At its core, "I Am Bane" is an incredibly straightforward Batman tale. Batman humiliated Bane in his own home, so now Bane has returned to Gotham to punish the Dark Knight. Normally, that might not be a solid enough premise to support an entire 5-issue story arc. But while hardly fast-paced, "I Am Bane" remains a very engrossing read in its penultimate chapter.
Once again, it's worth noting just how much effort writer Tom King and artist David Finch put into making each chapter feel like its own, unique piece of the puzzle. This issue flip[s the script somewhat, with Bane being in the spotlight and Batman retreating to the shadows. Instead, we see Bane tear his way through Arkham Asylum and confront a who's who of Batman rogues. Everyone from Maxie Zeus to Riddler to Scarecrow shows up, but none can contain the raw fury that is Bane. This approach serves to main purposes. On one hand, it leaves the reader salivating at the thought of what King could accomplish with a Riddler or Scarecrow-driven story.
On the other, these encounters highlight the odd place Bane holds in Batman's rogues gallery. He doesn't quite fit in with this motley crew, both because he's the only one of them to successfully defeat Batman and because he simply doesn't want to be one of them. As much as the script emphasizes the imposing nature of bane, it also touches on the tragedy of his return. This is a man who finally conquered his addiction and was content to remain walled up in his fortress until Batman dragged him back into this crazy world of capes and tights and never-ending grudges. In some small but crucial way, it's easy to sympathize with Bane here. How often does a Batman story manage that?
Finch shows a welcome versatility in this issue, combining large splash images with small, intricate panels as appropriate. Each encounter between Bane and Arkham's inhabitants is framed in a slightly different way. The Two-Face segment divides the page into jagged halves. The Scarecrow scene is claustrophobic (with Jordie Bellaire's colors lending an extra touch of fear and danger). The only common thread is that Finch bathes each page in detailed lines and imposing shadows. There's a real sense that Finch and King have further gelled as a creative team with this arc, and we can only hope that we'll continue to see Finch rotate in and out of the book going forward.
The Verdict
"I Am Bane" doesn't give the impression that it really needs five issues to be told. But that slow, methodical pace serves its own uses. This issue allows Tom King and David Finch to get into Bane's head in a more subtle way, exploring the tragedy of his return even as the villain mops the floor with every enemy Batman can throw at him. This issue looks and feels as unique as any of the others that have preceded it.
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