Batman: Troika

Batman: Knightfall #9

by Doug Moench, Alan Grant, Chuck Dixon

For the first time since the events of the Knightfall storyline, Bruce Wayne returns to his role as Gotham City's protector, Batman!

The Knightfall Saga reaches its conclusion as Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City in the never-before-collected Batman: Troika!

A new era begins, as Batman reinvents himself to take on a new breed of foe. When the Bat-Family declares war against former KGB operatives with plans to take control of Gotham City's underworld, who will come out the victor? In the midst of all of this, Bruce Wayne must also cope with his decision to pass on the mantle of Batman to Jean-Paul Valley.

Part of a massive 25th anniversary recut of the entire Batman: Knightfall saga, this graphic novel collects Batman #515, Batman: Shadow of The Bat #35, Detective Comics #682, Robin #14, Nightwing: Alfred Returns and Batman: Vengeance of The Bat #2.

Genres: Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Fiction, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 5, 2019

About the author

Doug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)

Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.

Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Troika crossover is solid. The KGBeast teams up with two other Russians to start their own mob in Gotham. Meanwhile, there's also a nuclear bomb floating around Gotham. Also includes an Alfred one-shot and Vengeance of Bane II which is actually pretty good.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as soon as this got a trade print it got sold out and out of print. I got exceptionally lucky picking up a copy for £20 but I've seen copies go for around £100- £120 nowadays.

[Daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

They decided to make Bruce look like a crow for some reason. The OG Batman is back to work with a revamped costume to show for it. He still didn't make up with Gordon though so I do not care.
There was a short Alfred story which was /fine/, not amazing by any means but also not bad. We get some background into Alfred's life, the fact that he was almost married and that he had a son (fake news). It's also very funny to me how he's criticised Bruce for YEARS about bringing kids into battles, and then he IMMEDIATELY brings his supposed son into battle where he dies. Doesn't matter that he's not a child or his son, the sentiment is there.
I really enjoyed the Robin issue in this one, where he has to deal with The Beast on his own. Robin keeps getting himself in these life and death situations and it's so refreshing to see him think about what he's supposed to do and back out of battles he cannot win, trying to pull the stakes in his direction. It's why he's my favourite Robin yet. The narrative tension is always just right when it comes to his side of the story and he's just a very compelling character to follow around. I also really liked the little Ariana subplot that we got going on.
BANE. I actually really enjoy Bane as a character, more than a villain necessarily (where he's just average leaning towards boring). This story about his time in the prison which is a literal panel by panel parallel with his life as a child in the of prison is incredible to read. We know exactly where it's going and we're excited to follow. The fucking teddybear. Revolutionary. The fact that he sees himself as innocent now, even after all the crimes he's committed, and in a sense, he's served his sentence, just before he actually committed the crimes. I don't know, I just really enjoy reading about his character, he's camp.

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seeing Troika on the stand in my comic shop almost a year ago was how I first learned that Knightfall had been recollected yet again, but it's taken me this long to finally buy and read through the whole dang thing. Of course, by the time you get to the stories in this volume, Knightfall proper is long over -- this is mainly just scraps of stuff that have never been collected anywhere else. I do kind of wish that the Glen Fabry cover art used here (which is magnificent) had been matched with its sister illustration back when Prelude to Knightfall was released, but you can't have everything.

Probably the most standout reprint here is "Dark Rider, Cold Warrior," Kelley Jones' magnificently-illustrated first issue in his three-year run on the main Batman title which ran from the end of Knightfall through to the beginning of the next bat-epic, Batman: No Man's Land. There are some other competent artists from this time period, but Jones so completely blows the doors off anyone else that the rest of the volume just can't really bounce back. The "Troika" storyline itself has the same problems as much of the end of the Knightfall saga -- it's supposed to feel like a part of some gamechanging long-form Bat-tale, but in practice it's a pretty regular beat-up-the-bad-guys yarn with a doomsday device in the middle somewhere. I think what's always bothered me most about "Troika" is that it's supposed to represent a new-and-improved Bruce Wayne who's learned something about himself after everything that Knightfall put him through. But he's still just sort of a dick, and the other characters even point out that if anything, he's kind of more of a dick than he was before. This sort of flies in the face of everything he seemingly learned during Batman: Knightsend, and is sort of downer note to end on.

