Bane
is in Russia, up to his hips in bad guys, gunfire and the encroaching police
(such as they are). Bane has allies, who seem ready to turn on him. And his
target has henchmen, who apparently will betray their boss. And it appears
there are third and fourth parties with their separate agendas. It’s like a super-villain
version of Reservoir Dogs. Everyone
is an enemy, and no one is to be trusted.
And
then along comes Catwoman, piggy-backing on Bane’s escape route, which has gone
sideways. Selina has strategies of her own, which may or may not be
self-serving. Unfortunately, the only way to know is to roll the dice and hope
they come up seven.
I’ve
come in late to this particular story, so it’s hard for me to know who to root
for. I am uncertain as to Bane’s overall
motivations, and if he’s temporarily on the side of the angels, or just the
lesser devils. It’s a 12-issue limited series, so no one can expect Bane’s
reformation – and I use that term loosely – to last.
The
artwork is perfect. I’m a big fan of the classic DC house style, mastered and
refined by artists such as Dick Giordano and José Luis Garcia Lopez. It
certainly doesn’t hurt that Graham Nolan is credited as one of the co-creators
of Bane, along with Chuck Dixon. Needless to say, they know what they’re doing.
While others may have helped develop Bane as a character in recent years, there
is no denying he is in excellent hands.
Rating:
9/10