Flashpoint: Batman- Knight of Vengeance #1

    In the Flashpoint universe, there may not be very many superheroes from Barry Allen's universe, but there is a Batman. He's gritty, violent, and is currently attempting to save a pair of twins from the diabolical Joker. Sounds kinda like our Dark Knight. Only the person behind the cape and cowl isn't Bruce Wayne- it's his father, Thomas.
   In this alternate timeline, it was young Bruce who was killed by an unknown assailant, not his parents. Racked with grief and burning with vengeance, Dr. Wayne makes his life mission to clean up Gotham City. By day, he runs the city's privatized police force. At dusk, he operates the seedy Wayne Casinos in hopes of keeping tabs over the gangs of Gotham. If those two personas of Thomas Wayne's don't work, at night, he becomes the Batman, operating outside of the law to 'collect the trash.'
   An interesting take on the Caped Crusader. I've read a lot of Elseworlds books which depict various versions of Batman. I've read about Batman becoming a Green Lantern, a swashbuckling pirate, a vampire, and so many more variances. But I must say that this is the first time I've run across Bruce's father being the Bat!
    A great first segment by Brian Azzarello (Joker.) Next to Scott Snyder, Azzarello has become the definitive gritty Batman writer in the past 2 decades. Teamed with his 100 Bullets art partner, Eduardo Risso, Brian Azzarello has crafted a Gotham City that's straight out of Jim Gordon's nightmares. I'm extremely excited for this Flashpoint tie-in's prospects!

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.