If anything, the other two stories collected here do far more to demonstrate character growth. "Alfred's Return" is a pretty subpar (and weirdly misogynistic) story all around, but it does see Alfred finding a renewed faith in the Bat-mission after bailing on Bruce for being a dick a few volumes prior. And "Vengeance of Bane II" demonstrates that Bane himself might be the most complex and nuanced character in the entire saga. There's a bit of a "say no to drugs" vibe (a common problem for Bane stories) that lowers the material a little, but otherwise it seems like this issue takes the most time to really reflect on what the Knightfall series was all about, and what it was trying to say about the nature of power and obsession.

All in all, I'm glad I finally read the entirety of this monolithic story that overwhelmed me when I was twelve (and which I never could have afforded to collect as a kid). Unfortunately, I think that one of the main things I learned is that reading a ton of uninterrupted superhero comics from decades prior is mainly an exercise in somewhat stupefying repetition, and I have no idea how anyone had the stamina to write this kind of stuff for years on end back then. But there are some interesting ideas and effective scenes here and there, nonetheless.

[Jason Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my Batman comic book reread project. Continued from Prodigal.

And here we are. Finally, the end of the Knightfall saga which started two and a half frickin' years before we get to this story. (I'm counting the Prelude as the starting point.) Also, the last loose thread from Knightfall isn't tied off until six months after "Troika," so the entire saga is a good three years long... Jeezy Peezy, and I thought Dragonball Z dragged shit out!

Anyway, "Prodigal" ended with this cliffhanger:



This leads one to believe that some kind of major overhaul happened with the Batsuit, but for the life of me I couldn't see where any changes were made other than it was a little darker. But I'm not all that observant. If I find a single difference in one of those "find six differences between these two pictures" dealios, then I'm exceeding my own personal expectations. Also, I'm used to seeing different Batsuits across the books because different artists draw him differently, so I don't notice when some minor changes are made. And what about the movie/TV variations?


(Obviously the 1989 Michael Keaton one, second down on the left, is the best.)

See how different all of those are? So, don't just paint it black, and change the length of the ears and expect me to be all like "ooooh, that's fucking BADASS!" I'm afraid the new suit was a letdown after the buildup in spite of it's similarity to the Michael Keaton one mentioned above because it sure didn't live up to the hype.

The "Troika" story itself is pretty solid, though not on the same tier as "Knightfall" or "Knightsend." (But what is?) Bruce is back as Batman, and the first thing he has to deal with is Russian meddling. (This was back before that was the "in" thing.) The KGBeast and pals are in Gotham with a nuclear baseball, but they can't agree on what to do with it. And there's also the problem of them not knowing where it is for a while. Some want to use it for leverage to take over the economy, and others want to use it for its intended purpose which is to blow the city to perdition. Batman and Robin and the GCPD are up to the task of dealing with the Russkies, though, and Gotham is spared the Hiroshima/Nagasaki treatment. Bullock is knocked comatose for several issues following, and Robin has a shining moment when he rips out the KGBeast's eye...



This seems a bit violent for Robin, but it was an accident. It was a mechanical thing he thought was part of the mask and didn't know it was wired into the KGBeast's brain, but you live and you learn. And don't you just love the reaction of "Oh yuck?" I reckon it's better than "Holy Pai Mei!" which is what I hollered when I got to this part.

The trade paperback includes two secondary stories about Alfred and Bane, but both of those occur several months after "Troika" finishes. "Alfred's Return" is a misnomer since he doesn't return for another couple of months. It just shows him and Nightwing stopping some domestic terrorists in London. He loses a couple of people he loves during the ordeal, and he decides to go back to Gotham. Bruce sorely misses him and could find him any time he wants since he is the world's greatest detective, but his pride prevents him from doing so. Alfred's pride prevents him from just walking in and saying "honey, I'm home," so he puts an ad in the classifieds for his old position, then shows up at Wayne manor to accept it, much to Bruce and Tim's surprise and delight.

