A brief overview of the entire Batman: Knightfall Saga!

The villainous Bane breaks the Bat in one of the most popular and well-known Batman tales! The inmates of Arkham Asylum have broken free and Batman must push himself to the limits to re-apprehend the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Killer Croc and more. Pushed to the limits, he comes face-to-face against the monstrosity known as Bane, who delivers a crippling blow destined to change the Caped Crusader forever! Buy Part 1 herer: amzn.to/1WjFo2Q Never miss an episode by subscribing today! bit.ly/2WYvgkt #batman
ComicPop is a few friends talking about comic books. The ComicPop team brings a bunch of unique points of view to every single discussion about a comic book, graphic novel, character or story arc. You can find full conversations about your favorite titles from Marvel and DC Comics, plus a few pretty key independent comics. If you're looking for a long, funny conversation about Batman or a deep dive into why Spider-Man is so neurotic, check out the hours and hours of amusing, insightful and downright stupid conversations about some of your favorite comic books over the years. If you're a longtime comic book reader or just starting out, make sure to subscribe right now!
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[@zurichRevolts]

why aren't there more comments about that unintentional pun? even knowing 'back issues' is just the name of the show, it's still satisfying to see that title

[@andreac4757]

i didn't even realize lol

[@pebblebrookbooks4852]

Back issues are the Bane of many ppl's existence.

[@gabrielmedina9384]

i love how there passing the book around like its a fucken joint

[@eriktruchinskas3747]

for an ex junkie the venom comic is awesome. i guess it's one of those things where you have to have been through it to understand

[@jromey141]

I heard one interpretation of the moment when Azbats let's Bane live that actually made sense. It played out to give everyone hope, but in actuality it was Azbats giving Bane what he felt was his ultimate punishment. Bane was begging for death. That would be a release for him. He was born and raised in a prison, and returning was torture.

[@nattychamps9098]

I'm sorry guys I have to disagree with you I love knightfall in whole. Probably because it's the first comic I ever read as a kid so it holds a special place with me. It's indeed epic and Bane is not silly in this.

[@ekie7473]

I agree

[@kazual6149]

Man I haven't watched this ep in years and its still great!

[@WitherVideos]

Jean-Paul Valley lost everything Batman taught him... Except the pointy ears.

[@PlayForLOLs]

Although Knightfall isn't the best story I still really enjoyed reading it mainly because of the way it showed Batman's(bruce) slow decent to being just completely worn out and exhausted and then the same with jean paul going further into the brainwashing and crossing the "line". Jean paul Batman felt like a nice break from the norm, and getting to see just how far he will go as just being the opposite of the Batman ideal.

[@ryebreadreturn1]

I do like the idea of Batman wearing out. It kinda makes him even more of a real person vs the various superpowered characters who don't have that problem. Heroes are most interesting to me when I can related to them. Also the idea of writing this arc as a sort of critique of the ultra-violent new comics that were all the rage in the early 90's was interesting. Seems that the execution just wasn't that great.

[@comicpop]

Ethan Marsh Yeah, I think the whole concept was almost ahead of its time. It's like, the spirit was willing but the execution just wasn't there.

[@davidjames5117]

I love the comics from the 90s. Batman Knightfall, Death of Superman, Spider-man The Clone Saga. Marvel vs DC. All these books remind me of when I was younger.

[@Jonas-ej7id]

True I much prefer this sorce material to The dark knight rises

[@JimmiMiller1]

It’s 2:52 am I lost my phone charger I have 23%... Back Issues till the wheels fall off though😤! Lool

[@kaicanyonellis]

That small snippet at 9:45 of the Batman Miserables musical had me dying 😂😂😂😂😂

[@marcopololos]

throws him off a skyscraper 😂 I couldn't stop laughing when you said "and batman said LETS DO THIS bam dead" 😂 hilarious

[@lukeverrillo2014]

Would love to see more classic Batman stories on Back Issues, @ComicPop. Something like Prey or even Dark Victory

[@Logaton2000]

Challenge accepted and completed, I own those exact copies of the entire Knightfall trilogy. I have always wondered though how Azrael-Batman's costume turned red when real-Batman set him on fire. I didn't get that other than the writers wanted to show the how the bat-suit was becoming more like Azrael's old suit.

