Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty
Encyclopedia
Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty is a graphic novel
published by DC Comics
under the Elseworlds
banner in 1999. It is written by Mike W. Barr
and illustrated by Scott Hampton
, Gary Frank
, and Cam Smith
.
The story follows a feud between the Wayne family and the immortal Vandal Savage
, a feud which starts in the 13th century and ends in the 24th Century. The story is split into three parts, Dark Past (illustrated by Hampton) which features a knight named Joshua Wainwright during the Crusades
, Dark Present (illustrated by Frank) which features Bruce Wayne in the 20th century as Batman
, and Dark Future (illustrated by Smith), which features Brenna Wayne as Batwoman
.
in the year 1222, battles the evil Vandal Savage, who tries to bring a mysterious meteor crashing to Earth. Savage, an immortal, gained his immortality from the meteor, and is trying to bring it back so he may gain even more power. After stopping Savage in this time period by hurling him into the sphere he was using to draw the meteor to Earth, Joshua swears an oath that he and his family will now and forevermore be sworn enemies of Savage and will prevent his mad schemes to protect the future. Unfortunately, Joshua himself is subsequently tried for heresy and burnt at the stake due to the impossible nature of his story causing the Templar leaders to assume that he stole the gold himself, prompting Savage to wistfully comment that he always wins.
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
under the Elseworlds
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
banner in 1999. It is written by Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels.-Biography:Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 , for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man...
and illustrated by Scott Hampton
Scott Hampton
Scott Hampton is an American comic book artist well known for his painted artwork. He is the brother of fellow-comics-creator Bo Hampton.-Biography:Scott Hampton was born in 1959 in High Point, North Carolina....
, Gary Frank
Gary Frank
Gary Frank is a British comic book artist, notable for pencilling on Midnight Nation and Supreme Power, both written by J. Michael Straczynski...
, and Cam Smith
Cam Smith
Cam Smith is a British comic book artist and inker known to British comic book readers for his work on 2000 AD and in the American comic book market for his collaborations with Gary Frank, inking that would earn him and Eisner Award nomination....
.
The story follows a feud between the Wayne family and the immortal Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 1 #10 , and was created by Alfred Bester and Martin Nodell....
, a feud which starts in the 13th century and ends in the 24th Century. The story is split into three parts, Dark Past (illustrated by Hampton) which features a knight named Joshua Wainwright during the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
, Dark Present (illustrated by Frank) which features Bruce Wayne in the 20th century as Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, and Dark Future (illustrated by Smith), which features Brenna Wayne as Batwoman
Batwoman
Batwoman is the name of several fictional characters, female counterparts to the superhero Batman. The original version was created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff. Her alter ego is Kathy Kane. This character appears in publications produced by DC Comics and related media beginning in Detective...
.
Dark Past
Sir Joshua Wainwright, a crusader for the Knights TemplarKnights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
in the year 1222, battles the evil Vandal Savage, who tries to bring a mysterious meteor crashing to Earth. Savage, an immortal, gained his immortality from the meteor, and is trying to bring it back so he may gain even more power. After stopping Savage in this time period by hurling him into the sphere he was using to draw the meteor to Earth, Joshua swears an oath that he and his family will now and forevermore be sworn enemies of Savage and will prevent his mad schemes to protect the future. Unfortunately, Joshua himself is subsequently tried for heresy and burnt at the stake due to the impossible nature of his story causing the Templar leaders to assume that he stole the gold himself, prompting Savage to wistfully comment that he always wins.
Dark Present
Bruce Wayne, the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne in the 20th Century, is shaken as his parents are killed on his wedding day; the gunman who would have killed them beforehand was scared away by 'Valentin Sinclair', Vandal Savage's modern alias. Discovering that they were murdered after analyzing camera footage of the deaths, but unwilling to risk his wife's life by investigating himself, Bruce, influenced by a painting of his ancestor Joshua Wainwright, creates a costume bearing a bat emblem and becomes the Dark Knight, the Batman, in order to avenge his parents' death. However, when Savage takes the Wayne Enterprises space shuttle up to acquire the passing meteor, Batman follows him and manages to keep him from acquiring the power source inside. Unfortunately, in the ensuing struggle, Savage sends himself and Batman hurtling back into Earth's atmosphere, Bruce dying in the descent while Savage regenerates in the desert after a few days.Dark Future
In the year 2500, man now lives side-by-side with intelligent apes. Vice-President Brenna Wayne, having discovered evidence of an elaborate conspiracy against her family - thirteen generations of Waynes have all died young in a violent manner after spending their last few days dressed in a bat-like costume - takes up the mantle of Batwoman and faces off against Vandal Savage in one final battle. Discovering that her brother James has betrayed her, Brenna and Savage face off on the meteor as Savage tries to draw it down to Earth, unconcerned about the destruction that this will cause. The battle culminates in Savage being left drifting through space on the meteor, determined to learn the purpose of his life.See also
- List of Elseworlds publications
- Superman & Batman: GenerationsSuperman & Batman: GenerationsSuperman & Batman: Generations is the umbrella title of three Elseworlds comic book limited series published by DC Comics in the United States, written and illustrated by John Byrne...
, a story that follows a similar plot of superheroes having families that follow in their footsteps for many generations