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Batman Post-Crisis #201
Batman: Eye of the Beholder
Bruce Wayne may have returned, but when an aging but wealthy technology developer comes to Gotham with his beautiful daughter, it turns out he's in search of a joint project with WayneTech. DNA tracking is the name of his game, and there are others interested in his proposal. But when the developer goes missing, Batman finds that his tracks stop in the city's violent Chinatown neighborhood, where a new deadly Triad gang has taken root.Batman joins forces with a new hero who's as dangerous as she is beautiful. When members of a secret order turn up dead and tortured in Gotham City's Chinatown district, I-Ching informs Batman that he fears an ancient relic is the target. Batman connects this case to that of a missing satellite architect. With few clues to go by and the stakes getting higher, Batman races to locate the surviving members of the order before it's too late.
A powerful relic, hidden and protected by an ancient order, falls into the hands of one of Batman's deadliest foes! The Dark Knight and his allies are outnumbered and outmatched as they struggle to free themselves from their merciless adversary. With death and destruction imminent, Batman must make a crucial sacrifice.
Collects BATMAN #704-707, 710-712.
A powerful relic, hidden and protected by an ancient order, falls into the hands of one of Batman's deadliest foes! The Dark Knight and his allies are outnumbered and outmatched as they struggle to free themselves from their merciless adversary. With death and destruction imminent, Batman must make a crucial sacrifice.
Collects BATMAN #704-707, 710-712.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2011
5 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
About the author
Tony S. Daniel
684 books89 followersTony Salvador Daniel is a comic book author and illustrator. He is sometimes credited with is full name as Antonio Salvador Daniel.
For the science fiction writer, see Tony Daniel.
Tony S. Daniel decided to become a comic book artist in the 4th grade and has never looked back. He made his professional comics debut in 1993 on Comico's The Elementals and went on to illustrate X-Force for Marvel Comics and Spawn: Bloodfeud for Image Comics as well as writing and illustrating several creator-owned titles of his own: Silke, The Tenth, Adrenalynn and F5 — the last two of which led him, for a time, into the alternate reality known as Hollywood.
After being lured back into comics in 2005 to work with writer Geoff Johns on TEEN TITANS for DC Comics, Daniel landed his dream job in 2007 penciling the adventures of DC's Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN where he first collaborated with writer Grant Morrison and then went on to write and draw the book himself. In 2011 he re-launched DETECTIVE COMICS for DC’s New 52, writing and drawing most of the first year of the historic series. In 2012 Daniel moved from one icon to another when he began illustrating the adventures of Superman in ACTION COMICS.
For the science fiction writer, see Tony Daniel.
Tony S. Daniel decided to become a comic book artist in the 4th grade and has never looked back. He made his professional comics debut in 1993 on Comico's The Elementals and went on to illustrate X-Force for Marvel Comics and Spawn: Bloodfeud for Image Comics as well as writing and illustrating several creator-owned titles of his own: Silke, The Tenth, Adrenalynn and F5 — the last two of which led him, for a time, into the alternate reality known as Hollywood.
After being lured back into comics in 2005 to work with writer Geoff Johns on TEEN TITANS for DC Comics, Daniel landed his dream job in 2007 penciling the adventures of DC's Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN where he first collaborated with writer Grant Morrison and then went on to write and draw the book himself. In 2011 he re-launched DETECTIVE COMICS for DC’s New 52, writing and drawing most of the first year of the historic series. In 2012 Daniel moved from one icon to another when he began illustrating the adventures of Superman in ACTION COMICS.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
September 24, 2020
(B) 72% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: It tries so hard to be epic but it’s all muscle and bone with no sinew or nerve to make it function, coherent and whole.
Notes: It tries so hard to be epic but it’s all muscle and bone with no sinew or nerve to make it function, coherent and whole.
August 2, 2022
This was another great one!
