The thick volume consists of as many as twenty notebooks. Most of the time, Batman has to deal with the fallout of the villains escaping from Arkham Asylum. And all thanks to Bane, who works in the shadows, who wants to test what the Dark Knight is capable of. Most of the time, the pattern is the same, because Batman barely catches one fugitive and he already has to chase another. Such repetition is not a problem, because the pages of the comic scroll through a suit of lesser-known opponents, such as Zsasz and Firefly. Duels with the main villains, of course, are also and are equally satisfying. It’s nice to see Bruce venting his anger over Jason Todd’s “death” and slapping the Joker in the face. Gacek solves the vast majority of his problems here not so much with cunning as with … a fang in the opponent’s nose. Maybe it’s not so sophisticated methods, but how effective! The side-plot of the Ventriloquist, who has to use other puppets while looking for Scarface, is also very nice, e.g. from socks with sewn-on buttons. The star of the evening himself, Mr. Bane, looks very good. It is known that it is a coke of cokes, but because it works mainly behind the scenes and sticks to its plan rigidly, it does not come off in an exaggerated way.
Sleep sweetly, bat
Batman’s complaints are a bit funny in the context of the whole thing . The very exhaustion of the Dark Knight was handled brilliantly, and yes, I feel sorry for Bruce in the situation he finds himself in. However, every few pages there is a thought bubble like “I’m tired”. I understand why the writers emphasized it so often and in a notebook form, when a long time passed between individual episodes, it was probably less noticeable, but here the intensity is so high that I almost identified with Alfred, who ordered Master to lie down in bed again and again.
Bruce himself was conducted brilliantly – turning a blind eye to the above aspects, it is interesting to see the hero on the verge of physical and mental exhaustion, and yet still performing his duties. Any hard work is further emphasized by stubble on a square jaw. Poor guy doesn’t even have time to shave.
My favorite moment, however, takes place after the back injury. Despite being broken both literally and figuratively, Bruce can have epic moments, such as when he fights thugs from the deck of his wheelchair. For a real superhero there are no limits.
Azbat
If I had to pick on something, it would be the way Jean-Paul Valley was treated here. Possibly more space is given to him in the Prologue , but most of the time in Volume 2 he is the backdrop to suddenly take over. The problem is that he has nothing to say beforehand, nor does he participate in any actions. It’s much more interesting when it comes to putting on a Batman outfit. However, it is a pity that it almost immediately begins to work against the established rules. As soon as he puts on the mask with ears, he goes crazy and goes on a murderous rage. Given the turn of events, it’s surprising that Bruce gave him almost everything.
It’s Batin’ time!
I made fun of the extremes of the 1990s in the introduction, but well, that’s what that era was like. And it’s hard to find a better example than Azrael’s Batman. Because what’s not in his outfit? Gloves with giant claws? Current! Batshuriken launcher? Present! Dozens of pockets? Current! Leg thorns that look like insect legs? Uh… Present! And in flashy colors and exaggerated proportions. At the same time, it’s all beautiful in its own way. However kitschy it may be, this aesthetics cannot be denied originality.
Loser?
Knightfall turned out to be a surprisingly good position for me. Although I knew how the confrontation between Batman and Ban would end, because it’s one of the most famous themes with the Bat, but the road to this event was interesting and satisfying. It is worth mentioning that with so many notebooks, the changes of cartoonists are quite obvious, but due to the fact that the same color tone is used everywhere, it is not noticeable. I am waiting for more!
