I spent the majority of my review for Knightfall: Volume 1 gushing over how much I enjoyed the story and how pumped up it made me for
The Dark Knight Rises. Having just finished Volume 2 and seen
The Dark Knight Rises twice, I can easily say that I enjoyed this collection on a much higher level.
I'm not sure if it's strictly because now when I read Bane, I can only hear his dialogue in Tom Hardy's voice or that the story takes a turn in a darker, more compelling direction.
That being said, I'm still not completely crazy about the artwork but it does serve its purpose. Some of the character designs are a little on the dated side (Nightwing rocking a mullet) and I often got confused when presented with Jean-Paul Valley (Azreal) and Detective Stanley Kitch in succession as they looked identical.
The battle within the final few pages is something to behold. I'm a sucker for fight scenes that take place in the rain (for some bizarre reason) and this one makes use of the environment wisely. There a few panels in particular that impressed me and left me wanting more.