘seen it all before’ mode. And if you think the splashy entrance of Zee, bedecked in Christmas cape, is something, wait until you see how Bandini and colourist Alex Sinclair handle Santa’s introduction. Sinclair’s colours are a real boon to the book, with well thought-out lighting to bring the winter mood. The only colouring decision I don’t like is that the sheets covering corpses are soaked with blood. That’s a little too much.
The festive lettering comes from Pat Brosseau, with the vampire vocals really rather wonderful. Extra points to Brosseau if he also designed the glowing cover logo.
This is the first time DC has done a festive four-parter to supplement the usual giant anthology, and given how strongly this one has started, I hope it’s not the last.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Christmas came early via DCUI Ultra, so I was able to read this one immediately. It’s a joy! I love how when Santa meets people, he says their childhood addresses… and I’m guessing 1007 Mountain Drive is the address for Wayne Manor? Because prior to living with Bruce, I don’t think Dick had a fixed address.
And “FLID?” You cracked me up.
I’m afraid that you might be confusing the Silent Knight with the Shining Knight in your first paragraph, though. Sir Ystin (Shining Knight) is genderfluid. The Silent Knight is, as far as I know, still medieval Englishman Brian Kent, possible ancestor of Jonathan Kent, and also apparently an avatar of the Hawk God (and I guess therefore a previous incarnation of Hawkman?).
Regardless, that’s taking us far afield. Parker, Bandini & company are giving us a wonderful gift with this series.
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Oh, stupid me, I have tweaked the intro. You have been very, very nice, Rob.
I did look up that Wayne address and it is indeed said to be where Wayne Manor is. I wonder where that was established, the old telly series, maybe?
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Good question — it’s not a cutesy nod to a creator (like Zatanna’s Foxhawk Drive address), so it’s likely been established for a while, before that sort of thing was in vogue. The TV show’s a good guess. Maybe Michael Fleischer’s Batman Encyclopedia would have the answer? I don’t have it, but from what I can tell, those volumes get really granular.
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Even Father Christmas is grim-dark, now???? I’m still going to check it out, but I find the pairing to be a little odd. Oh well, I guess I can look forward to “Superman-Boogie Man: Last Nightmare”.
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Fear not, he’s not too grim!
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No, it’s not. Jeff Parker would never do that unless it was organic and necessary for the story of course.
The extra Christmas miracle. I actually LIKED a Batman book!
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I reckon you’ll enjoy it!
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One other thing about this issue I thought was really clever. The second carol the carolers sing — when the action really starts — is Carol of the Bells, the most tension-filled Christmas carol ever. Putting the lyrics there, and getting that song in the readers’ heads, is like adding an action-movie soundtrack to the scene. It’s a great extra layer, perfectly handled!
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Oh, great spot. I didn’t recognise the lyrics, in my head it’s all ‘ding ding a dong…’. I must reread it with that in my head. I did wonder if we’d get a nod to Silent Night of the Batman.
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