"Vengeance of Bane" shows us how Bane fares in Blackgate prison while withdrawing from Venom. It doesn't go very well. He murders an inmate with a knife he found in his teddy bear and gets six months in solitary where he kicks his drug habit and beefs up. He escapes from Blackgate after giving the KGBeast a beat-down and enlisting him as an ally. He then goes after the makers of Venom to put them out of business. There's a personality change, and he's no longer interested in ruling Gotham. It's almost like he's a vigilante now. I can't remember what happens later, though I know he's interested in finding his father. I happen to know who that is, but I think those stories happen after I stopped collecting. Alas.

Here are a few things that happen between the end of "Troika" and the Alfred/Bane stories. Batman finds Jean Paul Valley, and makes amends to him by giving him information about where he can find out about his past. He also funds the trip. (This is the start of the Azrael books.) The list I found said issues one through seven covered his origin, and I guess that's technically true. Turns out he was genetically engineered using both human and animal DNA and not really born at all. But issue seven ended on a cliffhanger, so I'm crying "foul," especially since I don't have any issues after that. Rat bastards! However, the story was interesting, and the artwork was top-notch. I normally don't notice artwork unless it's really bad or really good, so that's saying something.

Batman gets back into the swing of things, stopping criminals in Gotham. Some notable stories include a run-in with the Penguin who figures he can pull off a heist in broad daylight without interference from Batman because Batman always works at night. (This doesn't work out for the Penguin because Batman figures out his plan beforehand and adjusts his sleep schedule).

Over in Legends, Batman has himself incarcerated to check out hits being ordered from Blackgate prison. It seems like someone would recognize Bruce Wayne, no matter how he scuffs himself up, but this is the DCverse we're talking about here; a place where nobody can tell the difference between Clark Kent and Superman simply due to a pair of glasses. I know when I used to wear glasses that everyone could recognize me as me whether I had them on or not. Regardless, "Criminals" was a great story.

The Joker kidnaps some peeps, puts on a comedy show, and kills those who don't laugh. Someone tries to kill Black Mask who disappears, and his crime organization falls apart. King Snake starts a gang war in Chinatown, and we're introduced to the Silver Monkey. Batman takes on a werewolf in London, Solomon Grundy, and Anarky in succession. Later a lame-ass pirate called Cap'n Fear who has apparently never seen an episode of the 1960's Batman TV show leaves Batman to die on a buoy thinking that will do him in. (Of course it doesn't.) Killer Croc escapes to the bayous of Louisiana where Swamp Thing allows him to live in peace. Then there's another Legends story called "Engines" which I can only assume was inspired by an acid trip.

Robin does some Robin things, including helping the Spoiler take down her father, the Cluemaster, who is a real, world-class shit. He also takes on Hadrian, the general. He's nowhere near as psychotic as he was in his first appearance in the Knightfall prelude, but I still enjoy the character.

Throughout all of this, Commissioner Gordon is having a hell of a time. He's on the outs with his wife and sleeping in his office. He's lost faith in Batman due to the Jean Paul Valley debacle, never calls him anymore, and works with him grudgingly when he shows up needing to share information. The mayor is on his ass because Gotham is a cesspool of crime, but it's frickin' Gotham City; what do you expect? Being unimpressed with Gordon's performance, and it being an election year, the mayor demotes him and makes Gordon's wife commissioner instead, which also makes her his boss. This is the final indignity. A warrant is out for Tommy Mangles' arrest. He's so hardcore that none of the cops want to serve it. Bullock could totally do it, but he's still convalescing from the "Troika" events. So, it's here that we see what makes Jim Gordon so awesome. He finds the man, takes off his coat, rolls up his sleeves, gets decisively engaged while reciting the Miranda rights, comes out the victor, drags Tommy's ass to the new Commissioner Gordon's office, drops him on the floor, slams his badge on the desk, and storms out on a high note. I would like for him and Sarah to work out their differences... kind of... but the whole "here's that badass murderer none of your other candy-ass cops could get, and now you can take this job and shove it, bitch" scene was awesome. Later some peeps talk Jim into running for mayor, but that may or may not be in the next update.

Sponsor spots meaningful to me (and probably nobody else, so you can quit reading now if you like; the review is over.):



Spree, which was my favorite candy back then. I think I bought a roll every two or three days at the high school bookstore. I considered it fifty cents well spent at the time, but now that half my teeth are crowns, maybe it wasn't the best idea.

(These next two ads were actually for the video games, but I'm gonna plug the movies.)



