The covers to Batman have lately shown a habit of not corresponding to the story within, but Batman #76 is an especially extreme case. Bane himself doesn’t appear in a single panel of this issue, despite the story being named for him. And even Bruce Wayne’s role is basically that of a silent cameo. The almost total absence of the two most important characters in “City of Bane” is an odd choice, and one that highlights how little momentum the series is building this close to the end of Tom King’s run.
So far, “City of Bane” doesn’t really read like a climax to more than three years of stories. The previous story arc, “The Fall and the Fallen,” showed Batman hitting rock bottom and taking the first critical steps toward reclaiming his life and his city. But these past two issues have completely lost touch with that momentum. Bruce is suddenly back to being a wounded man with no drive barely clinging to life, while his father is cavorting around Gotham as if the events of “The Fall and The Fallen” never even happened. This story is a tonally strange and meandering follow-up at a time when the series needs to be at its most exciting and focused.
Source: IGN.com Batman's 'City of Bane' Is Losing Momentum