31 Days of Scans - Favorite Comic Event: Knightfall

[lego_joker]

I currently have a massive write-up of Knightfall sitting in my hard drive right now, but I'm afraid I won't be able to finish it before today is over. So, the short version...

It was a blatant gimmick crossover, and Bane was about as transparent a Generic Doomsday Villain as you could get (take away the fact that he broke Batman's back, and you're left with a guy that has almost no unique characteristics), but it was quite possibly the most balanced and fun rogues gallery showcase the Bat-books had ever gotten. Almost every one of the classic villains got his or her own issue to show off and make merry, coupled with some truly great art from the likes of Norm Breyfogle, Jim Aparo, and Graham Nolan.

(Contrast with stuff like Forever Evil, which packs two or three times that many villains into a space half as big and then washes it all in a dour, joyless tone that renders me unable to give a shit about anyone.)

The final showdown with Bane was utterly predictable (though I admit to a speck of grim, primal satisfaction at seeing Jean-Paul Valley beat the crap out of Bane in turn, and then mock him even further by refusing to kill him), and the Az-Bats run that followed... well, I didn't hate it like some people do, but it was definitely uneven. The last act was largely a snooze-fest - way too many martial arts movie tropes for my liking, and Bruce's return to the cowl was again, utterly predictable.

But if nothing else, it had Chuck Dixon writing the Joker. Again. That alone is enough to rocket it into my Top 5 at the very least.

Comments

[lilacsigil]

I really enjoyed the Knightfall storyline, right up to the actual Bane/Batman showdown, and then it just got stupid and predictable (and I actually quit reading Bat books for years when they fridged Dr Shondra Kinsolving to make it look like there was Real Sacrifice behind Batman's return.) But I loved all the villains getting their own chance to do something and utterly failing at being coherent or working together, but keeping all the Bat-related heroes busy as they ran around stomping out the spot fires.

[mrstatham]

When did they fridge Kinsolving? She got rendered child-like at the end of the story, but she didn't die. And she was better again by the time Hush came around, based on a mention in that story.

[lilacsigil]

I was including "reverted to a child-like state and institutionalised" as fridged. I'm glad she got better, though!

[crinos]

Yeah, and then Joker no sells Scarecrow's fear toxin.

Also, I am amused Scarecrow carries his fear gas in a tiny skull.

[icon_uk]

I am amused Scarecrow carries his fear gas in a tiny skull.

Skull shaped hand-weapons were something of a Scarecrow's trademark for a while, he used gas emitting ones, and subsonic field emitting ones to blanket entire area's with unease and fear, to the extent of hallucinations.

As more than one outsider has noticed about Gotham villains "They really take a theme and RUN with it."

And as Megamind taught us; What separates a villain from a supervillain?

[lbd_nytetrayn]

I just like how Joker took Scarecrow at his very literal word.