Ah, the first R-rated movie I saw in the theater. I was 16-years-old at the time, and actually didn't find out it was rated R until later, so you'll have to forgive me for inadvertently breaking the law. (I guess I can be thankful Batman didn't come nab me and haul my ass to the pokey.) I had visited some friends in NOVA, and that's what they wanted to see, so saw it we did. Later on Sunday night when the church youth group was at my house for a homemade ice cream social and hootenanny, I told one of my friends that we had seen it. She was aghast and informed me of my sin. I told her I didn't know it was rated R. She was all like "Hello, it's Arnold Schwarzenegger," and I was all like "Hello, Kindergarten Cop is PG-13!" Then she bellowed to my mother "(Insert mama's name here)! Did you know that your son went and saw an R-rated movie this weekend!" I was mortified. But that was 27 years ago. Time heals all wounds, and I'm happy to report that that friend and I were finally able to repair our damaged relationship last Thursday.



I thought this movie was great when I saw it in the theater, but I eventually learned better. Now it's kind of painful to watch, though Jim Carrey was a great Riddler, and the soundtrack did give us not one, but two kickass songs.

And speaking of music, do y'all remember record stores?



Though it was all CD's by the time I was into them, I do remember shopping for records as well when I was a wee tot. Sam Goody. Looks like there are only two left in the world as of this writing (6/17/21). Better Than Ezra... They were good. Well, good enough to be a one hit wonder.



I've recently had to make a painful adjustment in my life. Once upon a time I was all about Levi's Silvertab Baggy jeans. When they stopped making those, I started rocking the 560's (seen on the right), and those have been my threads of choice for the past 20 years. (I know, I know; "that's so 90's," but so am I.) About a year ago they stopped making the 560's as well. It is a badge of honor to me that my clothes are so out of style that they don't make them anymore. The ones I have are getting pretty threadbare, are all shredded at the bottom, and have a couple of holes starting in the seat, and it's only a matter of time before work tells me I can't wear them anymore on casual Fridays. I figure I still ought to at least wear something, and since they still make 550's, those will have to come to the rescue. Coincidentally my first pair showed up yesterday. It's been an adjustment, and I feel like I'm practically in swaddling clothes, but I reckon I'll get used to them. As long as I don't have to downgrade to 505's which I haven't worn since middle school, I think I'll be okay.

Next checkpoint: Ghosts

[Matt Maielli · Rating 2 out of 5]

so when Batman comes back to Gotham he says something like "There's gonna be some changes around here," and it is deeply unclear what the hell he's talking about besides changing his costume just a little bit, lol. Bane dream sequences are fun though.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent finale to an otherwise amazing arc

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid epilogue that covers a lot of different characters stories after the events in Knightsend. The actual Troika story is alright but the other stories are very interesting and nicely done.

[Eddie B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Samuel Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

I see this as the true ending to the knightfall saga as it contains some key events such as the return of bruce waynes batman. The art is great, especially some of the kelley jones art, and the writing is what youd come to expect from the batman writers at the time but it feels more consistent than the rest of knightfall.

[Liz.Loki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Bane is such a great character. I enjoy reading about him a lot.

[Gregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooft that was a good bit of daftness , Bruce is back ! And Mackenzie Bock is a badass mutha. However,.... Nuclear baseball ?!?!?!wow thoroughly stupid fun

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

And this is how the seemingly neverending "Knightfall" saga ends. Not with a bang, but with a boring story about Batman fighting some Russian supervillains and beating them handily. After over a year of buildup, never quite allowing Bruce Wayne to take up the mantle of Batman again, when he finally returns, we get this. It's disappointing and a missed opportunity to say the least.

The premise of Knightfall began with Bruce being a maddeningly obsessed crimefighter, unwilling to listen to anyone around him or accept any help from those close to him. We've continually seen how that mentality nearly destroyed him, and the character change that should be happening here is that he finally learns to rely on others. But, he doesn't? He puts the cowl back on and is like "OK, business as usual, only I'm slightly nicer to Robin now."

The storyline of Troika itself also doesn't do much to impress. It's the typical "bad guys are going to destroy the entirety of Gotham City unless they get a lot of money or whatever" kind of thing. The grand, absurd stakes just never land when they're this big, and they give no room for any real character development. It's about as innovative as doing a new load of laundry.

