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Batman - Knightfall Part Three Knightsend
by SWSt
After over 12 months and a thousand pages of comics, the epic Knightfall saga finally draws to a close with KnightsEnd. Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham, recovered from the broken back inflicted on him by Bane. He returns to find that the man he left behind as Batman, Jean Paul Valley, has turned from protector to avenger, using ... increasingly violent methods to stop crime. Although recovered physically, Wayne is not yet mentally ready to seize the mantle back and enlists the help of Lady Shiva, a cold-blooded killer, to help him get his edge back.
Despite being a lot lighter on action, in many ways KnightsEnd is the most compelling segment of the whole Knightfall storyline. It is a fine piece of storytelling, which rounds the saga off in a satisfying and convincing way. It's also a lot deeper than many of the previous entries. The original, Knightfall, was essentially just a series of interlinked stories which saw Batman endlessly battling a range of foes freed from Arkham Asylum. Although excellent, it was essentially one long fist fight. KnightQuest was a look at what happens when the ideal of Batman becomes perverted by violence. KnightsEnd shows what Batman is really all about.
KnightsEnd gives an opportunity to see a new side to Bruce Wayne. He is no longer the consummate warrior and has lost faith in his abilities. Suffering a crisis of confidence, he needs the help of the amoral Shiva to ensure he has the skills needed to continue his crusade. In many ways, it takes the character back to his origins examining both his physical and mental suitability for the role he has chosen.
The style and tone reminds me of the Legends of the Dark Knight series from the late 80s (this is almost certainly a deliberate parallel). It is a lot darker and grittier and focuses more on Batman as a man, rather than as a symbol of justice. It sees Wayne questioning everything the Batman is and does as he anguishes over how his legacy has been perverted by the more violent Valley.
It's also interesting that the book frequently shifts attention from both Wayne and Valley to examine the reactions of Robin (shunned by the new Batman) and Nightwing (feeling slighted that Wayne didn't choose him as his successor) to the return of Wayne. This sub-plot contains some really interesting character development and is a genuine addition to the overall storyline.
Don't run away with the idea that this book is all talk, though. For every image of Bruce Wayne suffering a crisis of confidence or Valley suffering tormenting hallucinations, there are plenty of fights between bad guys and Batmen and, of course, the final showdown between the real Batman and the Pretender. This mix of action and character is really well handled, and it all adds up to a highly satisfying story. The outflow of emotion you feel once the story concludes surprises and demonstrates that a well-written comic can be just as powerful as a well-written novel or film. This brings the whole Knightfall/Azrael saga full circle and feels like a fitting conclusion to an epic journey.
The artwork throughout is excellent. Once again, DC have collected together the finest artists available to them and used them well. Whilst each artist might have a different approach to depicting the Batman and Gotham City, it's an approach which works very well. The artists have clearly been given a brief to work to, so that whilst there are differences, they still fit together as a whole. The dark, grimy colouring and shadowy panels perfectly capture the darkness of Gotham City and the battle for its heart.
The biggest gripe I have is not to do with the quality of the story, but the quality of the printing. My copy is a DC import version (from 1995) and the pages are unbelievably thin. I lost count of the number of times I accidentally turn over two pages at once and starting reading, only to discover that the events on the new page didn't follow on from the end of the last one. It's helped by the fact that the pages are at least numbered, but you really don't want to keep having to glance down at the page numbers to make sure you are still on track!
Price-wise, this will cost you around £10 to buy new. Whilst it's probably the slimmest volume in the series (and so page for page the most expensive), it's well worth the investment. If you've already bought the other books then of course you are going to want to buy this so that you can possess the whole tale. It's a no-brainer and £10 will seem a very reasonable price.
The Knightfall tale might have been constructed to generate publicity for Batman/DC and shift comics, but that doesn't mean that it's been a cynical waste of time. The epic story has been a strong one from start to finish and a worthy addition to the long history of the Batman. This final part rounds things off in fitting fashion and feels like a very satisfying conclusion to an epic journey for both characters and readers.
Basic Information
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KnightsEnd
Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench et al
DC, 1995
ISBN: 1-56389-194-1
(c) Copyright SWSt 2013
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Superman: Red Son - Mark Millar
by gondor300
Publishers in the comics book industry have always enjoy greater freedom when reinventing their characters to face the change in times or to attract new generation of readers. What is also common is for them to come with one-off alternate stories that present character in new settings or new origins. DC Comics and Marvel has been more ... prominent on this trend with their special issues called 'Elseworlds' and 'What If' respectively.