[@sjw4life546]

"People die all the time, but not by his hand". Two years later.... "Damn Batman's killing people left and right in that movie"

[@panthor109thabest7]

Movies are not canonfirst batman comics where changed/retconned so no guns or killing

[@yusufchoudhury2959]

joe mcnoe I get u but u have to understand the writers they were just starting out with the character and we're actually kind of copying another existing character called the shadow who used guns and killed. soon after he stopped using guns and killing ppl especially when Robin came along. his character became more unique and interesting and that's the batman we know and love

[@yusufchoudhury2959]

joe mcnoe so basically when they added those interesting bits to his character they completed him.

[@kingshukguha4452]

SJW 4LIFE he used non lethal bullets in the movie

[@robertt9342]

yusuf choudhury cool, but you do understand that the cinematic version are not the same as the comics, nor do they take away from the character.

[@rcluff86]

I really enjoy watching old Back Issues and seeing what is on the rack at the time. Memory lane....

[@captainawesome830]

It seems that whenever a character is killed off or injured the way that the hero comes back it is usually lackluster or completely ludicrous. The Death of Superman and Knightfall are great but when the hero comes back it doesn't make a lot of sense.

[@falserizufferezek9394]

Well, that's comic books for you.

[@cybercop0083]

Don't knock Superior Spider-Man. I'm still considering you a friend at 5he moment...

[@Bullsfan2008DR]

During the Azrael Batman vs. real Batman fight I never understood why Azrael's suit turned red after it was set on fire. Did he purposely paint it red underneath the blue just because that's what his old suit looked like? It makes no sense.

[@comicpop]

Bullsfan2008DR Probably. The Order of St. Dumas is a weird group.

[@Lifescythe]

+Bullsfan2008DR His outfit turned Red because during his fight with Bruce on the bridge, he activated his flame thrower during a gas leak, causing him to torch his own suit. Apparently he, under the influence of the system, painted the suit red and covered it with blue paint , which was removed when he torched himself.

[@williamgazca963]

my favorite moment of this book has to be when bane throws batman off the building and the last thing he hits on the way down is the bob kane museum 😅

[@sirgentlebread7302]

Final fight between Bat-Azrael and Batman is still one of the best thematic fights in Batman

[@tsubamegaeshi9004]

I live in Brazil, but thanks to you, I found this version and English containing all the stories without interference appeared to others. I already bought three.

[@gregorywells3492]

I thought it was more psychological with Bane weakening Batman myself, like a good game of chess. Bane in Knightfall was a very strategic and calculated villain. He studied his prey, found his weak points, and executed disabling his target. Bane was born in a South American prison (where his mother gave birth to him I believe) for crimes his father committed. That kind of psychological trauma could drive anyone to the brink of insanity. His obsession with Batman could be that Bane himself sees Batman as a surrogate father, and the only why to to relieve the tension and anguish is to break Batman or his father.

[@fardanhamidon]

That Save Ferris shirt means everything to me. :)

[@JoshMunroe]

I would love for there to be a running joke about Bane regarding his henchmen's names. He develops these genius plans, but can't think of any creative nicknames for his underlings. "Hey Moustache, go help Scar-Guy and Has-a-Pet-Dog carry that thing."

[@jacob_ian_decoursey_the_author]

Batman #500 is, standing by itself with no context, an amazingly written issue. Whether the rest of the Kinghtfall series is good of bad, #500 is an epic poem in illustrated form.

[@jamiehenry3568]

8 years later. Still awesome guys. ✌️

[@brianward6291]

Keep them coming!

[@comicpop]

You keep watching and it's a deal!

[@crimsonking440]

Man it's crazy how different everyone sounds today. Except Sal. He is eternal.

[@EpeeCaptin88]

Ya....this needs a remaster. Totally forgot you guys did this one! Can't wait for this episode.

[@TheGreatDevlin]

Well guess what was uploaded today... 😂

[@pbjoey703]

Returning to this classic again to get hyped up for future episodes getting deeper into knight fall!!

[@NoobLyyyyy]

I love this series so much guys, I'm fairly new to collecting and reading comics and this is a great way to catch up on some of the stories i have missed. It would be cool if you did a back issue on a a flash story or maybe the green lantern blackest night event.

[@comicpop]

Definitely want to do Flashpoint at some point!

[@NoobLyyyyy]

Sweet! Can't wait!

[@jordanbarr3732]

Sal's silent gestures at the start are hilarious

[@dearlydemented19ify]

Next stop in my rewatch 🤪 This was one of the first Bat stories I ever read. Had no fucking clue what was going on lol.

[@chocolatethunderfriends7022]

You guys are awesome hahah

[@Spider-man-dk1bl]

Can you guys do the Arkhamverse comics like unhinged and the prequel stuff?, love the videos btw!

