Batman: White Knight Presents: Sorcerers

Batman: White Knight Presents: Sorcerers is an American comic book published by DC Comics under its Black Label imprint. The 10 issue limited was written and illustrated by Sean Murphy who also did the Batman stories, Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight and is the fourth installment of the Murphyverse. The comic began publication on December 22, 2020 and concluded September 21, 2021. It tells the story of a young sorcerers apprentice and a group of heroes fight against the evil and cruel sorcerer known as, Wraith King. The comic book takes place during the events of Batman: White Knight as James, Julia, Matt, Simon, Margaret and Trevor are shown watching Napier's speech on television in the fourth issue, with Trevor commenting, "Batman's sure gone of his rocker of late".

A sequel titled Sorcerers: White Knight Presents: The Rise of Salem began publication on February 26, 2024 and concluded December 26 of the same year.

Plot[]

Scotland, 986 AD: An army consisting of humans, elves, dwarves, faeries, satyrs, leprechauns, halflings, centaurs and drakes is seen raging a bloody battle against a vast army of orcs, goblins, trolls, dark elves, glutts and witches in front of a massive fortress. The leader of the dark army, a powerful and cruel sorcerer known as Arawn the Wraith King is shown watching the battle from his throne room gleefully stating that victory will soon be his. However the powerful and good Sorcerer, Fionn O'Clery then enters his throne room along with his troll friend, Trevor. With them are Alrich Greenleaf, the King of the Elves and the Great Dragon. Fionn then tells Arawn that his reign of evil ends today, undaunted, Arawn states that "we shall see O'Clery". Arawn then summons his staff, he and Fionn then begin a fearsome duel.

United States, Present Day: Over 1'000 years later, Arawn is seen escaping from a foreboding dimension along with his witches, his chief one being named Morgana and his Knights of Fenrir. Arawn announces with triumph that they are now free and can now rebuild their armies. Over in the American town of Hallows Grove, a pair of sorcerers named Simon and Margaret O'Clery are teaching their grandsons, James and Matt how to harness their magical powers. When they are finished Trevor enters and informs them of an emergency gathering of the Council of Sorcerers and Magical Beings, much to Simon and Margaret's confusion. They then attend the gathering along with James and Matt, during the meeting, Alrich Greenleaf, King of the Elves and head of the Council of Sorcerers and Magical Beings reveals that Arawn has escaped from the Dark Realm much to the horror of the council.

After the meeting, the O'Clery's are brought to Alrich's palace where James meets his beloved, the elf princess Julia and her twin brother the elf prince Aldrin, who is also James' best friend. Simon and Margaret then meet with Alrich who believes that Arawn will specifically target them as it was their ancestor, the legendary sorcerer, Fionn O'Clery who imprisoned him after ultimately winning their duel. It is then revealed that after the war the mortals turned on the magical world. This then led to the mass persecution and slaughter of the sorcerers and magic creatures by the infamous mortal King Erik, with the survivors been forced into hiding with the aid of a group of sympathetic mortals called the Order of Druids. King Alrich then reveals that since it was Fionn who banished Arawn to the Dark Realm, and for that Arawn swore eternal vengeance on the O'Clery line. This news greatly concerns Simon and Margaret as they believe their grandsons are far too young to challenge him. Unbeknownst to them, James and Julia have heard everything. Julia is deeply worried for James, who assures her that Arawn will not come after him as he has a plan.

James and Julia then enter Alrich's throne room, much to Alrich, Simon and Margaret's surprise. James proposes that a fellowship be put together to try and stop Arawn, to either imprison him back in the “Void” or destroy him. James then requests that he lead the proposed fellowship, although Simon and Margaret are against it. Alrich however persuades them to allow it, stating that James is a powerful Sorcerer for his age, to which Simon and Margaret reluctantly agree to allow James to lead the fellowship. Meanwhile at his castle, Arawn is meeting with orc Warchief Grimskull and dark elf warlord Bolverk Blackheart, along with Grimskull’s two sons, Bloodnose and Gorbag and Bolverk’s daughter Freya. Arawn wants Grimskull and his tribe to join his army, Grimskull however refuses, revealing that his tribe joined him during his previous attempt at conquering the world and that they were nearly wiped out following his banishment to the Dark Realms. Arawn however informs Grimskull of his tribes current situation and how they are desperate. Arawn assures him that if he serves him, then his tribe will have new and prosperous lives, Grimskull then reluctantly agrees.

