Bane: Where Do I Start?

Bane. He’s the man who broke Batman’s back. He’s one of the high points in the grim-and-gritty era of superhero comics in the 90s. He’s the main antagonist in the upcoming film The Dark Knight Rises. But well, who is he?

When Bane burst on the scene in 1993, he quickly transitioned from being a new Batman rogue to being one of the best when he broke the Dark Knight’s back in Batman #497. Light on character exposition, Bane at the time was more of a force — a plot point — to set in motion the idea of Batman being injured so badly that he’d be force to retire and choose a replacement. Created by writers Chuck Dixon and Doug Moench alongside artist Graham Nolan, Bane became best known for his veiny-muscled portrayal by artist Kelley Jones. It wasn’t until later that Bane’s backstory came to life, showing him as boy born in a South American prison and raised by a series of inmates-turned-mentors. Moench has said before that the initial idea for Bane was for him to be a twisted mirror version of the pulp hero Doc Savage, and the character really became that to the hilt, but also earning his detractors due to him being the face of some of the most adolescent dark comics in the 90s.

But now, some 19 years after his debut, Bane’s story is being revisited by many as he’ll be facing off against Batman in The Dark Knight Rises. With the distance, you’d be surprised to see just how formidable Bane’s backstory is. Also admonished as a trendy character, his character arc is great if you consider the type of comics being produced at the time. With that in mind, we’ve picked out four story collections that you can seek out to get to know Bane before he, well, breaks your back.

Batman: KnightFall, Vol. 1: This is why Bane is popular. He’d been introduced before, but the stories in this collection put Bane on the map as he — spoilers ahead — breaks Batman’s back and forces him into an early retirement. Although not heavy on Bane backstory, this would be number one on the character’s Greatest Hits album. A nice bonus to this new edition that wasn’t included in previous ones is the one-shot Batman: Vengeance of Bane Special #1 which was the character’s first appearance. And if you like the larger Batman story in this collection, there’s several more KnightFall trades covering the fall (and eventual return) of Batman.

Batman: Bane: This succinct little prestige format one-shot from 1997 thrusts the spotlight on Bane as he single-handedly takes over a ship out in open waters after being adrift. When he discovers the ship is carrying nuclear materials, it brings Batman protege Nightwing in to try to handle it… and well, it doesn’t go to well for Dick Grayson. Bane, channeling the best of pro wrestler smack talk, calls Nightwing a pale imitation of Batman and mops the floor with him.

Azrael #36-40: Count me in as one of the many who dismiss Azrael pretty wholeheartedly, but this story-arc in his 90s-era series is worth picking up if you’re a Bane fan.If you remember, when Azrael briefly took over the mantle of Batman for Bruce Wayne, he went after Bane for breaking Batman’s back and actual beat him. In this rematch, Bane turns the tables on Azrael by injecting him with the Venom serum — the same stuff that makes Bane super-powered. Like most of the Azrael issues this has never been collected in trade format, but it’s worth tracking down in back issue bins or online.

Batman Versus Bane: There’s a bit of overlap here as this also contains the Vengeance of Bane story inside Batman: Knightfall Vol. 1, but the the reason to pick up both is that this one also contains Bane of the Demon by two of the character’s co-creators, Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan. In this nice little miniseries, Bane returns back to his island home of Santa Prisca in the Caribbean to suss out the identity of his father. What Bane discovers is that his father was a revolutionary of sorts akin to Che Guevara. This takes Bane back to the prison in which he was born, and also out into the world where he learns he shares a connection with the cult known as the Order of Saint Dumas, who’s best known for producing Azrael.