Sean Murphy posted an Instagram thread addressing some readers' critiques of DC's Batman: White Knight trilogy.

Murphy -- who wrote and illustrated 2017-2018's Batman: White Knight, 2019-2020's Batman: Curse of the White Knight and 2022-2023's Batman: Beyond the White Knight -- posted several Instagram stories discussing his intentions with the trilogy and addressing some critiques. "I'm thrilled most people are fans of a story that takes so many liberties with Gotham," he wrote. "It's a story that criticizes Batman as much as it admires him. No character is perfect, no one's truly good or bad. It's complicated, and readers mostly get that. Which makes me respect them even more. I love these characters, and I especially love their flaws. Hopefully that's your take-away from this series."

RELATED: Batman: Beyond the White Knight Creates a New Bat-Family Dynamic

After summarizing the ways in which Bruce Wayne/Batman has changed over the course of the three entries, Murphy touched on the discourse surrounding White Knight. "People who like the book generally put it in their top 10," he said. "The people who don't like it REALLY don't like it. They usually don't like it for 1 of 2 reasons...1. It's political. They read the book through their culture war lenses, and can't get past the trigger title. They assume I'm a conservative 'cop apologist' (I'm not), and don't like that I haven't condemned their idea of 'wrongthinking' online. Or they see me as a privileged, bro-y white guy with nice cars and a successful book. The criticism is rarely that the book isn't interesting or the dialog sucks. It's that they don't agree with the premise. And I respect that, and accept there's no winning them over.

"2. They don't know or accept that this is a new universe. They like pointing out that I messed up the order of the Robins (initially I did, but I chose to let it play out, and I'm glad I did). Or they think I ruined Harley/Ivy, or Harley/Joker, or they hate the idea of Bruce and Harley. Some accuse me of being an SWJ by making Robin Black or Asian (I did both) or by making Terry half Asian (I did that, too). *Again, I respect these opinions, and respect that this book isn't for everyone. And I try not to let the negativity affect me. Because (and this IS me dunking) all I have to do is look at the sales, at Amazon or Goodreads, and realize most readers are with me."

What Is Batman: White Knight About?

Batman: White Knight is a non-canonical story that sees Bruce become more and more corrupted while his arch-nemesis, the Joker, becomes cured of his madness and begins life anew as a politician named Jack Napier. Jack leads a charge to imprison Batman, who he sees as Gotham's true enemy before they eventually come to terms with one another and Batman accepts the fact that Jack and the Joker are not the same. Curse of the White Knight sees Joker re-take control of Jack's body, leading to a heartbreaking moment where Harley Quinn has to kill the man she once loved. Bruce is sent to prison at the end of Curse of the White Knight and decides to give up being Batman; Beyond the White Knight, however, sees him reluctantly return to the rule of the Dark Knight after Derek Powers/Blight emerges as a dangerous new threat in Gotham. Beyond the White Knight also reveals that, following Jack/Joker's death, Harley and Bruce are now wed to one another. The two initially went through with the marriage so Harley wouldn't have to testify against Bruce in court but they've also found themselves feeling romantic thoughts toward one another.

RELATED: A Classic Batman Beyond Enemy Just Got a White Knight Reinvention

The final chapter of the trilogy, Batman: Beyond the White Knight #8 (by Murphy and Dave Stewart), releases Feb. 14, 2023. The synopsis for the issue reads, "It all ends here! With the future of Gotham City at stake, Bruce Wayne leads an attack on the Wayne-Powers building to take down Blight and his minions once and for all. And with the new Batman, the Robins, and GCPD’s Barbara Gordon at his side, anything seems possible. But not all endings will be happy: Bruce is still an escaped felon, and the FBI is hot on his tail. Could this be the end of Batman? Not if the mysterious Agent Prince has anything to say about it!"

Source: Instagram