James, Julia, Aldrin and Trevor began their search for members to join the Fellowship. They first visit the Dwarven kingdom of Dwelfheim where they meet with its ruler, Lord Stonebeard. After informing him of Wraith King's return, Lord Stonebeard introduces James, Julia, Aldrin and Trevor to two of Dwelfheim's best warriors, brothers Durin and Dain. James explains about Arawn’s return, to which Durin and Dain immediately accept their offer to join the Fellowship. After leaving Dwelfheim, the group then meet a fairy named Flutter and his satyr friend, Hoofer. Feeling that they have enough, James then shows the Fellowship towards Alrich and the Council of Sorcerers and Magical Beings. After gaining the approval of both Alrich and the council, The Fellowship begins to prepare for their eventual mission against Arawn.

Months later, the Fellowship as successfully thwarted many of Arawn's plans. This has resulted in Arawn growing more and more frustrated, believing that the Fellowship will ruin his plans to conquer the Earth. However after learning of James, Arawn becomes interested, believing that he could use the Fellowships victories against them.

Characters[]

The Fellowship[]

James O'Clery - A 19 year old Irish American sorcerer’s apprentice who is the grandson of Simon and Margaret and the main protagonist. He is the leader of the Fellowship, he wields a sorcerer's staff and fights with a dwarf forged broadsword.
Julia Greenleaf - A very beautiful 19 year old elf princess who is the daughter of Alrich and the childhood sweetheart of James. She is the second in command of the Fellowship and is also the archer of the team, being extremely skilled with a bow and arrow.
Aldrin Greenleaf - The twin brother of Julia and the best friend of James. He is the researcher for the Fellowship as he can both read and speak in several languages including elven, dwarven and orcish. He is also the heir to Alrich’s throne.
Ciarda - A benevolent dark elf and the love interest of Aldrin. Ciarda has been described as been one of the few benevolent Dark Elves, she is also the healer of the Fellowship and Padraig's adoptive daughter, having been found on a battlefield when she was an infant.
Durin and Dain - Two dwarf warrior brothers from the Dwarven kingdom of Stonegard. Durin sports a Mohawk and wields a pair of throwing axes, whilst Dain wields a large warhammer.
Hoofer - A satyr who is the Fellowship's bard and comic relief.
Flutter - A fairy who acts as the Fellowships aerial scout.
Trevor - A hulking and powerful cave troll who serves the O'Clery family as their guardian. 1'000 years ago, he foraging for food when he was attacked and about to be killed by an evil dragon until he was rescued by Fionn O'Clery, ever since he has swore a life debt to the O'Clery family.

The Council of Sorcerers and Magical Beings[]

Simon and Margaret O'Clery - A pair of powerful and respected sorcerers who are the paternal grandparents of James and Matt. Simon and Margaret are very important members of the Council of Sorcerers and Magical Beings, they are also loving and supportive grandparents to James and Matt, having raised them ever since their father disappeared, Simon and Margaret’s son, and their mother abandoned them.
Matt O'Clery - James' younger brother and a sorcerer in training. He idolises his older brother and the Fellowship, wishing to joint them. However he isn’t allowed to due to his young age
King Alrich Greenleaf - The High King of the Elves who is the widowed father of Julia and Aldrin and the head of the Council of Sorcerers and Magical Beings. Having fought against Arawn during the
Mongo Ironhand - A rather eccentric dwarf sorcerer who has a particular fondness for cigars and martinis.
King Illrede - The King of the Trolls and the ruler of Trollheim.
Lord Stonebeard - The mightiest of the Dwarf Lords and the ruler of Stonegard.
Chiron - The leader of a tribe of centaurs from the plains of Wyoming.

