Knightfall

[Matt Lazorwitz]

Crossover: Knightfall

Published in: Batman family titles from March to October of 1993

Writers: Doug Moench (Prelude, Parts 1,3,5,7,9,11, 13,14, 15, 17, 19), Chuck Dixon (Parts 2,4,6,8,10,12,16,18)

Pencilers: Klaus Janson (Parts 13 & 14), Graham Nolan (Parts 6,8,10,12,16,18), Jim Aparo (Prelude, Parts 5,7,9, 11, 15, 17, 19), Norm Breyfogle (Parts 1, 2, 3), Mike Manley (Part 17), Jim Balent (Part 4)

Major Characters: Batman, Robin III, Azrael (Batman II), Alfred Pennyworth, Bane, Bird, Trogg, Zombie, Joker, Scarecrow, Mr. Zsasz, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Firefly, Riddler

Plot: Batman, suffering from exhaustion, must recapture all of the villains freed from Arkham Asylum by Bane, a new threat. As Batman sinks deeper and deeper into exhaustion and despair, Bane deduces his identity and waits for him at Wayne Manor. In the fateful confrontation, Bane breaks Batman’s back, leaving him in a wheelchair. Bruce must pass on the cape and cowl to his new apprentice, Azrael, who must prove his worth by defeating the man who broke the Bat.


Reading Order:
Prelude- Batman #491 – Bane’s plan begins as he uses stolen weapons to free and arm all the inmates in Arkham Asylum. While Batman is in time to save Jeremiah Arkham, he cannot stop most of the inmates from escaping.

Part 1- Batman #492 – Batman faces down his first Arkham escapee, the Mad Hatter. While Batman and Robin take down the Hatter, the Film Freak, under the Hatter’s control, confronts and is killed by Bane. Batman and Robin here the murder over the Hatter’s equipment, and learn the identity of the mastermind.

Part 2- Detective Comics #659 – Batman must stop the rampaging Amygdala, who has been working with the Ventriloquist since their escape from Arkham. While Batman stops Amygdala, Robin is faced down by Bane’s henchman Bird.

Part 3- Batman #493 – Batman and Rene Montoya must race against time to stop Mr. Zsasz from killing a class of students at an all-girls school. Batman defeats him, But Zsasz’s psychological attacks leave him more drained than before

Part 4- Detective Comics #660 –With Batman unconscious and exhausted, Robin did his best to track Bane, but was captured. As Bane began interrogating Robin, Killer Croc attacked, having a score to settle with Bane. The three were washed away in a sewer flood, as the two continued to battle.

Part 5- Batman #494 – Robin escaped Bane’s clutches. Joker and Cornelius Stirk attempt to kill Commissioner Gordon. Batman stopped Stirk, but the Joker escaped, and teamed up with the Scarecrow to kidnap the mayor and send Gotham deeper into chaos and fear.


Part 6- Detective Comics #661 – Batman defeats the Cavalier while Robin hunts down leads on the Firefly. Joker and Scarecrow continue to torment the mayor. The Riddler begins his scheme. Batman confronts Firefly.

Part 7- Batman #495 – The Firefly escaped, and Batman went out to a function as Bruce Wayne. Bane, upon seeing Wayne, deduced that he is Batman. Poison Ivy struck at the benefit Wayne was at, and Bruce took her down as Batman. Joker and Scarecrow led the police into a trap and killed twenty.

Part 8- Detective Comics #662 – Batman finally was able to defeat Firefly. The Riddler took a TV talk show audience hostage, but was defeated by Robin, while Huntress took down his gang mid-heist.

Part 9- Batman #496 – Batman was finally able to track down Joker and Scarecrow in a tunnel beneath the Gotham River. Although he was able to best them both, Scarecrow hit him with a dose of fear gas and detonated the tunnel. As the tunnel began to flood, Batman tried to save the Mayor

Part 10- Detective Comics #663 – Batman saved the mayor and left him with the GCPD. While attempting to rest, Batman was faced with a gauntlet of Trogg, Bird, and Zombie, Bane’s henchmen. After defeating them, Batman arrived at Wayne Manor, to find Bane waiting for him.

Part 11- Batman #497 – Batman did his best to defeat Bane in a pitched battle, but was too exhausted to do any damage. In the Batcave, Batman showed his last ounce of defiance, before Bane simply snapped his back over the villain’s knee.

Part 12- Detective Comics #664 – Bane throws Batman’s beaten body from a roof in downtown Gotham, declaring himself lord of the city. Azrael, Robin, and Alfred take Batman’s body and, with the held of Commissioner Gordon, get the drugs that are necessary to stop the swelling in his spine and stabilize him.

Parts 13 & 14- Showcase ’93 #7 & 8 – A two-part flashback story, these two stories are the tale of Batman’s capture of Two-Face after the break out. Framed by scenes in the Batcave, the story ends with Bruce reviving from his coma.

Part 15-Batman #498– Bane begins consolidating all of Gotham’s gangs under his leadership, and recruits Catwoman. Bruce goes to Dr. Shondra Kinsolving, asking her to serve as his personal physician after the “car accident.” Azrael is asked to fill in as Batman, and accepts.

Part 16- Detective Comics #665 – Az-Bats and Robin begin to search for clues on Bane’s whereabouts. Az-Bats is already proving violent and unstable. Bruce goes to see Dr. Kinsolving while she is treating Jack Drake, Robin’s father, only to witness them being kidnapped.

Part 17- Batman #499 – Bruce Wayne and Alfred leave Gotham in search of Dr. Kinsolving and Jack Drake. Az-Bats and Robin’s relationship continues to grow strained. Az-Bats adds gauntlets to his Batsuit. Robin realizes his father has been kidnapped.

Part 18- Detective Comics #666 – Az-Bats freed Bird, Trogg, and Zombie, using them to track down Bane. When he found him, he attacked the criminal mastermind.

Part 19- Batman #500 – After initially being defeated by Bane, Az-Bats told Robin he no longer needed him. He designed an entirely new suit of Bat armor, and challenged Bane to one more battle. After cutting off his supply of venom, the two fought on an elevated train. Robin saved the passengers, while Az-Bats defeated Bane.



Related Issues:

Batman: Sword of Azrael #1-4 – This story details Batman’s first encounter with Azrael.

Batman: The Vengeance of Bane #1 – The first appearance and origin of Bane, including his arrival in Gotham

Batman #488-490 – Serving as prequels to Knightfall, these issues follow Azrael’s arrival in Gotham, and banes early plots.

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-18 – Bannered as parts of Knightfall but with no numbers, these tell the story of Az-Bats confronting the Sacrecrow and Anarky.

Catwoman #1-4 – Working for Bane, Catwoman is double crossed, and then heads to Bane’s native Santa Prisca to find details of his origins


Notes:

Knightfall was the first of a trilogy of crossovers. The remaining two were Knightquest and Knight’send.

Bruce Wayne would retake the mantle of the Bat at the end of the story, and Azrael would graduate on to his own series, which would last for 100 issues before his apparent death.

Bane would appear next in Batman: The Vengeance of Bane II, and would take part in the Legacy crossover.

The kidnapping and rescue of Mayor Armond Krol would make him a strong proponent of Azrael as Batman, and would cause friction between him and Jim Gordon, who would wind up quitting the force, only to be reinstated by Gotham’s next mayor.

The first sign of Batman’s exhaustion was shown nearly a year before the start of Knightfall, in Batman #483.