[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: James Robinson
Artist: Stephen Segovia
Colors: Ivan Plascencia, Allen Passalaqua
Letters: Rob Leigh
Summary
Batman is hot on the trail of a murder suspect, but first he’ll have to get past Two-Face. Even though Harvey Dent seems to be asserting control, how long before he becomes a sociopathic criminal once again? More importantly, what is Dent’s connection to the victim, and what does it all have to do with the terrorist organization of slithering serpents called Kobra?! Whatever it is, it’s big enough to reunite Jim Gordon and former district attorney Harvey Dent, and that meeting alone is worth the cover price.
Positives
As soon as I started reading this particular issue, the first thing that grabbed me was Stephen Segovia’s artwork, as I have never seen Two-Face drawn the way he draws him before. He jumps off the page, as Segovia’s line work is impeccable and his attention to detail really takes it to another level. He added distinct elements to each character, something most artists would replicate for characters who don’t have speaking parts, but Segovia recognizes that every character is an individual.
In the first scene, we find out the reason why Two-Face lured Batman into this trap, as the Harvey Dent side of Two-Face had hoped that Batman could reason with both sides of his psyche. This is quite a callback to the original canon of this character, particularly during Andrew Helfer’s origin story. In another scene between Duke and Bruce, Duke breaks down the intel he found on new crop of criminals currently infesting Gotham, something that showcases Robinson’s flair for cinema verité, as this particular scene plays out like it would in a movie or a television show. As he spouts what he finds, the panels turn, like the camera would, to the places and the people he is talking about.
In the final scene, the Harvey Dent side of Two-Face saves the Gotham PD, particularly Commissioner Jim Gordon, as he talks to him as the very person he knew before he became another villain that Batman chased. This plays on the complexity of the character, something that rarely gets dealt with, even as the character was designed to show this.
Negatives
There are no negatives worth mentioning in this issue.
Verdict
This issue fully realizes the potential of a Two-Face story that fans would hope for. The story by Robinson saunters somewhere between action packed thriller and crime procedural while remembering to tell a good story. The art by Segovia is simply flawless, as each panel could be a poster. Overall, an entertaining issue that fans will love to re-read.