Wraith King's Forces[]

Arawn the Wraith King - A cruel and powerful sorcerer who is the sworn enemy of the Fellowship and the main antagonist of the comic. 1'000 years earlier, he embarked on a campaign to conquer the entire Earth with a vast army of orc, goblins, trolls, dark elves and witches, however the good sorcerer Fionn O’Clery defeated him and banished him to the “Void” along with some of his followers. However due to him starting the war and attempting to conquer the world, the mortals then turned on Sorcerers and magical creatures and began to persecute them. Over 1'000 years later, he escaped the “Void” and began to rebuild his armies.
Morgana - Arawn's most senior witch and right hand woman. Having served Arawn since the last war, she
Henry Brown - An embittered mortal war veteran who becomes of Arawn’s war leaders. After being falsely accused of a particularly heinous war crime that his squad committed and that he desperately tried to stop but couldn’t. After returning home, he was shunned by his friends and family, particularly his beloved wife Emily who divorced him, aborted their child and married his stepbrother.
Warchief Grimskull - The fearsome Warchief of an orc tribe who reluctantly joined with Arawn as one of his generals. He is shown to be a highly skilled swordsman, he is also shown to be a highly intelligent strategist.
Bloodnose and Gorbag - The sons of Grimskull and two highly skilled soldiers in Arawn's army. Bloodnose is albino and wields a sword like his father, whilst Gorbag is a highly skilled archer, despite having a deformed left hand.
Bolverk Blackheart - A dark elf who becomes one of Arawn top generals and a rival of Grimskull. Both he and Grimskull are rivals,
Freya Blackheart - The daughter of Bolverk and the lover of Bloodnose who serves Arawn in his army. She is a highly skilled archer and has a rivalry with Gorbag at whose the best archer..
Ratso and Skullface - Two goblin brothers who serve Arawn as his spies and assassins.
Knights of Fenrir - A group of undead knights who are Arawn’s deadliest and most loyal servants. Back in the 10th century, they were a band of noble and brave knights. However they soon fell under Arawn who offered them promises of great wealth and power, one by
Arawn’s Army - A vast army of orcs, goblins, trolls, dark elves and witches who serve the evil sorcerer Arawn.

The Order of Druids[]

Dr. Henry Lewis - A mortal scientist who is a friend and ally to the Fellowship. He is a member of the Order of Druids, a selected group of mortals who are aware of the magical world. A running gag is that he tries to explain magic with science, but to no avail.
Chief Ryan Carter - The chief of the Hallows Grove Police Department and an ally to the Fellowship. He usually calls them in if there are any criminals who have signs of magic on them, as the police department aren't qualified to deal with orcs, goblins, trolls or dragons.
Princess Katherine - The founder of the Order of Druids and the older sister of King Erik.

Others[]

The Great Dragon - An ancient and wise dragon who acts as a spiritual guide to the Fellowship. He is mostly seen shrouded in fog with only his head being seen, his full form is never shown. He is given great respect by the magical community as according to legend, he is as old as the Earth itself, having been created by God.
Captain Eladren - A well built elf who is the Captain of the Royal Elf Guard and the father of Leriel.
Beran and Leriel - A married elf couple, Beran is a lieutenant in the Royal Elf Guard whilst Leriel is the captain of the Unicorn Calvary. They once had a son who tragically drowned as a child.
Padraig - A leprechaun who serves as the royal physician to the Elf Royal Family and the adoptive father of Ciarda.
Durlin - A dwarf who works as a record keeper for the Council of Sorcerers and Magical Beings. He is obsessed with protocol and is a sticker for the rules, for example he refuses to let the Fellowship into the Council halls without handing over their weapons.
Cloven - A satyr religious leader who is a friend to the Fellowship and Hoofer’s uncle. He is a priest of Earthism, the Sorcerer's religion which is a combination of Christianity and Celtic Paganism.
Proudfoot - A kindly halfling who owns a tavern in Hollows Grove called The Laughing Dragon where the Fellowship often hang out following their adventures.
Fireheart - A legendary drake warrior who served alongside Fionn O'Clery during the Great War. After the end of the war and King Erik launched the Great Purge, Fireheart hid himself away from the world out of despair of the slaughter. 1'000 years later, he was sought out by the Fellowship.
The Witches of Moor - A trio of divine Witches consisting of a grandmother, mother and daughter, who are said to have the gift of prophecy and of one's fate. Despite their seemingly sinister nature, they are neither good nor evil. They are based on the Fates of Greek mythology and the Norns of Norse mythology.
Fionn O'Clery - A legendary and powerful sorcerer who is the ancestor of James, Matt and Simon. 1'000 years before in the year 986, he led the armies of elves, dwarves, faeries, satyrs, leprechauns, halflings and drakes against Arawn and his armies. During the battle he confronted Arawn and the two of them began a fierce duel, eventually Fionn triumphed and banished Arawn to the foreboding dimension known as the “Void” for all eternity.
Emily Brown - A mortal woman who was once the beloved wife and childhood sweetheart of Henry. However, after Henry was accused of participating in a brutal war crime, that in truth he tried to prevent,
King Erik - A cruel mortal king who was known for his brutal genocidal campaign against the sorcerers and magical beings in the 10th century.

