Radio-Play Comics - Batman Knightfall (ALL IN ONE)

Previously uploaded as 3 separate episodes, I have removed the introductions and outros from the middle parts and left the main story uninterrupted.
Originally published in 1993 in the wake of The Death of Superman, Batman Knightfall, the story of Bane breaking Batman's back and his replacement by Jean Paul Valley, is possibly the greatest Batman story ever told, when you include Knightquest and Knightsend, the reign of Jean Paul Valley's Batman and Bruce's eventual return and retaking of the mantle of the bat. You will see Batman pushed to his absolute limit, and beyond. It is truly a testament to his indomitable spirit, what he endures in these pages. This is not the tale of a hero's success, but of his greatest fall, and of the honor with which he faces his end.
It does not end with his breaking, though, and you will also see the twisting and perversion of the incarnation which replaces him. In the lettercolumns of the time, some fans cheered on the brutal new version of Batman while other fans bemoaned what had become of a once proud and noble hero's name. It was controversial, and caused many to drop the books. I think Jean Paul's Batman was meant as a parody of the worst and most prevalent elements of 90's comics, the amount of blades, guns and psychological trauma only matched by the amount of unnecessary pouches and lethality.
Both KnightQuest and KnightsEnd are now complete, and the short follow-up, starring Dick Grayson in the Batsuit, Prodigal, will follow relatively soon.
Intro - 0:00
Part I: The Broken Bat
Prologue: Bane Comes To Town - 1:40
Part 1: "Crossed Eyes, Dotty Teas" - 8:31
Part 2: "Puppets" - 11:23
Part 3: "Red Slash" - 13:21
Part 4: "Crocodile Tears" - 17:12
Part 5: "Night Terrors" - 19:56
Part 6: "City On Fire" - 23:47
Part 7: "Strange Deadfellows" - 26:24
Part 8: "Burning Questions" - 29:50
Part 9: "Die Laughing" - 32:56
Part 10: "No Rest For The Wicked" - 36:05
Part 11: "The Broken Bat" - 39:10
Part II: Who Rules The Night
Part 12: "Who Rules The Night" - 47:15
Part 13/14: "Showcase '93" - 50:14
Part 15: "Knights In Darkness" - 51:10
Part 16: "Lightning Changes" - 55:04
Part 17: "The Venom Connection" - 59:13
Part 18: "The Devil You Know" - 1:03:29
Part 19: "Dark Angel" - 1:06:56
Outro - 1:17:44
KnightQuest - • Radio-Play Comics - Ba...
KnightsEnd - • Radio-Play Comics - Ba...
Batman, Bane, Azrael and all characters copyright of DC Comics.
Adaptation script written and performed by Nick Moore.

[@PizzaTimeGamingChannel]

Thank you for doing this. I've got some health issues that make it tough to read for long periods of time, so taking on Knightfall would've been a huge ordeal. Keep it up!

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks for watching! I do plan to get around to Knightquest and Knightsend, I just don't know when. I might do Knightsend on its own, as Knightquest is the problem. It was just a period of time with lots of Batman stories starring Jean Paul, it's not one big narrative. I basically have to invent one. But I do love the change of pace. He's not a bad guy really, he handles most things well. He's just different from Bruce.

[@goldennugget5680]

Hope you get better soon

[@alejandroyava]

I just love Bane's way to talk and adress his enemies and prey. He is a very cool villain.

[@nicholasg9804]

knightfall was the most honest take on batman... he isnt superhuman.. just a man, a good man, but a man..

[@fusionspace175]

What stands out to me is how hard Bane had to cheat to get his win. I mean you're absolutely right, no human could ever stand up to the test that Bane set for him. But Bruce's main fault was trying to do it alone. It hurts me when Jean and Tim try to take more of the burden and he refuses them. I know it's how the writers wanted it to go and all that, but I think those moments would stand out to Bruce as his biggest mistakes while he lay in his hospital bed healing. It's such a great story, the people who comment that we need an animated version are so right. I just did the best I could. Thanks to everyone for watching. This is going to be my first video to hit ten thousand views, it almost makes me feel like a real youtuber.

