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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A BIT PREDICTABLE BUT SOLID, October 6, 2006
This review is from: Batman: Face the Face (Paperback)
"Batman: Face the Face" promises major changes in the Batman Universe and for the most part it does a good job of living up to the hype. The trade paperback collects Detective Comics issues 817 - 820 and Batman issues 651 - 654. Batman and Robin have returned to Gotham City after a year-long absence due to the events in Infinite Crisis. It's a different Batman that returns. One that is willing to admit to past mistakes and also rely on the help of others. He's even wiped the slate clean with Gotham Police Detective Bullock. In his absence, Batman appointed the Harvey Dent, the former villain Two-Face, as the city's protector. Dent has been reformed and had his face surgically repaired. Someone is killing off Batman's foes execution style. These are all minor leaguers like KGBeast, Magpie, Orca, and the Ventriloquist. The victims all have two gun-shot wounds to the dead, and only one weapon can make that kind of wound, the double-barreled pistol of Two-Face which is supposed to be in the GCPD lockup. Batman confronts Dent with the evidence which sends his fragile psyche out of control as he see his former gruesome image in the mirror, and carries on a conversation with it! Batman calls upon a local private eye named Jason Bard to do some daytime work for him that leads him to the widower of another slain villain, Orca. Meanwhile, Batman's own trail leads him and Robin into a deadly encounter in the Gotham sewers with one of his deadliest foes. James Robinson's story is solid although he never truly convinces the readers that Two-Face is indeed behind the murders. Rather, it seems more an impetus to put Dent back in place as a villain since Batman has returned to Gotham, although it's not like it was unexpected. The book does deliver on one major change in the career of Batman and his relationship with Robin and that indeed was a surprise so no spoilers from me! Poison Ivy also makes a brief appearance for nothing more than to be a minor test for Batman & Robin to proclaim their triumphant return to Gotham. Robinson has a good handle on the Batman character, finding a happy middle ground between the "Dark Knight" and the "Caped Crusader" personas and I particularly like the maturation of Robin. The art by Don Kramer, Leonard Kirk, and Patrick Gleason is strong throughout the entire story. All-in-all, "Batman Face the Face" is one of the better Batman story arcs from the past year and works especially well in this collected format. Reviewed by tim Janson
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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An who dun it mystery with a stunning ending, October 2, 2006
This review is from: Batman: Face the Face (Paperback)
It's one year later after the Infinite Crisis event, and Batman & Robin is back at Gotham to fight crime and provide justice to the people of Gotham. Harvey Dent, apparently cured of his psychosis as Two Face, he is left in charge to wage his crusade against the criminal underworld underbelly of Gotham. Dent was chosen and trained by Batman to fight crime because Batman believed he was the most capable person around since Batman, Robin and Nightwing would not be around Gotham. A series of murders of 2nd tiers criminals with same modus operand ensue. All clues lead to a presumption that Harvey Dent is the killer. Batman & Robin must investigate if this is the case or not. Along the way, Batman & Robin encounter Poison Ivey, Killer Croc and Scarecrow. In need of help, Batman hires a private investigator named Bard to look into the whereabouts of Orca, a villain that has gone missing and was associated with the dead criminals. Harvey Dent himself is not sure if he is the murderer or not as the dark side of his Two Face persona begins to emerge. As the tale unravels, we begin to learn if Two Face is indeed the murderer executing the 2nd tier criminals or not. This is great detective who dun nit mystery. Along the way, we learn about the softer side of Batman who has learned to forgive and begin to put his trust in others, especially that of Robin. The climax of the book is not finding out who the killer is, but the next big step in the relationship Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake. It is quite poignant and touching. It also setups the next major story arc in the current Batman comics whereby Batman is shocked to learn he has son with Talia!!!
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's an okay story but could have been better., November 10, 2006
This review is from: Batman: Face the Face (Paperback)
This book collects Batman #651-654 and Detective Comics #817-820 and picks up the "One Year Later" (OYL) arc following Infinite Crisis. OYL is basically a missing year when Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman went on a hiatus following the events of Infinite Crisis. The book is written by the talented James Robinson (Starman, JSA) and illustrated by the JSA team of Don Kramer and Leonard Kirk. The story starts off with deaths being afflicted upon various members of Batman's Rogues Gallery...i.e. KGBeast, Orca etc. We also find out that during his hiatus Batman had put Harvey Dent in charge (he was supposedly okay) but the execution style and murder weapon points to Harvey being overzealous about his work. That's the basic mystery and set up of the story. However, there are other new sitauations that are presented in the book. (a) James Gordon is Commissioner again. (b) Harvey Bullock has been reinducted into the GCPD. (c) Batman is actually nice for a change! That's right. This book is a bit of fresh air since the last few years we saw Batman acting as an arrogant, condescending, borderline lunatic with no respect for his collegues. This story shows that while he still maintains his darkness, he still maintains a small beacon of hope and trust which had been sorely lacking. Also Batman returns to his detective roots. The previous stories seemed to highlight Batman's psychosis and anger and shifted away from showing him as the great detective that he is but this story brings it back. Batman is acting and not reacting. It's a welcomed change. Now, the reason I gave the book 3 stars is that the story is in my opinion simply...okay. I expected it to be a great story since James Robinson is penning it but it was not so. The story felt lacking something...an energy and towards the end seemed to drag on. But I will admit the end reveal took me for a surprise. Relationship between Batman and Robin is also developed which I enjoyed seeing. Overall, I enjoyed some aspects of the story but I felt that it could have been better. But still, I recommend getting the book simply for a refreshing look at the Dark Knight.
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