Batman vs Bane - The 30th Anniversary of Knightfall

This year marks the 30th anniversary Knightfall, the storyline about the rise of Bane, the fall of Batman, and the rise and fall of the new Batman, Jean-Paul Valley. In Knightfall, Bane, a new villain obsessed with Batman and powered by a steroid called Venom, puts together a long game to decommission the Dark Knight, thereby ruling Gotham's underworld. Personally, I loved the conceit: Break out all the villains from Arkham Asylum, tire out Batman who has to capture them all, then show up to Wayne Manor to break him. Since then, Bane has become a mainstay in Batman's Rogue's Gallery. At times, Bane and Batman are partners, bros, and even half-bros at one point. Whatever they choose to be to one another, the breakage is their bond.

This is a cover-quality commission by Graham Nolan, co-creator of Bane, along with Chuck Dixon. In this rendering, a beaten Batman struggles to lift himself off the floor, meanwhile Bane emerges from the darkness to deliver a final pounding to his crippled opponent. Mexican masked Luchadores inspired Nolan to give Bane his wrestler's look including his singlet. One only needs to imagine the three ropes of a wrestling ring behind the blackness to interpret this piece as the high drama of the main event.

I've dedicated my home gallery to Knightfall pieces for the entire year. Please check them out!

11" x 17"
Pencil and Ink on Compass Bristol board.

My thanks to Sam Casciato for the easy trade transaction.