[@doggbone294]

I had to pause to comment... This is awesome!!! My 2 favourite storylines ever in any fictional basis are The Death & Return of Superman and Knightfall. I stored my comics away at my dads house so I haven't been able to read any of my graphic novels for a while and I'm absolutely loving this! And I love how you incorporate the art covers and the comic panels. Love you work and thank you so much. I'm really enjoying this! Sending love from Australia! 🇦🇺 ❤️

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks! I also adapted death and return of Superman as two separate episodes, as well as the rest of the knightfall saga and bat events through cataclysm, so I hope you enjoy those as well. Currently working on No Man's Land. I visited Australia back in the 90s on a school based trip, and it was a very beautiful country, we took a tour bus on the coast from Sydney to Melbourne if I remember right. We all picked up the accent to some extent, and I hope my Australian Lex is good enough for you. Enjoy! P.s., do they still make Lift lemon soda? That was my favorite.

[@doggbone294]

@@fusionspace175 that's awesome bro! I'll definitely check out Superman. Yeah I'm pretty sure we still have Lift :)

[@GRIZY28]

Dude thanks alot. Even comicstorian didnt cover this (atleast that i can find) so from all of us Thank you. Def got a sub from me

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks for watching, and enjoy! If you like this, I kept going with the Bat events through the 90's, through the rest of the KnightQuest/KnightsEnd/Prodigal saga, and ending with No Man's Land. I didn't read Batman all the time, I would only pick it up when the events were on, for some reason. I think he was just overexposed, and that was enough Batman for the whole year. At the time there were at least five books a month starring Batman alone, plus all the Robins and Catwomans and such. It let them crank out these events in great time and with a ton of talent onboard, though.

[@deluxerecordings7]

Can somebody tell me how hell there’s not a animated movie for this yet 🤔 Brice timms Animation +Kevin conroy’s voice = Master piece‼️💯💯 thanx for the upload btw my guy 💯👏👏

[@marlonthemightysmith7836]

Thank you!!!!

[@deluxerecordings7]

@@marlonthemightysmith7836 henry silvia’s voice as bane as it was on the animated series‼️woahhhh we got a master piece.This was the best Batman Story 💯

[@bearbbb12]

True that!!!!

[@ThePaperKhan]

Rest in peace

[@Gundam4]

They should have done it when Conroy was still with us

[@jenkelley8097]

Love how u show each issue's cover also. 🤘

[@bobjoe7637]

Thank you so much please keep making these

[@jenkelley8097]

Thank u sir, and the binge begins.

[@michaelandrew8493]

This is awsome thanks man

[@RT-bt5ql]

Incredible,thank you for this

[@fusionspace175]

No problem, I did the rest of the Knightfall saga up through Prodigal and more Batman beyond it. But this is an old video, I think I'm making much better content now, so check out my current work if you feel like it. I've got a great Green Arrow series going on, and next episode will be Batman vs Punisher.

[@Stepper11]

Thanks for the video. Well done.

[@michaelnewman7248]

Maaan the way this story builds suspense is unbelievable. Also something occurred to me during this story that i never thought of before: the joker sleeps. Weird to think about

[@fusionspace175]

You want to go further with that thought, there was a JLA story where the Spectre (Hal Jordan) went with the team into the Joker's soul, to demonstrate that even within the most evil there is the same spark of light as in every human being, and therefore a chance of redemption. It was shown as a cozy little room with a warm fireplace and a cup of tea, and in it just a normal, sane seeming man without the discolored face or hair.

