A Gritty DC Golden Age Return: The Bat-Man Revives 1939 Comics Noir, Monsters and Pulp-Era Terror

The Bat-Man: First Knight and Second Knight deliver a gritty Golden Age reimagining of Batman, blending 1939 noir, monsters and pulp-era terror into a striking throwback take on the Dark Knight.

All the excitement and praise in comics today—at least at DC—is focused on Absolute Batman and, to a lesser extent, the other books in the Absolute line. Deservedly so: the Absolute comics have reinvigorated aging, stale characters and brought in new readers. But another DC comic that isn’t getting the accolades it deserves is a Black Label series featuring The Bat-Man. Written by Dan Jurgens with art by Mike Perkin and Mike Spicer, the story has been released in two volumes, aptly titled The Bat-Man: First Knight and The Bat-Man: Second Knight.

The premise is simple—it’s raw, early Batman from 1939. You get everything from gun‑toting gangsters to flashy starlets, all immersed in a post–World War I world. The art expertly conveys Gotham’s dimly lit streets, the grungy underbelly beneath art deco skyscrapers, and floodlights cutting through the night sky. Against that idealized veneer of hope sits a world of strippers, organized crime, and monsters.

The first arc centers on murders committed by convicted criminals who previously died in the electric chair. Bruce Wayne—who has no Alfred or Robin in this version—develops a budding romance with Vicky Vale while earning the trust of Commissioner James Gordon.

The second arc brings terror to Gotham in the form of the Scarecrow and an executioner, and this time the chaos draws the attention of Daily Star reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent. The day is ultimately saved when The Bat-Man and Superman team up, somewhat reluctantly. At first, I was put off by the inclusion of more DC characters, but this is played as a very Golden Age Superman. In my head, I could almost hear George Reeves and Noelle Neill delivering their lines.

The concept works so well because, like the Absolute line, it isn’t burdened by 80 years of continuity, characters, and retold stories. It mines the earliest Batman comics and blends them with mad scientists, monsters, and supervillains in a way that feels true to the era. The backdrop of 1939 and early‑1940s America becomes a perfect mix of reality, Batman: The Animated Series, and the old Batman serials—an imperfect world begging to be explored.

The art is gorgeous, and the variant covers hit like no others. The presentation is pure Golden Age pulp, and I can’t get enough.

I hope there are more entries in this series. I wouldn’t mind a Superman version, but the heart of this concept is The Bat-Man. His world translates to this era so well. I just hope future installments don’t overdo it (as I fear the Absolute line might) by throwing in too many tropes or characters from the wider mythos. Superman was enough; I don’t need to see The Flash, Green Lantern, or other DC heroes. We don’t need The Bat-Man joining a Justice Society—not yet. That could be interesting if done in a period‑specific way, especially with a second world war looming, but I don’t want it to overshadow the gritty, non‑superpowered world established in the first two arcs. I would welcome more of Batman’s own mythos, such as Robin or the Batmobile (he’s still driving that red car from the early comics).

Are you reading The Bat-Man? You absolutely should be.