Superman - Red Son, was one such storyline developped by Mark Millar in the Elseworlds imprint . Released in 2003 in limited three-issues series, it's bold premise, 'What if Superman was raised by the Soviet Union' was recieved with critical praise and even won the prestigious Eisner Award in best limited series category.
Normally most Elseworlds issues are released as marketting gimmicks which probably will end up in bargain bins but Red Son is a more serious written book that not just only put Superman as a hero raised under the Stalin's Soviet Union and his fight under the name of Socialism but the consequences and social repercussions that result when having a powerful and invincible Man Of Steel within your ranks. The Soviet Union becomes a major superpower with greater techonlogical advancement while the United States start falling in tatters with panic overflowing in the streets when face against a god-like alien threat. The version of Superman portrayed here is is far from the ideal superhero that we normally know. Superman is brought and raised with the Communism ideal and used as political propaganda by Stalin in the beginning but soon after, he will realised that he can use his powers for the greater good. His actions will pushed him to convert his beloved Soviet State into a utopia after Stalin's death where not only crime is eradicated but all individuals are monitored in a Big-Brother style by Superman who views this as a step in using his powers in the right direction and for the right cause.
Mark Millar also bring other notable DC characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor in alternate versions of themselves with some very clever twists and turns in how they form part of the story. Luthor being Superman's eternal arch-nemesis start as a brilliant scientist recruited by the American government to halt Superman but his thirst for revenge will lead him to become the President of United States with the help of the alien-entity Brainiac as he dedicate his whole life to bring Superman to his knees. Luthor has a very prominent presence in the book and he is a far more interesting character as usual as his ongoing battles with Superman is a reflection of different ideals clashing together with Luthor viewing Superman way of controlling his subjects as threat to the United States and the world. This gives the book a more serious and political tone compared to other Superman storylines with historical characters such as Josef Stalin and John F Kennedy mixing with DC comics characters.
The art does capture the essence of the story and reflects the historical or social moods that occurs in the book with events starting form 1953 and spanning through several decades but is not consistent within the pages and this can mainly be attribute to different artists working on Red Son. While their styles are different in the book as they try to balance the changes and historical events that Superman witness throughout, somes characters drawings are different from what they appeared at the beginning and this can be a distraction to the story. While not a big let-down, it hinders this comic book from being a perfect one.
Minus this little blip, Red Son is a well-structured and contained story from Mark Millar who provides us with one of the most daring and alternate take on the Superman mythos including an unthinkable twisted ending. While being an Elseworlds series, Millar has crafted a story that is appealing on it's own with neither heroes nor villains but merely about what choices will you make if you have the powers to do so. Superman willl always be the most iconic superhero in the world and while different writers has tried to bring different perspectives to him and what he stands for, Red Son simply shows that while possessing immense powers, he can not always save everything and everyone.
Superman, Red Son is part of the Elseworlds imprint and has been released in a collected edition of 160 pages and can be found for about less than 10 pounds on Amazon and Ebay
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Batman - Knightfall Part Two Who Rules the Night
by SWSt
Bane has broken the Batman. His life hangs in the balance as Alfred and Robin battle to save him from death or (worse) paralysis. With its Dark Knight gone, Gotham descends into chaos as criminal gangs, controlled by Bane, rule the streets. The Dark Knight needs to rise and Batman's chosen successor Jean-Paul Valley (formerly the ... avenging angel Azrael) takes on the Mantle of the Bat. But there's a problem: Jean Paul Valley is no Bruce Wayne.
If that plot summary tells you one thing and one thing only, it's that Who Rules the Night is not a standalone tale. If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, then you need to go back and read a few previous Batman adventures before you try and tackle this one. At the very least you need to read Knightfall Part One (which charts Bruce Wayne's doomed battle with Bane). In reality, you need to go back even further and read Sword of Azrael and some of the other tales which preceded the Knightfall saga.
Who Rules gets off to a slightly shaky start, due to a curious narrative structure. Having seen Bruce Wayne beaten and crippled at the end of the previous book, you are anxious to find out whether he is still alive and what will happen now Bane rules Gotham. Instead of giving you this, the story actually moves backwards in time, with Tim Drake (Robin) having a flashback to one of Wayne's final battles with Two-Face which occurred prior to his showdown with Bane. Presumably this is done to close off a thread that had been left dangling and also to build a sense of dramatic tension by making you wait to find out the answer to the questions regarding Wayne's fate.