Magical Beings and Creatures[]

Sorcerers/Sorceresses - A group of human men and women who are born with the ability to perform magical spells and incantations. The magical abilities of a sorcerer/sorceress first begin to manifest on their 10th birthday, whereupon they began their training which lasts for 10 years concluding on their 20th birthday, after which they are a fully fledged sorcerer/sorceress. Due to their magical powers Sorcerers/Sorceresses age slowly and can live to be 400 years old.
- Wizards - Mortal men and women who learn the magical arts from either books or a mentor. After gaining magical powers, wizards begin aging slowly and can live to be 200 years old. Wizards are considered important as during the Age of Myth, they were vital for building relationships between the magical and mortal communities. Because of this, wizards can gain a lot of respect and influence.
- Witches - Female individuals who practice black magic. Witches have long had a bad reputation within the magical community, as it was due to their actions that mortals considered sorcerers/sorceresses to be evil and magic the “tool of Satan”.
Elves - A race of magical humanoids who resemble with humans with pale skin, perpetual youth and pointed ears. Elves are considered to be the ruling class of the magical community, with some even being important members of the Council of Sorcerers and Magical Beings. It is revealed that both elves and dragons are the oldest magical creatures on Earth, because of this they share a deep spiritual bond. It is also said if one was to die out, then the other would spell severe disaster for the other.
- Half-Elves - A magical being who is born from a union between a human father and an elf mother. Half-Elves have shorter pointed ears then their mother or father and can grow facial hair.
Dwarves - A race of short and stocky magical humanoids who live underground and are the most industrious of all magical beings. They are known for their legendary crafting skills as they forged swords that never lose their sharpness and graft beautiful jewels from diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire. Dwarves live beneath mountains in mighty fortress kingdoms ruled by either a Dwarf Lord or Lady, they are also considered to be the working class of the magical community.
- Redcaps - A group of murderous dwarves who are known for their iconic red caps, which they soak in the blood of their victims. Redcaps are also cannibalistic, often eating the remains of the people they kill.
Orcs - A race of intelligent but brutish humanoids who are fierce warriors and are known for serving evil sorcerers and kings as foot soldiers in their armies. Orcs live in tribes and are led by either a male called a warchief or a female called a warchiefess, despite their bad reputation, most orcs have a code of honour and fight with it. For example they refuse to kill pregnant women, children and sick people. Orcs also have strong social bonds, being devoted to their clans and families.
Goblins - A race of lanky magical humanoids with either red or green skin, bat like ears, flat noses and pointed teeth. Goblins are infamous for being notoriously mischievous, but they also have a reputation for being highly skilled thieves or assassins who slip in and out of places before anyone notices they're there.
Trolls - A race of hulking magical humanoids who are known for their great strength but low intelligence. They have either green or tan skin, two toes on each foot, three fingers on each hand, two canines protruding from their bottom jaw and six spikes, two on the side of their head, one on top of their head and three running down their backs. Trolls are also known for their infamous regenerative abilities, being able to regenerate either a slash wound or a severed limb within a matter of seconds.
Faeries - A race of magical winged humanoids who resemble humans except with insect like wings and sometimes antennas, faeries also come in a variant of sizes from small to human sized. Faeries live in villages in the tops of trees in the forest, most faeries are kind and helpful, some however are mischievous and enjoy playing tricks on unsuspecting travellers.
Dark Elves - A race of magical humanoids who are the sinister snd ruthless cousins of elves. Dark Elves practice black magic and align themselves with orcs and goblins, even forming tribes, marrying and having children with the former. Dark Elves have a strong dislike for their lighter cousins, considering them to be weak and pathetic. Dark Elves are also known for coating their swords, arrows and daggers
