Just like you don't mind answering questions over and over, I don't mind listening over and over. And it's always a good listen. Besides, the older I get the more I need reminders. Have a good one!
The combination of the addiction and the shared actor have made me frequently imagine a crossover with a Venomized Bane. Overkill, yes, but it would be a fun What If Elseworlds crossover.
I love the original incarnation of Bane. Its because of the same reason that so many incarnations since have gotten it wrong by JUST focusing on him being strong. It's because he is the perfect specimen, even before the Venom he honed not just his body but his mind. He wasn't some rampaging monster but a very smart individual who set up the events like pieces in a chess board to push Batman to his limits and past them. He wanted to break him physically, mentally and spiritually. He wanted to break the bat down to pieces BEFORE he even showed off his physical skills. That was Bane's biggest ace in the hole, his intellect.
Have you thought of doing an 'elseworlds story' where someone else broke Batman instead of Bane? KGBeast for example. The way Batman left him at the end of their first meeting would have been a great motivator to go after him as Bane had. Or perhaps some version of Wrath, where Wrath didn't die, but went on to become even more obsessed with Batman and bringing him down - the parallels and opposite number ideas are there in his character. Also, I think that the Cataclysm and Aftershock story arcs are underrated. I think they were great in and of themselves and not merely setups for No Man's Land. Though they did do that well. All the writers on those arcs were bringing their A-game. When the main villain is Mother Nature, an earthquake, that can't be punched into submission or captured and imprisoned? Brilliant tests of the limits of heroes, their supporting cast, and the citizens of Gotham.
I remember talking with someone about Bane and he mentioned how there is a passing resemblance to Venom with how the mask is designed. Happy coincidence, I said.
With your work on the Bat-Family being so seminal to my growing up with comics, this was a really cool and intriguing bit of insight into one of, if not the most famous of Batman stories! Thanks, Chuck!
Hey Chuck, would you do more videos talking about the other events you worked? I would love to know more about the Legacy, Contagion, Cataclysm, and No Man’s Land! Thank you for your work and making these insightful videos!
Knightfall was brilliant! Areal is Batman as Iron Man! He's still my favorite Batman to this day! He's much more interesting than the Bruce Wayne Batman! Another great thing about the storyline is to this day it contains the best Catwoman fight in comics! When she fought Azreal it was the most brutal I've ever seen Selina Kyle!
I am reading comics from you pretty much every day lately -- all 30 year old stuff from both Marv and The Distinguished . . .a pile of Frank and Bruce lol :)
My question is: yes, Superman was dead at the time of Knightfall's events, but do you feel there is in-story reason why Batman wouldn't have called any of the Justice League, Teen Titans, Outsiders, Birds of Prey and other heroes he knew when he was overwhelmed by the events happening with the prison breakout?
Fan fiction idea. Bane is a master planner and master tactician. He setup and arranged disaster decoys to keep the other teams/hero's busy. Taking down the Batman personally would be a warning to both heroes and villains who was top dog.
I've read both the Knightfall and Azrael's first volume a few years ago and he's one of my favorite characters. I still wonder why people hated him back then. Maybe just because he was the first Bat-replacement out of the ones that followed later on?
Bro you don't owe us any particular length. The thing is, I believe that Azbats would have lasted longer in the eyes of readers if they knew for sure he was temporary. It was the idea that you replaced batman with this loon that upset readers so much, I am confident.
Chuck, if you appeared in a funny animal comic, what animal would you be and what would be your name? What got me pondering this was an old issue of Captain Carrot with the cover featuring funny animal versions of the creators like Roy (Thomcat) Thomas and Dick (Duck) Giordano. So what would it be? "Chick Duckson" maybe?
