A Terrible Abomination

by

Graham Nolan, one of Bane’s co-creators, is now speaking out about the widely shared design of Absolute Bane. This muscular Batman antagonist first appeared in issue #1 of “Batman: Vengeance of Bane,” written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Nolan himself, back in 1993. The comic served as an origin story for this powerful adversary from the “Knightfall” narrative. Interestingly, even before receiving the muscle-boosting drug Venom, Bane was already in peak physical shape.

In contrast to the grotesque and exaggerated portrayal of Bane on Kelley Jones’ cover for Batman #497, the character as depicted by Absolute Batman artist Nick Dragotta is exceptionally muscular, larger even than the already imposing 6’6″ tall, 275-pound Batman. This new design was harshly criticized by actor Christian Bale, who labeled it a “terrible abomination” in a widely shared social media post that garnered over 1.6 million views.

In response to countless requests for my thoughts on the portrayal of Bane, I openly shared my honest opinion,” Nolan posted later on X. “I’ve been labeled as everything from a ‘has-been,’ to ‘bitter,’ to ‘outdated.'”

Read moreHunt: Showdown Permanently Gets Cheaper, but With a Catch

His post further read, “Take it easy! It’s just an opinion that shouldn’t influence your feelings about it. Over 1.6 million people viewed this post, and it appears many had their own opinions as well. If everyone here were buying comics instead of expressing their opinions about mine, the industry would be healthier. I’m issuing a challenge to all of you. Instead of getting angry at me, why not prove me wrong? Buy this book! Encourage others to do the same and get numerous copies. Demonstrate your disagreement financially rather than verbally, boost this artist’s royalty earnings significantly! Let’s aim to sell 1.6 million copies of this book! That will show me.

Visual representations differ across various adaptations. In the 1997 film Batman & Robin, Bane was portrayed as a muscular brute, covered in veins. However, in the 2012 movie The Dark Knight Rises (played by Tom Hardy), he appeared more toned but of normal size. In the original Batman: The Animated Series, Bane’s exposed lips made him resemble a professional wrestler, or luchador, in one episode. In the 2004 animated series The Batman, Bane was transformed into a large, red-skinned character due to Venom’s influence. The 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum featured a massive Bane, equipped with an intricate Venom-dispensing tube system instead of the usual feeding tubes in his mask.

The final scene of March’s “Absolute Batman” issue 6 features the grim Joker, who uses infants’ blood to cure his pale skin, calling upon Bane to Gotham City. In the upcoming issues, as Batman investigates the secret facility “Ark M,” funded by the Joker and Black Mask, he will first encounter a mysterious, creature-like Mr. Freeze in issue 7 of “Absolute Batman,” followed by a confrontation with Bane in June’s “Absolute Batman” #9.

Read More

2025-03-28 02:39