Jason Todd Mentors a New Robin on His Own & More Stunning Images by Sean Murphy

Savas Abadsidis March 21, 2022

Comic book superstar creator Sean Murphy has been sharing some of the stunning images he’s creating for DC Comics’ upcoming Black Label mini-series Batman: White Knight.

Although White Knight has been concerned primarily with Batman, the bat family, and their villains, the series will eventually introduce the Justice League.

Throughout the Black Label series, White Knight, readers have had a glimpse of a radically different version of Batman, his sidekicks, and his rogues gallery.

While incorporating his Batman: The Animated Series influences, Murphy has crafted an alternate universe that feels both fresh and familiar. With the upcoming fifth entry continuing the series’ ambitious world-building, there is potential for much more than what fans have seen so far. As Murphy brings readers into a new take on Batman Beyond in the 8-issue limited series, Batman: Beyond The White Knight, the White Knight canon is growing.

It’s been hinted that the upcoming Beyond The White Knight will even begin to set up certain characters, hinting at a team dynamic in the near future. In an interview with Screen Rant, Sean Murphy spoke on his plans to integrate the other DC heroes, saying:

Later this year, Red Hood will lead his own Batman: White Knight mini-series. Tentatively titled Batman: White Knight: Red Hood the book will follow the adventures of Red Hood as he trains his protégé.

The series will spin out of the forthcoming Batman: Beyond the White Knight, which also introduce Terry McGinnis and Neo-Gotham to the White Knight universe. Sean Murphy, architect of the White Knight alternate universe, will co-write the series with Clay McCormack; it will be illustrated by Simone Di Meo.

Batman: White Knight, written and illustrated by Sean Murphy, debuted in 2017, as part of DC’s Black Label imprint. The Joker, apparently cured of his madness, became a politician, exposing the evils of Gotham City—including Batman. The series concluded with Batman realizing he was part of the problem and unmasking to Commissioner Gordon. A follow-up series Curse of the White Knight followed, incorporating new characters such as Azrael into the universe. Murphy’s White Knight universe has proven so popular that DC has commissioned spin-off titles, exploring the stories of Mister Freeze and Harley Quinn. In addition to introducing Azrael, Curse of the White Knight also introduced Red Hood. Now, Murphy returns to Red Hood later this year in a brand-new mini-series.

Sean Murphy’s White Knight universe has proven popular with fans, so much that DC has allowed Murphy and his collaborators to create an entire universe based around it. In addition to providing readers with a slightly skewered version of Batman, Murphy has incorporated other characters from the Dark Knight’s mythos, such as Azrael and soon Terry McGinnis, as well. The White Knight universe takes a more grounded approach to Batman and his allies, and Red Hood, with his street-level approach to crime fighting, makes sense. Red Hood’s relationship with Batman has never been the best, and in this forthcoming mini-series, he will gain a new understanding about Batman and what it means to “care about somebody,” according to Murphy.

In a recent roundtable with ScreenRant, Murphy revealed more details about the forthcoming series. When Murphy was planning Curse of the White Knight, he intended to introduce Red Hood earlier in the book but opted to save the reveal to the end. Murphy confessed he did not know “exactly what [he] was going to be doing” with Red Hood, thus pushing him to the series’ end. However, Murphy has created a backstory that will form the basis of the forthcoming two-issue miniseries. One of the goals of the new book is to “humanize” Red Hood; he will take on a daughter-figure and as he trains her, he comes to new realizations about his relationship with Batman, ultimately empathizing with his former mentor. Murphy did not reveal an exact release date for the series, simply saying it was coming later this year.