| The Knight | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | (Percy) Batman #62 (December 1950) (Cyril) JLA #26 (February 1999) |
| Created by | (Percy) Bill Finger (writer) Dick Sprang (artist) (Cyril) Grant Morrison (writer) Howard Porter (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Percival Sheldrake Cyril Sheldrake |
| Place of origin | England |
| Team affiliations | (Percy) Young Allies (Cyril) Ultramarine Corps Global Guardians Club of Heroes |
| Notable aliases | The Squire |
| Abilities | Swordsmanship,martial artist,outfitted in magical armor that repels swords and light projectiles. |
The Knight is the name of two fictional comic book superheroes who are properties of DC Comics.
Percival Sheldrake debuted as the Knight in Batman #62 (December 1950), and was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang. Cyril Sheldrake debuted as the Knight in JLA #26 (February 1999), and was created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter.
Contents |
The first Knight first appeared in Batman #62 (Dec 1950/Jan 1951) in a story entitled "The Batman of England!" He is a British vigilante who models himself after the Knights of the Round Table, and also after Batman, including having a teenage sidekick, the Squire. He is really Percy Sheldrake, Earl of Wordenshire, and the Squire is his son Cyril. Instead of a Bat-Signal he is summoned by ringing the Wordenshire church bell. Before the Crisis on Infinite Earths the Knight is a member of the Batmen of All Nations, also known as the Club of Heroes. In current continuity, this group has been replaced by the first incarnation of the Global Guardians.
It is later revealed that Percy had begun his heroic career as Squire to the Shining Knight during World War II.[1]
The second Knight first appears in a group shot of the Ultramarine Corps at the end of JLA #26 (Feb 1999). The subsequent appearance of the Corps in JLA Classified establishes that he is Cyril Sheldrake, who inherited both the title of Earl and that of the Knight when his father was killed by his archenemy, Springheeled Jack. The second Knight rides a motorbike, and has a squadron of miniaturized Spitfires under his control. He is assisted by the third Squire, Beryl Hutchinson. He does not get on with fellow member Jack O'Lantern. He appears, alongside the Club of Heroes, in Batman #667-669 and, with the Squire (Beryl), in Batman #679 (RIP).
In Battle for the Cowl, The Knight, along with Squire, is a member of the Network, a group of heroes whom the Bat-Family trusted to assist them if the need arose. Knight is seen assisting Dick Grayson (the current Batman, who as of the time was still Nightwing, de facto leader of the Network) in quelling the chaos in Gotham which erupted with the rumors of Batman's death.
Knight also appears in Batman and Robin #7-9, where Batman (Dick Grayson) asks for his help in locating the last Lazarus Pit in order to bring Bruce Wayne back to life. Knight placed Batman's corpse in the Lazarus Pit before Grayson and Squire's arrival, and he, along with Batwoman, Squire, and Batman, is the first one to see the corpse of Batman (Bruce Wayne) returned to life. However, they soon discover that the corpse was in fact a clone of Batman, and not Batman himself. This copy has a defect, making him mad and impossible to control.
Writer Paul Cornell has written a six-issue Knight and Squire limited series with artist Jimmy Broxton and cover artist Yanick Paquette.[2][3] The first issue was published in October 2010.
As shown in the limited series, the Knight is still based in Sheldrake Castle, Great Worden, Wordenshire, which has been equipped in a similar manner to the Batcave. The Knight's current motorcycle is named Anastasia, after Dan Dare's spaceship, and has a stylised horse's head. Anastasia has a chemical tracking system built into her "nose".
The Knight is portrayed as something of an elder statesman to other British superheroes, including Captain Cornwall (the heir to Merlin's power) and Rush Hour I to III (an Asian British family of speedsters). He is also on good terms with some "villains" who duplicate the gimmickry of Batman villains without actually committing any crimes, such as Jarvis Poker, the British Joker. The Knight and Squire have a longstanding enmity with agents of an alternate universe in which Britain is a fascist state.
In #4, it is revealed that, shortly after his father's death, Cyril sank into a drunken state, before being rescued by Beryl. During this period he was briefly a villain, paying off gambling debts to a criminal named Mad Hat Harry.