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| Break the Bat! |
Just when I thought I've had enough posting about superhero films, my passion for comic books drives into the animated version of my favorite Batman story arc of all time: Knightfall. Yes, that dark and gritty story that ran from 1993 to 1994 that introduced readers to the unthinkable: Batman is finally beaten, and crippled for life. For life? Well, at least for a couple of years. How can you possible tell a story that took two years, 102 (some say 106 to 112) issues on a film over an hour and so? The answer is, yes you can. DC Comics has been agonizing for years with their live action films. Even now, with James Gunn on the helm, the situation doesn't seem to be any different from that when Zack Snyder was in charge. However, the animated universe of comic book films from DC has been fairly good, and true to the source. Batman has already had some animated versions of classics like Dark Knight Returns, Year One, The Killing Joke, Hush & The Long Halloween just to name a few acclaimed graphic novels we all hold dear to our hearts.
The films were directed by Jeff Wamester from a script by Jeremy Adams and stars Anson Mount, Michael Mando and Pablo Schreiber.
The first installment, Batman: Knightfall – Part 1: Knightfall, follows Batman as he exhausts himself in confronting the escaped inmates of Arkham Asylum who were freed by Bane, and we all know, eventually this exhaustion leads to Bane breaking his back and taking him out of business for two long years. Like most adaptations, there are a few changes, but for the first time I can merrily say they're minimal and do not affect the legacy of the best Batman saga from the 1990s. Key characters like Shondra Kinsolving, Tim Drake, and of course Jean-Paul Valley are present and are reasonably represented both in their looks and psyches. The gallery of rogues is also there, and their crimes after escaping Arkham asylum are also a faithful source representation. Of course, not every story is included. Time constraints make it impossible to have room for every adventure the caped crusader goes through until Bane has him cornered.
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| No time to rest. |
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| Azrael is one of the coolest additions to the Batman world. |
Faithful Enough
Discussing comic book faithfulness is one recurring matter amongst my friends and I. They think I'm an extremist by demanding a fair representation from pages to screen. By all means, they are right. Adaptations to different formats will always include the vision from the author ,even if that involves making changes to the source material. One minor thing that may be a tad different from the comic book here, is Bane's intentions behind conquering Gotham city. His origin story in the animation pretty much resembles that of Captain America: A man undergoes a secret project where through drug infusions he will become the ultimate killing machine. The comic book origin makes it clear he's no hero. He actually spends 31 days in a coma after a near-fatal fall. The time he's imprisoned allows him to grow his physique and develop his intellect. You see, Bane is not all muscle and brute force. Warner Bros already made the mistake of dumbing down Bane in Batman & Robin (1997) Another change regarding his evilness, is the fact his henchmen are completely absent in part 1. Bird, Zombie and Trog provide essential reconnaissance and tech support to Bane's plan. Maybe we'll see them later, who knows? Other subplots involving The Joker, Scarecrow and Cornelius Stirk driving Gotham into chaos were omitted for part 1. Again, they may show up later, it's still early to declare these changes as permanent. We need an extra year to agree to that, since Part 2 & part 3 are currently in production and technically will premiere somewhere in 2027. Moreover, a whole action packed sequence involving Robin & Killer Croc are also absent from the film.
What about Azrael?
The character first appeared in the 1992 four-issue miniseries Batman: Sword of Azrael as Jean-Paul Valley. He then became a supporting character in the monthly Batman titles, eventually taking over the role of Batman through the "Knightfall", "Knightquest", and "KnightsEnd" story arcs. One of its creators, Denny O'Neil, admitted to having difficulties with Azrael's transition from villain to hero: "If I'd known he was to become a monthly character, I might have set him up differently. The problem is that I had to turn a bad guy into a real hero, not just an anti-hero or lead. It's possible to do that, but it's difficult to retain the original characterization. You almost have to change his personality".
O'Neil characterized Azrael as contrasting to Batman: "Bruce is very aware of what he is and how that contributes to what he does. He is not moved by internal or external forces that he doesn't already understand. Jean-Paul, on the other hand, has virtually no idea who he really is. He is, in the worst possible way, ignorant. Think about it: he had a rotten childhood he can barely remember; conversely, Bruce remembers his childhood, which was, up until that one critical moment, a very happy and privileged one – all too well. So they are at extreme opposite ends of the psychological spectrum." The subsequent Azrael series, chronicling Valley's battles against the Order of St. Dumas, ran for 100 issues between 1995 and 2003. O'Neil modeled the series on Arthurian legends, comparing Azrael's quest to discover the truth about himself to the Holy Grail. Starting with issue #47, it was retitled to Azrael: Agent of the Bat in an attempt to boost sales by tying the series in with the rest of the Batman mythos, including Azrael as part of the team of Batman, Robin, and the new Batgirl. Eventually, the character was killed off in the 100th issue of his series and would only make a handful of appearances in flashbacks and the Blackest Night storyline. Long story short, he has returned in several stories after his death, you see, in comic books, no one stays really dead.
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| Jean Paul Valley, one of my favorites. |
Knightfall, the comic book.
"Knightfall" resulted in long-term ramifications for the Batman continuity, as Batman's trust from the police, the public, and his fellow superheroes had to be rebuilt due to Azrael's violence. Additionally, Bruce realizes the peril and burden of attempting to work in solitude, leading to the eventual creation of the modern incarnation of the Batman Family. The events of "Knightfall" also led to the temporary resignation of Bruce's loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
The entire "Knightfall" storyline took over a year to complete in the comic book serials. In later years, the comics were reprinted several times, though never in full, as the "Knightquest: The Search" story arc was not collected until the second omnibus edition in 2017.
The initial idea for the character of Azrael stemmed from a two-part story idea pitched by Detective Comics writer Peter Milligan circa 1991, as he was leaving that position. After line editor Dennis O'Neil decided to expand it into a larger epic, he and the Batman line writers Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench and Alan Grant convened an authors' summit over a long weekend to flesh out the details and story points. At the same time, the Superman team was planning for a similar character-altering storyline, and neither they nor the Batman group initially had any knowledge of each other's plans. Dennis O'Neil denies the Knightfall storyline was in any way inspired by The Death of Superman storyline and states that it was already in development by as much as three years, saying that if the Batman staff had known, the storyline would likely have been pushed down a year.
The intent of Knightfall's writers was to counter the then-popular style of violent heroes in comics and demonstrate that the traditional Batman made for a better hero. The issues featuring Jean-Paul Valley as Batman on the cover depict him with highly exaggerated musculature and legs which taper into disproportionately tiny feet, mimicking the styles of contemporary "violent hero" artists such as Rob Liefeld.
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| The now legendary #497 issue. |
Did you like part 1? let me know in the comments.
In the meantime here's part 1 trailer:
...and happy Batman day!
