Batman #500 - DC Comics [Part Two]

BATMAN [1940] No. 500, October 1993

Essentially comprising of little more than a twenty-eight page slugfest between Jean-Paul Valley and Bane, Doug Moench’s penmanship for his second storyline inside Issue Five Hundred of “Batman”, arguably sees the Dark Knight at his most savagely brutal. Sure, the cape and cowl are no longer worn by Bruce Wayne, so this comic’s audience were probably expecting some things to change. But few readers were surely anticipating such a marked difference in violence between the original Caped Crusader and the utterly merciless machine which the Eagle Award-winner crafts for "Dark Angel II: The Descent".

To begin with, Gotham City’s supposed guardian appears to no longer care for the innocent lives he’s supposedly protecting whilst battling the heavily-muscled Santa Priscan in this book. Indeed, such is the obsession the masked vigilante has for defeating Bane once and for all, that it’s debatable as to whether he is even aware of the hapless commuters on board the out of control locomotive the pair wind up fighting inside; “We’re gonna crash! We’re gonna die! Why doesn’t somebody do something to stop this train?”

Cleverly though, this passenger imperilled predicament does provide the Boy Wonder with a fair bit of welcome spotlight as he bravely attempts to rescue those Gothamites being frantically ferried around the metropolis before their linked carriages fatally fly off the tracks – something which is particularly impressive considering that Tim Drake is hopelessly outmatched when it comes to this narrative’s main event. Furthermore, the young Robin’s role in “Knightfall” appears to significantly change during this situation, with the colourfully-costumed adolescent taking on the role of a strong ‘moral voice’ to Valley’s disconcertingly dark ‘the mission is all no matter what the cost’ attitude.

Equally as enjoyable as the penmanship behind this white-knuckle ride is Mike Manley’s artwork, which does a fantastic job of depicting a frantic Bane suddenly realising that the armoured vigilante before him is far more dangerous than he ever gave him credit for. The super-villain’s fright at being beaten is truly palpable, and the American illustrator genuinely imbues the thickly-muscled criminal with all the fear a bibliophile may well expect from someone who just moments before thought they were utterly invincible.

The regular cover art of "BATMAN" No. 500 by Kelley Jones & Bob LeRose