Empire Magazine unveils two new official images of Batman and Bane!

You know how much I despise set photos. They don't mean much of anything, without editing, without added effects. They're all sorta pointless to me except in rare occasions, which is why I don't show them very often. But that hasn't stopped others from displaying every single image of Bane having a cup of coffee on the set of The Dark Knight Rises. I think it's pretty silly, but whatever floats yer boat.

Instead, I prefer the official stuff, like that first image we got of Tom Hardy as Bane a few months ago. With a full trailer right around the corner, and a 6-minute preview coming next month ahead of Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, Empire Magazine has revealed two official images on the cover of their latest issue. The first gives us another glimpse of Bane, as menacing as ever.  And the next is really our first good look at Christian Bale as Batman, wielding some sort of weapon. I don't think anybody wants to be on the receiving end of that.

The Dark Knight Rises rolls into a theater near you on July 20th 2012.

SYNOPSIS: Every hero has a journey. Every journey has an end. Christopher Nolan returns to complete the epic Gotham trilogy that launched with Batman Begins and reached the stratosphere with the billion-dollar blockbuster The Dark Knight. Batman is now hunted by the law led by his friend Commisioner Gordon for taking the blame of Harvey Dent's murders and protecting his reputation. He must quickly deal with the arrival of new villain Bane who is bent on the destruction and chaos of Gotham City, face old wounds and get a handle on the enigmatic Selina Kyle before his city is lost for good.