I credit you with single-handedly saving the character Bane from the scrap heap -nobody knew what to do with him after Knightfall. But that said, comparing Secret Six Bane to his first appearance it's almost hard to recognize him. Where did the respect for

You know, respectfully, I don’t agree with this, completely. I’ve heard it a lot, and I am glad you liked him in Secret Six.

But I expanded on things I felt were already there…Bane tried to romance Black Canary, and showed a real affection and kindness towards her. And he showed respect for Batman more than once before I ever wrote him. If you read that story with Bane and Black Canary, written by Bane’s co-creator, you can see a seed planted there that I watered some time later. 

That’s part of the fun of shared characters, you find a germ, and expand it, rather than invent things from whole cloth that don’t match the character’s past.

Also, Chuck Dixon, Bane’s co-creator, listed me as one of only two writers he felt wrote a good Bane, besides himself, so that counts! :)