Batman #23.4

by kanchilr1 on September 25, 2013

Writer: Peter Tomasi Artist: Graham Nolan

Introduction

Bane is a character that is hard to get right in the space of modern comics. Most of the interpretations of the rogue have been wildly different. The antagonist in the newest Batman movie is almost completely different from his usual comic book counterpart. At the very best, the baddie can outwit and outfight most of the DC Universe. The fragmented persona has been pulled into some wildly new directions in the recent Secret Six series, but unfortunately that was all taken away from his character in the New 52. Thankfully, scribe Peter Tomasi is handling the troubled baddie coming off of the stellar scripts from the Batman Arkham games. While there was nothing exceptional featured with the character in those games, the brute was realized in a physically imposing manner. The Bat scribe has been chronicling the adventures of the family of heroes and villains since the late 90’s. Artist Graham Nolan has also been pencilling the adventures of Bat family rogues since the late nineties with the Vengeance Of Bane. Together the two creators have a fair shot at delivering something that will intrigue those who have been tired of Villain’s Month.

Writing

Unfortunately, upon reading this issue my expectations were not fulfilled. first off, there is barely enough plot here to interest readers. In the case of something like this, it would have really helped if there were some more interesting ideas or framing devices in the issue, to make it stand out amongst the others. There is a scene involving a small child that stumbles and drags the entire issue down with it. Tomasi focuses on the brutish aspects that he highlighted in the Arkham games, that proves he does not understand the character. Vengeance Of Bane was written by Chuck Dixon, and was a fascinating take on the origin of a standard villain that Bane did not conform to. The issue had many ideas that proved his intelligence, and writers handled his arc in Knightfall with much more care than this installment.

Art

Graham Nolan makes a triumphant return here to the character in which he must feel affection towards. The art feels classic in the best sense of the word. A more modern DC house style is mixed with stripped down sensibilities, that makes this installment stand out amongst other Villain’s Month titles. Watching the hyper violence of this comic mixed with older sensibilities, give a sort of parody of dark titles that may or may not be intentional. There are also a few standout references towards the classic moments featuring the character that are beautifully illustrated. Nolan serves up an interesting sense of brevity that would bring an interesting tone to a monthly Bat family book. The layouts start to become more experimental deeper into this issue, that seem to payoff pretty well. A layout with a demonic version of a certain caped crusader, is quite wonderful.

Verdict

This is hard for me to recommend for anyone, except for die hard fans of the character. Enjoying the artwork of Graham Nolan again is a treat, yet it is fascinating to wonder why Tomasi brought such a subpar script to this story. Flip through this for the pictures, avoid the words.

Our Score:

4/10

A Look Inside