[@adr5389]

heck of a good job dude

[@bigmac5639]

Appreciate u taking the time 2 Read 2 Us Brother🙏🏾

[@bigwetsalmon1]

I've heard alot about the knightfall arc. I read comics in the 80s and 90s but zero DC or Marvel, all Dark Horse and Image, the comic based sequels to Aliens and Gen 13 really grabbed me, the big two just seemed a bit cheesy but this is absolutely incredible. Thank you.

[@fusionspace175]

I was mostly a DC guy with a healthy helping of Marvel and some scattered Image and DH. I've adapted three of the old Dark Horse crossovers starting with Batman vs Predator, but mostly just o show people what they were doing with license comics then. If I go back it'll probably be for Robocop, but my main focus is always going to be DC of that period, and Batman is one of the long running narratives arcs I have going, all collected in the Batman playlist. Showing a how a book changes over time is part of what I want to represent. Thanks for watching! Lots more to come.

[@tyronleung5276]

This comic needs an animated trilogy

[@fusionspace175]

I've always thought so, yes. They did attempt it on the first Animated Series from 1992, but it was a multi part episode that really didn't capture it well. It can't work on a show where Batman has to be back in action next week. They need adaptations in the vein of Year One and Dark Knight Returns, those were both excellent.

[@tyronleung5276]

@@fusionspace175 it deserves to be animated along side dark victory and death in the family

[@hhabilis24]

thanks!!!

[@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets]

19:32 That has got to be the coolest design for Croc I've seen so far.

[@jorts_master69]

Knightfall's designs were classic comic artwork at its finest

[@varaprad]

You deserve a lot more subs my man. Excellent narration. Please cover more batman arcs if possible. I honestly cant stand the fake humor and shouting on comicstorian or some podcasts. You nailed the whole thing.

[@fusionspace175]

Check out my Batman playlist, I did most major events of the 90s, and No Man's Land will come eventually. Thanks!

[@dreamer2387]

Just earned yourself a subscription. Please keep doing the good work

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks! The death of green arrow will be up tomorrow, almost done editing now.

[@dreamer2387]

@@fusionspace175 Thanks I'm going to watch your videos. Excited for your invincible series and lovecraft. Thanks for making them Hope this channel explodes soon

[@fusionspace175]

@@dreamer2387 It's actually not Invincible, as I don't cover things that have good adaptations. I did Grant Morrison's Invisibles series from Vertigo in the mid 90's. Invincible is an excellent book though, and the show is a truly wonderful adaptation, an uncompromised vision. There's a ton of great story ahead if they stick with it.

[@dreamer2387]

@@fusionspace175 oh still you have great content. Your channel will be huge soon

[@JosephSlattery171]

Good stuff!

[@racecar789]

Well done

[@wyldshot666]

Great job sir.

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks! I hope you'll also enjoy my Halloween special up this weekend, Batman: Arkham Asylum. As many Batman episodes as I have, there's always another different style of story to tell, which keeps it interesting for me, too.

[@wyldshot666]

@@fusionspace175 I'm there. Just subscribed.

[@rickyronous4332]

keep making videos like this

[@lalmuansangakhawlhring677]

2022 thank you❤️❤️

[@fusionspace175]

If you really loved this video, I now have a commentary track for it available on my brand new Patreon page! It's informative and entertaining and I have a lot more to say about this comic, if you're interested and have 2 dollars to spare. More commentaries will be up soon, I promise you'll get value for your money. www.patreon.com/FusionSpace (old comment) This is my first video to hit 1,000 views! Thanks to everyone who watched it, and I hope you all come back for KnightQuest and KnightsEnd to see Jean Paul's Batman, Bruce's search, and then Bruce's comeback. Anyway, KnightQuest is now up, to complete this trilogy along with KnightsEnd. As an added bonus, KnightQuest was made with my new mic, and has better audio quality. Prodigal will be coming soon, Dick Grayson's turn in the Batsuit which follows KnightsEnd, so keep watching!

