Batman: One Dark Night by Jock is a dark Batman tale that task place in one night. Batman: One Dark Night is from DC Comics’s Black Label for more mature storytelling. This story is brutal and very bloody. The visual style of the comic was gritty and reminded me of Frank Miller’s drawing on The Dark Night Returns. The story is good but the art overshadows it. The art takes advantage of one-page and two-page images utilizing the full panel to tell one image or have a full image in the background. The story reminded me of the movie The Warriors which is about gang turf war, and one gang surviving every gang coming to get them. In this story, Batman has to take a dangerous criminal that every gang is out to get through the streets in a blackout. There’s a good twist towards the end that you don’t see coming that was well executed. The beginning is a little rocky as it starts the novel in the wrong place I feel, it should have started with a flashback and then to the present day. There is only one Batman villain from his rouge galley of villains, I will not say who because it was a fun surprise in the novel, but most villains are street-level gang members. The plot felt like a Batman game play-through as you’re headed to the big boss battle. The way the story was told it was hard to sync in emotionally. Batman: One Dark Night Graphic Novel collects Batman: One Dark Knight #1-3. Batman: One Dark Night was published on September 20, 2022, by DC Comics’s Black label.

Plot Synopsis: Batman is watching a prisoner van that is heavily guarded as it moves from Arkham Asylum to Blackgate Prison. The Van transports a criminal known as EMP that can turn himself into an electro-magnetic bomb, he can do this on purpose and sometimes not. The transport van is hit with an RPG before Batman can get to it and EMP goes off and blacks out all of Gotham City. It down Batman’s Batplane and communication with Alfred. Batman is alone and has to transport EMP 40 blocks and over a bridge to Blackgate Prison on the ground. The way it went down Batman knows there’s a puppet master to the gangs but can’t figure out who.

What I Liked: The art is brutal but there’s a beauty to it. I like the use of the full panels. I liked the twist in the story and was satisfied with how it turned out. I liked the villain who ended up showing up and felt he was right for this story. The story could have been better, but I ended up liking it. I liked EMP or Edward as a character when he tries to be a better person.

What I Disliked: The beginning could have been set up so much better. We could have established the bad guy’s loss right at the beginning and what happened to EMP, to get locked up.

Recommendation: The story for Batman: One Dark Night is okay while the art is spectacular. I’m much more into story than art, but I will recommend this book, while it could have been better I still ended up liking it.

Rating: I rated Batman: One Dark Night by Jock 3 out of 5 stars. #’4 would be the rating I would give it if I could.