There's two stories here like the first one is with this enemy named Sensei whose after some mask of the beholder and then Dick meeting Sasha Lo and her brother but she goes by another name "Peacock" and well when these two things clash, we learns Peacock's motive for sighting out this mask and Sensei and its history and the Chinese-myth influenced story is so fun and its action heavy and makes for a great new myth for Batman and gives Dick some new enemies and maybe an interesting ally in Peacock and I like the tension there and definitely its so awesome! Plus the art there is way too good omg!
The second parter feels like a sequel to dark victory and we see the return of Falcones and also Gilda is by his side and the return of two face and her real plans all along, will the Dents reunite? Is it the end of falcones? Also how is Dick involved in all this and the challenges he has to face!
Its a fun volume which shows Dick in different lights and shows the stories getting a bit darker and like the previous story I liked the inclusion of Riddler here and how that gets so much fun with him! I definitely recommend it and this is probably the last volume of Batman before N52 but yeah a must read then! Definitely enjoyed it a lot more!
There's two stories here like the first one is with this enemy named Sensei whose after some mask of the beholder and then Dick meeting Sasha Lo and her brother but she goes by another name "Peacock" and well when these two things clash, we learns Peacock's motive for sighting out this mask and Sensei and its history and the Chinese-myth influenced story is so fun and its action heavy and makes for a great new myth for Batman and gives Dick some new enemies and maybe an interesting ally in Peacock and I like the tension there and definitely its so awesome! Plus the art there is way too good omg!
The second parter feels like a sequel to dark victory and we see the return of Falcones and also Gilda is by his side and the return of two face and her real plans all along, will the Dents reunite? Is it the end of falcones? Also how is Dick involved in all this and the challenges he has to face!
Its a fun volume which shows Dick in different lights and shows the stories getting a bit darker and like the previous story I liked the inclusion of Riddler here and how that gets so much fun with him! I definitely recommend it and this is probably the last volume of Batman before N52 but yeah a must read then! Definitely enjoyed it a lot more!
September 30, 2011
The artwork was brilliant, but the story was definitely a filler while they were waiting for Bruce Wayne to take over the book series again.
April 17, 2020
A fairly decent Batman comic, considering it comes from the time when Batman Inc was a thing. Batman, though Dick Grayson not Bruce, faces off against a master assassin who seeks a mask of great power.
The art is actually pretty good throughout, the story is decent enough as well. The drawbacks are the utterly ridiculous female knock-off characters. Even Damien ironically says "What's with all these female costumed characters in Gotham?"
Well it is the perfect example of not being able to tell "creativity and originality" from being a hack. A hack is one who takes established characters and then, without much creativity, changes their sexual orientation, gender, race, etc to create a new, shitty and completely unecessay derivative character. Yeah I mean Enigma (Riddlers daughter..now who the hell had sex with Riddler? really?), Catgirl *sigh* (oh and to top it off-this silly offspring of a crime-boss can read chinese? at 15 or 16 whilst avoiding school? yeah?)....bad characters with silly backgrounds (sometimes NO background) just don't do it for me. For my money give me CatWOMAN (great character), Hell even the strange brother/sister combination was decent. I just don't have much use for SJW hackery.
There is another smaller story, after the Sensei story ends. This has to do with Two-Face and the hunt for his missing coin. It also involves his supposedly dead wife. Not too bad a story.
So the overall quality deserves a 3 star-it was a good comic, though hardly anything to rave about. Less of the hack-job characters and this would have been a pretty good Batman tale.
The art is actually pretty good throughout, the story is decent enough as well. The drawbacks are the utterly ridiculous female knock-off characters. Even Damien ironically says "What's with all these female costumed characters in Gotham?"
Well it is the perfect example of not being able to tell "creativity and originality" from being a hack. A hack is one who takes established characters and then, without much creativity, changes their sexual orientation, gender, race, etc to create a new, shitty and completely unecessay derivative character. Yeah I mean Enigma (Riddlers daughter..now who the hell had sex with Riddler? really?), Catgirl *sigh* (oh and to top it off-this silly offspring of a crime-boss can read chinese? at 15 or 16 whilst avoiding school? yeah?)....bad characters with silly backgrounds (sometimes NO background) just don't do it for me. For my money give me CatWOMAN (great character), Hell even the strange brother/sister combination was decent. I just don't have much use for SJW hackery.