The one note with the overall "Knightfall" arc that struck me as hollow was how Batman's depression and exhaustion came on almost instantly, so that it felt forced on the character rather than organic. See BATMAN #484: In the prior issues it was business as usual, but with Bruce Wayne's first appearance in #484, we get, "For a moment, he actually feels he can't go on, can't function anymore. Living two lives with enough stress for ten but less than enough sleep for one," etc., etc. (Reading the comic month to month at the time, it was easy to miss how heavy-handed was the introduction of his exhaustion, but it's easy to pick up on during a binge-read.) The only other time I noticed an unwelcome change so abrupt is when Robin started calling Alfred "Alfie" -- I believe Doug Moench was responsible for that alteration, starting with BATMAN #486 or thereabouts. I always felt "Alfie" diminished the respect Tim previously showed Alfred. The other thing that bothered me about "Knightfall" was how Jean-Paul's descent into madness wasn't really his fault. He had all of this Order of St. Dumas programming that he couldn't overcome. Had he been someone who trained alongside Bruce for a while, taken on the Batman role, and then fallen down a darker path because of philosophical differences about crimefighting, for example, that would have felt like a much more emotional conflict than, "Oh, here's a Mary-Sue character who was never supposed to be Batman in the first place -- of *course* he's going to fall down on the job." That's probably why readers had such a negative reaction to JPV that "Knightsend" had to be moved up -- he didn't become murderous by choice so much as by compulsion, plus there was no backstory to him that could anchor him as a person in addition to being the substitute Batman. Last bit about Batman's post-Knightfall costume: Nothing screamed incompetence louder than making Batman's new costume essentially a black body-stocking that had to be supplemented (I'm guessing after massive reader complaints) with gloves and boots when the four-part "Troika" storyline was over instead of just bringing back the traditional gloves and boots right away. It really made me feel like the Batman titles had slipped off the rails, and my primary Batman collection actually ends with "Troika". One positive thing I can say is how well Bane suited Batman as an archetypal villain despite being so fresh on the scene. We could totally believe that Bane was a match for Batman despite never having directly fought him before. His entrance didn't feel nearly as contrived as Doomsday's did: "Oh, there just happens to me a monstrous killing machine buried on Earth for no particular reason" (the actual reason, I suspect, being that no one wanted to give the kill credit to any of Superman's traditional villains -- not even Luthor, though heaven alone knows why...unless a certain individual with the initials "CD" does, of course).
Your comments are well thought-out, though I disagree on your exhaustion point. It worked for me because Batman's real exhaustion came from tirelessly rounding up all the Arkham escapees, and for me it felt like an organic part of the story.
@@wtk6069 The Arkham escape occurred in BATMAN #491, but Batman's exhaustion and depression had already been inserted into his character (as if by force) in BATMAN #484.
This is my favorite Batman story.
The saga that introduced me to the comic book world! I loved this video!
Just like you don't mind answering questions over and over, I don't mind listening over and over. And it's always a good listen.
Besides, the older I get the more I need reminders. Have a good one!
The combination of the addiction and the shared actor have made me frequently imagine a crossover with a Venomized Bane. Overkill, yes, but it would be a fun What If Elseworlds crossover.
I’ve listened to 95% of Chuck’s Q&As and I still loved every second of this.
I love the original incarnation of Bane. Its because of the same reason that so many incarnations since have gotten it wrong by JUST focusing on him being strong. It's because he is the perfect specimen, even before the Venom he honed not just his body but his mind. He wasn't some rampaging monster but a very smart individual who set up the events like pieces in a chess board to push Batman to his limits and past them. He wanted to break him physically, mentally and spiritually. He wanted to break the bat down to pieces BEFORE he even showed off his physical skills.
That was Bane's biggest ace in the hole, his intellect.
I'm currently reading Knighfall, just started Knightsend
One of my favorite eras. I loved the Azrael Batman and Jim Balent Catwoman costume designs too.
Amazing! Thanks for the stories.
Have you thought of doing an 'elseworlds story' where someone else broke Batman instead of Bane? KGBeast for example. The way Batman left him at the end of their first meeting would have been a great motivator to go after him as Bane had. Or perhaps some version of Wrath, where Wrath didn't die, but went on to become even more obsessed with Batman and bringing him down - the parallels and opposite number ideas are there in his character.
Also, I think that the Cataclysm and Aftershock story arcs are underrated. I think they were great in and of themselves and not merely setups for No Man's Land. Though they did do that well. All the writers on those arcs were bringing their A-game. When the main villain is Mother Nature, an earthquake, that can't be punched into submission or captured and imprisoned? Brilliant tests of the limits of heroes, their supporting cast, and the citizens of Gotham.
Thanks mr Dixon!
Thanks for answering my question! Awesome video sir!
Those Bat- summits sound extremely fun!
I remember talking with someone about Bane and he mentioned how there is a passing resemblance to Venom with how the mask is designed. Happy coincidence, I said.
This was a great extra episode, thanks!
Much like a lot of Batman characters created in the 1990's Bane was ruined by later writers.
Bane breaking the bat both physically and mentally makes Knightfall one of my all time favourites
With your work on the Bat-Family being so seminal to my growing up with comics, this was a really cool and intriguing bit of insight into one of, if not the most famous of Batman stories! Thanks, Chuck!
Loved this ! 😎
Hey Chuck, would you do more videos talking about the other events you worked? I would love to know more about the Legacy, Contagion, Cataclysm, and No Man’s Land! Thank you for your work and making these insightful videos!
Seconded.
Knightfall was brilliant! Areal is Batman as Iron Man! He's still my favorite Batman to this day! He's much more interesting than the Bruce Wayne Batman! Another great thing about the storyline is to this day it contains the best Catwoman fight in comics! When she fought Azreal it was the most brutal I've ever seen Selina Kyle!
