Comic Book Review: Batman - Knightfall

Hello Enthusiasts,

There are some comic book story lines and moments that stand out in comic book history above the rest. The death of Superman, the death of Gwen Stacy, the death of Barry Allen, the birth of Venom (at least it wasn't another death), as well as some other stories or panels I'm sure you can think of. Today I will be reviewing a classic piece of DC history, Batman: Knightfall. As always, there are going to be some Spoilers Below for those who aren't aware of what happens in this story. 

So the story begins not with Batman, but with the pregnant mother of one of his most dangerous foes, Bane. She dies when Bane is young, and Bane is sentenced to serve the sentence that his father would have had to have served if he had lived. Bane serves this sentence in one of the worst prisons on Earth, . It's because of this upbringing, along with some amazing determination, that he became not only a physical powerhouse, but also an incredibly intelligent and tactical thinker. During his upbringing he learned of a city called Gotham, which held anything a man could want, and is ruled by an entity known as the Batman. Bane decides that his ultimate goal is not only to kill Batman, but to break him on every level. He escapes prison with the help of a super-drug called Venom and makes his way to Gotham City. Bane proceeds to release every super-criminal from Arkham Asylum, which works to wear down a Batman that is already suffering from some heath issues (an illness that normally wouldn't be too bad, similar to the flu). As Batman is fighting these villains, Bane figures out his identity as Bruce Wayne. After Batman spends far too much effort over the course of several weeks Bane travels to Wayne Manor and fights Batman. Batman doesn't do too well in the fight, which ends with Bane breaking Batman's spine.

Batman survives the encounter, but is out of commission for the rest of the comic. He has Azrael take over the mantle of Batman, with Robin (Tim Drake) to guide him. Azrael doesn't follow Batman's code to a T, coming very close to killing several thugs. He then goes against Batman's wishes in taking on Bane (with the assistance of an armored version of the Bat-suit), and manages to beat Bane head-on. All doesn't end well here, as Azrael is now out taking the law into his own hands in a way that Batman never would, with a powerful set of armor to assist him.

So, as you can probably tell from my very long synopsis of the comic, it was a very enjoyable one. It is very engaging and incredibly memorable, I didn't list half of the details from this volume either (it is quite a long one), so you do not have the whole story here. The art is some of the best that Batman has seen in my opinion, and the whole thing was wildly intense. Batman's determination to save Gotham from all of the former Arkham inmates leaps off the page at you, and you feel his struggle throughout the story. It's hard o pull the positives out of this story since there is so much to compliment on, it is a really must-read for any fan of Batman or comic books. The only downside for me is that I'll need to buy the volumes that follow this one to get the full story of Batman's recovery and his fight against the Azrael impostor.

So yeah, this is definitely a comic to pick up. If you haven't read it yet, get out there and read it. Even if you know what happens like I did, it is still incredibly engaging and entertaining. You won't regret picking this volume up, as it is now one of my favorites in my collection.

I give Batman: Knightfall a 10 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Board Enthusiast