Permission to Die

A word of fair warning to you all: I'm going to talk about the recent trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. If you don't want to hear that or are worried about spoilers, now is the time to depart.

With that out of the way, let's start with the character that is (so far) arguably at the hear of the Dark Knight Rises stuff we've seen so far: Bane. I think it's safe to say that Bane is a controversial character. It's hard to say that he's popular, but there's no question that he's unpopular in a lot of ways. Having been created in the 1990's, Bane is lacking a lot of the pedigree you get from long term Batman villains like Two-Face or the Joker.

But being chosen as the main villain of Rises shows that despite his contemporary creation, Bane has cemented himself as an important part of the modern Batman mythos. Whether you like it or not, Bane has taken over a position that has been filled with numerous characters over the years in comics: the role of the anti-Batman.

It's easy to forget that that's what Bane was meant to be in the very beginning. Too often Bane has been employed as a simple, brutish thug (due in large part to his extreme musculature and luchadore look). But when Bane was first introduced he was more than simply a physical match for Batman: he was his intellectual equal as well.

Batman has had no shortage of intellectual adversaries. In fact, you can make the argument that most of Batman's villains are designed largely to test his mental and psychological strength. And there have been a few physical adversaries as well (Killer Croc being the most notable example).

But Bane was created as someone who could take on Batman in both the physical and mental arenas and succeed. In this sense, he's one in a long line of anti-Batmans. Even his origin is a dark, twisted mirror image of Batman's own. And Rises seems to be playing this up.

We get a glimpse of what is (presumably) the prison where Bane was raised (assuming, of course, that his origin hasn't been radically tweaked). But the most telling is the image of the camo tumbler: it's safe to assume that Bane has his own -- dare I say it? -- Banemobile.

In The Dark Knight we had a villain who "just wanted to see the world burn" in the form of the Joker. Bane unquestionably wants to see Gotham in ashes. But it seems that he doesn't want to do so purely to do so. Bane is driven. It's obvious that he has an agenda and perhaps even one that many people in this "Occupy Wall Street" world might find appealing.

This is all speculation, of course. And I'm admittedly running on speculation here. But I think we're going to see a Gotham City that on the surface is doing well: crime is down and people (at least the people at the top) are prospering.

But beneath the surface the city continues to rot. And if Bane is half the strategist he is in the comics he will exploit that for his own purposes.

I've wondered quite a bit why Nolan and co. decided to change Bane's look from his classic comic look. I think it's because of what I'd alluded to earlier. That look makes Bane seem like just another thug in a long line of thugs. And while it's effective for the pages of the comics, this current mask lets us see his eyes. And while his voice may be difficult to understand, his message is clear. I don't know yet what it means, but July 20 can't come soon enough.

Endings

Of all the things I will miss about this version of the DCU I think I will miss Secret Six most of all.

There was something sadistically charming about that series -- and by extension the characters therein. Gail Simone and her collaborators should be commended for creating something fresh and different in an environment where all too often writers and artist go with the easy or safe thing.

The violence in Secret Six never seemed gratuitous to me, either. Sure, it was seriously violent. But it just felt like it had to be. These were violent, messed up people. But they were still people, and we got to see that even super-villains are human beings too (unless, of course, they are shark-men).

But for me the most remarkable thing was the strange journey of Bane. Indeed, in some ways this volume of Secret Six is Bane's story as much as anyone's. He joined the Six in issue one and the last issue ended with him destroying it.

I'd like to say that I'm looking forward to where Bane goes from here. But I can't say that, as I have no idea if Bane is going anywhere. I don't know what his place will be in the new DCU you. I hope he'll find a place -- and he hope he finds his kingdom.

Unfairness

More than anything, I think I'd like to be on TV.

I'm not looking for my own show or anything like that. I'd just like to gueststar in one of Warner Bros' animated DC series. Or they could do a Knightfall direct to DVD movie. That would be okay.

Of course, that last one is pretty unlikely (even if it's no stranger than a Under the Hood movie). So I think I'd just like to be on Batman: The Brave and the Bold. We could have a whole episode where You-Know-Who and I team up against Bane or somebody.

Or they could just put me in the pre-credits opening in a non-speaking role. I'm not picky. Either or anything would be okay, really. I'd just like to be on TV. I mean, how many times has Bane been on TV anyway? And this will what, be his second big screen appearance. It's not like I'm asking to be in Dark Knight Rises.

