Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1 (New Edition)

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Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1 (Batman: Knightfall #1-2)

by Chuck Dixon, Adrienne Roy (Colorist), John Constanza (Letterer), Graham Nolan (Penciller)

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 711 ratings · 69 reviews

Villainous Bane breaks the Bat. He releases the inmates of Arkham Asylum to create chaos. Batman must push himself to physical and mental limits and capture Joker, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Killer Croc and more. But is Bruce Wayne still beneath the mask? Original Part One: Broken Bat + Two: Who Rules the Night.

Paperback, 636 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by DC Comics

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Aug 06, 2012 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, science-fiction, personal-favourites, action-challenge, gritty-reads

When it comes to Batman and his classic comic book villains most people immediately think of The Joker. They might then think of Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow or Mr Frost for example. But I have to say that I personally find Bane a more deadly adversary than any of them. Because unlike the other villains he is perfectly sane. While Joker's plans are based around his insanity and his propensity towards chaos Bane is a brute who cunningly plans to take Gotham as his own. Think of him as Batman t...more
When it comes to Batman and his classic comic book villains most people immediately think of The Joker. They might then think of Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow or Mr Frost for example. But I have to say that I personally find Bane a more deadly adversary than any of them. Because unlike the other villains he is perfectly sane. While Joker's plans are based around his insanity and his propensity towards chaos Bane is a brute who cunningly plans to take Gotham as his own. Think of him as Batman turned mob boss if you will and pumped full of a venom drug which enhances his abilities to superhuman levels.

In Knightfall we see Bane come to Gotham and release anarchy (curiously a name of a vigilante who appears later in the book) upon the city when he blows a whole in Arkham Asylum. A sick Batman then struggles to contain and defeat foes such as Two-face, Ventriloquist, Poison Ivy, Joker, Scarecrow and Firefly, running himself ragged in the process. As he does this Bane watches on, works out who Batman really is and then finally when Batman has been physically and mentally crushed attacks him at Wayne Manor and breaks the bat. This for me is one of the most iconic comic book scenes apart from say Superman's death, Spiderman leaving behind his suit and also the Spiderman scene with the death of Gwen Stacy. What follows the breaking of the bat is more chaos into which a new Batman, a figure wearing the cowl and who makes technological improvements, steps to confront the evil and take back Gotham from Bane.

What is so significant in this comic omnibus is the depiction of a broken Batman as mentioned before. As a character he had taken many gunshots and wounds but he had always had the mental edge on opponents. No one had broken him mentally and defeated him in a one on one fight until Bane did which opened up a whole new area for the comics and posed the question: could Batman still continue to defeat his enemies while not killing?

There are other questions posed again such as the thought that since the insane members of Arkham do not play by the book the police need a Batman who too does not play by the book. Another question is raised by the psychologist who says that all the inmates are merely misunderstood which is challenged by everyone else who says, 'a body count in the triple digits and they're misunderstood?*' Either way the whole challenge of how the Arkham inmates should be tried is thrown up. Should they get away with crimes on the basis of criminal insanity?

A very excellent comic book omnibus and very much recommended. I personally prefer this story arc to Watchmen or Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. While it may lack the sophistication of those works I still believe it has more uplifting ideas. This omnibus does not focus on death and doom but rather on how to come back from defeat and how to take defeat. If you want a different Batman story to others that have been raved about then try this out for size.

*paraphrased of course(less)

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Jun 09, 2012 Sean Brower rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel

They're re-releasing the entire "breaking the bat" series, with all the background issues into three volumes of about 650 pages each? Holy crap!

