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Vengeance of Bane #1
Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1
In Batman Sword of Azrael (1992) #1-4, a major new hero was introduced to the Batman mythos. Now, another character is added to the Batman family. Only this time, it's a villain. Bane is the sole survivor of the Venom experiments (first revealed in Batman Legends of the Dark Knight (1989-2007) #16-20), an attempt to create drug-enhanced killing machines. As a result of these tests, Bane has spent a lifetime as the toughest inmate in the worst prison on the South American island of Santa Prisca where he acquired his berserk strength, a savage, calculating intellect, and an unparalleled megalomania. He ultimately sets his sights on Gotham City, and goes gunning for the Dark Knight.
56 pages
First published January 1, 1993
6 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Dixon
3,426 books1,031 followersCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 25, 2012
I thought it was great! But, hell...I'm a bit biased since I drew it!
December 15, 2024
Pretty fun origin issue that effectively sets up Bane as a credible threat, not much else to say tbh
February 22, 2017
First appearance and origin story of one of Batmans deadliest foes. The hell Bane went through as a child helps explain what made the Venom addicted man shell bent on conquering Gotham.
September 7, 2015
Very good! So Vengeance of Bane is the character's first appearance and essentially a stand alone origin story for the character! Not many villains can say they got there own book before they faced the hero! So as part of Knightfall, this is a essential prequel, it tells the story of a boy in prison paying his Father's prison sentence, while in there he has a realization that his goal in life is to break the bat! Overall a great story, Bane definitely has one of the best origin stories out of batman's rouges gallery!
June 3, 2017
A great issue with the introduction of the origins of Bane, such a great enemy to Batman and with a rich origin story, the plot has a great pace, the coloring and drawing is perfect for this story, I can't ask for any better way to introduce this character to the Batman Mythology. I love this villain and I love what he means to Batman.
June 15, 2019
I think this is my favorite villain book ever written, from start to finish I was hooked.
It focuses on Bane's time at Santa Prisca, it cover why he was imprisoned and how he grew up there. I was actually surprised how close the movies adapted his origin story, they weren't too far off.
It focuses on Bane's time at Santa Prisca, it cover why he was imprisoned and how he grew up there. I was actually surprised how close the movies adapted his origin story, they weren't too far off.
September 15, 2021
Una historia instrumental que funciona con eficiencia debido a su trama sencilla y estilo directo, evitando complicaciones innecesarias ajenas a su fin: Introducir al villano de la comentada saga Knightfall. Un relato carcelario con matices hard-boiled.
May 4, 2015
Awesome origin story of the brutal, brilliant supervillain.
December 27, 2015
Oh my god i loved this! the origin of Bane and why he is so obsessed with ending batman!
June 7, 2020
I encountered this in two collected volumes already. It is definitely a classic.
February 9, 2021
Bane's introduction to the DC world pre-Knightfall
July 27, 2024
It's highly uncommon that a member of Batman's rogues gallery gets an entire 64-page special dedicated to them as their first appearance, but just a few months prior to the major "Knightfall" crossover event kicking off, Chuck Dixon introduces to the world Bane. "Knightfall" lends Bane a lot of credence, but contemporary Batman comics have used the character to great degree and a lot of it really derived from a strong origin story as told in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1.
This issue lays out the tragic story of Bane's upbringing - raised in a prison and taught only hate, he goes from precocious child to feared supervillain fairly quickly. Much of this issue is about Bane's origin, with the latter third of the issue bringing Bane to Gotham to observe Batman, a figure who has greatly interested Bane for some time. Bane's obsession with Batman is a little unclear as laid out in the story - Dixon really just asks the reader to buy into it with no further elaboration. But it works functionally well enough, with Bane's combination of strength and intelligence marking him as a true adversary to the Caped Crusader. It's an entertaining issue, even if the story goes on a little longer than needed.
Graham Nolan's artwork combined with Eduardo Barreto's inks and Adrienne Roy's colors is just a great fit for the story. The dour tone of a villain's origin feels delightfully noir in aesthetic, particularly as Roy utilizes a ton of flat colors to emphasize the darkness. Though this issue is fairly light on action, Nolan finds a lot of ways to keep the framing of the characters dynamic enough.
This issue lays out the tragic story of Bane's upbringing - raised in a prison and taught only hate, he goes from precocious child to feared supervillain fairly quickly. Much of this issue is about Bane's origin, with the latter third of the issue bringing Bane to Gotham to observe Batman, a figure who has greatly interested Bane for some time. Bane's obsession with Batman is a little unclear as laid out in the story - Dixon really just asks the reader to buy into it with no further elaboration. But it works functionally well enough, with Bane's combination of strength and intelligence marking him as a true adversary to the Caped Crusader. It's an entertaining issue, even if the story goes on a little longer than needed.
Graham Nolan's artwork combined with Eduardo Barreto's inks and Adrienne Roy's colors is just a great fit for the story. The dour tone of a villain's origin feels delightfully noir in aesthetic, particularly as Roy utilizes a ton of flat colors to emphasize the darkness. Though this issue is fairly light on action, Nolan finds a lot of ways to keep the framing of the characters dynamic enough.
October 13, 2024
Rating: 3.4/5
Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 delivers an intriguing origin story for one of Batman's most formidable foes. The storyline does a good job of exploring Bane's early life, motivations, and rise to power, setting up the foundation for his eventual clash with the Dark Knight. While the plot is engaging, it follows a fairly predictable path, focusing on Bane's physical and mental conditioning, but lacking surprising twists.
