Customer Reviews

Batman: Face the Face

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"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

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!!!

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.

This is essentially a long murder-mystery that is bogged down somewhat by the whole "hallelujah, Batman has returned to Gotham" subplot. There is perhaps too much being juggled in this story for the reader to feel the emotional impact of several key scenes.

Batman had left Harvey Dent in charge of Gotham's safety--Harvey Dent, who used to be Two-Face, but has been certified as cured by countless doctors. But as good a job as Dent had apparently done, several small-time supervillains are executed by an unknown killer, using a special gun that fires two bullets at a time. Batman reclaims his role of Gotham's sentinel from Harvey Dent, leaving Harvey feeling rather useless; but the Dark Knight goes so far as to confront Dent with his suspicions that Dent is the mystery killer. This explosive encounter--explosive, literally--appears to be the catalyst for the disintegration of half of Harvey Dent, coupled with the return of Two-Face in all his glory. In fact, I thought the tragic split-second of Harvey Dent's succumbing to Two-Face's re-emergence--embracing it, really--was the high point of the story.

Besides that, the story has a few problems. It's very disjointed, especially with all the jump-cutting, flashbacks, and the inclusion of Jason Bard as some kind of day-time helper for Batman (does he really need one? Bard is hired to find Orca, and Batman finds Orca.) Some of Batman's major villains make appearances, but they aren't at their best. Scarecrow comes off as completely useless, Poison Ivy gets all wimpy all of a sudden, Mr. Freeze and Mad Hatter are reduced to cameos that merely show how quickly Batman and Robin can mop up when necessary, the Penguin isn't even around because he's fled Gotham due to intimidation by the mystery-killer, and even Two-Face's last stand at the zoo seems pointless. At least Killer Croc can still fight. It does become clear that most of the villains mentioned are being manipulated from behind the scenes, and that the solution to the mystery may link to their mostly being old Arkham Asylum inmates, but let's face it, when we learn who actually managed to run the Penguin out town, we may think "is that really possible? who is this dude to be such an underworld force, all of a sudden?!".

The art--dark, grim, shadows occasionally interrupted by stark colour--is effective for this type of tale. And the final scene involving Batman offering Robin a new, better life is compelling. But the emotional effect of the story is rather odd, because there's stuff coming at the reader from all angles. Worth a look for the return of Two-Face.

I mostly approve of this latest take on the dark knight (another reviewer's allegations of shameless political preaching and occasional moral aimlessness on the part of supposedly "good" characters are not entirely off base, I have to say). The story is well above par, with lots of memorable moments, and the art is good... occasionally great. My main gripe is that many of the pages are so dark you can barely make out what's happening. It's probably due to the cheap newsprint, because the monthly books from this arc looked beautiful. I'd have preferred to pay a few bucks more for decent paper and printing.

One year later after the cataclysmic events of Infinite Crisis, Batman makes his return to Gotham City with somewhat of a new outlook and attitude in regards to his crime fighting methods. No longer do we see a super-paranoid, almost fascist-esque vigilante patroling the streets of Gotham, as the year off has done both he and his partner Tim "Robin" Drake much good. While away, Batman left a reformed Harvey Dent to defend the city, which he has done quite well, until a series of lower-tier villains are murdered, with all the signs pointing to a return of Two-Face. But is it really Harvey behind it all? What makes Face to Face so good is that while it is a bit predictable, veteran writer James G. Robinson provides enough of an entertaining story to make up for the flaws. Not to mention that the closing moments between Batman and Robin aren't only generally surprising, but even more surprisingly touching to boot. There's solid art all around, and all tin all, Face to Face is a pretty good Batman story that helps re-establish the Dark Knight in a post-Infinte Crisis universe, and paves the way for the great Grant Morrison's run on the title.

(Note: I had originally posted a 4-star review for this book. My opinion of the book has changed considerably since then, so I reposted with 3 stars. The review has been edited to reflect this.)

