chezkevin: Batman: Knightfall Vol. 1

Collects Batman #491-500, Detective Comics #659-666, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-18, Stories from Showcase '93 #7-8, and Vengeance of Bane

There's a couple different collections out there for the "Knightfall" storyline. So you don't get confused, I recommend the 3-volume set: "Knightfall Vol. 1," "Vol. 2: Knightquest" and "Vol. 3: Knightsend" though there are other collections that were part of the Batman mega-event. Today I finished the first volume, having read the second volume in singles, several years ago.

Knightfall: Volume 1 is a beast of a paperback but it's printed on pulp so the weight isn't a problem at all. My library copy feels nice and there wasn't an issue with it. I also borrowed it digitally so I could grab screenshots, but comparing the two, you'd be better off with a physical copy, if you have a choice. Even with the pages yellowing, the colors pop and complement the art in person, much better than on a screen.

In so many words, this is the volume where Bane "breaks the Bat," and a new man must take the mantle of the Dark Knight. The collection is really broken into two halves...the first half being Batman's takedown of a slew of Arkham Asylum inmates, including Poison Ivy, Firefly, the Mad Hatter and more. Surprisingly, Firefly gets a 3-issue storyarc where Poison Ivy gets maybe one issue. It's standard superhero fare, with the foreboding over-story of Bane being behind it all.

Some of the panels really sing, especially with Scott Hanna's inks. Clean lines and dynamic panels make this tome a fun read.

The second half is the aftermath of a broken bat. What it means to be Batman, the responsibility it holds to Gotham City as well as to Bruce Wayne. Jean-Paul Valley, the french assassin that was rescued originally by Batman and Robin, accepts Robin's request to fill in for Bruce while he's incapacitated. Jean Paul has been in the background for a while, and presumably prior issues had detailed his original encounter with Batman and Robin. The way they depict him, it feels like he's earned the chance to hold the cape and cowl, though he won't hold it the same way.

After he defeats Bane in the final issue of this collection, it's kind of ambiguous what's going to happen. Bruce Wayne has taken a trip down to South America with Alfred, to investigate Bane's origin. The new Batman defeats Bane, and chose not to kill him, when he could have. So there's hope that Jean Paul really can be the new Batman. Will he? That's the crux of the follow-up collection, Knightfall Vol. 2: Knightquest.

There are some things that date the story. There's an underground sewer scene where Batman goes nuts after being reminded of the death of Jason Todd. As far as I know, Jason Todd is alive now in the DC universe so I wouldn't expect that scene to...hold much water. Otherwise this is a Batman classic for a reason. Batman does what he does best until he can't, and it's then that you know: even the Batman has a breaking point. I don't think it needed the 3 Scarecrow issues depicted in Showcase '93, but I guess it's fine. And other than the origin issue Vengeance of Bane, there really isn't an emotional core to the story. It's more an action comic that depicts what happens, when the good guys lose.

Obligatory panels:

Batman survives a sea of flames to take down Firefly. You can tell it's going to be a problem, when even Firefly is putting Batman to his knees.