There is another smaller story, after the Sensei story ends. This has to do with Two-Face and the hunt for his missing coin. It also involves his supposedly dead wife. Not too bad a story.
So the overall quality deserves a 3 star-it was a good comic, though hardly anything to rave about. Less of the hack-job characters and this would have been a pretty good Batman tale.
July 30, 2015
This was a really enjoyable story! Even more so, if you have read stories like the Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul. A villain (Sensei) who has at least for me his first introduction in that story makes a return here in the Eye of the Beholder, as does an ally (I-Ching). Even though Bruce Wayne is back, this story has Dick Grayson front and center as Gotham's Dark Knight Detective. Bruce is working on Batman Incorporated behind the curtains, while Dick and Damian are keeping the streets of Gotham safe as Batman and Robin.
This story was heavy on the use of sidekicks. We obviously have Damian Wayne as Robin, but we also have Catgirl and Enigma (Who's sidekicks could they be? Not a tough one to crack is it).
I loved the art! Tony S. Daniel is one of my favorite Batman artists!
As I said before, it's great to see some familiar characters make their return. Besides the characters from the Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, we have one straight from the pages of the Long Halloween (Gilda Dent). It's fun to see some characters and storylines being revisited and fleshed out, but you can rest assure that you can enjoy this book even if you haven't read these other Bat-stories. Still for me it was a definite plus, I always like it when writers use Batman's elaborate history in new stories.
A lot of action, great art, great characters, interesting stories, just everything you would want out of a Bat-story.
This story was heavy on the use of sidekicks. We obviously have Damian Wayne as Robin, but we also have Catgirl and Enigma (Who's sidekicks could they be? Not a tough one to crack is it).
I loved the art! Tony S. Daniel is one of my favorite Batman artists!
As I said before, it's great to see some familiar characters make their return. Besides the characters from the Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, we have one straight from the pages of the Long Halloween (Gilda Dent). It's fun to see some characters and storylines being revisited and fleshed out, but you can rest assure that you can enjoy this book even if you haven't read these other Bat-stories. Still for me it was a definite plus, I always like it when writers use Batman's elaborate history in new stories.
A lot of action, great art, great characters, interesting stories, just everything you would want out of a Bat-story.
December 19, 2011
Dick Grayson is still Batman while Bruce Wayne as Batman works on his new idea – “Batman Incorporated” – in Grant Morrison’s storyline, and Grayson (a more sleek version of Batman) is joined by Damian Al-Ghul as Robin. Together they encounter the Sensei (who was previously seen as dead in Morrison’s “The Resurrection of Ra’s Al-Ghul”) who is up to no good chasing after a mystical mask that unleashes a demonic power while Grayson and Damien are joined by an Asian supehero “Peacock” to stop Sensei’s path of destruction. In the other storyline, Two-Face goes on a murderous rampage across Gotham to get his coin back but who’s the mysterious figure lurking in the shadows, setting up Harvey?
Tony Daniel writes a couple of pretty decent stories, keeping the sub-plot of Morrison’s grand Batman story ticking over with Grayson learning the ropes as a new Batman and Damien continuing to learn the ropes as the new Boy Wonder. Daniel has Grayson as a less-than-perfect Batman which suits the character as Grayson, while filling out the suit well, isn’t Bruce Wayne and isn’t the world’s greatest detective so he should be less than confident in his new role.
Daniel’s artwork in the “Eye of the Beholder” storyline was top notch as always and the action scenes were especially well done. I thought the second storyline about Two-Face wasn’t as interesting as the first, but it wasn’t bad. Daniel doesn’t illustrate this story either, but the artwork isn’t bad and at least it’s not Sam Kieth-standard by any stretch! Overall, a fun Batman book but not essential reading.
