Batman – Santa Claus: Silent Knight #1 is written by Jeff Parker and published by DC Comics. Artwork is by Michele Bandini and colours by Alex Sinclair, letters are by Pat Brosseau. Main cover art (left) is by Dan Mora.
Batman – Santa Claus: Silent Knight #1 is available now, in print and on digital where all good comics books are sold.
Synopsis
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN! The four-part crossover event of a generation begins when a not-so-jolly St. Nick hits Gotham City to investigate a brutal crime in the days leading up to Christmas…What manner of man or beast could have committed such atrocities?! With the help of his former student, Batman, Santa will team up with the heroes of the DC Universe to right this wrong-or the world wakes up to coal in their stockings! A brutal, two-fisted holiday tale of hope, wonder, and monster hunting is the perfect treat to ring in the holidays-it’s Claus in canon!
Review
Now here’s a team up that is perfect for the holidays. I bet you never saw this one coming. Today DC launches a brand new four-part, four-week story which teams Batman and none of than Santa Claus. A holiday tie-in, what a cash cow I hear you cry. But how wrong you are…
Writer Jeff Parker and artist Michele Bandini have created a cool snowy version of Gotham which hides a really fun story. I had predicted this to be a nice, heartwarming story about the Bat-Family at Christmas. But no, within the first couple of pages a grizzly murder has Batman and Robin confused. It seems a mystical, Man-Bat-like threat has wiped out a troop of carol singers. But with Kurt Langstrom in custody, who could be behind these horrible killings?
The mystery of who might be behind it all is the backbone of this first issue. Parker keeps us guessing right up until the cliffhanger leading in to next week’s issue #2. It’s a cool sense of pace for a serious which will unravel a lot quick than most limited series. The balance between action and exposition is impeccable as is the beef supporting cast of the book. It feels right to enter a more supernatural story with a character like Zatanna and her entrance is perfection. Likewise as the threat of these norse vampire bats becomes too much too handle it’s right to see Batgirl and Nightwing show up. A series like this could easily feel contrived but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Likewise Parker is somehow able to legitimise the arrival of Santa Claus as a character in the DCU. First of all his appearance is bad ass. Bandini, along with Alex Sinclair’s colours, do an incredible job of making Santa feel part of Batman’s world. This definitely isn’t the kindly old man from the annual Coke advert. He’s jacked and looks like he could take you in a fight. But somehow still retains some semblance of the saintly character which history has portrayed him as.
There’s plenty of great action across the book. It’s Batman so of course there’s action. The bat minions add a great dynamic to the action as it moves between the street and the sky. It also dials up the threat level. Bandini and Sinclair add a really cool style to the book which sets it apart from either of the main Bat-books. There’s a cool synergy with Dan Mora’s style in the cover. It’s very animated and feels pretty lively throughout. With the reveal of the big bad at the end it’s going to be interesting to see where this goes in the next few weeks.
Verdict
I did not expect to love Batman – Santa Claus: Silent Knight #1 quite as much as I did. It’s a super fun story which features a heady mix of action, mythology and mystery. Jeff Parker’s zippy writing fits perfectly with the dynamic style of artists Michele Bandini and Alex Sinclair.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