Satyrs - A race of magical humanoids who have the horns, ears and legs of a goat. Although they enjoy music and dancing, they aren't sex crazed as they are in legends, rather satyrs are a deeply spiritual people with many serving the magical community as religious leaders.
Leprechauns - A race of magical humanoids who are known for both their skills as cobblers and for hiding pots of gold at the end of rainbows. Leprechauns are also known for being skilled healers, who posses a vast knowledge of natural remedies and for being able to grant wishes. Their natural ability for good luck has given birth to the saying, "as lucky as a leprechaun".
Halflings - A race of small and peaceful magical humanoids who are known for their pastoral lifestyle and are the shortest of the 14. They are known for their outgoing and cheerful look on life, Halflings mostly prefer the comforts of home rather than going on adventures, believing that such things “make one late for dinner”.
Centaurs - A race of magical humanoids who have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse. Centaurs live in nomadic tribes lead by either a chief or chiefess, while most centaurs are nomads some have manage to find an area where they can permanently settle. Centaurs are also known for their skills in divination and astronomy, being able to both foresee the future and read the stars.
Drakes - A race of magical humanoids who resemble anthropomorphic dragons. Despite being very familiar in appearance to and possessing the ability to breathe fire like them, drakes and dragons are not closely related. Drakes are also well known for being master craftsmen, being the only one of the 14 races who can rival the dwarves. This has lead both the dwarves and the drakes to have a difficult relationship with each other.
Glutts - A race of magical slug like humanoids who resemble the Hutts from the Star Wars films. The glutts are considered to be the most disgusting race in the magical world as they can eat almost anything from home cooked meals, to live rats and mice, rotten food to even excrement. Glutts are also known for being heavily involved in the criminal underworld.
Dragons - Massive scaled reptilian beasts with horns, claws, wings and the ability to breath fire. Dragons are the most powerful of all magical creatures, this had led them to be considered symbols of power. Whilst most dragons are wise and benevolent, some dragons are evil and destructive. Evil dragons are known to ravage villages and horde gold in their lairs. It is revealed that both dragons and elves are the oldest magical creatures on Earth, because of this they share a deep spiritual bond. It is said that if one of them was to die out, then it would spell severe disaster for the other.
Unicorns - Mythical white horses with a silver horn protruding from their foreheads and golden manes. Unicorns are considered sacred to all magical races including the dark races like orcs, goblins, trolls and dark elves. The horn of a unicorn, known as an alicorn has been well known for thousands of years for its healing abilities, which include cleansing of poison. Tragically it was because of this that Unicorns were hunted to near extinction by mortal hunters, with the sorcerers only being able to save a single herd.
Sea Serpents - Large sea dwelling serpentine creatures that live in the oceans of the world. They are considered to be then “scourge of the oceans”, being also the one of most dangerous creatures in the world. When encountering a ship at ocean, sea serpents would coil themselves around it before constricting and crushing before devouring the floundering sailors or passengers in the water.

Production[]

In September 2020, DC Comics announced that Sean Murphy, writer of Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight would be writing an original fantasy series for his Murphyverse. Murphy later announced that the limited series would be entitled Batman: White Knight Presents: Sorcerers. Originally announced as an eight issue series like Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight, Murphy then extended it to 10 issues due to the story being much bigger then he originally thought. In an interview, Murphy stated that inspiration for Sorcerers came from The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and Dungeons & Dragons.