Reviewing The Classics: Knightfall

Sometimes we want to go back and look at some classic comic book stories from comic books past. When we look back we have to wonder is it as good as we were told, or was it only good for the time? So, I decided to look back at the legendary Batman story : Knightfall. The story where Bane breaks Batman's back and he's sidelined. First thing first, the DC Collection of this story is missing a few things. If you pick it up all at once there's a few things you'll be missing. You'll think Jean Paul Valley is just some guy who gets his hair cut by Robin on the weekends. He's not even introduced, you're just expected to know who he is. There's also the issue with Batman. Bane wore him down by releasing inmates from Arkham, sure. But, he's also suffering from insomnia and is using heavy sedatives to sleep at the start of the story. When Knightfall starts he had already not slept for almost a week. That's not explained either. But, I'll do you a favor and explain.

Jean Paul Valley is a test tube baby. He became Azrael after his father. Bruce saved him and helped him reject The Order and the Azrael suit. He hangs out with Robin (Tim Drake) now. Batman was already tired and using heavy doses of sleeping pills when Knightfall started. He had been pushing himself to hard and wasn't sleeping. Superman had also just died.

The story goes something like this. Bruce is being treated by Shondra Kinsolving for his insomnia and he starts to fall in love with her. Bane shows up and breaks Killer Croc's arm to show his dominance. He then completes a plan that frees inmates from Arkham Asylum including Joker. Batman takes them all down but then he has to face off with Bane. Bane breaks his back and throws him off a roof to make a statement.

Jean Paul becomes the new Batman and he cleans up crime. He's got a new edgy costume and he's way more violent than Bruce. He starts to develop a split personality. Jean Paul and Batman. His Batman persona thinks he's superior to Bruce in every way. Jean Paul had this problem in the past as Azrael. Meanwhile, Bruce and Alfred are searching for Shondra's brother. It's revealed they killed their abusive parents (you think it, they did it). Shondra and her brother are actually psychics and the reason she's a good doctor is partly due to her healing powers. Her and her brother have a mind fight and she's reverted back to a childlike mindset. Bruce has to put her in a mental ward. (She's not mentioned again in this story. I'll tell you she's mentioned by Oracle in Hush. She gets better and goes back to work). Alfred goes home to England because he doesn't want to see a barely healed Bruce go back to being Batman.

Bruce goes back and approves of Jean Paul. Lady Shiva attacks and forces Bruce to kill or be killed. Tim and Dick saw this and were disappointed in him, Bruce reveals he just hit him hard enough to temporarily kill him. Robin and Nightwing let him know Jean is crazy and he's killing people. Bruce demands Jean Paul step down but Jean Paul says whatever and just adds more crazy stuff like razor edged batarangs, lasers and knives.

Bruce demand Jean Paul step down and they go to war. It includes a mass war between some mobs, Batman, Nightwing, Robin, and Jean Paul. Jean Paul blows up the batmobile in an attempt to kill Bruce. Bruce tries to talk about it. Eventually he lures Jean Paul to the Bat Cave. He tricks Jean into looking at the sun with his nightvision helmet and this blinds him for a while. He quits and leaves Gotham.

I'm going to break hearts, I didn't like Knightfall. Jason Todd is my favorite Robin, so I'm all good with killing here or there. The difference is Jason kills pedophiles and people that sell drugs to kids. Jean Paul doesn't care if you stole a candy bar or bombed Gotham unless you're Bane. Knightfall wasn't created to make a great Batman story. It was created because at the time DC was killing off their heroes to make edgier versions since they were losing readers. Originally Bruce was supposed to die but nobody liked Jean Paul. He's unlikable in every way. They make fun of him later and when he died, he stayed dead.

I also didn't like the forced side stories. Bruce falls in love with Dr. Kinsolving, but why is she a mutant? Why do we need her background? She's just a doctor. In fact, after Knightfall she's mentioned once in Hush. Barbara suggest they call her, Alfred says she's crazy, Barbara says she got better and she's never mentioned again. She's not important.

 Knightfall attempts to do too many things. It attempts to bring together all of Batman's greatest villains from Joker to Madhatter. It tries to establish Bane as the best of the villains. It was originally going to kill Bruce Wayne, it tried but failed. Everyone remembers than Bane broke Batman's back but nothing else important happened in Knightfall and by the end everyone was better off. Jean Paul was Azrael again, Bruce got some rest, Tim and Dick didn't have any changes, Alfred got a vacation but he came back. Knightfall is a case of being too ambitious and backing out halfway through.

You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet
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