[@anthonyencinias287]

I actually loved this story. I couldn't believe that nobody else could find out that nobody couldn't figure out who Batman is. Bane actually taught you how stupid Batman is.

[@amightyadam]

Still have my black plastic folder, and poster sal :)

[@scholzlc-xn3vd]

Sal looks like a mob boss or a pimp when he’s nodding along at the start & I love it. Great episode, as all are.

[@scms2528]

I'm shocked you guys are saying bane sucks in this. I thought this story cemented him as one of the best Batman foes.

[@FloorTankMain]

I have such a love-hate relationship when Sal picks comics that I adore for Ethan and Ben (and sometimes Tiffany) to rip into. I know the Knightsaga was a mess, alright.. And I do appreciate having the rose tinted glasses taken off because it proves to me that I enjoy the story in spite of it. I've lost enjoyment of things before that have been "outed" to me in that way in that they were terrible all along. But I loved Cataclysm and Contagion and the Knightsaga and Prodigal and yes I just named the goddamned 90's Batman stories in order but I'm just such a damned loser and I love them

[@bluenoahx]

and I owned most of them

[@noahku1314]

How did I just now get Ben's joke in the thumbnail

[@sightseeing7993]

What even is it?

[@popcrnshower]

it always seems like the dude in the middle is the only one that reads comic books

[@nufonehudis2070]

More like Broken Back Issues! heh... Anyways, I really enjoyed it. Gained a new sub! Was forwarded here from Marvel Explained/Weekly Pull.

[@comicpop]

Awesome! Welcome to the Little House ;)

[@tomstreet8208]

Holy shit I had made that connection about venom's origin years ago and totally forgot about it till now. I still own Batman Venom too. That would make a funny back issues.

[@frankviewologytv4586]

At first I thought Knightfall was an aweful story, but when u mentioned that all the rogues break free u sold the volume to me. I love to see Batman face all his rogues

[@myconiusmaximus1022]

Bane figuring out Batman's secret identity was SO contrived.

[@superluigiac]

The Joker-scarecrow fight was okay, but everything with Azrael was crazy

[@kurtoogle4576]

Troglodytes vs. Luddites!

[@zeboswalt1131]

Cool show, but Knight fall was pretty epic. I must respectfully disagree. Now Garson was a much better Bat-Man than Az was, but still. It was good. Can't wait to see ya'lls next U-tube show.

[@nattychamps9098]

Zeb Oswalt I agree as well I still love it. Plus it has a special place in my heart being the first comic I ever read.

[@zeboswalt1131]

That's cool Joe. Personally I liked it all the way threw, but I under stand it wasn't for every one.

[@LapsedComicFan]

I rarely disagree with Sal, but I loved this story. I know when it came out I wasn’t a fan and felt the same way since they just offed Superman and it felt forced but as a back issue it’s great. Some of the art is fantastic and I really enjoyed rereading this and having it in all 3 parts works for me.

[@Three_Tiny_Robots]

Bane's thugs, Trog, Bird, and Zombie, were all named after British bands from the '60s.

[@siamsama2983]

This trade is huge

[@Mr-Green0]

23:14 Comic books? More like school textbooks! What, you need to study for a Batman Knowledge quiz, test, or exam?

[@mattskirble6845]

Interesting fact Joe Quesada designed the Azbats suit .

[@cthulhujack]

Banes mask in Dark Knight Rises (The Nolan movie) was inspired by The Supermutant Leader from Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller comic). The whole movie is chock full of DKR references. Ever stop and think about that scene at the beginning where Bruce has a funny looking goatee and practices archery? Great listen, btw. Love you guys!

[@deazy6453]

I wanna see a Sal book

[@davidcook1541]

WHat if Lex in BVS was a "clone" like how you mentioned in the beginning of this vid? he has red hair lol

[@benhramiak8781]

You mentioned Jason Todd: could you cover Under the Red Hood.

[@cybercop0083]

Before the hilarious voice and before the Christopher Nolan trilogy, there was grunting bodybuilder driving Uma Thurman around with a chauffeur cap on.

[@Sicod79]

Bane was just a really big fan of Rocky IV. "I must break you." -Ivan Drago

[@PlayingWithWilson]

A lot of what they talk about is not included in these editions

[@liamdamico6301]

Can you please do peter David's young justice series. I love it so much

[@batnick7230]

23:02 = Ben’s WTF moment 😂

[@JohnDoe-ge2po]

I loved Batman when I was a kid, born in 90', didn't know what comics were, loved the movies and the animated series, Knightfall was my first Batman book when I was real young and honestly I hated it.