[@joesalyers]

Hey, I posted the BBC Knightfall Drama on my channel and on the end popup cards I linked to this video in case someone wanted to get the complete story!! I thought I would let you know. The audio from the old BBC audio drama was pretty bad so I cleaned it up and posted it, and as soon as I did I remembered your Knightfall video so I linked to it on my channel!! Cheers!!

[@fusionspace175]

Cool, I've enjoyed some of their work in the past. Usually I only hear about that one in the context of "they pronounced Jean Paul correctly", to which my response is "it's open to interpretation", basically. Of all my videos this is the only one I've thought about doing an updated special edition of, I think I left a lot of good performances on the table in my rush to trim it to a good program length.

[@joesalyers]

@@fusionspace175 I would love to see you update this video!! It's great but I know how much you have grown since this video and you could really make it even better!! Cheers!

[@biggsweaty]

I cant thank you enough for this. When I was a kid, Batman became my favorite hero and this series was the one I grew up with (I was 10-12). Its very sad that I never was able to keep all of my comics and; Im just at a loss for words as to how thankful I am to you for giving me a chance to read/see/experience this again. Thank you so much.

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks! Knightfall was the second big story arc I got into collecting after I started with Death of Superman in 1992, mostly because they ran ads in the Superman books and those Knightfall ads were amazing, Google them if you like. I'm glad I finished the saga and got Prodigal done, along with the big Bat events leading up to No Man's Land, but I haven't started on that yet. Someday though, I will.

[@ragingpotpie4487]

Dude that was fucking awesome

[@ajjjay9583]

Imagine if I had this when I was 16 better yet you got it at 42

[@bujilou]

Nobody talks about knightsend but it's a solid conclusion

[@fusionspace175]

I adapted that as well, though I did skip Knightquest for now. I think KnightsEnd might be the strongest chapter of the saga. I love the ending so much, where most heroes would be focused on defeating their enemy, Bruce makes it his responsibility to rescue Jean from himself.

[@Angyali]

47:08 One of the 5 most iconic page images of Detective Comics history!

[@fusionspace175]

I love all of Bane's dialogue here. I was let down they didn't take any of those lines for the movie. I mean, "I would kill to silence a grating voice. I would kill to darken the light in eyes that dared look at me" is just so good. It's the words more than the images that stuck with me, but those are great too.

[@Angyali]

@@fusionspace175 I too always look at the substance of a narrative piece, whether it's comic, cartoon, TV-show or movies. Most writers and directors only care for a style or attitude. I always look for the story, characters and dialogue first.

[@whisperingaprayer42]

Batman beating the crap out of Joker while screaming "Jason" is the most badass batman moment ever!!!

[@fusionspace175]

There aren't too many times when I think Batman actually scared Joker, but that's one of them. He's just gone at that point. I also think it's not just because he's worn down and hit with fear gas, but also that Joker never really faced punishment for killing Robin. He used his diplomatic immunity and fled the county, this might even be their very next time meeting face to face since then. He had it coming.

[@whisperingaprayer42]

@@fusionspace175 You are right. I would like to see this moment played out in an animated cartoon or in a movie.

[@fusionspace175]

@@whisperingaprayer42 Yeah, me too. I did the best I could, but the world needs a proper animated movie, really at least a trilogy, one for each part (KnightQuest & KnightsEnd). They've worked it into some of the cartoon shows but always in severely limited ways. I don't get why DC has given us 2 separate attempts at Death and Return of Superman and never tried a Knightfall movie.

[@JYDY-if5rf]

They should make that an animated movie

[@fusionspace175]

The only thing I can figure as to why they haven't, is that if they do Knightfall, they're kinda on the hook for Quest and End, as well, and they're not sure those would both sell as well and make the trilogy profitable. I mean, they've done it in so many limited forms, there's an episode of many of the cartoons emulating the plot, but it's never been done properly. It's a big part of why I started the channel to begin with, to get more attention on these stories.

[@bujilou]

Have you done one of these story times for sword of Azrael?

[@fusionspace175]

No, I did not, sorry. I have read it, but I didn't find it all that necessary to the Knightfall story, and I have to admit I didn't follow Azrael's ongoing comic after it started up either. He just wasn't that compelling a character to me outside of his time as Batman. If I were doing he episode now instead of back when I was still figuring everything out, I'd have probably at least given a summary though. But I feel it's better during Knightfall to not be thinking too much about Azrael, that way the hidden personality comes more as a surprise when it develops during Quest and takes over fully in End. I did do Prodigal though, following KnightsEnd when Dick Grayson fills in, and it's not impossible I'll do Sword as an episode someday to extend the saga.

[@EM-tx3ly]

How old was Bruce Wayne when his back got broken Early thirties or Late twenties

[@fusionspace175]

Well that's kind of a difficult question, while also being very simple. The answer just doesn't make sense, is all. Officially editorial set Batman's age permanently at 29. This left room for ten years of origin traveling the world and a number of years he has been Batman, while not making him too old. However later on once there were more young people and sidekicks around, he became more of a father figure and they aged him up to around 45. The truth is they don't age at all, and time itself truncates around them. They'll refer to events which we're years ago in our world as having been only months ago in the comic world, because time moves faster than most plots, and they retcon the history to keep the most important events in recent memory. Note this is how they did it in the 90s, current standards may differ.

[@generationwhyentertainment2455]

isn't it pronounced Jean as in Jean-Luck Picard? interesting concept and page tho its fresh.

[@fusionspace175]

The deciding factor for me was that often people will call him Jean or Paul, and I don't think they would do that if he was using the French pronunciation. I tried it and it just felt wrong. Maybe because I couldn't separate it from Jean Claude Van Damme in my mind. I stand by Jean not being the kind of guy, out of costume, who would correct anyone on it. It emphasizes the transformation the costume puts him through, underscoring his meekness in everyday life.

[@kangtheconqueror9545]

Dude, you have the perfect nerd voice and I mean that in the best way.

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks, I get it. I try to kick that element out when I'm performing, but for my narrator voice I just leave it as is. Rarely I'll cast my normal speaking voice as a character here and there, kind of like a director's cameo, but I usually like to reserve it so people always know what's narration automatically. The name of the game is story comprehension, at the end of the day. I believe in the power of these stories, if I can just manage not to get in the way of it, I've done my job.

[@kangtheconqueror9545]

@@fusionspace175 Great video, keep it going. You're doing great.

[@fusionspace175]

@@kangtheconqueror9545 This video was right at the end of my initial format and I was just starting to work performances into my style. If you continue on to KnightQuest and KnightsEnd you'll notice the change in style and audio quality, though I'll warn you I did KnightsEnd first so that'll be the same audio device I recorded KnightFall with. I started out doing 20 minute serialized episodes, but many people would watch a part 1 but not return for a part 2, so as of Emerald Twilight I switched to long form and complete stories in every episode. So even the partial ones are meant to somewhat stand on their own, recapping the other parts in intros and outros.

[@goldennugget5680]

😎

[@EM-tx3ly]

27:40

[@dakotaloven1362]

If you're ever looking for voices I'd LOVE to audition also I LOVE azrael so much but even I agree he never should've been batman Bruce knew him for like a week (exaggeration I know) and KNEW he was mentally compromised and STILL handed him the cowl fuck man

[@fusionspace175]