Same goes for the "Return of Alfred" story that follows "Troika." Somehow, while trying to live a quiet life in London, Alfred manages to find his way into a governmental coup that will literally cripple the entire British economy and upend the entire UK status quo. No simple battles for your old pal the butler, I guess! Gotta be an international catastrophe!

The saving grace for this collection is Chuck Dixon's "Vengeance of Bane Part II." The original "Vengeance of Bane," which kicked off the Knightfall saga, was one of the best pieces of that entire story. This followup, which sees Bane broken, in jail, gradually reforming himself and reigniting the rebellious passion that fueled him to begin with, is legit a great read. It's the kind of character-motivated stuff all the best Batman stories center on, and feels like it brings Bane full circle as a character, who actually manages to grow. I genuinely loved it, and felt like it was the only part of this final collection that really felt like it put a pin in Knightfall.

So, it should be pretty easy to skip this part of the saga. I'd recommend only reading "Vengeance of Bane" and then skipping ahead a few years, Batman-wise. There wasn't a ton of great stuff that followed this for quite some time, unfortunately.

[Jack Draper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, the ending for some people of the Knightfall Saga, or Aftermath. I see this as sort of an aftermath of it, especially the special issue Vengeance of Bane Part 2. That special issue at the ending of the paperback is the reason I'm giving it 4 stars. Most of the collection contains, Batman's fitting back into his role, and trying a more darker suit, and a more darker Batman as well. The first 4 issues center around the Russian Mafia Group 'Troika' and the first issue, makes Batman seem really creepy lol, like scary, they definitely tone this right down in the subsequent issues, and I think that was the right decision. Troika is an okay story, it had some buildup in the previous story arcs, but I think it was pretty fillery and perhaps there wasn't enough issues on it. The story following concerns Alfred's return which I thought was needed, as Alfred definitely needs to return for it to be a Batman story :), although the story was a bit annoying. The final special 64 page issue Vengeance of Bane was great. It's actually more of a Bane story, which is pretty cool, and this time we see Bane in the gutter, after his fight with Azbats, he's fat, unhealthy, and struggling from withdrawal symptoms from his venom addiction. He has nightmares about the Batman whilst in Blackgate. The prisoners pick on him and hes nothing like the Bane he was but then...... through a series of events he trains again, and becomes the beast. It was cool how the writers made the story similar to Bane's first issue, where he's locked in solidarity confinement and goes through intense training. At the end, he meets with Batman and interestingly makes it clear to Batman he has no intention of fighting him, which I thought was really cool. This is a different Bane, his purpose no longer to fight Batman and rule Gotham, his purpose no longer born out of hatred. He is different, his mission now, is to find his father!! Great special issue, and looking forward to seeing more of this story in Batman Legacy.

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The finale(?) of the Knightfall story arc. Batman (Bruce Wayne) is finally back!
There are 3 stories: Troika, Alfred's Return, and Vengence of Bane II.
"Troika" is about the KGBeast and two other Russian mobsters teaming up to take control of Gotham. Plus, there is a nuclear device the size of a baseball hidden somewhere. This one wasn't my favorite. I don't know if this plotline was introduced in the previous volume(s) and I skipped it/forgot.
"Alfred's Return" is about Nightwing tracking down Alfred, who had previously quit. The butler runs into a previous girlfriend and thinks of what could have been. In the end, Alfred decides to return to being Bruce's butler and Batman's batman. I liked this story because I was wondering where Alfred was and why he didn't return when Bruce did. I think these answers were given in issues not included in the previous Knightfall volumes.
"Vengence of Bane II" is the most relevant to the Knightfall storyline. Bane is in Blackgate Prison, dealing with withdrawl of Venom and confronting his own demons. After spending 6 months in a "rehab" cell block (aka solitary), he gets back in shape; finally realizes that he was innocent, a child unjustly condemned to a life in prison for a crime done by someone else; and plans to escape the island with help from Ratcatcher, KGBeast, and Elmo Galvan. Having beaten the pains of Venom withdrawl, Bane doesn't want to fight Batman; he wants to track down whoever is supplying Venom to more men. I think this story is my favorite of the three. However, the ending is a little confusing for me. Bane claims he is innocent and no longer should he be hunted by Batman, but he clearly has committed several crimes, including murder and prison breaks. He may have been an innocent child, but he has been a criminal ever since he left Peña Duro, even before he broke Batman's back.