Pretty good stuff, gotta say! I think there might be a few issues of some other comic that are missing from this, as some characters reference other things going on in the DC universe related to Batman and his enemies, but it's not a big deal. This is a great compendium of the Bane/Break/Azrael arc, and it's done quite well. The tearing down of Bruce, th...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Kirk Kiefer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics-superhero

The first part of DC's massive 90s Bat-event, Knightfall Vol. 1 is a neat concept but with a lacking execution. This book contains over 20 issues and the first 10 or so are essentially the same thing- Bruce Wayne melodramatically narrating about how he's tired and speeding toward his grave, with Bane at the end of things; Batman takes down Arkham escapee; passes out or nearly passes out at the end; repeat. Each issue on its own is okay but it does get quite a bit repetitive.

Then Bane breaks Bat...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Martin Earl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

I've been meaning to read the Knightfall saga for years, and have occasionally checked out the first TPB from the library, etc. But since DC put out these new, well colored, expanded and more complete editions last year, I decided the time had finally come. Of course I've known the general outline of the whole thing for ages, but it was great to actually read the whole thing.

I really enjoyed this. It was great to sit down with over 600 pages of Batman to read (and I've still got the other two v...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Kevin rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I was 7 years old, Knightfall hit the comic world like a ton of bricks. Being 7 made it where I didn't understand comics all that well, but I was enthralled with the designs of Azrael as Batman and the monstrosity that is Bane. It was enough where my father would allow me to pick up the Knightfall issues every 2 weeks. I didn't pick up the entire Knightfall saga because of the hefty amounts of issues involved, but I have scattered issues to this day on the event. And if you're like me, you...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Cristy M rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's a tome of a set (especially considering it's only the first volume of three) and, perhaps partly due to that, the work is a bit inconsistent, rather varied, in style and substance from issue or issue-set to the next. There are several writers and artists compiled in these runs and, of course, various perspectives and styles within the collection(s). Overall, I like Bane. I remember the Bane era of the 90's fondly but revisiting and catching up with the stuff I'd missed back then is a little...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Jacobi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trades-read-in-2012

Knightfall volume 1 is a great (cheap) way to dive into the awesomely melodramatic crossover event that defined Batman in the 90s. Bane, nurtured into a one man wrecking crew, decides its his mission to take down the Bat. This tome comes in at over 600 pages, and collects the first act of this massive story. Now, you need to know that this book came out in the mid 90s, so it doesn't age as well as some of Batman's more classic stories. But what this book is is fun. It's a trip seeing how the exh...more Knightfall volume 1 is a great (cheap) way to dive into the awesomely melodramatic crossover event that defined Batman in the 90s. Bane, nurtured into a one man wrecking crew, decides its his mission to take down the Bat. This tome comes in at over 600 pages, and collects the first act of this massive story. Now, you need to know that this book came out in the mid 90s, so it doesn't age as well as some of Batman's more classic stories. But what this book is is fun. It's a trip seeing how the exhaustion of Batman is portrayed. I personally love the one panel where Batman collapses into his bed, complete with his questionable robe on. Oh, and the stubble. Nothing says "I've been pushed to the brink!" in comics more than a character having stubble.

That isn't to say there aren't some truly good things in this collection. There is some really good art by Graham Nolan. He draws a fantastic Killer Croc. Jim Aparo's stuff isn't as good, but still very serviceable. The relationship between Alfred and Bruce is really well done as well. You really get that Alfred is just fed up by Bruce not taking the time to take care of himself, but is resigned to the fact that the mission is always going to come first. The GCPD also gets some really good panel-time. It's neat seeing early Montoya. And you gets tons of rogues. It seems like every Bat-event uses the same formula of throwing all of Bat's rogues at him at the same time, but it works so often because the rogues are so entertaining.

