Well I was not expecting that, way to make us reread the final scene Tomasi. Ever since the death of poor Damian writers have been subbing other characters in and out to fill his shoes. Some have worked, some haven’t. But the partnership between the Dark Knight and one of his greatest foes, Two-Face, made for quite an interesting pair. This issue gives us the shocking conclusion to this story arc and possibly changes the landscape of Gotham for quite some time. Spoilers ahead!
Positives
Choosing to put the focus on Harvey Dent and push McKillen aside was a smart move, this issue was Harvey’s alone and the writers did him justice, per se.
The great part of Two-Face has always been to watch him as he deals with the man he’s become now and the man who he was in the past. Making him face his inner demons and ask himself if there’s any chance to redeem himself is a subject Tomasi made sure to address.
The action is minimal in this issue which is fine because getting into the psyche of Harvey Dent is always interesting by itself. The real treat of this issue is the emotion pouring out of every panel and how every interaction is critical to the story.
Major praise needs to be given to Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, and John Kalisz as together they deliver some of the best artwork of the whole series. Much emphasis was placed on close-ups and the details to Two-Face specifically and the blood stains in the last panel after Harvey offs himself was superb. Two-Face was scary detailed throughout the whole arc and it continues in this last issue.
Negatives
The swan song for Dent did kill a lot of potential to be had as far as Two-Face’s and Batman’s relationship. Major changes to his psyche looked very promising and interesting for the future of the Gotham rogue. Instead he was killed off and we are now left with a not-as impressive Erin McKillen to step up and become a new villain.
Verdict
This was a great ending to a story arc that killed off an iconic character but offered us a glimpse of what could be. This issue will certainly get some buzz going around the DC community and will produce passionate arguments from those who loved and hated what occurred. Big changes were made to Harvey Dent’s character, it amazed me at least how much detail went into Dent’s story and how fantastic the direction as a whole went in. I’m always a fan of shockers and that’s definitely what I got from this story, Johns and company performed beautifully in sending off Dent but at least we have “Forever Evil”, where he’s still around and kicking in there.