[James]

Still reacclimating to life under the cowl (and a bit schizophrenic in his relationship with Nightwing compared to the previous volume), Bruce Wayne faces off against post-Soviet gangsters and terrorists in "Troika."

The collapse of the Soviet Union has prompted dismissed soldiers and ex-KGB to seek their fortunes in Gotham, with a variety of strong-arm schemes and protection rackets. The premise sound silly, but the story isn't bad. "Troika" peddles in a lot of Russian stereotypes, but it has interesting characters and action as well as a decent subplot focused on a nuke the size of a baseball. KGBeast resurfaces in all of his bonkers glory, and he even re-resurfaces to face off against Bane in prison in a story that is better than you'd expect it to be.

Things get a little silly when Nightwing chases down Alfred in England, where it looks like Batman's former butler may not have always been the perfect gentleman, judging from the son it looks like he left behind. But that loose end is tied up without much ceremony to get the book back to the status quo.

If you're considering the whole "Knightfall" series, it wraps up here on a surprisingly strong note. On the whole, the saga is worth revisiting, even if several of the Jean Paul Valley stories overdo it on 90s-era edginess (hello, Tally Man).

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman: Troika

Bruce Wayne has returned to Gotham, his broken back healed. However, Batman's journey to redemption has only just begun. He must make his peace with Commissioner Gordon and the citizens of the city he e voted his life to protect.

An epilogue to the epic 'Knightfall', 'Troika' acts as something of a reset switch and returns the storyline to a status quo. The addition of Bane to the Rogues' Gallery is a master stroke and seeing how Wayne returns to his lonely life is quite powerful.

The 'Knightfall' saga is an important text to 'Batman'. Readers see Batman fail and ride again, which is a key development in his character. The lessons he learns through the story, from how to get back up and start again, through alienating his friends in pursuit of a harsh vendetta to realising that he can make mistakes and recover from them makes the character more rounded. Superman is a perfect character, but Batman is flawed and his flaws are what make the character work. He can make mistakes and he can rebuild, which makes him more relatable as a character.

I would have liked to have seen involvement from the Justice League earlier in the plot. How the situation developed while Jean Paul was Batman makes no real sense with the Justice League being around, but it blows up the DC Universe by not having someone other than Wayne confront Valley.

[Fez Vaccaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 9 volume Knightfall saga ends here in another uneven collection. Kelley Jones joins artist and the gothic art stylings suits the book to a tee. The new Bat costume looks to be inspired by the Batman Returns look, which I like.

The collection consists of: the 4 issue crossover Troika; an oversized issue of Nightwing and Alfred in London, and; an oversized closing chapter to Bane. The Troika story is fine, it's about the same quality as the preceding Batman stories, full of mobs - this time Russian but it does also feature KGBeast, which I like. The Nightwing story is fun, Grant continues with one more adventure in the UK, continuing on from Batman: Knightquest: The Search. It ties up some loose ends with Alfred. The last arc is another Dixon-Nolan team-up to also tie up some Bane loose ends.

I was suffering a bit of Bat burnout by this final 9th volume but it was good to wrap a few loose threads up here, so I'm glad they ended it here.

[Nate]

“Troika” is a four-part crossover taking place right after “Prodigal.” Bruce is Batman again, and he and Tim work to stop KGBeast and other Russians from starting a mob in Gotham. Eh, nothing memorable here. Tim has a few good moments, but it’s not enough to make this story stand out. Also, the way Kelley Jones’ draws Batman in the first issue is jarring compared to the other three. I like his style, but it’s almost like Batman is mischaracterized under his pencils.

The “Alfred Returns” one-shot isn’t great either. I love Alfred, but I’m not a fan of stories flashing back to his past or taking place in England where he’s the protagonist, like the Bronze Age Mademoiselle Marie stuff. This one’s just as forgettable.

