This review contains spoilers for the game, Batman: Arkham Knight as well as the issue.
Batman: Arkham Knight Annual #1 shows the Arkham Knight being forced to face his fears before he can be ready to take on Batman.
The issue begins with Arkham Knight stealing money from Firefly who had just stolen said money. He then kidnaps Firefly and states that he is going to force him to be a part of his plan. Arkham Knight then goes to Scarecrow who proceeds to gas Arkham Knight with his fear toxin. Arkham Knight then deals with a myriad of hallucinations but is able to overcome them and thus, he proves to Scarecrow that he is ready to face the Dark Knight.
Positives
My favorite aspect of this spin off comic is seeing how each individual villain becomes a part of the plan. Firefly being forced into it is pretty funny.
Jason Todd’s hallucinations are interesting; my favorite moment in the comic is the scene in which Jason hallucinates about Alfred killing himself. It shows that Jason isn’t completely gone. His beef is with Bruce and he doesn’t blame the others. His hatred of Tim Drake is a little odd but he is supposed to be crazy.
The art, particularly in the hallucinations, is quite good. There is a two page spread in which Jason sees dozens of Batmen all in different versions of the costume. It is a really cool image.
Negatives
Scarecrow’s introduction is weird. He shows up and is a giant for no reason. Jason isn’t on the gas yet so I’m not sure what is going on. It’s just over-dramatic.
It’s not the most interesting read. It’s fine but it’s not exciting and the issue doesn’t do that much with Jason’s character. It mainly just reestablishes that Jason hates Bruce and Tim and not much else.
Verdict
This issue is fine. The art is good and certain portions of the hallucinations are intense. But, there isn’t much else to really make it stand out. It feels very much like a supplemental piece. It’s not bad but there are better books to read.
