Writer: J. Torres
Art: Marcelo DiChiara and Carrie Strachan
Letters: Saida Temofonte
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 6th, 2022
Batman: Knightwatch #4 continues delivering all-ages stories featuring the Batman Family. This issue, we get Batman, Batgirl, Robin (Damian Wayne), Nightwing and Huntress in two stories featuring Killer Moth and Scarecrow and a couple other surprises!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Batman: Knightwatch #4 Review.
The Story
Batman: Knightwatch #4 features two stories, both of which are fun and feel like watching a half-hour episode of a Batman animated show without the commercial break in between stories. I’m sure there are people out there who feel reading an all-ages comic (especially a Batman one) is as distasteful as eating a SPAM and banana sandwich.
But Batman stories, and any other stories really, don’t need to be brutally violent and dark to be enjoyable.
The first story in the issue features Killer Moth as the main villain, as he tries to make everyone treat him with more respect and seriousness and takes on everyone standing in his way. It’s hilarious in places (Killer Moth just can never be taken seriously) and Batgirl shines in it, starting with a great fight scene at the beginning of the story. There’s a surprise guest appearance and a free-for-all finale in a boxing ring that another Batman villain gets involved in (hint: He’s one of Batman’s more huge and intimidating foes). It was reminiscent of a sitcom episode, with accidental run-ins and things getting out of hand quick.
The second story features Scarecrow and Huntress, as Huntress is determined to stop his latest plot. Batman, Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl come in to help, and they all have to face their greatest fears to stop Scarecrow and his newest most powerful fear potion. This story’s a bit darker than the first story, but still a nice breezy story, and it’s always great seeing Huntress in action.
If you’re a fan of Batman: The Animated Series or The Batman/Scooby Doo Team-Up comics, you’ll love this book too. You get two great stories for $2.99, and what’s better than that?
The Art
Marcelo DiChiara and Carrie Strachan’s art on Batman: Knightwatch #4 is vibrant and colorful. As stated above, it has the look and feel of an animated show, but avoids Manga and Anime styles for a more traditional style, which I personally loved. The fight scenes, though not super violent, are fun to read and the panel transitions flow smoothly, moving the story along at a fast pace.
Final Thoughts
Batman: Knightwatch #4 is another great all-ages book from DC. It makes me wish DC would do a similar book for the Superman Family and other DC characters like The Flash and Green Lantern. So many books have multi-issue complex storylines that never seem to end, so it’s nice to have a book like this, that you can read and get two complete stories with a beginning and ending. A very fun and entertaining book.