The one thing that is unfortunate is that while this collection is more than 600 pages long, there is still some stuff from pre-Knightfall that is missing. This is probably as complete of a collection as we're going to get, but there are a few key things that are missing (like the first Killer Croc/Bane fight). It would be nice if DC released a companion volume to the planned 3 volume collection of this story to fill in some of the gaps. Not entirely necessary, but if you're going to collect this story, you might as well collect all of it. (less)

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Jun 09, 2012 Keith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Knightfall was the epic "this is the end of Batman for real-real" storyline that marked the end of my adolescent Batman-collecting career, and by extension signaled my shift into reading the "mature" comics that swept up most young comics nerds of the mid-90s. I gobbled up many of the original issues collected here as they hit the newsstand (not all of them; they came out a little too often and cost a little too much for my twelve-year-old attention span and three-dollar allowance). But after th...more Knightfall was the epic "this is the end of Batman for real-real" storyline that marked the end of my adolescent Batman-collecting career, and by extension signaled my shift into reading the "mature" comics that swept up most young comics nerds of the mid-90s. I gobbled up many of the original issues collected here as they hit the newsstand (not all of them; they came out a little too often and cost a little too much for my twelve-year-old attention span and three-dollar allowance). But after this arc was over and it seemed like Batman would NEVER be coming back (I think the storyline put him out of commission for about six months; hence, forever), I started looking around for comics that were a little less demanding of my time and wallet, and were about more "serious" things -- post-modern superheroes like The Maxx, who beat people up but, you know, felt bad about it and was also, you know, really concerned about Jungian psychology and feminist theory, or non-heroes like The Sandman, who had outrageous adventures while referencing Milton and Shakespeare, which made it okay. (That these new books were more likely to include swearing and naked ladies was also a plus.)

But despite Knightfall's entrenched position in my youth, it really took this new edition of the collected series, with its slick cover design and slightly better paper, to make me realize that finally, the comics I grew up on are becoming a part of the same archives of "classic comics" that got me primed on superheroes (and by extension, all funnybooks) in the first place. Those dog-eared Greatest Stories Ever Told reprint volumes full of clunky, dated weirdness that got me up to speed on 50 years of DC Comics when I was a wee Keith don't really feel all that different from the story collected in this volume, and why should they? Some of the creators involved in Knightfall were pretty old-school DC, and had been working in comics since before I was born. It wasn't until after this arc that DC (for better or worse) started cleaning house on the creative teams that had been working on the "modern" era of Batman since the 1970's, so that by the time the next crossover swept through the Bat-titles, the hands on deck were almost an entirely new group for the first time in nearly 20 years.

All of which, I suppose, is only important to a very small group of people, and utterly inconsequential to everyone else (although I would think, in these perilous times, that the stark reality that even comics companies recycle their staff now and then would send a sympathetic chill down all our spines). And I suppose I don't even know that I have a larger point, other than a general reflection on the ways that our individual connections to the collective unconscious do, eventually, become petrified parts of history, which should be a terrifying signifier of age but is, in fact, somewhat calming and totally okay.

There is an extended sequence, in the final pages of this phonebook-sized volume, in which Bane, the steroid-swilling new villain on the block, is being chased through a lightning storm across Gotham Square, hopping over the cars of the El train while a new, heavily-armored replacement Batman follows after, shooting Bat-Shuriken from his robotic gauntlets with a relentless SHING SHING SHING SHING! And Bane's mask is half-ripped off, and the feeding tubes that pump the special Venom serum directly into his brain have been sliced apart, and the fluid is spewing all over him and mixing with his own blood. As Batman's fist finally connects, the train goes off the rails with a VRAKK and slams into an apartment building with a KROOM, and with another SHRASH, CHWOKK and BWAKT it's all over.

And as the police take Bane's battered body away, Robin reluctantly finds his new partner and says, "I guess you really are....The Batman."

And at that point, it doesn't matter. Never mind that some of the chapters in this book are oddly out of sequence and/or missing entirely, or that some of the pages were clearly lifted from photocopies of the original issues instead of electronically scanned. Never mind that this entire book is only being brought back from the decade where it reigned in comfortable nostalgia because of a movie tie-in. At that moment, the story earns its keep, even if just for a few panels, and could only have come from the hyper-adrenalized, millenium-fearing era that produced it.