So happy that I got to meet Archie Goodwin. Such a great guy. “The nicest guy in comics” 🙂
I am reading comics from you pretty much every day lately -- all 30 year old stuff from both Marv and The Distinguished . . .a pile of Frank and Bruce lol :)
Hail, Chuck! 🤘🏻💀🥃
Yup, Wolverine was very much a random character idea that turned into a huge deal. You never know.
Can't wait to listen on my drive home
My question is: yes, Superman was dead at the time of Knightfall's events, but do you feel there is in-story reason why Batman wouldn't have called any of the Justice League, Teen Titans, Outsiders, Birds of Prey and other heroes he knew when he was overwhelmed by the events happening with the prison breakout?
Fan fiction idea. Bane is a master planner and master tactician. He setup and arranged disaster decoys to keep the other teams/hero's busy. Taking down the Batman personally would be a warning to both heroes and villains who was top dog.
I've read both the Knightfall and Azrael's first volume a few years ago and he's one of my favorite characters. I still wonder why people hated him back then. Maybe just because he was the first Bat-replacement out of the ones that followed later on?
Bro you don't owe us any particular length.
The thing is, I believe that Azbats would have lasted longer in the eyes of readers if they knew for sure he was temporary. It was the idea that you replaced batman with this loon that upset readers so much, I am confident.
Chuck, if you appeared in a funny animal comic, what animal would you be and what would be your name? What got me pondering this was an old issue of Captain Carrot with the cover featuring funny animal versions of the creators like Roy (Thomcat) Thomas and Dick (Duck) Giordano. So what would it be? "Chick Duckson" maybe?
Is Jim Aparo not in the summit picture? It says '94. Was he off the Batman book by then?
The one note with the overall "Knightfall" arc that struck me as hollow was how Batman's depression and exhaustion came on almost instantly, so that it felt forced on the character rather than organic. See BATMAN #484: In the prior issues it was business as usual, but with Bruce Wayne's first appearance in #484, we get, "For a moment, he actually feels he can't go on, can't function anymore. Living two lives with enough stress for ten but less than enough sleep for one," etc., etc. (Reading the comic month to month at the time, it was easy to miss how heavy-handed was the introduction of his exhaustion, but it's easy to pick up on during a binge-read.)
The only other time I noticed an unwelcome change so abrupt is when Robin started calling Alfred "Alfie" -- I believe Doug Moench was responsible for that alteration, starting with BATMAN #486 or thereabouts. I always felt "Alfie" diminished the respect Tim previously showed Alfred.
The other thing that bothered me about "Knightfall" was how Jean-Paul's descent into madness wasn't really his fault. He had all of this Order of St. Dumas programming that he couldn't overcome. Had he been someone who trained alongside Bruce for a while, taken on the Batman role, and then fallen down a darker path because of philosophical differences about crimefighting, for example, that would have felt like a much more emotional conflict than, "Oh, here's a Mary-Sue character who was never supposed to be Batman in the first place -- of *course* he's going to fall down on the job." That's probably why readers had such a negative reaction to JPV that "Knightsend" had to be moved up -- he didn't become murderous by choice so much as by compulsion, plus there was no backstory to him that could anchor him as a person in addition to being the substitute Batman.
Last bit about Batman's post-Knightfall costume: Nothing screamed incompetence louder than making Batman's new costume essentially a black body-stocking that had to be supplemented (I'm guessing after massive reader complaints) with gloves and boots when the four-part "Troika" storyline was over instead of just bringing back the traditional gloves and boots right away. It really made me feel like the Batman titles had slipped off the rails, and my primary Batman collection actually ends with "Troika".
One positive thing I can say is how well Bane suited Batman as an archetypal villain despite being so fresh on the scene. We could totally believe that Bane was a match for Batman despite never having directly fought him before. His entrance didn't feel nearly as contrived as Doomsday's did: "Oh, there just happens to me a monstrous killing machine buried on Earth for no particular reason" (the actual reason, I suspect, being that no one wanted to give the kill credit to any of Superman's traditional villains -- not even Luthor, though heaven alone knows why...unless a certain individual with the initials "CD" does, of course).
Your comments are well thought-out, though I disagree on your exhaustion point. It worked for me because Batman's real exhaustion came from tirelessly rounding up all the Arkham escapees, and for me it felt like an organic part of the story.
@@wtk6069 The Arkham escape occurred in BATMAN #491, but Batman's exhaustion and depression had already been inserted into his character (as if by force) in BATMAN #484.
Oh I think JPV was the only choice to take over and face Bane. Bane would have snapped Nightwing like a twig.
Joe Quesada vid thumbnail
Quesada was an underrated Bat-artist.
Bane is by far the best Batman villain
I never liked any voice choice for Bane. Who is the ideal voice? Hardy's Connery impression was lame and unintimidating.