Bane starts his crusade to conquer Gotham and no one is going to stand in his way. Tomasi gives us a blend of Knightfall and No Man's Land with a twist - there is no Batman. The resistance is led by Gordon and a new detective Pierce and the rogues have divided Gotham into separate pieces, under the wings of Mayor Cobblepot.
And Bane is here to take Gotham with the help of the Blackgate inmates.
It's quite a simple premise but some very questionable characterization has already made it a little of a downer. Bane seems to be the pivot of this tie-in series but without any motivation other than conquest and no depth to the character himself (which was a highlight of Knightfall), that pivot is on shaky grounds.
But as usual, the other 'villains' are perfectly voiced by Tomasi and the art is hauntingly beautiful and gloomy at the same time.
SPOILERS follow....................
Actually, I could have just omitted the spoilers cause nothing exactly happens that we didn't know would happen in this tie-in.
Scarecrow goes to Penguin and tells him about Bane. Penguin apparently has a plan. At another place, Pyg is killing people in his area and Bane comes in and cripples him, saying no one will stand in his way. And we get a short conversation between Gordon and Pierce.
Yup, that's it.
We do get a cameo of the captured Talons but more than a big reveal, they are there to bulk up Bane's army. Nothing more it seems.
First of all, I would like to go to Doctor, I mean Professor Pyg. This is a character with whom I haven't had any experience in comics for more than a year (since I read Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin). He's on Beware the Batman now and I really find it remarkable how they were able to take such a character (associated with macabre) to a kid's show. Still, this ain't a kids show.
We see Pyg doing a real number of an injured violinist. He's shewn a leg to the shoulder literally!
Scarecrow serves as a plot device more than a character as he just shows off what the reaction may be from those already in Gotham to Bane's coming. Coming off Scarecrow #1, I wanted more.
Penguin is an enigma now. We have no idea how he became mayor (or whether he actually is) so his part is still a mystery. Though it appears he may be a major player.
Now finally we come to Bane. I can't tell you how much I dislike his portrayal here and in Bane #1. He's bull-headed and simple-minded, although very strong and ruthless. A little depth would have helped. Instead of the intellectual he was portrayed as in Knightfall, his behavior here is like the classroom bully.
I'm hoping Tomasi gives us something more from Bane in the coming issues.
The writing is classic Tomasi though a little character development wouldn't hurt. The art is very good (though I had some issues with how Penguin was depicted), and dark in nature, which is great for this book.
The premise is simple enough, but hopefully the coming war is epic.
So, I give it 7.0 out of 10.
+The writer knows how to voice the various villains in Gotham +The art is fantastic for this storyline +The setup is so simple anyone can easily access this story
-Bane needs a more intellectual temperament -The simplicity of this storyline may lead to some unwanted predictability -Scarecrow ends up as a plot device
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