And Hell rode with him...
I know this is a little behind, but life has been very busy and I haven't had time to sit and reflect on some of the recent week's issues, but here we go anyway. In the aftermath of the Justice League's apparent "death" by the Crime Syndicate, Gotham City is left without it's protector: Batman. Everyone clearly knows this as the Syndicate made their big "Justice League is dead" announcement. If you read Bane's Villain's Month issue, you pretty much know where this story picks up, but I will elaborate.
Gotham has been taken over by the inmates of Arkham, and split into twelve districts. Each of the leading inmates (Scarecrow, Professor Pyg, Killer Croc, etc) are head of a district, with Penguin as mayor. In comes Bane, seeking his conquest of Gotham. He does not believe any of these individuals deserves to have Gotham, and in Batman's death he will seize Gotham by force.
The issue mostly focuses around Professor Pyg and his goings-on in his district. Mostly disgusting surgical experiments. Then a bit on Bane assaulting Blackgate prison for additions to his army. Bane makes his way to Pyg, and demands Pyg pass word on to the rest of the "Arkhamites": bane has arrived, Gotham is his, and there is nothing they can do to challenge his power.
The art is very good. I love the way bane looks. He is large and powerful, but not overly so. Pyg and his followers and creepy looking and demented. It is all done so very well.
This is a setup issue. There is not much that goes on except painting the picture of Gotham as it has become in Batman's absence, and laying the groundwork for Bane's plans. It lays the foundation quite well, in my opinion, and it is fun seeing Bane hold the other Batman villains with such disdain. Bane seems like a fallen knight, someone who uses his skill and power to further his own goals, but still holds a code of honor. He's always been my favorite Bat-villain, so I am really pumped for this. This first issue makes me excited for the next five, I have high hopes for it.
