By: Paul Cornell (writer), Jimmy Broxton (artist), Guy Major (colorist)
The Story: Squire and Shrike’s first date gets more than the usual awkwardness when Knight’s armor accuses Knight of being an imposter—it’s not quite as complicated as it sounds.
The Review: Some of the most fun in reading these misadventures of Knight and Squire has been the chemistry between our eponymous heroes. There’s no doubt their outlook on the work they do is drastically different from that of their American counterparts, Batman and Robin. How can it not be, when their homeland’s criminals tend to be such civil buffoons? But this issue shows that spiritually, the two sets of dynamic duos have a lot in common.
Robin’s initial conception was little more than as a colorful sidekick for younger readers to latch on to. Later, the character became a more necessary part of the Batman mythos when portrayed as a balance to Batman’s darkness, an idea which got special attention during Tim Drake’s assumption of the role. Paul Cornell uses that idea in retelling the origins of the current Knight and Squire. Even though Knight’s self-destruction goes a different direction than Batman’s, both allow isolation to eat away at their souls, and are saved only by their younger partner’s friendship.
Cornell writes the tale simply, but with a lot of sentimentality, giving the series and its characters some much needed depth. Not that the wacky plots and gags of previous issues haven’t been great—they have. But to give Knight and Squire more ground to stand on even after this miniseries concludes, Cornell needed to show that they’re not just all fun and games with funny accents. Knight’s one-off with his AI-driven armor sounds like yet another light premise, but becomes the most serious conflict of the series yet as Cyril battles his dark side—both metaphorically and literally.
It’s a shoo-in that character work gets strong treatment in this issue. Cyril’s blunt recollection of his lowest moments and his confrontation with their return to life makes him seem all the more admirable for overcoming his weaknesses. But Beryl continues to be the highlight of the series, as in this issue you get to see the many shades of her personality at play, from her bashfulness around villain-turned-hero Shrike, her temper when their first date goes awry, and her devotion to Cyril, even at his most despicable. The final scenes between her and Knight’s armor have no dialogue, but the emotions running throughout are crystal-clear and quite sad.
What remains problematic is the missing sense of purpose for this series. It could be argued that the purpose is just get to know the characters better and have some fun exposure to the bizarre and endearing quirks of British culture. But it’s high-time Cornell shows how heroism is not an incidental distraction for Knight and Squire, but the whole business and importance of their lives. Most of their opponents so far have been so laidback as to almost be adorable, and haven’t seemed much of a threat as a result. It would be great if Knight and Squire get to face a formidable antagonist before the series’ end, and develop their mythos in the process.
The art remains a mixed effort. Jimmy Broxton sets up scenes very well, and he has a very unassuming way of drawing character expressions. But the line-work never gets what could be called detailed, and at times just looks blotchy and distorted. Action sequences look especially clunky, with a very cartoonish sense of motion.
Conclusion: A more sober, but still compelling read on the British dynamic duo. By the issue’s end, you should have a better sense of the characters’ seriousness beneath their wit and banter, but you’ll also be raving for bigger, more explosive things for them to do.
Grade: B
- Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: - Is it just me, or does Shrike look almost cradle-robbingly older than Beryl?
- One of these days, I’m gonna have to figure out how Cyril went from being essentially homeless to living in a castle. Must be some story.
- Ah, tea–the British panacea to almost all problems. Nothing like a good cuppa to take the edge off.
Filed under: DC Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Batman, Batman and Robin, Beryl Hutchinson, Cyril Sheldrake, Jimmy Broxton, Knight, Knight and Squire, Knight and Squire #4, Knight and Squire #4 review, Paul Cornell, Robin, Squire, Tim Drake