And 20 years later, a few really solid comic book panels in this crazy mixed-up world just ain't bad at all.(less)

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May 29, 2012 Suzy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was very happy with this book. I interested in buying it until I read that DC was including things in it like the "Vengeance of Bane" and other stories that were sorely missed in the previous collected edition.

Knightfall is an essential addition to any nerd's collection. It is all about Batman's human side being shown. He may be our Dark Knight but he still has weaknesses and can be beaten. This story shows Batman's first real defeat. Bane is a "rookie" in Gotham and he immediately starts show...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Viridian5 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dc-comics, comic-books, graphic-novels, super-heroes

My local library recently picked up this compilation of the events of the Knightfall plot arc in the Batman books of the 90s. It can get a bit repetitive at times, since in 90% of the build-up to Bane facing Batman has this: Bruce discusses his exhaustion, pain, and worries about his judgment and ability to go on in terse, "hardboiled" style in the narration boxes; he tells Robin he doesn't want his advice, help, or presence; he gets a lot of the crap beaten out of him. I do understand, though,...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Kris rated it 4 of 5 stars

A re-read for me, and still good, after all these years. Despite the presence of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, only bits and pieces were actually adapted into the film (and for the rest you should be reading Batman: No Man's Land). The whole process of watching Bane "break the Bat" is fascinating, and seeing Batman/Bruce slowly be worn down and destroyed is heartbreaking. The book reads really quickly for such a large tome, too. The book loses a lot of steam once Bane and Bats face off and Jean...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Anne Toronto1 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: xrate

Dark. Dark. Dark. Images burned on my retina, I did not sleep at all last night. For memorability, I have to up the rating, despite probable nightmares to come. Violence is harsh, tangible, personal, so X-rating. Such are disadvantages of hold requests that arrive after the yen has gone.

From prequels, Batman is already desperately debilitated , physically exhausted, emotionally drained, under regular treatment by shrink Shondra Kinsolving (love interest?). Who, where, when, why, and how did thi...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

Finally, after all this time, it's come out in a nice TPB and I have read it. Without all the preliminary prologue stuff, non-Batman readers might be a bit lost for a time, such as who Jean Paul is, why Bruce is already beleaguered, when Bane fought Killer Croc, for examples, but it shouldn't bother people too much. Bane's origin is dark, but he doesn't do much except wait throughout the TPB, other than the entire Arkham thing and breaking Bruce Wayne's back. It's not nearly as boring as that so...more Finally, after all this time, it's come out in a nice TPB and I have read it. Without all the preliminary prologue stuff, non-Batman readers might be a bit lost for a time, such as who Jean Paul is, why Bruce is already beleaguered, when Bane fought Killer Croc, for examples, but it shouldn't bother people too much. Bane's origin is dark, but he doesn't do much except wait throughout the TPB, other than the entire Arkham thing and breaking Bruce Wayne's back. It's not nearly as boring as that sounds, since he is a fairly intelligent villain, though the addiction to Venom diminishes him somewhat, since it's not just about his personal strength and intellect. Anyway, the inevitable backbreaking isn't the climax of the story, which is more impressive than I thought it might be - the real story is the destruction of Batman, the idea, the symbol. As Bane says toward the end, J-P as the new Dark Knight (emphasis on the Dark, not the Knight) does more to destroy Batman than he did, since he just broke Bruce Wayne: turning Batman into no better than the evil he conquers, Jean Paul becomes perhaps a worse nemesis for Bruce Wayne than even Bane is, but we'll see what happens in part two. The pacing is an odd thing for a 19+ part series, depending on whether you add the non-numbered parts of the story: sometimes issues take place immediately after each other, sometimes days pass, but all of it is fairly rapid in the beginning, following Batman and Robin's attempts to recapture the inmates from Arkham, though Batman doesn't treat Robin all that well whether he is Bruce or Jean Paul. Even so, one doesn't need to pay too much attention to the time factors, since the breakdown of Bruce Wayne is the central idea of volume one, and the creative teams do a fairly fine job with it. The clash of ideas (the nature of good, for example) are highlighted at times, though they take a backseat to the action more often than not, but it's still a good read that holds up after all these years.(less)

