“ Doctor. Do you really think I fear death?”
The trap is sprung and Batman is caught in the mix. Bane now having a foothold in Gotham, gives Batman an ultimatum, give up Psycho Pirate or risk the lives of the Bat Family. What will Batman do this time around now that Bane is as enraged as ever? What will Batman risk to prevent Bane from seizing Psycho Pirate?
Tom King seems to really shine when he is writing stuff with Bane. Amid the mixed reactions with his writing on Batman, there is no denying that it’s very entertaining. Personally, this issue was very good. There are a lot of moments paralleling Batman and Bane’s upbringing that really made for interesting commentary during Batman and Bane dueling it out. Bane’s dialogue came off intimidating and convincing but, there was dialogue that Bane delivers that came off a bit repetitive. Overall I really enjoyed seeing Bane causing chaos for Batman and insulting him for being a rich kid playing dress up. Kings Dialogue through Bane really reflects the ironies of Batman in a great light. The issue reads pretty fast, which provides good transitions here and there. There are some nice homages of Batman and Bane’s history. My overall complaint is the pacing and some of the writing with Catwoman. She kinda felt written out of place a bit. It didn’t bug me too much, but it did me make me take a double take with her scenes.
David Finch’s art continues to please the eye with all of the grizzly grit and aggression that Finch knows best. I really enjoyed Bane mopping the floor with Batman and throwing him around like a mere rag doll. Niki’s Inks adds volumes to Finch’s already bulky pencils, and Bellaire’s colors keep the visual tone cemented in this story arc. This issue while not as cool as the prior issue, it’s still engaging. There are cool moments, but I was a bit mixed with this issue. I’d give it a 7 given that it’s aesthetically appealing, and the narrative parallels between Batman and Bane, but the pacing in the issue felt odd to me but not horrible.
Newsdesk