Nolanverse Bane

Just a warning, I'll probably be making a lot of Bane jokes in this post, and they could be extremely painful ... for you. So deal with it. Also, you've probably noticed that I'm using italics to show that I'm speaking in a Bane voice. Anyway, the Bane from what I call the Batman Nolanverse (the Dark Knight trilogy universe) has done something extremely difficult: he's a movie version of a character that I like more than the comic book version. When another character does that, he has my permission to brag. But seriously. Nolanverse Bane is powerful, but doesn't ruin the atmosphere of the movie by being a giant superhuman monster, manages to sound crazy evil, even without using a particularly sinister (but extremely fun to imitate) voice, and just generally oozes awesome. I think he fits the movie so well because unlike the other characters, who have merely adopted the Nolanverse, Nolanverse Bane was born in it; molded by it. Which reminds me, Bane has some awesome quotes, and is one of my favorite movie villains to quote, much to my friends' despair. So, as I terrorize my friends with Bane quotes, I will feed them hope to poison their souls. Don't misunderstand me though; I like comic book Bane. Or at least I like him when he's smart. I prefer the "masked man" over the "mentally challenged gorilla man," as seen in the same movie that featured George Clooney disgracing the Batman. I have no love for that movie (I wondered what would break first: the writing or the acting?... Or perhaps I'm wondering why they would shoot a movie for which they should be thrown out of a plane...) or that version of Bane. I do kinda like when Bane is a super genius and incredibly strong though. I still think Knightfall, the story where he first breaks Batman, is one of the better Batman stories out there. But as good as that is, my favorite Bane has to be Nolanverse. Honestly, the only thing I would've liked to see with him but didn't is some mention of Osito, his childhood teddy bear that was so important to comic book Bane. That's a pretty small thing though. And I suppose it didn't actually show him as a child in prison, so for all we know, Nolanverse Bane did spend his childhood shanking people with knives concealed inside his teddy bear. Like I said though, it's a small thing anyway. Nolanverse Bane is pure awesome.

The Joker

As evil, sick and twisted as he is, I think there are two things you have to credit him for: his choice of weapons and his ability to make the reader simultaneously hate him, and yet at times somehow like him. I mean, if I were a super villain, I wouldn't be crazy(pun...kinda) about his Joker Gas, but some of his weapons are things that I would actually use. Whatever weapon he's using in the picture at teh bottom? sure. One of those bang flag guns that shoots the flag like a spear? Yes. A flower that squirts acid? Absolutely. The classic giant hammer? You bet. An over sized revolver? Definitely. Regular guns and knives seem a little boring compared to this stuff, but you still can't go wrong with those. And I also like his trademark cards. If you happen to be keeping track of the weapons and weapon sets I've said I want (I have no idea why you would be, but just in case), be sure to add Joker weapons, and they're pretty high on the list. And with that half of my thought completed, it's time for the second half, which is the way that the Joker can be hateable and also likeable. Huh. I'm talking about the Joker, but there are two halves/components to my thought process and one of them involves having two different thoughts about him. And that kinda reminds me of our old friend Two-Face ... So I'm discussing one Batman villain while thinking like another ... Freudian! Well, kinda sorta maybe, but you get my point. So, moving on from that sort of brief diversion, I'll now describe the second part of what I like about he who Harley Quinn calls Mr. J. When he says "Why so serious?", he means it. I don't think he takes anything seriously. In the Knightfall storyline when he teamed up with Scarecrow and they were formulating evil schemes, one of Joker's was to call the airport and ask them to page Seymour Butts! And if you played Arkham City, don't tell me that you didn't kinda like him, or that when he died, you weren't sad for reasons other than the fact that he won't be in the next game if there is one, 'cause I know I'm not the only one that felt a bit of genuine sadness there. Speaking of Arkham City, its source material, the No Man's Land series, is a great illustration of my point. Especially one particular scene in I believe the 5th volume. He was about to cut someone up with a pair of giant scissors, then Bane grabbed him, and when was about to be beaten to a pulp, all Joker said was "Oh this is gonna suck." And even after Bane had put a big hurtin' on him and threw him pretty far, he still made a joke and whimsically pointed out that he could see up one of Lex Luthor's employees' skirt. When I read that, I just thought: Seriously, Joker? You're getting beaten on by the man who broke the bat, and all you're gonna say is "I see Europe I see France"? At moments like that, my fellings about him are about as two sided as Harvey's face - before the Hush, or possibly Dark Knight Returns plotlines, that is. And I just reminded myself by using the words Dark Knight that personally, I understand why that movie didn't really show any of what I'm talking about, I think it would've been nice if they did. I think it adds a bit of extra depth to his character when you think: Wow; this guy really is crazy. One minute he's making jokes and seems funny and almost likeable, and the next he's surrounded by people he just killed. And I can't think of a good closing sentence.