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Jul 31, 2012 Patrick Najjar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Issues from the very end of the Knightfall arc (Bruce's return) are some of the first Batman comics I actually remember buying from the comics stand in my local grocery store. Sure the dated art style and overly dramatic writing haven't aged perfectly, but this is still a very enjoyable read, especially when compared with its creative offspring, Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. Having Bane break the Batman, thereby necessitating a lesser hero (Azrael) to take up the mantel of the Bat works wonders...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Adrian Alvarez rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read this because the new Batman movie is coming soon (Dark Knight Rises) and I'm excited about it. Also, being new to comics, I didn't know anything about the character, Bane, featured in the new movie so I thought I'd read through his story arc to see which moral grey areas Christopher Nolan intends to straighten out in his latest. At first, Bane's story was full of interesting philosophical potential but this potential was quickly undermined by the exaggerated dramas and manufactured perils...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Taylor Napolsky rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm stunned by how good this was. I've been reading a bunch of Batman lately to get ready for Dark Knight Rises and this was probably my favorite, tied with Long Halloween. I liked it better than Year One, Killing Joke and Dark Knight Returns.

There is some stuff that it seems got left out. I would've loved to see Killer Croc get beat by Bane, but it's not a huge deal.

The plot-line with Ventriloquist is awesome, and Scarecrow's effort at domination also blew me away. I love Scarecrow.

Azrael is a...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Adrien Capozzi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

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Aug 24, 2012 Michelle Cristiani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel-batman

If you want to read the full knightfall story with Batman and Bane - and if you have seen the recent Batman movie, you probably do - this is the volume to get. There are a few different compliations out there, that just confuse things (of course! It's DC). But this is the complete one, with a one-shot comic at the beginning on Bane's origins. Well-done all around. I really, really like the way the story is panelled. It's creative, and flows beautifully like the highest art. The story is also gri...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Barbara by: Apple De La Fuente

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Jul 21, 2012 Seth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: batman

Like many I wanted to read the Knightfall arc before watching Batman: The Dark Knight Rises. It is a pretty good read, engrossing at a lot of points. I was happily surprised by a few of things that I had not expected. One of the biggest was that I thought Dick Gracen was still Robin and that this was where him and Bruce had their falling out. Instead, Tim Drake is the current Robin.

I picked up this particular collection for its completeness. Unfortunately, it does seem to be missing a few small...more Like many I wanted to read the Knightfall arc before watching Batman: The Dark Knight Rises. It is a pretty good read, engrossing at a lot of points. I was happily surprised by a few of things that I had not expected. One of the biggest was that I thought Dick Gracen was still Robin and that this was where him and Bruce had their falling out. Instead, Tim Drake is the current Robin.

I picked up this particular collection for its completeness. Unfortunately, it does seem to be missing a few small parts of the story line. It alludes to confrontations with both the Riddler and Killer Croc that involved Bane and would have been nice to be included. What would have also been really nice is if there had been some kind of forward to fill in the blanks. In a lot of ways you are picking up in the middle of events that are already taking place.

Story wise it takes place after Batman is already somewhat beaten down. It is just after the death of Superman. Batman is under the weather and already pushing his endurance. A new player in town, Bane, arives and sets loose free all of Batman's worse enemies to wear him down. Bane provides an excellent contrast to Batman. Both are highly intelligent and at their physical peak. I will admit that Batman seemed to go to a few wrong conclusions, but I think that was suppose to be a reflection of the stress he is being put under.

When Jean-Paul Valley takes over it provides an interesting contrast to Bruce's style. I think some of that was to answer people's question of why Batman never killed his enemies or wasn't more brutal. We get a taste of how dark things could be. It would have been nice if we had more background provided on him, but that was covered more in earlier arcs that are not part of Knightfall. One has to wonder if Bruce would have made the same choice if he had not been pushed past his limit.

