City of Bane Reading Guide

Overview:

City of Bane spans from July 2019 to early 2020 as part of Tom King’s run on Batman, with art by Mikel Janín, Tony S. Daniel, and Jorge Fornés. The story centers around Bane, one of Batman’s most dangerous foes, who seizes control of Gotham City. Bane and his allies create a regime in the city, enforcing their rule over Gotham’s citizens and villains.

The arc focuses on Batman’s journey to reclaim his city and defeat Bane’s reign of terror. Bruce Wayne, psychologically and physically broken after prior events, must overcome his personal demons to stop Bane’s oppressive rule. Other key characters include Catwoman and Thomas Wayne (Flashpoint Batman), who also play pivotal roles in the storyline.

City of Bane received mixed reactions. Fans appreciated the high-stakes drama and character exploration, particularly Batman’s psychological struggles. However, others found the plot convoluted, especially toward the conclusion. King’s focus on slow, emotional storytelling also divided readers, with some feeling it detracted from the action-heavy premise typically expected in Batman’s stories.

Best Way To Read:

• Batman: City of Bane: The Complete Collection
  • Collects: Batman #75-85

For crossover and significant events, I typically only read the main story the first time I encounter it. Trying to read all of the tie-ins with the story tends to make them increasingly convoluted and are not crucial to the main narrative. However, I think they are important to read, as many series-shifting plotlines can happen.

For the tie-in issues, I only read them as they come up in the reading guide that I am working through. This can become problematic because the tie-in issues are not always included in collected editions of the event. So you may need to hunt for them.

Reading Order:

References:

• Comic Book Herald
• Comic Book Reading Orders

Feature image from Batman #82 cover art by Alex Sinclair and David Finch