Red Slash
Credits: Doug Moench (writer), Norm Breyfogle (artist), Tim Harkins (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)
Summary:
Zsasz takes hostages at the Bates Home for Girls, threatening to kill a
hostage every time the police intervene. After Zsasz kills two
policemen sent to stop him, he’s confronted by Officer Montoya. A
fatigued Batman breaks in just as Zsasz takes Montoya captive. Batman
defeats Zsasz as the hostages escape. Meanwhile, Robin continues to
track Falcon, and Mayor Krol pressures Commissioner Gordon to resign.
Irrelevant Continuity:
Robin describes Falcon as one of “the three jamokes that blasted the
Riddler.” Again, this refers to a story not reprinted in the Knightfall trade paperback.
Dramatic Exits: Officer Montoya pulls a Batman on Harvey Bullock by slipping past him while he’s discussing Zsasz’s standoff.
Approved By The Comics Code Authority: A lot of blood in this one, including the slit throat of a police officer. Even the title of this issue is written in blood.
Total N00B:
What’s the deal with Zsasz’s eyes? Is he supposed to be wearing ‘80s
New Wave sunglasses? Is this supposed to be some Sienkiewicz-style
expressionism meant to symbolize insanity?
Review:
Okay, this is closer to what I assumed “Knightfall” would be. And,
unfortunately, it represents a lot of the post-Miller Batman material
that I don’t personally enjoy. A “realistic” serial killer that Batman
somehow isn’t able to punch out in two panels, bloody murders
everywhere, and ridiculous psychobabble trying to sell the idea that
Batman’s no different than the villains he faces. This was almost novel
once, but I think the expiration date on this material was out even
before 1993. There has to be some line between making the stories
serious enough to suit the event and just inserting Batman into Silence of the Lambs.
So far, the storyline has veered between two extremes and neither is quite right. Also, I guess now is as a good as time as any
to point out how much I dislike most of Kelley Jones’ covers. Apparently, DC
felt that he was bigger draw than Aparo, Nolan, and Breyfogle, which
seems crazy now. These comics were published in 1993, though, so it’s
possible they were right.
Puppets
Credits: Chuck Dixon (writer), Norm Breyfogle (artist), Tim Harkins (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)
Summary:
The Ventriloquist teams with fellow Arkham escapee Amygdala to search
for Scarface. Batman and Robin follow their trail to a toy store. When
Robin is ordered to stand back, he decides to follow the falcon that
has been tracking the Batmobile. He soon locates Bird and engages him
in a fight. Bane radios in and orders Bird to let Robin go. Meanwhile,
a disoriented Batman defeats Amygdala but leaves Ventriloquist behind.
The Batmobile’s police scanner reports Zsasz has broken into a girls’
school.
Irrelevant Continuity:
Robin makes another reference to his encounter with Bane, which
apparently occurred in the same story as Bane’s fight with Killer Croc
and his dismissal of Azrael. Robin also comments that Batman has “been
sick” recently, referencing stories that are also not reprinted.
I Love the ‘90s: “No justice, no peace” is written in graffiti in the Gotham back alleys.
Total N00B:
I’ve never heard of Amygdala before. He’s a large, childlike brute
with several mental problems. It seems like he’d be any easy addition
to any of the recent Batman video games, but apparently no one’s
bothered to use him. An “amygdala” is defined as “an almond-shaped mass
of gray matter, one in each hemisphere of the brain, associated with
feelings of fear and aggression and important for visual learning and
memory.”
Review:
This is another chapter of the crossover that doesn’t seem to have an
appropriate tone given the circumstances of the story. The
Ventriloquist’s quest to locate Scarface is not surprisingly played for
laughs (Ventriloquist even creates a new puppet friend, “Socko,” this
issue), and the mentally deranged Amygdala is mostly treated as a joke
as well, although he stands up to Batman pretty well. I’m also
surprised to see Bird get a clear victory over Robin, but then again, I
guess it’s not that big a surprise that one of Bane’s henchmen would get
a strong heel push. And yet, I have a hard time picturing a mulleted
bird aficionado getting the best of Robin, who’s supposed to be one of
the better hand-to-hand combatants in the DC Universe to the best of my
knowledge. At any rate, it’s another issue of Batman and Robin chasing
Arkham escapees that’s so not grim I’m torn between admiring its willingness to have fun and just wondering what the tone of this storyline is supposed to be.