[@oranginator]

True, it's very dragged and long, but overall, I really enjoy it as a Batman Epic, bought the whole trilogy for $90 Collectors Edition

[@vingaxoc6543]

I like how the show is called back issues and you review batman knightfall (the story where batman has back issues).

[@jengwong]

I'm a really big fan of the Ultimate comics, so if you guys could do come more ultimate comics I would love that!

[@comicpop]

Can do!

[@liamfaulds5884]

Surprised that when marvel and Dc crossed over bane never teamed up with the venom symbiotic suit imagine the amount of backs they could have broke

[@wagdawgwag872]

Wrestling references are great.

[@beatleblev]

Great show guys! Thanks for catching me up on what's been going on in the comicverse since I left in the mid 90's. Knightfall was the last straw for me and DC. I hated the story, hated Bane as a character, and was disappointed that Batman would choose Valley over Dick (read that anyway you want;). A few years later the Onslaught/Heroes Reborn arc made me eject completely from collecting comics. They turned my main jam Iron Man into Kang's bitch then replaced him with an alternate reality teen version. I was incredibly happy to see my favorite DC hero portrayed correctly by Nolan to be followed by my favorite Marvel hero, Iron Man on the silver screen. The quality of those movies reignited my interest in comics at a great time as I am now able to share them with my nephews. Love your channel.

[@TheGreatDevlin]

Guess who's back because of the remastered episode lol

[@Werferharfer]

What pisses me of about dc, is that whenever they're doing something great , they just tend to mess everything up with a bunch of lame story and carachters, "brake the bat" and I'm in a Back Issues marathon

[@mrsquishyboots]

I still have all the death of super man issues in and out of the bag lol

[@azb-comics]

Wait this is the first app of bean ? Wow I thought he came in the comics way earlier

[@comicpop]

No, Bane first appeared in Vengeance of Bane #1.

[@azb-comics]

@@comicpop oke. But I think that the knightfall siries is the best batman sireis ever and that bane is kinde a first app for batman !

[@patrickjennings8116]

Did you know that this video is not included in your Batman on Back Issues Playlist?

[@patrickjennings8116]

I must've been mistaken

[@azb-comics]

It's funny I did not get the book of knightfall but I got the loose issues 1-19 I think it's a littel bit more fun

[@williamgazca6641]

Firefly to me is such a bad ass villain

[@umbrakoper6808]

that suit was good

[@ryebreadreturn1]

The cover for this ep should be the breaking bad logo but with "Bat" instead of "Bad"

[@comicpop]

omg what a good idea

[@pavanbhartt857]

Most of the people complaining about the dark Knight rises are just haters. Who cares if there are plot holes every movie has plot holes, quite nitpicking otherwise u can't see this movie for what it truly is- a spectacular character study of Bruce Wayne, a man rediscovering the will to live. This is the best movie in terms of character development for Bruce Wayne. When the movie opens he is completely broken and all hope is lost, he has to figure out how to be batman all over again. It is a tremendous film and a natural and realistic follow up to the dark knight, as it explores the impacts being batman has on Bruce Wayne, and further develops characters introduced in the two previous films to perfection. It also introduces new characters such as cat woman and the badass villain bane. We see batman finally physically meet his match and we see him in his lowest point as he is completely broken. Then we see our favourite hero rise again, and finally move on from from his anger and pain.

[@EricMinimus]

I started buying comics a couple years ago because i wanted to read this arc... Really wasn't very good... A few good parts, but overall disappointing. But I started buying tons of Batman comics because i wanted to know what happened before. Now I'm reading all sorts of comics, they are amazing, I was missing out as a kid.

[@comicpop]

That's so awesome! I mean, sorry about Knightfall, but the rest of the story is inspiring to comics fans. Love it.

[@geoffreymillsap2440]

23:05 best Ethan moments coming up....what happens after thi

[@pockets43]

Great show guys! cause of this channel I've picked up "Old Man Logan" and I'm checking out comicfix.com for your your comics Sal... Looking forward to it!

[@comicpop]

Thanks, Peter! Hope you dig. If you like funny / action-adventure, give Garth Kirby a read.

[@daoust26]

Bane had so much potential when he was introduced. It's a shame they didn't keep his momentum going.