Tony Daniel writes a couple of pretty decent stories, keeping the sub-plot of Morrison’s grand Batman story ticking over with Grayson learning the ropes as a new Batman and Damien continuing to learn the ropes as the new Boy Wonder. Daniel has Grayson as a less-than-perfect Batman which suits the character as Grayson, while filling out the suit well, isn’t Bruce Wayne and isn’t the world’s greatest detective so he should be less than confident in his new role.
Daniel’s artwork in the “Eye of the Beholder” storyline was top notch as always and the action scenes were especially well done. I thought the second storyline about Two-Face wasn’t as interesting as the first, but it wasn’t bad. Daniel doesn’t illustrate this story either, but the artwork isn’t bad and at least it’s not Sam Kieth-standard by any stretch! Overall, a fun Batman book but not essential reading.
June 2, 2012
What starts with a great setup quickly devolves into a standard too-many-characters parade. I think Tony Daniel's problem may be that he loves Batman too much, odd as that seems. So far all of his stories have been absolutely crammed full of secondary Batman characters in a completely useless and haphazard way, nothing like Hush or one of the stories that does the rogues gallery thing right.
In the first half of this book, we get a story centered around all of the Asian/ninja Batman crew, last seen in The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul storyline. It's just an excuse to have a lot of mysticism and kung fu, and ultimately doesn't pay off. The story centers around Sensei (literally this guy's name) trying to find an ancient mask of power hidden somewhere in Gotham. Dozens of plot threads are set up, and none of them pay off. It's compelling until it falls apart, and has the added bonus of Daniel's solid art.
The second half is devoted to Two-Face in a story that is only a callback to The Long Halloween and, I guess, some other stuff that happened in the Batman universe that I wasn't aware of. I found myself completely lost beginning to end. No character motivation or plot twist made any sense to me. This is one of the biggest things wrong with comics today: writers assuming everyone has read everything they have. I missed a couple Batman stories (actually very few, I've read pretty much everything since Hush) somewhere and so I'm lost, since Daniel didn't bother to explain himself. A massive waste of time brought even further down by lackluster art.
In the first half of this book, we get a story centered around all of the Asian/ninja Batman crew, last seen in The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul storyline. It's just an excuse to have a lot of mysticism and kung fu, and ultimately doesn't pay off. The story centers around Sensei (literally this guy's name) trying to find an ancient mask of power hidden somewhere in Gotham. Dozens of plot threads are set up, and none of them pay off. It's compelling until it falls apart, and has the added bonus of Daniel's solid art.
The second half is devoted to Two-Face in a story that is only a callback to The Long Halloween and, I guess, some other stuff that happened in the Batman universe that I wasn't aware of. I found myself completely lost beginning to end. No character motivation or plot twist made any sense to me. This is one of the biggest things wrong with comics today: writers assuming everyone has read everything they have. I missed a couple Batman stories (actually very few, I've read pretty much everything since Hush) somewhere and so I'm lost, since Daniel didn't bother to explain himself. A massive waste of time brought even further down by lackluster art.
October 17, 2019
Even though I enjoy Dick Grayson/Batman with Damian....this was just okay.
July 16, 2015
I had a harder time with this one than the last one. Just could not keep interested and had to force myself to finish it. It isn't terrible but the dialogue is cliched, the plot devices are cliched, even in the dialogue one of the characters mentions everything being cliched.
The change to Catwoman in the last volume is repeated here with another villain and that's pretty much when I decided enough was enough.
The art is still pretty good. Seems there are a variety of inkers this time on Daniels' work as well as another penciller.
I've read worse but these could be better.
The change to Catwoman in the last volume is repeated here with another villain and that's pretty much when I decided enough was enough.
The art is still pretty good. Seems there are a variety of inkers this time on Daniels' work as well as another penciller.
I've read worse but these could be better.
