In my previous post, I mentioned the current rumors that James Gunn is being hired by Warner Bros. to reboot the ‘Suicide Squad’. Gunn’s involvement (although lauded by some fans) is not exactly being viewed by everyone as well and rosy. Jared Leto, who played the Joker in the original movie, flat out refuses to work with Gunn. So we may see either the departure of the Joker’s role or another actor playing the part.

On the bright side, however, if you’re a fan of Gunn another circulating rumor is that ‘Drax the Destroyer’ himself (Dave Bautista) wants to actively participate in the new Suicide Squad project precisely because of Gunn’s involvement.

Bautista has mentioned that he has an interest in playing the character of Bane (who, as a past member of the team, would logically fit in very well with a modern 'Suicide Squad' movie).

Bane, of course, has already appeared onscreen. He featured as a villain in Christopher Nolan’s 2012 movie ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, played there by the actor who is presently the live action Venom: Tom Hardy.

How a Bautista played version of Bane would affect prices on his key issues is hard to say.

The trick to playing Bane lies in presenting a dominating physical presence on screen. We know that Bautista (a former wrestler and body builder) can do that. But there’s more to Bane than just muscles. The character of Bane is basically a fighter and a tactician. Bane is also a bully who is extremely proud of his physical superiority while simultaneously, due to unfortunate past circumstances, must augment his already intimidating physique with an addictive cocktail of a steroid drug called Venom.

Throughout his colorful career, Bane has been a mercenary, a drug dealer and even a dictator. However, most notably, Bane is the literal pain in Batman’s backside (which he famously breaks in the 'Knight fall' story line) and one of the latter's most intimidating foes.

Batman: Vengeance Of Bane Special #1 (January 1993) - First appearance of Bane

Bane’s first appearance is in this comic and it highlights both his aggressive personality and his keen tactical mind. Learning about Batman’s role as the protector of Gotham, Bane insists that he is superior to all men, including Batman. Nonetheless, he refuses to fight the Dark Knight at this time, telling him merely that he will come for him soon. This comic has been selling quite well and has a fair market value of $200.00 in 9.8 certified grade. The best returns have been on 9.0 certified copies with a positive +13.2% roi over the last year. Higher grades have been trending negative but another Bane big screen appearance, especially if done right, should change that.

Batman #489 (February 1993) – Second Appearance of Bane

This issue of Batman titled “Killer’s Bane” is the second appearance of Bane. Here we see Bane begin to make good on his promise that he will come for Batman. In this comic he begins by facing one of Batman’s most physically powerful foes (Killer Croc) and handily breaking both his arms before again promising that he will defeat Batman when they meet. This comic doesn’t quite have the fair market value of Bane’s first appearance, but it is a key since it is actually Bane’s first appearance in a monthly ongoing Batman series. Currently 9.8 certified copies can reach almost $100.00 price range, the last Ebay sale, on Sept. 15 fetched $84.00 giving it a positive +54.9% roi since 2013.

Batman #497 (July 1993) – Classic fight between Batman and Bane; Bane breaks Batman's back

Finally, Bane makes good on his promise in spectacular fashion. Physically breaking Batman (or at least his back). That said, this comic is like the Superman #75 of Batman comics. As such, it’s actually surprising that it commands the prices it does. For a long time, due to the novelty factor and its very large print run, this was a dollar-bin book. But since apparently very few people take good care of their comics, with the passing of time, a first print 9.8 certified copy can sell for around $60.00. Best returns are on 9.6 graded copies, at positive +15.7% over the last few years, but even though high grade copies are quite affordable you should seek out a copy now if you don’t have one already since a resurgence of interest in Bane could send its value upwards into triple digits.