Review: Batman - Knightfall Volume 1

After escaping from the hellish prison that is Peña Duro, the villainous Bane journeys to Gotham City on a mission to become its kingpin. Before that, he must rid the city of its protector – Batman. He orchestrates a mass break-out at Arkham Asylum, unleashing all of the Dark Knight’s greatest foes onto the streets. With hopes of pushing Batman to his breaking point, Bane’s ultimate goal is to destroy Gotham City’s Dark Knight mentally and physically.

Batman: Knightfall Volume 1 collects Batman: Vengeance Of Bane Special #1, Batman #491-500, Detective Comics #659-660, Showcase '93 #7 and 8 and Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #17-18.

Knightfall is arguably one of the most iconic Batman storylines of all time. Much like the infamous Death in the Family, this arc shook up the status quo and gave readers a glimpse at a darker, angrier Batman. As the creative brainchild between Dennis O’Neil, Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench and Alan Grant, Knightfall details the now-legendary breaking of the Bat at the hands of Bane and the takeover of the Batman mantle by the unhinged Jean-Paul Valley. It is a carefully crafted storyline that, like any good novel, unfolds over the course of several chapters. It begins almost immediately with the break-out at Arkham, followed by Batman’s fevered attempt at re-capturing all of the inmates despite his ailing health. When he is at his most vulnerable, Batman is attacked in his own home by Bane and is paralyzed during the conflict’s climax. Now recovering from his grievous injuries, Batman appoints Jean-Paul Valley as his successor. There’s just one problem – Jean-Paul is too violent, too unpredictable and far too willing to cross the line into killing criminals. In essence, he is everything Batman isn’t supposed to be.

My hat goes off to the creative team behind Knightfall. It’s a grand scale crossover that pulls out all the stops. The first half of the saga focuses almost entirely on Batman’s one man mission to apprehend the Arkham escapees. It was a brilliant choice to make because it gave the writers an excuse to toss in as many iconic villains as they could without it seeming forced or inorganic. From the Joker to Poison Ivy, Knightfall is a veritable smorgasbord of Batman rogues. Obviously, some conflicts are more thrilling than others. Notably, the subplot of the Joker and Scarecrow teaming up together is well-done. It is only after this revolving door of villainy that we get the epic Batman vs. Bane grudge match. It’s clear from the onset that Bane has the advantage, but the fight is engaging nonetheless. The concluding paralysis of Batman was ballsy and this shake-up allowed the writers to actively engage in dialogue concerning the role and importance of heroes like Batman.

What is most admirable about Knightfall is that it serves as a critique of the ridiculous popularity of anti-heroes at the onset of the 1990s. There was an influx of gun-toting mercenaries who were willing to kill their enemies whose status as being en vogue suggested that the more morally upright characters like Batman might be antiquated. As such, the creative team responsible for the Batman titles tried their hands at an experiment by removing Bruce Wayne from the mantle and replacing him with someone who was his opposite. In this collection, we really only see the early effect Jean-Paul Valley has as Batman. He takes over roughly towards the end of this trade and we are witness to the beginning of his descent into using extreme methods. Surprisingly, we see that his methods are in fact successful. He defeats Bane and the crime rate plummets. That said, there is a cost to Jean-Paul’s actions. Specifically, his relationship with Robin deteriorates and the police are left on uncertain grounds regarding their approval of him.

Despite being written in the early-‘90s, there’s a feeling of timelessness to Knightfall and it’s a remarkably easy read. Despite a lack of exposition done to properly explain who Jean-Paul Valley is, this collection is incredibly easy to follow and is one of the more accessible Batman events. It’s definitely more action-oriented and there isn’t a whole lot of character work done. In this respect, I mean that the creative team doesn’t dwell too much on the interpersonal relationships and instead have a laser focused sight placed on the endgame of Jean-Paul Valley’s ascension into the role as Batman. That said, they are attentive towards showing readers Robin’s perspective and much of the emotional core of the story revolves around his perception of the events. Still, there is a very clear divide in terms of narrative quality and reader engagement. The events leading up to Bane’s attack on Batman are far superior to the events that occur afterward.

Knightfall is essential reading for anyone who considers themselves a fan of Batman. It’s an exciting and engaging storyline that examines the role of Batman in a way that also critiqued the popular characters of those times. It may be the first chapter in what would become a rather expansive saga, but it’s also the most important. The art is consistently on point and the action is always impeccably done. One of the only downfalls to Knightfall is the varying qualities of certain storylines. Notably, the material from Showcase ’93 and Batman: Shadow Of The Bat are kind of a drag. It also would have been nice to have fuller development done for what little we see of Nightwing and Catwoman, though both would later play important roles in the events that transpire after Knightfall.

RATING: B+