The Bat-Man The Second Knight : Book Three
Author : Dan Jurgens
Artist : Mike Perkins
Colourist : Mike Spicer
You’re HIM : Book Three Summary
Scarecrow’s fear toxin is being used on the people of Gotham to show the Nazi’s how effective it is; Jonathan Crane wants to restore his reputation after being told his toxin was too severe by the USA. Batman and Superman come face-to-face to for the first-time ever, in this Dan Jurgens series.
The terror caused by Scarecrow is so bad that it needs both Batman and Superman to battle against the fear. With the Christmas Tree lighting happening in Gotham, will Scarecrow strike again? Will the people of Gotham turn on each other out of fear?
The Second Knight Countdown : Book Three Review
WARNING SPOILERS!
Dark Knight vs. Big Blue
Bat-Man: The Second Knight Book Three gives the reader a duel as old as comic book time. It is Batman versus Superman, the man versus a god. It was very cool to see this played out in the era of the 1940s, where neither man became the legend they are destined to be. Regarding the pacing of the final issue, it was definitely a great choice from Dan Jurgens to begin with such a monumental battle.
As a reader and massive Batman fan, it was super cool to see how early Batman and Superman would fight without the use of high-tech suits, crazy cars, or gadgets. Bruce uses sonic sound devices for dogs to discombobulate Clark. This is a simple but effective move. I am happy to see the story highlight the propensity of Bruce to plan and outthink an opponent.
As a whole, I did expect more from this issue, especially after the strong story in Book Two. The story overall was a good read and leaned into both the crime and horror themes. This included Bruce trying to find out who is making the fear toxin and the horror coming from the demeanor and crazy plan of Scarecrow.
Batman came across as Batman: Year One. He is someone who has had all the training and teaching in the world but is learning every night on the job. As a reader, it did remind me that although practice makes perfect, you still need to apply it in real life. Experience is key.
Reading this story was also quite eerie, given everything happening in the world today. The time this story is set is in the 1940s, with the world on the brink of another great war. The fear Gordon holds regarding another world war made me feel nervous and disappointed for the world. It is a reminder that we still do not learn from history. Chiefs in offices and behind desks get to dictate who lives and dies without ever getting the shoes dirty.
Christmas Fear
Scarecrow wants to show off the fear toxin to the Nazis so that they will fund the research. For a perverse personal need, he also intends to use the toxin during war. Dan Jurgens uses a Christmas Tree lighting as the setting for the maniacal plan of Scarecrow to take place. This is a great way for the reader to feel disdain towards the villain.
It is Christmas, and people should be allowed to enjoy the lighting of the tree while families gather. Instead, Scarecrow wants them to basically tear each other apart from the fear taking over the impulses of the crowd.
“Imagine the beauty… of parents gouging out the eyes of their own children.”
We have Batman going toe to toe with Scarecrow, which leaves Superman at the Christmas Tree lighting looking for the fear toxin and where it may be hidden. What comes next did not really make sense to the reviewer within the grand plan of Scarecrow. Besides creating panic, it did not serve a great purpose.
The Hangman, the accomplice of Scarecrow thus far, is met by Superman and threatens to let the fear toxin loose on the people of Gotham. However, it is a bomb that blows him up. It did not add anything to the story because Superman was going to defeat him anyway. That writing from Dan Jurgens left me confused because it was a nothing moment.
Although we are one bad guy down, Big Blue still needs to find where the fear toxin is hidden, and Dan Jurgens does write this part nicely. What are all the people from Gotham here to see? The Christmas Tree, and that is exactly where Scarecrow hid the fear gas. In typical 1940s fashion, Superman saves the people in the cheesiest manner possible. He wraps the Christmas Tree up in a tarp and holds it tight to contain the fear gas and limit the leak.
Face Your Fears
Jurgens does a good job of building the fight between Batman and Scarecrow, having to remember that this would be their first encounter. Therefore, Batman isn’t his usual efficient self and does get a few digs from Scarecrow. The part that was interesting for me was that Batman sees Scarecrow as some kind of devil, perhaps that’s because he was ready to side with the Nazi’s.
The major element of the fight between Batman and Scarecrow is the artwork from Perkins and Spicer. It felt dirty, dark, and dangerous. The drawing from Perkins did make me feel like I was reading something from the Golden Age. The panels were still dynamically presented in a way that made the action feel like it was blow for blow. This reinforces that Batman is still inexperienced and is honing the skills.
The coloring from Spicer is filled with dark shades and low brightness, giving the fight a real raw feeling. The colors themselves are browns and greens. This highlights that Batman is in the territory of Scarecrow, and that puts him at a disadvantage.
I did love the way that Batman got the upper hand in this fight. The use of brass knuckles knocked Scarecrow out cold, and Batman followed up with an elbow drop that the Macho Man would be proud of. With the bad guys taken care of, Batman and Superman have a heart-to-heart, which was an interesting way that Dan Jurgens chose to close out the team-up. It highlighted the contrasting mentalities of the two heroes. Superman still believes that humanity will do the right thing, whereas Batman has lost faith in humanity doing the right thing. It is a comparison of the ideal and the real.
Batman pays a visit to the not-so-likeable informant Maxie, who runs a house of ladies. Batman doubles down on the fact that if Maxie crosses the line, he will come down on him. This also emphasizes that the world is not black and white, and Batman often operates in the grey area. Although he is striving to do the right thing, he needs support from characters that exist in the shade. The ending of Book Three was again in typical 1940s happily ever after fashion. Bruce proposes to Julie Madison, and they get married.
Throwback Art
Perkins and Spicer did a tremendous job of making the reader feel as if the story was straight out of the 1940s. The color work from Spicer especially made it feel like an early Hollywood movie. It had that specific feel due to the dark shades and heavy shadows used throughout the panels.
The favorite scene from Book Three for this reviewer was the aftermath of the events of this story arc. Bruce and Clark have a conversation about the world as it was in the 1940s. The dialogue from Dan Jurgens is brilliant. As mentioned earlier, many aspects of this story arc unfortunately mirror what is still going on today in 2026. Therefore, it was interesting to get the thoughts of two of the biggest modern myths known to man, Batman and Superman.
The drawing from Perkins is fantastic. The use of various angles to bring out the emotions of either man, while varying the shots of the heroes from wide to close up, was great. Two panels in particular stood out most to the reviewer. One is a close-up of Batman standing in the shadows, and the other is a close-up of the full face of Superman. This summed up the approaches of both heroes to their missions, and again, it provides a comparison of the real and the ideal.
You see the reality we do not like to talk about. It is suppressed and not advertised. We like to promote the ideal, which is always too high for us to reach. Although I am a fan of both heroes, I think it is sometimes the reality we need to grasp first before we can look forward to the ideal.
Conclusion & Rating
Book Three delivered a softer finish than I had wanted, but that’s down to the story being very linear and only three issues long. The ending fight between Batman and Scarecrow was nicely crafted, both from a narrative and art perspective, but I never felt like Batman or Gotham was ever in any danger.
Overall, the inclusion of Superman was super fun. For a reader who is becoming a super fan of comics and specifically the DC Comics universe, seeing the World’s Finest in the 1940s at the Level One stage was a treat to see.
The story was good, a nice read, and had plenty of action. However, it was more about the emotions that Dan Jurgens is trying to bring out. The cliché of the trials of war comes to mind, which is something that, unfortunately the human population is still living through today.