Batman 23.4
Special “Villains Month” Title: Bane 1
Peter J. Tomasi, Graham Nolan
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
The Batman (or Talon) tie-in to Villains Month and Forever Evil and lead-in to Forever Evil: Arkham War was expertly created by not one, but two of my favorite people in the industry. Writer Peter J. Tomasi has proven himself time and again as the authority on all things Batman (especially great character-driven pieces). And the fact that Bane co-creator Graham Nolan not only did a few pencils for the recent Bane storyline in the pages of Talon, but also this entire one-shot issue is nothing short of incredible. This is the Bane comic that we’ve all been waiting for. And if we can’t have Chuck Dixon back at the writing seat, who better than Tomasi to continue on his legacy?
The story is simple, just like the motivations and actions of Bane. He is on his way to Gotham City. While he takes out the trash on his island as well as aboard his own boat (by brutally beating men to death), he relives his origin. It has become legend to the men, women, and children of his part of the world, much like that of Batman’s. So it should come as no surprise that when Batman disappears, Bane takes it upon himself to take his city back. His plan, also simple, is setting up more events to come in the page of Forever Evil: Arkham War. He has taken over Blackgate Prison, injected various thugs with his own special strain of Venom, and is going to kill the Scarecrow in front of the escaped Arkham inmates, who currently control the city. By taking out their “leader,” he will instill in them great fear. And start a war. A war, of course, he intends to win.
An awesome cover is just icing on the cake with this issue. Legends like Nolan and superstars like Tomasi really deliver a great read for readers new and old alike. The greatest strength of the New 52 (even though it creates a bit of a conundrum and possibly even headache for continuity buffs), is the fact that the Batman characters, for the most part, did not change. Bane is one of those characters. If anything, he became more brutal. More devastating. And at his very core, more evil. I can’t wait to see what he does next. And, of course, who he kills first. This is the crown jewel of the fourth and final week of Villains Month.
My Rating: 5/5