I was a bit disappointed with how Tim faired as the new Batman's handler. He seemed to loose control of the situation almost from the beginning. Then again, he seemed to have been more than a bit discharged by Bruce prior to the confrontation with Bane. It all eludes back to the death of Jason Todd and how Bruce fears to loose another Robin. Still, despite his new partner trying to cut him off, Tim does not stay out of the action and keeps things from going to far. It seems likely though that even his efforts may be doomed to failure in the next volume.

This is a pivotal story arc for any Batman fan. It provides plenty of action and showcases a good portion of Batman's Rogues Gallery. You gett to see the Dark Knight pushed over the edge fallowed by a contrast as the new Batman pushes the envelope to where he is almost as dark as the enemies he takes down. (less)

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Jan 06, 2013 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

This came out I'm the dark days of comics.(although the new 52 is heading there) superman was killed, Wonder Woman was replaced and Hal Jordan went berserk. Most used bizarre and contrived means to achieve them and ridiculous plot devices, but out of all of them this would be the best one. It's missing issues#489-490 which is essential. It's also important to read batman sword of azreal. We all know how it goes and how it ends just like we all know darth vader is Luke's father. My problem with b...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Laurel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: batman

This is the first of three hefty volumes that contain the epic Knightfall storyline from the 1990's. The theme underlying each issue leading to Batman's fall in this first book can be a bit repetitive and inner monologue lines such as "racing for my grave, already dead" pretty well sums up Baman's mindset throughout.

The villain Bane didn't "Break the Batman" as much as set up a situation where Batman broke himself. Even after reading this volume it is still difficult to grasp how the indomitabl...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Ryan Milbrath rated it 4 of 5 stars

Knightfall is the first installment of the three part series, and is probably the best of all three. Chuck Dixon’s Bane is often viewed in movies and cartoons as juiced-up monkey, outsmarted by the Bat every time another villain sends him off. His incarnation in the movie Batman and Robin was particularly lowly. At least Christopher Nolan gave Bane the kudos he deserves as an intelligent criminal. Dixon’s Bane, is a cold, calculating terrorist. His killer instinct and cunning have been honed in...more Knightfall is the first installment of the three part series, and is probably the best of all three. Chuck Dixon’s Bane is often viewed in movies and cartoons as juiced-up monkey, outsmarted by the Bat every time another villain sends him off. His incarnation in the movie Batman and Robin was particularly lowly. At least Christopher Nolan gave Bane the kudos he deserves as an intelligent criminal. Dixon’s Bane, is a cold, calculating terrorist. His killer instinct and cunning have been honed in prison, and his ruthlessness has few rivals. Aside from the fact that Bane’s origin story was a little far-fetched and raised eyebrows (life sentence in prison as a boy? Subjected to weird steroid testing?) and his reason for taking over Gotham a little ridiculous (haunted by bats in his dreams? ), I think Dixon made a compelling character.

What makes Bane compelling is Dixon’s story in Knightfall. Bane seeks to take over Gotham, like a prison, killing off the top dog. In the case of Gotham this is Batman. However, he realizes that the Batman is too strong. Until he can weaken Batman mentally and physically, Bane is content to orchestrate chaos from the sidelines. His plan is ingenious. Release the chaos of Arkham Asylum upon Gotham, and watch as the Batman tries to prevent the city from turning into ash. Thus, the majority of Knightfall consists of Batman, suffering from a mid-life crisis, over-exerting himself in his attempt to round up all the freed patients of Arkham Asylum. Bane finally strikes in the climax of the book, when Bruce, mentally and physical drained from constant battle, retreats to the batcave to rest, is challenged in his very house. Bane overwhelmingly defeats him, breaking his back, and leaving Wayne paralyzed. Wayne, leaves the mantel of the bat in the hands of Jean-Paul Valley, a man on the edge of a psychotic break.