Character development is strong, particularly for Bane himself. His transformation from a child born into a harsh prison environment to a tactical, intelligent villain is well-executed. The dialogue effectively showcases Bane's intellect and resolve, adding depth to his character beyond just brute strength.
The artwork is solid, but not extraordinary. It conveys the grim tone of the story well enough, but doesn't particularly stand out or elevate the narrative. The pacing is steady, though some scenes could have been tighter, especially in the build-up to Bane’s ultimate emergence as a major threat.
Where this issue shines is in presenting Bane as a unique villain with a compelling backstory, though it doesn't push boundaries in terms of creativity.
Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 delivers an intriguing origin story for one of Batman's most formidable foes. The storyline does a good job of exploring Bane's early life, motivations, and rise to power, setting up the foundation for his eventual clash with the Dark Knight. While the plot is engaging, it follows a fairly predictable path, focusing on Bane's physical and mental conditioning, but lacking surprising twists.
Character development is strong, particularly for Bane himself. His transformation from a child born into a harsh prison environment to a tactical, intelligent villain is well-executed. The dialogue effectively showcases Bane's intellect and resolve, adding depth to his character beyond just brute strength.
The artwork is solid, but not extraordinary. It conveys the grim tone of the story well enough, but doesn't particularly stand out or elevate the narrative. The pacing is steady, though some scenes could have been tighter, especially in the build-up to Bane’s ultimate emergence as a major threat.
Where this issue shines is in presenting Bane as a unique villain with a compelling backstory, though it doesn't push boundaries in terms of creativity.
July 23, 2025
3.5 rounded up
The story is both accessible and interesting, but some of the writing/dialogue is just awful. I appreciate the clear-cut origin story of Bane instead of takimg the route of toying with the reader through flashbacks or having it unfold as a mystery being solved by Bats. The artwork is alright, but much of this comic feels dated. Still, Bane is a formidable foe and enduring character. I ultimately enjoyed his backstory, hence why I rounded up rather than down.
The story is both accessible and interesting, but some of the writing/dialogue is just awful. I appreciate the clear-cut origin story of Bane instead of takimg the route of toying with the reader through flashbacks or having it unfold as a mystery being solved by Bats. The artwork is alright, but much of this comic feels dated. Still, Bane is a formidable foe and enduring character. I ultimately enjoyed his backstory, hence why I rounded up rather than down.
December 3, 2017
This is included in Knightfall, Vol. 1 and it's the perfect way to start the series as it gives its readers the history of Bane. This is one of the best origins story that I've ever read. Bane is such a complex character and it was fascinating to understand why he turned out to be the villain that he is today.
June 8, 2025
This was a lot of fun, but what I don’t understand is the motivation to go after Batman. We’re led to believe Bane is smart and well read not just some maniacal killing machine. So what’s the motivation and what’s the fixation with this one guy? Why try to kill him?
I don’t get that motivation at all.
I don’t get that motivation at all.
January 1, 2026
Figured I might as well get started on rereading Knightfall since the animated adaptation is set to drop sometime this year. It's been over a decade since I first read this, let's see if it still holds up!
Really excellent start to the event. Does a good job of introducing Bane and his motivations.
Really excellent start to the event. Does a good job of introducing Bane and his motivations.
June 30, 2019
Vengeance of Bane is pure Origins Prequel. It shows the origin of Bane and his posse that you don't get from reading Knightfall alone, but there is no ending here without Knightfall (unlike Sword of Azreal).
June 21, 2020
Una de las mejores novelas de Batman, en la que el murciélago apenas aparece porque la mayor parte de sus páginas están dedicadas a explicar la vida de Bane y cómo llegó a convertirse a sí mismo en uno de los mayores enemigos de Batman.
August 24, 2025
Interesting origin. I felt for the child Bane and you can understand the man he becomes. Don’t quite understand where the obsession with Batman comes from though.
Art: typical 90s fare, especially for Batman comics of this period.
Story: violent
Art: typical 90s fare, especially for Batman comics of this period.
Story: violent
June 10, 2019
“Hope is a living thing. It must be nurtured.”
May 27, 2022
El origen de Bane. Una lectura imprescindible para los fans de Batman.
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July 10, 2022Primer especial de Zinco de La venganza de Bane.
April 5, 2024
Considerando si además de "viejas-lecturas" debería sumar el tag de "incluido-en-otro" para cuando leí capítulos sueltos luego incluidos en recopilatorios.
September 13, 2024
Que historia de origen para uno de los villanos más fuertes del murciélago, lo leo siguiendo la caída del murciélago
August 9, 2025
It's neat to see Bane's origin, but it can be kinda uninteresting at parts.
March 30, 2016
Başyapıt "Knightfall" okunmadan önce mutlaka göz atılması gerektiğini düşündüğüm "Batman: Vengeance of Bane", Bane'in geçmişine ışık tutan Batman efsanesi açısından oldukça önemli bir çizgi roman. Karakterin geçmişte başına gelen korkunç ve talihsiz olayları tüm çarpıcılığıyla okuyucuya sunan eserde Bane'in ne kadar muhteşem bir karakter olduğuna tekrardan tanıklık ediyoruz. Kısa ve öz olmasından ötürü rahatlıkla okuyabileceğiniz eserin en ilginç yanı ise okuyucuya doğru ile yanlışı sorguatabilmesi. Sistem yüzünden zamanla şeytana dönüşen Bane'in (ismi yıkım/felaket anlamına geliyor) aslında mağdur olduğunu görmek karaktere derinlik katmakla beraber efsanevi karaktere güzel de bir başlangıç sunuyor.
16.07.2013
Binghamton, NY
Alp Turgut
16.07.2013
Binghamton, NY
Alp Turgut
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews