Issue 69 – Bane

SHOW NOTES:

• Intro

  • Two new patrons – Jonathan & Tyler, and Rey upped his patronage – THANK YOU!!!

  • Podcast plug this week – Ask Iliza – Iliza Shlesinger, her assistant Emily aka Baby Arm, and her producer Scott aka Hot Scotty, talk to guests and answer your questions about life, marriage, comedy, and whatever else runs rampant thru Iliza’s brain

  • Reminder about review/sticker giveaway and upcoming Joker: Endgame review

• Background (05:20)

  • Bane, created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan, debuted in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (Jan. 1993)

  • Son of King Snake, a villain who escaped prison in Santa Prisca – the government opted to imprison Bane for the rest of his father’s sentence, so he grew up in prison

  • Took the time to educate himself, learning several languages, as well as meditation

  • Has a fear of bats due to nightmares as a child

  • Subjected to experimentation with a drug called Venom – he survived, but he requires a regular injection every 12 hours or he will be debilitated

  • Heads to Gotham City to confront Batman, who he believes is personification of the demon bat in his dreams

  • Blows up Arkham Asylum, allowing the inmates to escape, forcing Batman to expend constant energy and time fighting and recapturing them

  • Once Batman is drained and exhausted, Bane confronts him in Wayne Manor and breaks his back

  • Bane ends up defeated by the new Batman, Jean-Paul Valley aka Azrael, who cuts Bane deeply enough to force him to overdose on Venom

  • Recovers from Venom addiction in prison, and once he’s out, fights alongside Bruce to stop gangs from peddling a Venom derivative to gangs – claims penance for his crimes, and goes on search for father

  • Taken in as protege of Ra’s al Ghul, who leads him into rematch with Bruce, who wins

  • After story where he is thought to be Bruce Wayne’s half brother, discovers his true father is King Snake, and confronts him – saves Batman, who bathes Bane in a Lazarus Pit to heal him of his wounds

  • New 52 – Bane is actually the distributor of Venom, and battles the Court of Owls

  • Rebirth – Bane returns to villainy, but is barely beaten by Batman

• Issues (11:37)

  • Never had a childhood

  • Fear driven (20:08)

  • Achieved goal of breaking the Bat – what comes next? (26:56)

• Break

  • Plugs for Talk Me Into and FriGay the 13^th, plus Gail Simone

• Treatment (34:35)

  • In-universe

  • Out of universe (40:04)

• Skit (45:04)

• Ending (49:57)
  • Recommended reading: Batman: Knightfall
  • Next episodes – Preview of Patreon exclusive review of Joker: Endgame, political terrorism in comics, the Tick, Abe Sapien

References:

• Ra’s al Ghul episode – Anthony (10:06)
• The Dark Knight Rises – Anthony (11:50)
• Arrested development – Anthony (12:10)
• “Da Mystery of Chessboxin‘” by Wu-Tang Clan – Doc/Anthony (19:03)
• Tony Robbins – Anthony (26:30)
• “What Comes Next” from Hamilton – Anthony (27:22)
• Wile E. Coyote – “Soup or Sonic” – Doc (27:45)
• TV Tropes – The Starscream – Anthony (38:21)
• Lipstick packets – Doc (42:43)
• TV Tropes – Wounded gazelle gambit – Anthony (48:07)
• Triple H/Tough Enough – Doc (50:20)

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