Well, in a very real sense, Azrael only existed in order to fill that role, and they had the idea for KnightFall that early that Sword of Azrael was all setup for it. In a story sense you're right, they did as good as they could to make it work, but it was Bruce's biggest mistake, and I think they've shown that he's learned from it since that point. The line they drew in explaining it was that Bruce knew Azrael was St Dumas's enforcer, but not specifically that he was an assassin, because Jean himself didn't find that out until later on. Also Prodigal does a good job patching the book back together after the battle in KnightsEnd. It's funny you're here at this point in the timeline, I'm finishing up editing No Man's Land right now, where Azrael has proven himself finally worthy of being Batman's ally, and his book gets the subtitle Agent of the Bat. I'd only want to look for other voice people once I could pay them, and it's still a no budget show, but thanks for the offer. I doubt I'd want to go that way though, as I aim to emulate audiobook narrators who do entire casts like Frank Mullen and Jim Dale, who I know from Dark Tower and Harry Potter, respectively. Maybe someday though, after I finally get a sound effects suite too.

[@dakotaloven1362]

@Fusion Space oh no I'd do voices voluntarily like free and I'm sure a few other fans of yours would too and no I get that I love azrael because to me his whole story is one of redemption and change going from a brainwashed cultists assassin to a hero of the people and a friend to the bat Jean I believe truly never wanted to hurt Bruce or Tim or anyone his mind just could not take it and unfortunately that is painfully obviously from the beginning and batman is the world greatest detective so in that Bruce's side of the story is about pride the pride of not letting batman take a break (the man's back was broken) to not let the gcpd or other heroes protect the city he needed batman to be out there so he made a massive mistake and arguably did more damage to jean than the cult did BUT Bruce does eventually see his mistake and over the years it's been shown he tries to help jean at every chance to get better mentally even gave him a new suit in rebirth I believe he is a tragic character I love him for that he never should've been batman and I think that's kind of the point in the story when Robin confronts him he even says dick and Tim had all this training and were better suited to be batman after Bruce jean got a few weeks of basic training and let loose on Gotham he started to loose himself until eventually finding true redemption in the eyes of the bat family and Gotham

[@fusionspace175]

@@dakotaloven1362 I think you'll enjoy my take on KnightQuest, I was as forgiving towards him as I could be. I do se him as someone set with an impossible task who did his best, and just lost himself to greater forces in the end. But we can't ignore his failure, and I think I highlighted his best qualities and Bruce's over the whole saga. It's almost painful to watch the final chapter of KnightsEnd if you care about Jean, seeing him be a bully really isn't who he is. That's his father's ghost pushing him, is what I think. I've now covered all the major Bat events of the 90's, so there's plenty more to go if you enjoyed this. And I did get better with time, I kinda hate that my most popular video is so off my current style, I've even thought about doing a remake on it and working in more performances, I left a lot of good scenes on the table.

[@brandoncastillo9641]

When’s the part scarecrow teaches students

[@fusionspace175]

I cut that story out, as I don't like the art style and it doesn't fit anywhere in the timeline. It also always annoyed me that those issues don't have numbers, making me wonder if it was even planned or if it got shoved into the schedule last minute.

[@brandoncastillo9641]

@@fusionspace175 oh k, and it was was because scarecrow wanted to take over the city anyway and he was pissed off about Joker messing with his plans earlier and talking him into basically none sense so he decides to do it himself by brain washing the kids.

[@fusionspace175]

@@brandoncastillo9641 In the description of my KnightQuest video I did mention that a lot of the villains Jean Paul faced were cut for time and pacing reasons, and Scarecrow is listed there, though I didn't include any details. It's a pretty standard Scarecrow story that I honestly think might have been sitting on the shelf and was just adapted to toss in Jean's batman instead of the standard Bruce at the last minute, to fill out some gaps in the schedule. I was more focused on Jean's journey and transformation across these chapters, and that story just didn't advance his plot, it didn't show him doing or being anything that wasn't shown better elsewhere. And seeing as Scarecrow already has a big story teaming up with Joker, I didn't think we lost much.

[@cjones3710]

Jean luc Picard jean paul valley. French pronuciations are off. Order of Dumas. 😀🐻🤠

[@fusionspace175]

I know how the French was probably meant to be pronounced but im going by how every actual person I ever met says them.