Sean Gordon Murphy is the master of Bat-Easter eggs, and no greater example of this can be found anywhere other than in his latest work Batman: Curse of the White Knight. His self-contained Black Label series, or "Murphy-verse" as his fans have been known to call it, takes many liberties in regards to the Dark Knight's source material, but still pays tribute to Batman's long and rich history--referencing everything from the Nolan trilogy all the way back to the '66 TV show.
Make no mistake, Murphy's grounded and gritty take on the Caped Crusader is nothing to laugh at, as it takes on heavy subjects such as systemic inequality and mistrust in law enforcement. But it's lighthearted references to the happier moments in Batman's history that make the story fun by adding subtle drops of comic relief from an otherwise seriousness narrative. And Murphy does a great job at juggling the mirth with the menace.
In Curse of the White Knight #8, a religiously-radicalized Azrael attempts to flood Gotham by breaking the reservoir. While fans may be familiar with Azrael (AKA Jean-Paul Valley) from the comics, Murphy's Azrael feels like a genuine domestic terrorist, inflicting catastrophe upon civilians in the name of his fanatical beliefs. But Batman's former sidekick, Dick Grayson, handles the horrific situation with a grain of '60s salt--muttering "Holy biblical flood, Batman."
Leave it to the original Robin to pull off a one-liner in the midst of a citywide disaster. While Murphy's Grayson isn't as jovial as the one readers are used to (he's basically a SWAT agent in a domino mask), he can still pull off a zinger or two even in the darkest of moments. And that's what makes the White Knight books so endearing.
Fans of Batman: The Animated Series will also notice plenty of '90s nostalgia in the Murphyverse. References to episodes such as "Baby-Doll" and "Harley's Holiday" are peppered in throughout the White Knight saga. He also references the Tim Burton movies frequently, with Batman claiming the Keaton Batmobile is his favorite vehicle and also using the name "Jack Napier" as the Joker's civilian name.
With fans praising both Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight, DC has given Sean Murphy an opportunity seldom granted to their writers--the ability to create his own self-contained universe. Some of the greatest Batman stories exist in "Elseworld" canon, allowed to break free from the burden of continuity. Murphy is already working on his next installment in the White Knight universe, currently titled Batman: Beyond the White Knight.