Batman #23.4: Bane – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Graham Nolan (art), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: It’s leaders like Bane that make you think twice before criticizing our president.

The Review: With DC producing scads of new characters each year, it’s not surprising that only a few manage to rise to the top.  One of the best floaters of recent years (by which I mean since I was born, some—gah!—twenty-seven years ago) is Bane, one of the only Bat-villain to have truly felled the Dark Knight.  His combination of steroid brawn and razor-sharp mind is what sets him apart, as does his status as a political icon within the DCU.

I’m sure others have done great things with Bane, but the one I always think of is the strangely Byronic man who graced the pages of Gail Simone’s Secret Six.  I’d even say that Simone’s Bane is the gold standard by which all others should be measured.  She not only delivered the perfect balance of Bane’s aforementioned qualities, she gave him a compelling voice and perspective that made him more than the sum of abilities.  You’d think a master character writer like Tomasi would get you similar results, but surprisingly, he falls quite short of the mark.

Faces of Evil: Prometheus One Shot – Review

By Sterling Gates (writer), Federico Dallocchio (art and color)

The Story: Prometheus fans rejoice!  Following Martian Manhunter’s death at the hands of Libra, the mental blocks trapping Prometheus within his mind are shattered, and he awakens to find himself imprisoned in Blackgate Penitentiary.  If Prometheus has been catatonic for the last two years though, then who’s been running around committing petty crimes in his name?  Prometheus wants answers, and he doesn’t care who he has to kill to get them.

The Good: This is a perfect example of a great “Faces of Evil” issue.  This is a story about the villain, told from the villain’s point of view, and it isn’t afraid to pull any punches.  I was an immediate fan of this character ever since Grant Morrison introduced him in JLA, and I am so happy to see DC bring him back into the spotlight.  Gates does an outstanding job recapping the history and motivation of Prometheus while at the same time advancing the plot; and if DC were to ever consider an ongoing Prometheus series, I hope they tap him to do the job.

The Not So Good: While I admire him for handling the art and colors on this issue, I wasn’t quite impressed with Dallocchio’s art here.  It’s not crap by any means, mind you.  I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was looking at the art of a poor man’s Jae Lee.

Conclusion: With Final Crisis coming to its cataclysmic conclusion and “Faces of Evil” in full swing, this was absolutely the right time for Prometheus to make his return to the DCU, and I for one couldn’t be happier.  Welcome back, you sick bastard.

Grade: B+

-Tony Rakittke