Thankfully, “Vengeance of Bane II” is great. I really like Bane, especially when Chuck Dixon writes him, and this is a compelling character study that also moves Bane’s story forward after Knightfall. It’s a strong coda to the event with nice art to boot.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end / coda of Knightfall features Bruce reclaiming the mantle of the Bat for good, and squaring off against the titular Troika. It's fine. It's better than almost all of Knightfall itself, and has a tightly contained plot over four issues. The plot itself induces some eyerolls (it's a nuclear bomb that can fit in a baseball! Try really hard to suspend your disbelief!) but is reasonably well written, and features good character work between Bruce and Tim. I particularly liked the character work done for the various members of the GCPD who show up in the Trokia stories. Rounding out the volume are the return of Alfred and the Vengeance of Bane vol 2, both of which are fun, compelling stories.

Not much new ground is broken here, but the stories are interesting enough, and the character work is strong.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going through Knightfall in more or less its entirety (minus a few of the double crossovers like the Bloodlines and Zero Hour tie ins) has been quite a journey that has overall been a fun ride. I wish I hadn't let bad experience with arc deter me from reading it sooner.

And the conclusion it probably the best of all. Yeah, it's a much simpler story because it SHOULD be. Knightfall, Knightquest and Knightsend were your meat and potatoes. Prodigal was your cleanup and for once having everyone else see that Bruce isn't perfect... and Troika is Bruce owning up to that and atoning and trying to do better... by truly reclaiming The Bat. Not just taking it back from Jean Paul Valley. He already did that. No, I mean regaining the things that truly made him Batman.

[Dan Prestwich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just some comics that immediately follow the whole distended, bedraggled Knightfall saga, not really a meaningful ending to it, although it arguably ties up a few loose ends. Some silly nonsense here and there, some pretty fun artwork in one or two of the issues, nothing necessary.

I still can't believe Knightfall didn't end with Batman building himself back up and facing off against Bane (they have an anticlimactic reunion in the one-shot comic that ends this collection). The whole "Bane breaks the Bat" thing is treated as this major, impactful moment in comics history, and then friggin' Batman just eventually gets his back cured by magic powers.

C

[zackxdig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman is back to normal. Alfred gets his heartbroken and Bane breaks out. The Bane story has a weird scene that doesn’t mKe sense. At first he’s looking for history about his father at a batting cage and then Batman breaks through the wall riding an armored car and then the next page Bane and Batman are fighting three juiced up venom goons. Super weird, it’s like they needed another few pages to figure that out but was enjoying the Bane story.

[Al Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 4 issue Troika arc is a little bit rushed, this storyline dealing with the ex Soviet villains really should have been a 6 issue arc.

Alan Grant turns in his best story ever with the return of Alfred, though I still feel it would have been better done by another writer.

Bane’s escape from prison is the final tale of the tome, and is well done, consisting of the various villains we’ve recently seen go to prison helping him to escape.

[ISMOTU · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Wayne's back and there's going to be trouble...

The all-star creative teams bring Batman back in new duds and we see him relearn what it means to be the Dark Knight and begin to reestablish his relationships with his allies. We also get an oversized story showing Bane's journey after his defeat at the hands of Jean Paul Valley.

Classic Bat-tales, same Bat-talents on the art.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very middle of the road stuff, with the romantic adventures of Alfred Pennyworth really scraping the barrel. Ends strong with the Vengeance of Bane II, but it’s over too soon.

Started reading the Knightfall series thinking it was my favourite Batman arc - turns out I just liked volume one, bits of volume three and that’s it.

[Paul Tubb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Batman comics almost religiously on the early 90s, and this book was a pleasant trip down memory lane.

The stories are all post Knightquest/knightsend/Knightfall and prodigal, which I considered at the time the zenith, and felt there was nowhere to go.

These tales, including Vengeance of Bane 2, prove me wrong...

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a mostly needless volume to end the Knightfall series, the first half had little to do with the overall arc and the Alfred side story was kinda silly, however the Bane section at the very end was great.

[Neil Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in business

This is a nice palette cleanser after the rather messy nightfall saga and feels more like the batman comics i'm used to. Nothing special happens beyond a decent band story at the end.

[Sotofunkdamental · Rating 3 out of 5]

La saga Knightfall concluye aquí. Argumento: "Una organización criminal conocida como la Troika, trata de dominar por medio de extorsiones a grandes compañías, entre las que se encuentra Waynecorp, lo que lleva al Hombre Murciélago a enfrentar a este grupo de criminales rusos".