Unfortunately, it actually has the opposite effect and dilutes the emotional impact. The Two Face story feels out of place. Bu rights, it should be in the earlier volume and it feels like the only reason it isn't is due to scheduling issues during the original comic publication run. The fact is it stops Who Rules from hitting the ground running.
After the high drama and emotion at the end of Broken Bat, this second part can initially feel like something of an anti-climax. The pace seems to be a lot less frantic. It's not full of the one-on-one battles with the crazy foes that were the hallmark of part one. In some ways, however, that is a good thing. Although Part One featured some excellent writing, it did sometimes boil down to a series of endless battles between Batman and the bad guys. Who Rules changes the dynamic and shows the new Batman having to battle enemies whilst also fighting with his own fractured nature.
Lessening the focus on battling bad guys leaves more room for some strong characterisation. It's interesting to witness the conflicting sides of Jean Paul Valley as he struggles to uphold the image of the Batman (a vigilante with a sense of conscience and social justice) whilst all the time wanting to give in to his training as Azrael (whose sole purpose is to punish wrong-doing and act as judge, jury and executioner). This underlines how important Bruce Wayne's humanity is to the psychological makeup of the (real) Batman and how dark the Batman always could have been without the humanity.
It's also interesting to witness the reactions of other characters to this new, more violent Bat. Commissioner Gordon is somewhat suspicious and disapproves of the new tactics, whilst Sergeant Harvey Bullock thinks it's about time the Batman started to use the same dirty tactics that the criminals use. This also allows the writers the opportunity to develop some of the support characters and examine their attitude to a masked vigilante they have grown familiar and comfortable with over the years.
The gradual breakdown in Jean-Paul Valley's relationship with Tim Drake's Robin adds an extra dimension. He desperately wants to give Jean-Paul a chance since to deny him would be to question Bruce Wayne's judgement; yet at the same time he can't approve of the increased levels of violence and the fact that Valley apparently revels in this. The wedge that grows between Batman and Robin is an interesting development and adds a new dynamic to their relationship.
This slower pace actually has another major advantage. When the violence does come, it is all the more shocking. In part one, the sight of Bruce Wayne's Batman beating up bad guys became almost routine; the only thing that changed from story to story was which bad guy was on the receiving end. Here it is used more sparingly, but when it happens it is far more brutal and violent.
Some of the artwork in Who Rules is simply breathtaking - far more so than in Part One. Once again, the artwork is variable in terms of style (several different artists were responsible for inking different episodes), but it still manages to retain a sense of a coherent story. Whilst (in common with part one) the artwork is not as realistic as we have come to expect from modern comics, it is still very effective.
It's clear that the artists are revelling in the opportunity to portray a new, more violent Batman and they really go to town on providing some seriously dramatic artwork to show this off. There are some massive panels of Batman pouncing on his victims, some superb depictions of comic book violence, where villains are left battered and bruised. The artwork is hugely effective at getting across the same message as the story: this is not a Batman to be messed around with. This Batman is REALLY scary. This Batman is a monster.
The one disappointing aspect is the way the Bruce Wayne sub-plot is handled. Just like in the film The Dark Knight Rises, Wayne's recovery to something approaching normal (albeit confined to a wheelchair) is unrealistically fast. One minute he's at death's door, probably crippled for life, the next minute he's out of danger. He's then almost completely forgotten about for most of the rest of the tale, barring a few minor appearances. In fairness, this is to allow the new darker Batman to take centre stage, but it still feels slightly unsatisfactory.
Whilst it might lack the in-your-face action of Knightfall Part One, this second part is a worthy follow up and an excellent story in its own right. The chance to see a new, more violent Batman - the creature Bruce Wayne would have been without the humanity - gives an interesting insight into the Batman myth and simply confirms what many have known all along. There is only one true Batman and Bruce Wayne's humanity is as crucial to the character as fighting or detective skills.
A new copy of this can be picked up for around £8, which is a bargain. This is definitely a novel that you will want to read again and again.
Basic Information
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Knightfall Part 2: Who Rules the Night
Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant et al
DC Comics, 1993
ISBN: 978-1563891489
© Copyright SWSt 2013
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