It just doesn't seem fair that Bane -- a guy I beat gets to be in an ongoing series and a movie while I don't get to do anything at all.

The Dark Knight Rises

The next Christopher Nolan Batman movie is apparently going to be called The Dark Knight Rises. That seems like an odd title to me, as they already did a movie called The Dark Knight. You'd think they'd want keep the names clearly delineated.

Anyway, there's word about the film in the news today: apparently Nolan has picked someone to play Catwoman and -- get this -- Bane. Catwoman is not really all that big of a surprise. She's an integral part of the Batman mythos and it's not surprising that she'd show up before Nolan finishes his little "trilogy."

But Bane is a big surprise as far as casting news goes. I have some difficulty figuring out how he'll fit into the "realistic" world that Nolan has created. I could see Hugo Strange or Black Mask being made to work -- and I figured one of them was going to be the villain. In some ways Bane doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense.

That said, when you look at it another way it makes perfect sense. When we last left Nolan's Gotham City Batman was a fugitive. He's outside of the law, not trusted by anyone but Gordan. In the process of ostracizing himself Batman has cleaned up Gotham.

But what happens when someone comes from the outside to stir things up in Gotham City? Surely Gotham's "Bat-Man" has become famous by now. I can see Bane as a character who comes in from the outside to stir up trouble, forcing the people of the city to rally to Batman again.

Still, I can't help but think that Hugo Strange would make a better villain, considering the point we are in this story arc. It's very similar to where one of my all time favorite stories Prey starts out. That story, unsurprisingly, features Prof. Hugo Strange.

Regardless, Nolan clearly has some interesting plans for The Dark Knight Rises. As much as I might like certain things, I can say I'll be happier in the long run if I'm surprised...

Greatest Cover in the History of Covers

Bane didn't use to be cool; Gail Simone made him cool. Bane was a one note character designed to serve a single story. Like Doomsday. Or (dare I say it?) Azrael. It just goes to show you that it's true what they say: any character can be good with the right writer.

Re: Secret Six #18

You know, I really do love Bane in Secret Six.

Of course, I like Scandal Savage even more.

I hope Gail Simone writes these characters forever and ever.

Relationships

You know what the sweetest/creepiest/most hilarious relationship in comics is? It's not any of the romantic pairings you see out there. And it's not even any real paternal connection. Truly, the most brilliant character relationship in comics is the really strange relationship that Bane and Scandal Savage have in Secret Six.

Did your read the Suicide Squad "back from the dead" one shot? It was really good (it's Ostrander and Simone, how could it not be?). And there was a fantastic bit of Bane/Scandal interaction in there.

It's a very weird relationship. Bane -- the guy who never had any parents -- trying to be a father figure to the woman who had the worst father in history (and pre-history). And the strangest thing about it is how it seems to work. At first it seemed kind of off but now it seems bizarrely natural.

If Geoff Johns writes the best "epics" for DC then Gail Simone writes the best relationships. Really, all the relationships between the various characters in Secret Six are fantastic. I just happen to like the Bane/Scandal one the best.

I Don't Feel So Well

I've been trying to figure out why all these characters from the nineties are coming back. I'm not really sure what the point of it all is. I'm not complaining, of course. There's a chance that I might be showing up again.

Hey, did you know that my old enemy Bane is going to be showing up in Secret Six sometime soon? I beat him, you know. Nobody else could do it but I did. Nobody remembers that, though. You-Know-Who gets the credit... But it was me in that costume! I broke Bane, not Batman!

...

There, I said it. I mentioned him. And know that I did it by name. I'm not sure if that's progress or a dangerous backslide into insanity. I'd... I'd better go ask the wrathful spirit of the Venerable Saint Dumas. I'll... I'll let you know what he says.

I Did It

Did you know that I was mentioned in Countdown a few weeks back?

It's true. They've been doing those "villain profiles" and one of them happened to be Bane. Not only was I mentioned but I was also seen! Take a look:

Yes! That is me, beating up Bane. Now, Bane makes a big deal about how he "broke the Bat." And yes, he did. He beat You-Know-Who, something that very few people have ever managed to do. I mean, I couldn't do it.

But don't forget, my friends. Bane may have broken the Bat... But I broke Bane.