Batman #652 - Face The Face, part 4

Batman hasn’t been this good for a long, long time.

The halfway point of the “Face The Face” arc running through both Batman and Detective Comics marks another high point in moody, well-paced writing, pretty much what I expect from James Robinson, whose work on Starman remains one of my personal highlights among the tens of thousands comics I’ve read so far.

I’m very fond of the way Robinson brings everything to a slow boil while also packing the arc with classic (and some not-so-classic) villains from Batman’s past, whether they are intended to be killed off or to provide a casual challenge for the Dark Knight Detective and his trusty sidekick. Villains are dying left and right (we’ve reached the point where I’m genuinely upset about the demise of one of them) and everything points to a supposedly sane Harvey Dent. I still have strong doubts about his guilt, which is to the writer’s credit. He provides enough ambiguity to make us wonder, while also enabling one to just take everything at face value.

The scenes between Batman and Bullock are choreographed perfectly, as the tension between them is evident through both dialogue and art. I was a bit perplexed at this tension though, as I remember Bullock being the one who felt a strong distaste for Batman rather than the other way around. I’m presuming that 52 will cover the necessary background details to provide a clearer context. Even without that context though, the rooftop scene was played out well. You can tell Robinson likes to give his scripts a cinematic feel, so it is lucky for him and us both that the art of Don Kramer (ably enhanced by Michael Bair and Wayne Faucher) excels at telling a clear, visually exciting story. More on that later.

The confrontation between Bruce and Harvey, interspersed with Robin joyfully battling (a new?) Killer Moth, was strange, for it seems odd that Harvey has compact explosives handy behind his desk if he were an innocent man. But then, Two-Face has been cured before and invariably went insane once more, so who is to say the same thing hasn’t happened again? The thing is though, as trusting as Batman has become of Tim (hence the scene where he lets him fight Killer Moth on his own, or so I interpreted it), he still can’t find it in him to grant a long-time enemy and former friend the same kind of trust. Granted, the evidence is there, but who better than Bruce Wayne to know how evidence can be forged to make the impossible seem plausible? Batman’s whispered “Harvey” in the concluding panel expresses a world of disappointment, in his friend and in himself. Down what twisted road this will lead them, we’ll find out in the next several chapters. This chapter was most effective in tipping the scales, bringing Dent ever closer to his recurring madness. I am intrigued to find out whether Batman will end up being responsible for the rebirth of Two-Face, or if Robinson has something more original in mind.




I also want to give Robinson (and his editors) props for using such a varied array of villains in this arc so far, from Poison Ivy and Mad Hatter to KGBeast and a surprise guest bad-girl who hasn’t been seen since Larry Hama wrote the book—deservedly so, because she was a distinctly lame addition to Batman’s gallery of rogues. Maybe I’ll do a short profile or review of the three-parter she starred in sometime soon. It had nice art, at least. In any case, related to the discovery of said villain, Robinson deserves praise for making Batman a detective again. He uses his skills and his technical abilities to find the truth, rather than just beating people up like a total goon (see: Hush). He comes across as sane and balanced as well, which is a strangely refreshing change of pace. All in all, a perfect blend of 70s-style Batman with modern-day trappings.


On the artistic front, I am definitely pleased. Neither Don Kramer nor his fellow artist over in Detective Comics, Leonard Kirk, are superstar artists, nor do they have a style which immediately leaps out at you in the way of a J.H. Williams III or a Kubert brother. However, both of them have undeniable storytelling skill. The composition of each page is a thing of beauty and the layout of the chapters as a whole is impeccable and thrilling. Comics are a visual medium, so I become really happy when I can just flick through a comic without having to read any words but still understand what’s going on. Moreover, everything looks “real” without relying on boring photo-realism (i.e. copying). Iconic, imaginative and dramatic: three key words for good superhero art that far too many “hot” artists ignore just so they can show off their over-rendered line-work—three key words that are more than evident in this arc.

Kramer’s depiction of Bullock is a particular favourite of mine: the ever-constant cigar smoke, the hat and raincoat making him as much a creature of the night, in his own seedy way, as Batman is. It’s just perfect. Everything in the issue looked nice, but the Bullock panels just had that little bit of extra oomph that really made the scenes for me.

It’s been two months of One Year Later books already, time sure flies. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a creative success. Batteries seem recharged, properties have been revitalised. The trick will be to keep the momentum going, but I have no real worries there when it comes to the two main Bat-titles. Between James Robinson and the upcoming Dini and Morrison, 2006 looks like a stellar year for Bat-fans :)