September 22, 2020
Поки головний Бетмен серії будує свою “Корпорацію Бетменів”, в Готемі слідкує за порядком Бетмен-заступник, Дік Грейсон. І слідкує так уважно, що пропускає момент, коли до міста вдирається банда агресивних азіатів, які шукають Маску Споглядача, могутній артефакт, здатний ледь не знищити світ (хоча по ходу сюжету встиг знищити лише кілька селищ у флешбеках).
Так, у нас знову про артефакт, який треба знищити. І група тих, хто хоче його знищити, також у наявності. Спосіб, щоправда, не дуже епічний. А ще маємо німу дитину з видіннями, і вона ці видіння малює, аби рухати сюжет та давати підказки. Цікаво, для кого такий вид наративу є новим? Добре, що каляками-маляками активно не користуються.
Чи поганий сюжет? Та ні. Тут є нові персонажі, про існування яких ви могли і не здогадуватись. Є зустріч двох Бетменів та трохи інтриги. Малюнок на дуже високому рівні, до нього прискіпатися важко (ну, можливо, до темних сцен лише, які зовсім не темні).
Також в книжку потрапила історія Едварда Нігми і Дволикого, але вона більше про відсилки до Святкового Вбивці та “Темної перемоги”.
Лінію Дівчини-Кішки розмазали на весь сюжет, і здалося, її просто хотіли здихатися. Не дуже цікавий персонаж-клон, по якому навіть немає фігурок Funko (я саме про Дівчину-Кішку, а не про Жінку-Кішку). А ще от персонаж на прізвисько Пава сприймається не дуже.
Офіційного українського чи скрєпного видання немає.
Так, у нас знову про артефакт, який треба знищити. І група тих, хто хоче його знищити, також у наявності. Спосіб, щоправда, не дуже епічний. А ще маємо німу дитину з видіннями, і вона ці видіння малює, аби рухати сюжет та давати підказки. Цікаво, для кого такий вид наративу є новим? Добре, що каляками-маляками активно не користуються.
Чи поганий сюжет? Та ні. Тут є нові персонажі, про існування яких ви могли і не здогадуватись. Є зустріч двох Бетменів та трохи інтриги. Малюнок на дуже високому рівні, до нього прискіпатися важко (ну, можливо, до темних сцен лише, які зовсім не темні).
Також в книжку потрапила історія Едварда Нігми і Дволикого, але вона більше про відсилки до Святкового Вбивці та “Темної перемоги”.
Лінію Дівчини-Кішки розмазали на весь сюжет, і здалося, її просто хотіли здихатися. Не дуже цікавий персонаж-клон, по якому навіть немає фігурок Funko (я саме про Дівчину-Кішку, а не про Жінку-Кішку). А ще от персонаж на прізвисько Пава сприймається не дуже.
Офіційного українського чи скрєпного видання немає.
February 5, 2019
A decent Batman story but nothing groundbreaking here. Set during the era where Dick Grayson has taken up the cowl of Batman and Damian Wayne has taken on the mantle of Robin. It is refreshing to see a lighter in tone and less experienced Batman than Bruce Wayne.
The artwork in this graphic novel is really good, the two different stories contained, not so strong.
Part one: Eye of the Beholder. The villain Sensei is after a mystical mask. Good action pieces and supporting characters with a decent resolution.
Part two: Pieces. This one seems to be the start of what could be an interesting ongoing story with Two Face and Riddler, but on its own it doesn't have a strong resolution and its unclear where the plot goes next.
Overall not a bad read, no previous Batman knowledge is really needed to appreciate this, but not the best place to start with Batman, he has better stories than this.
The artwork in this graphic novel is really good, the two different stories contained, not so strong.
Part one: Eye of the Beholder. The villain Sensei is after a mystical mask. Good action pieces and supporting characters with a decent resolution.
Part two: Pieces. This one seems to be the start of what could be an interesting ongoing story with Two Face and Riddler, but on its own it doesn't have a strong resolution and its unclear where the plot goes next.
Overall not a bad read, no previous Batman knowledge is really needed to appreciate this, but not the best place to start with Batman, he has better stories than this.
