Friday, April 11, 2014

I look at the forgotten classic: Batman: Knightfall Part 1 for following the nerd...


There are some incredibly popular and influential Batman story arcs that receive a great deal of love, and rightfully so from the nerd community.  And I’m with you.  Batman Year One is amazing.  Hush is incredible.  Birth of the Demon is overrated but very influential and important to Batman’s development One arc that I feel is often left out is Knightfall.  Right now I want to examine the first third of this epic.  Yes it was an event comic designed to tell books, but that doesn’t mean it was of poorer quality.  While I recognize a few different authors had a hand in this I’m going to credit Chuck Dixon and Doug Moench as the largest contributors.


Dixon and Moench’s script works on quite a few levels.  The first few issues move fast, almost entirely self-contained and allow readers a chance to revisit the rogues gallery while tying each episode to the larger story, without ever sacrificing the action or pace.  Arkham Asylum is a volatile place, with prisoners escaping quite regularly, so why not all at once.  This action also helps to set up Bane as a formidable enemy.  He respects Batman as an adversary yet is incredibly confident.  Bane is one of Batman’s best villains, because Batman never beats him.  In the entire Knightfall Arc Batman never triumphs over Bane.  This makes it one of the most unique entries the cannon ever...
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