Once upon a time, Batman seemed to be a fairly well-adjusted character. Sure, having both parents murdered before your eyes as a child could lead to some serious developmental issues, but I always liked to think that Bruce Wayne was able to channel his grief and rage into the Batman persona, enabling him to lead a stable life. Unfortunately, the `80s ruined this for me: dark tales such as Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, Jim Starlin's THE CULT, and Grant Morrison's ARKHAM ASYLUM turned the caped crusader into a belligerent paranoiac, if not a downright nutcase. I grew tired of Batman during this period and longed for the return of the hero I looked up to. Well, finally DC has acknowledged that Batman needed to be fixed, using the events of "Infinite Crisis" and "One Year Later" to rework the character. BATMAN: FACE THE FACE occurs one year after Infinite Crisis - Jim Gordon is once again Gotham City Police Commissioner, Harvey Bullock is back on the force, Batman and Robin have been absent, and... Harvey Dent is protecting Gotham City from the criminal underworld? Hmm, okay. While Batman may be the world's greatest detective, he isn't too astute when it comes to picking his subs (Azrael, anyone?).

Writer James Robinson knows how to bring out the human interest in comics - THE GOLDEN AGE and STARMAN are ample proof of that. It's good to see him back on a major title, especially one that has the chore of overhauling Batman's character. Mind you, this new Batman is not harkening back to the "new look" `60s version - he can still come off as cold, but he actually realizes when he does and takes steps to correct it. Most important of all, this Batman has a heart, and this is no more clearly demonstrated than in the last 4 pages of this story. No matter how much angst other writers have injected into Bruce Wayne's life, it has never affected me emotionally; however, this story's conclusion hit me right in the gut. Well done, Mr. Robinson! The overall story features Batman and Robin, with help from Gordon, Bullock, and Jason Bard, seeking the identity of the new crimelord of Gotham City, who has apparently been having certain other criminals murdered. This aspect of the story is extremely weak, and the tacked-on, left-field resolution fell flat. DC made it sound like the real point of this story was to show a kinder, gentler Batman, and I can believe it; however, the involved parties unfortunately didn't focus on that aspect, instead using a boring, bland, uninspiring detective story to carry the weight of this tale. Robinson should have axed the detective story and concentrated even more on the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake. If this is indeed a post-IC Batman with big changes, it deserves more attention.

The art chores are shuttled between Leonard Kirk, Don Kramer and Patrick Gleason, from Batman to Detective Comics. It's great work, very dark in a noir style, and I'm glad to see DC used some real talent instead of the generic artists they seem to pull from who-knows-where for their supposedly major Batman story arcs. I did notice an abundance of splash & double-splash pages, resulting in less story per page. In conclusion, this could have been a much better story if it focused more on Batman going back to being a "good guy", instead of using the second-rate detective story as a crutch.

Also, Simone Bianchi's covers are absolutely beautiful - this guy should do some interiors!

The writing in Face the Face is pretty decent. Harvey's inner monologues and the stronger relationship between Batman and Tim are highlights. Some dialogue falls flat but never in a way that truly holds the book down.

It serves as an important jumping on point for modern Bat continuity, and from here Dini and Morrison go nuts with tons of well-liked though somewhat controversial stories building from the status quo started here.

I initially considered giving this three stars, one off for a few writing flubs and one for the rather mediocre art.

Thankfully the art, well never becoming fantastic, is serviceable. Bullock, Gordon, and Harvey looked good the whole book though.

All in all 4 stars, but more like 3 and a half.

As some reviewers have pointed out there are some issues with this trade. The story does seem to jump around due to the flash backs that at times make you question if you are reading the panels in the right order. The random cameos by the Gotham villains are nice but feel forced and are too short. Wish they did a little more story focused on Harvey Dent protecting the city. With the small complaints the big plus to me was the continuing relationship between Batman and Robin and Bruce and Tim. The author did this well without making it cheesy. Not a must buy, but a good read for a Bat fan.

Not the greatest Batman tale ever told, and truth be know I am kind of tiring of Two-Face. However, I liked the development of the pairing of Batman and Robin. The side story about the private detective is good and spot on hard boiled. Finally, who can resist the killing of a couple of B-grade villains. Bout freaking time!