Batman Knightfall commission double page spread splash DPS Eduardo Pansica Bane Azbat Azrael DC

Around 2016, I commissioned DC artist Eduardo Pansica to do a series of 3 double page commissions of the superhero storyline that got me into collecting comics: Knightfall, Knightquest, and KnightsEnd. These storylines riveted me as a 13 year old Batman fan. I couldn’t believe Batman might die, be crippled, or just be removed from the books for months - maybe even forever. This was the era immediately following 1989’s Batmania, which I was obviously swept up in, and the Animated Series was also in full swing. The storyline seemed so unprecedented and important. I remember thinking this would never happen in the movies or cartoons. Looking back, this storyline certainly isn’t my pick for the best comic of all time, or even the best Batman story of all time, but it’s the one that’s the most important to me.

I gave detailed descriptions of my requests and ideas for the commissions and provided dozens of reference pics to Eduardo via his rep, Ivan Costa of Chiaroscuro Studios. From the very beginning, I knew I wanted the pieces to be in the same style as John Byrne’s magnificent oversized commissions with a large central image or figure surrounded by a montage of smaller images. The actual artwork took several months for Eduardo to produce, and I have been extremely happy with it since I received the 3 pieces in the mail all the way from Brazil. Eduardo is a fantastic, versatile artist, and these pieces show it. I also really like his use of copic markers. It gives the artwork a very retro feel, reminding me of the limited and somewhat muted color palette of early 90s superhero comics. These pieces hang as the centerpiece of my collection of original comic art in my basement living room.

As for this particular piece, the choice for the centerpiece was obvious. Bane breaking Batman’s back, ala Kelley Jones’ epic Batman 497 cover, is one of the most iconic images of 90s comics and superhero comics in general. For the smaller images in the montage, I asked Eduardo to capture the key scenes from the Knightfall crossover, including the destruction of Arkham Asylum; the Joker and Scarecrow’s team up; Bane holding Batman’s body above Gotham’s version of Times Square; and Azrael, in his first attempt at an updated version of the Batman costume, defeating Bane.