The second half of the Knightfall story arc follows Jean-Paul Valley’s rise as Batman. Mentally unstable because of his father’s brain washing, Valley is a trained assassin by the Order of St. Dumas. Slowly the readers see Valley’s downward spiral. He becomes increasingly ruthless and ultraviolent when dealing with the criminals of Gotham. He uses technology and force to bring down Bane. His Batman is an angel of vengeance. When Bruce travels to Santa Prisca to learn more about Bane and to find Tim Drake’s Father, a mentally instable Jean-Paul Valley is left in charge. This situation creates the central conflict for the Knightquest arc.

The writing and artwork is 90’s Batman through and through. It’s campy, colorful and by today’s standards, a lot of it hasn’t aged well. It’s like the X-Men in the 80’s and 90’s, or Spiderman during that same time. The story is a classic in the Batman Universe, but some part of me, longs for a revamp. Just to see what a new artist and writer could come up with.
(less)

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Jan 13, 2013 Sesana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, superhumans

It's a solid plot, which is probably why elements of it got used in Dark Knight Rises: Bane breaks the Batman. Unlike in most later appearances of Bane, he isn't a dumb, hulking brute. Even the usually brilliant Batman: The Animated Series went down that route. Here, Bane spends most of the story as a figure in the shadows. He unleashes the entire population of Arkham, then sits back and watches the inmates slowly wear Batman down. Was Bane ever this menacing again? And right up until the iconic...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Jon Rigton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Bane is far more fascinating in his original debut than in nearly any of his onscreen (live action or otherwise) incarnations. The Joker has always been entertaining for his shock value, and unpredictable; but in Bane, you have a villain with true intelligence and cunning (on a rather frightening level). The film series (recent ones) really botched an attempt to recreate this iconic villain. However, at least we can find solace in the fact he's not the unintentional atrocity from the Burton film...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Arlomisty rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

I always wanted to read this, but never did when it was "new" in the stores... after watching the latest Batman movie that featured Bane I was even more curious to read the origin story behind the Bane character, so I found this book on Amazon.com for very cheap and picked it up. It's not my favorite Batman story it's ok...not my favorite artwork either... I enjoyed it and the price was right for 600 plus pages!

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May 11, 2013 Cam James rated it 2 of 5 stars

I recently re-read this story arc for the first time in about fifteen years. The core idea is great, but it seems like a lot of the actual story is rushed, then filled with other irellevant material. Still a classic, but it's a real shame the story wasn't tackled in the same way contempory stories are treated in the new 52 range. Would love to see a revised edition with new art and a condensed story.

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Nov 30, 2012 Germancho rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic-books

Considering that this book came out almost a decade after Miller's revolutionary The Dark Knight Returns, it is almost unforgivable that some action sequences and the dialogue seem to come from the depths of the Silver Age of comics. However, the plot, characterization, storyboarding, and pacing are great, and they all conspire to create a truly great Batman story, free from the usual trappings of the Batman mythos.

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Jan 25, 2013 Chad rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've always been a Batman fan, and I'm now just getting into the "big" story arcs. This is the first time I've read the Bane origin story and my first comic with the "Azrael" character. The story arc is interesting, bit not riveting, and the art is very much a "product of the times" (early 90s). Not a must-read for Batman fans, but it does help flesh out the mythos.

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Jul 13, 2012 Dominic Hamon rated it 3 of 5 stars

To have the entire arc collected like this is great, though there seem to be some parts of the story missing. There are references to events that we don't see, and some of them appear to be key to character motivations. It's almost inevitable when attempting to bring together so much from different sources, but a shame that the Omnibus does not feel complete.

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About Chuck Dixon

Charles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.

His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to w...more

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title link	preview: Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1
avg rating	preview: Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1 Goodreads rating: 4.07 (711 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12623655-batman?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335301972l/12623655.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12623655-batman?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1 by Chuck Dixon[/url]

Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1 (Batman: Knightfall #1-2)

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