In 2023, DC Comics stunned readers with Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight. The four-part holiday miniseries revealed that the Dark Knight numbered Kris Kringle among his teachers, as the two joined forces on a murder investigation. Now, the whole of the DC Universe is getting in on the action in the sequel, Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns.
Written by Jeff Parker with art by Lukas Ketner, Silent Knight Returns picks up sometime after the original. When a ghostly knight starts petrifying people, the Justice League sets out to investigate. This includes Batman and the Damian Wayne Robin.
Damian is the only one to escape after something draws the Justice League into another dimension. He turns to Zatanna for help, thinking her the ideal person to turn to for a magical threat. However, his plea for help also reaches the ear of Santa Claus, who helps Robin keep the peace in Gotham City as the Justice League and the Dark Knight work to escape.
Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns a crowded comic
Jeff Parker’s script throws the reader into the thick of the action and does not let up for a moment. Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns does a fantastic job of establishing both a plausible threat and a mystery. However, the flip side of that is it also presumes the reader is familiar with the sizeable ensemble.
It is reasonable to presume that most reading Silent Knight Returns have read the original. As such, Parker wastes no time explaining how Santa Claus is a monster hunter or his past with Bruce Wayne. However, the Justice League squad in this issue includes some relatively obscure heroes, like Nubia and Wally West’s daughter, Thunderheart. While it is interesting to see them and Mera featured over Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Aquaman, more could be done to introduce them.
The artwork of Silent Knight Returns is just as detailed as the story, though more palatable. Lukas Ketner offers a shadowy, evocative style, with memorable monster designs and intense, well-blocked action. Marcelo Maiolo provides the perfect finishes with their color art.
Fans of the first series will find Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns #1 a welcome continuation. It suffers somewhat in accessibility to newcomers, however, and I suspect it will read better as a single volume than as a weekly periodical. Truth be told, this issue is more of a Justice League story than a Batman one. However, it will meet the needs of those who seek holiday-themed superhero action.
Grade: 6/10.
Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on November 27, 2024.
