Batman #19 Review

Falling...Knightfalling

Written by: Tom King
Art by: David Finch, Danny Miki, Trevor Scott, Sandra Hope, Jordie Bellaire and Deron Bennett
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: March 15, 2017

I am Bane continues and I really am not sure if Tom King can top last issue for me.  It was such a great combination of what and how that had me so impressed and if anybody was looking for the return of O.G. Bane, they got it.  THEY GOT IT!  The Show must go on, however and the arc continues this week and last issue's cliffhanger left me wondering how much damage Bane will do in Arkham Asylum and if Batman would even be able to fight him off.  Here we go...


The issue opens with Bane already in Arkham and if you haven't had enough Maxi Zeus in your life, Tom King will rectify that situation here and now.  He's all talk (and talk and talk...) and lucky for him, Bane has more important things to attend to.  However, as Bane walks past him to enter the depths of Arkham, I had a smile on my face as Maxi proclaimed, "All Hope Abandon, Ye Who Enter Here!"

Hope may be abandoned, but Tom King hasn't left many villains out of the mix here.  We get a parade of some of the best of Batman's Rogues Gallery starting with Two-Face who lets Bane in on a little secret, Batman has made a deal with the devil(s) to stop him.  Bane immediatley proves the point he bashed into Batman last issue (you know, he's top of the food chain) and starts making his way through this fucked up Kumite on his way to his ultimate goal...Batman and Psycho Pirate.

If you have been reading comic books as long as America's Sweetheart, Eric Shea, you may find this issue a bit familiar in a twisted way...Batman is reverse Knightfalling Bane!!!  I don't know if that's the coolest part of the issue because seeing Bane dismantle every villain who gets all up in his business is pretty damn awesome as well.

Solomon Grundy, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze...they all go down, but it's obvious they are taking their toll on Bane.  It's easy to figure out that it's all part of Batman's plan, but even still, Alfred begs Bruce to take Gotham Girl and run, but it's already too late.  The issue ends with a wraparound bit with Maxi Zeus with Bane and Batman once again face to face ready to end it all once and for all.

This was a very quick read and one that I would even say was a bit more filler than what I expected, but I still really liked it.  Like I said above, Batman has a plan and it mirrors what happened to him before and while some may find it a bit too simple for Bane to fall for, it gives Tom King and especially David Finch a lot of room to have fun.  It also may shed some light on the desperation that Venom has led Bane into.  This isn't a perfect issue by any stretch, but it does have me pumped up for the next issue.

Bits and Pieces:

On the surface, this issue is just a simple lead up to the big finale, but there's enough here to like.  We see that Batman and Tom King know their history and David Finch can make it all look great.  The overall story not moving forward much does subtract a bit from the score, but the fun factor just about makes up for it.

8.0/10