[@holyfrancis]

literal back issues xD

[@bbthumb43]

please do ultimate spiderman

[@shamanthramachandra9610]

is Sal a comic book writer??

[@comicpop]

Self-published, but yeah!

[@shamanthramachandra9610]

+ComicPOP! cool where can I get ur work..I would love to check it out

[@shamanthramachandra9610]

+ComicPOP! can you please name some of your work

[@comicpop]

shamanth ramanchandra Sure! I wrote Garth Kirby and the Cookbook of the Gods (bit.ly/1x7S3cz) and Flight of the Binturong (fotbcomic.com), to name two!

[@shamanthramachandra9610]

+ComicPOP! cool thanks..will check it out

[@BforceFilms]

So, i have to know, have any of you got a chance to check out the pilot for The Flash that leaked out online?

[@comicpop]

I totally did. I talk about it on the upcoming Weekly Pull podcast over on MarvelExplained, actually.

[@BforceFilms]

TVLittleHouse Cool, i thought it was fairly good, and knowing how the quality keeps increasing over on Arrow, i'm fairly confident it will get better.

[@comicpop]

TerminalNoob Grodd, dude. I'm in.

[@BforceFilms]

That will be interesting to see on screen. I'm most interested in where that last scene leads to. Hopefully it wont take 10 years to lead up to it.

[@comicpop]

TerminalNoob Ugh. Smallville syndrome.

[@johnfairchild9476]

this isn't world war hulk...

[@grizzlycinema3484]

I kept waiting for a jean van damme joke but instead you said Jean Val Jean...... Major let down

[@isaolortegui]

I actually love the novel written by Dennis O'Neil than I did the graphic novel

[@jmail1984]

Ben seems so unimpressed!

[@TheGuy735]

Sal would be a really good editor in chief for DC.

[@anthonyencinias287]

Bruce has tighed up countless nameless badguys upside down. I'm sure one of them haved died from dangeling upside down. Batman can't be faultless.

[@Xaintrix]

Holy phone books! I had accounting textbooks less dense than this series. I had the same jaw dropping reaction when all three volumes were stacked up. New Batman = New Coca-Cola It just doesn't work.

[@dumbbitchs2292]

What can we as viewers do to get your channel exposure?? This channel deserves a large fan-base.

[@comicpop]

I really appreciate that! You're doing everything by subscribing. and commenting! But I wouldn't be against telling your friends, sharing on social media, maybe telling us if there are other Tubers you'd like us to work with... a Otherwise, you're doing awesome!

[@pebblebrookbooks4852]

Back issues for back issues?

[@gokwanometer]

I wanted to ask you guys and its related to this story did Dick Grayson/night wing take up the mantel of batman when he got his back broken? Coz I was reading a 1995 night wing comic and it said that he had a go at it and he didn't feel that he was a good as him

[@comicpop]

Dick takes over after Batman defeats Fake Batman. He basically says he needs to focus on being Bruce Wayne more, so Dick steps in.

[@gokwanometer]

ahh right thanks a lot guys for that now im not as confused keep up the good work

[@panthor109thabest7]

That is later during some crisis eventBatman mortally wounded Darksied then superman kill steals after batman was sent to the past in the meant time Dick=Bats

[@FloorTankMain]

PANTHOR109 Tha best That was the SECOND time Dick was Batman. The first time was what they're referring to here which was after Bruce defeats Jean-Paul, gives Batman to Dick, and fucks off to Europe or wherever-the-hell with Alfred.

[@eliteninja23]

Yeah, i gotta say, the first time i read this (A month ago or so) i was really underwhelmed. I mean, i was expecting it to be dark and epic. ooh, breaking the bat. It sounded SO cool. But... i was just kinda boring and dumb. The Victor Zsasz issue was awesome though, imo.

[@comicpop]

Yeah, I'm sad to say it was surprisingly dull. That issue was the first time I'd even heard of Zsasz!

[@GeorgAyres]

I don't know if this is the normal format for your videos, but I wish the other two guys had read the story arc, because it's lame to just see them "Oh yeah... oh no..." all the time. Everyone can see you put so much effort into this and I loved your insights on the stories, but I wish you'd sat down with people who'd actually read the comics. Great review, but sadly two lame invitees.

[@comicpop]

This is the show. Catch Sins Past or All Star Batman to see if you would enjoy it.

[@GeorgAyres]

@@comicpop I definitely will! (Edit) don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it a lot. Your overview and commentary are great. It's just the other two guys who had very little to contribute.

[@dtejada1988]

😎👍🏼