[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: James Robinson
Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colors: Ivan Plascencia
Letters: Rob Leigh
Summary
Batman’s newest partner is…Two-Face? As Harvey Dent’s persona asserts fragile control over the villain’s psyche, the Dark Knight, Commissioner Gordon and their ally-turned-enemy-turned-ally must work together to stop Kobra’s terrorist attack against Gotham City.
Positives
Within the first few panels, we get to see the Harvey Dent side of Two-Face finally speak to Batman as an old friend versus an enemy, which is a breath of fresh air in the constantly changing circus that is Batman’s rogues gallery. He has more than a complex relationship with each of them, making him not only one of the best and most complex characters in the DC Universe, but also in all of comics, and his relationship with Two-Face is one of the more enigmatic. with his most beloved ones, of course, being The Joker and Catwoman. However, it is his relationship with Two-Face that proves to be quite different, as he is reunited with an old friend, and not just another villain.
The way Di Giandomenico illustrates Two-Face in this issue is utterly extraordinary. His art style is phenomenal, but within this particular issue he pushes the point that we are looking at a wholly different version of Two-Face, the Harvey Dent version that Bruce Wayne has not seen for a very long time. We also get a very awkward scene between Jim Gordon, Two-Face and Batman, where three very dominant personalities try to one-up each other in what becomes quite an intriguing conversation between these three iconic characters.
In the final scene, Commissioner James Gordon gives the reader the information as to just how deep Kobra is embedded throughout Gotham and to what lengths they will go to keep their operatives silent, even when captured, noting to both the reader and his current audience of Batman and Two-Face, the severity of this new player in Gotham.
Negatives
There are no negatives worth mentioning in this issue.
Verdict
This issue explains the setup from the previous issue and gives us a glimpse of what is yet to come. The story by Robinson is fun, action packed and probably some of the best pages of dialogue that I have ever read in comics. The art by Di Giandomenico is pretty awesome, as it both evokes nostalgia and is a style all its own. Overall, an exciting issue that comic book readers can fall right into, and not miss a beat.