Crossed Eyes, Dotty Teas
Credits: Doug Moench (writer), Norm Breyfogle (artist), Richard Starkings (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)
Summary:
The Mad Hatter robs a hat store and arranges for a meeting of Gotham’s
underworld. He pressures them into wearing the hats, which are rigged
with circuitry that allows him to control their bodies. Suspicious of
the falcon that’s been following him, Mad Hatter sends Film Freak to
locate its owner. Film Freak soon traces it to the hotel room shared by
Bane and Bird. Bane confronts Film Freak in the street as Batman and
Robin arrive to apprehend Mad Hatter. Batman and Robin defeat the mob,
while Film Freak is killed by Bane. Batman overhears his death through
Mad Hatter’s receiver.
Irrelevant Continuity:
-
As you can see on the cover, this is the first chapter to officially be labeled “Knightfall.”
- Robin
mentions that Bane “busted up” Killer Croc earlier. This occurred in
an issue not reprinted in the trade paperback, even though the events of
the story will play a large part in Azarel’s motivations later on. The
Bane/Killer Croc fight did make it into Bane’s first appearance on Batman: The Animated Series, however.
- Dr.
Flanders (later given the first name “Simpson”) makes his debut.
Flanders is a pop-psychologist who appears on various talk shows,
rationalizing the actions of the escaped Arkham inmates.
I Love the ‘90s:
When Sgt. Bullock complains that the motives behind the Arkham
breakout are unknowable, Officer Montoya tells him that not every day
can be Hill Street. This was already a dated reference, since Hill Street Blues ended in 1987.
Total N00B:
I’ve never heard of Film Freak before. Apparently, he was considered
disposable enough to be used as cannon fodder for Bane.
Review:
And here’s where I complain that a 600+ page book of comic book
reprints doesn’t have enough in it. I realize that the editors wanted
the book to end with Batman
#500, the double-sized anniversary issue that debuts Azarel’s new
Batman costume, but cutting out early chapters of the story in order to hit
that mark undermines the impact of later stories. Batman #500 isn’t necessarily the best chapter to close the book, anyway (even if it might be the last one with "Knightfall" on the cover). Azarel assumes the Batman role in Batman
#498, which works just as well as a cliffhanger ending. This is
supposed to be the complete “Knightfall” collection, yet it’s missing
Robin’s first encounter with Bane, and the incident between Azrael and
Bane that inspires their rivalry (Azrael’s furious that Bane dismissed
him as not being worth his time).
DC really should collect all of the stories leading up to “Knightfall” in one collection. In addition to the Batman and Detective Comics issues that set up the event, the original “Venom” arc from Legends of the Dark Knight could be included, along with the Sword of Azrael
miniseries. Apparently, DC let this one go out of print well over a decade
ago, which is surprising. Is DC trying to erase Joe Quesada’s tenure
with the company?
As
for this specific chapter, it’s a fairly standard Batman story,
although Batman at this point is supposed to be increasingly unhinged
following the Arkham breakout (and some other vague events that preceded
that event; again, stories not reprinted in the book.) In practice,
Batman’s mental state has no real impact on the plot. He’s still
searching out criminals and punching them out, only he’s grimacing more
than usual. And Robin’s annoyed with him, because Batman only wants him
as backup because things are getting too dangerous. Why exactly the
Mad Hatter’s mob of mind-controlled thugs is even more dangerous than
any of the other menaces Robin’s faced, I don’t know. Moench’s trying
to up the stakes, but the plot isn’t doing much to sell the concept.
What does work particularly well is the ending, though. Cutting
in-between Batman and Robin’s brawl with Mad Hatter’s thugs and Bane’s
murder of Film Freak does show a jarring contrast between Batman’s
traditional opponents and the new threat Bane represents. Allowing
Batman to overhear the murder also helps to create suspense for their
upcoming confrontation. So, Bane’s still being set up rather well, even
if the individual plots are somewhat dull.