April 27, 2016
A mediocre, paint-by-the-numbers Batman tale. A magical mask. A Chinese cult. Gotham threatened. A female Asian superhero named Peacock with cleavage the Great Wall could span. Everyone has creepily attractive teenage sidekicks on a sudden. Robin looks at teenage girl sidekicks.
Not much else to report. The always entertaining Dick Grayson/Batman and Damian Wayne/Robin rapport is missing here. For the completist only, I guess.
Not much else to report. The always entertaining Dick Grayson/Batman and Damian Wayne/Robin rapport is missing here. For the completist only, I guess.
March 4, 2016
I really like Dick Grayson's run as Batman. Black mirror is one of the best Batman books I have read. Although this has its moments it is mainly filler and b lost Villians. Worth reading if you are a big batman or Dick Grayson fan. Otherwise probably one that can be missed.
August 26, 2020
I recently discovered Tony S. Daniel while reading Batman: Detective Comics, Vol. 1: Faces of Death again. This isn't his best work or I would have noticed him sooner. He's one of the most prolific comic creators in the business and has the enviable talent for both writing and drawing, and what surprised me is, his art is better than most--better than Greg Capullo, Jim Lee (who makes everyone's face look like a pre-teen), definitely better than the overrated Frank Miller (don't get me wrong, I loved TDKR but Sin City and 300 are just a lot of grunting, KRA-KA-KOOMs and POWs, and I don't get the gasping fans), and he can write too?
His art is the best I've ever seen and he's a master of the human form (something Capullo embarrasses himself doing--he can do one man and one woman, and then copy it for every character). Man, not Daniel! His human figures look so realistic, the ripples and curves... (I'm not a fan of Mr. & Ms. Universe physiques. Frankly, that's just stupid. Seriously, it's stupid. It LOOKS idiotic. Where are the steroids coming from? Does Batman mix it up himself in the lab?). Aside from that, his figures look marvelous, though, and I'm ignoring the bizarre muscle tone of everyone... He does various body types and hair better than anyone else, too.
Eye of the Beholder is easily as good as anything Scott Snyder has done in the past decade with Batman. (These are all short stories, after all. Every comic "event" is a bunch of illustrated short stories tied together with a common thread.) Snyder was my first exposure to New 52 in 2014 (3 years after the reboot in 2011). This was good for DC which had too many conflicting origin stories from famous writers and illustrators inserting their own flavors into the recipes. That's fine, it's entertaining, and I like the variety of Morrison, et al....
Tony S. Daniel should have been given Batman instead of Detective and Deathstroke for the New 52, but he had already a successful run with Batman prime, so it was time for new talent. Snyder is ok; Capulla is barely passing. Detective was good thanks to him, and that's probably the 2nd most profitable book for DC. I'm reading the entire New 52 again, filling in books I never got around to, and Snyder/Capullo is so disappointing. I'll review those separately as I'm already going OT.
Here are some of Tony Daniel's covers:
(images copyright DC comics)
Eye of the Beholder is a "mask story" that takes place in Chinatown (NY) with some interesting characters like I-Ching and a potential love interest for both Dick and Damian. Oh, yeah, this isn't Bruce Wayne's Batman, it's Dick Grayson who took over after Bruce died. Which, of course, he didn't. There's a funny scene in this book with two Batmen on the same page and Bruce tells Dick to carry on while Bruce goes off to do his international Batman Inc. thing. (Is that cool? Leaving Gotham a mess for Dick and then just leaving?). The last 30 or so pages is another story arc with Two-Face that wasn't very good, except seeing that Riddler apparently has a daughter named Nigma. (ugh). But anyway, this is all good pre-New 52 canon and it's very enjoyable.
His art is the best I've ever seen and he's a master of the human form (something Capullo embarrasses himself doing--he can do one man and one woman, and then copy it for every character). Man, not Daniel! His human figures look so realistic, the ripples and curves... (I'm not a fan of Mr. & Ms. Universe physiques. Frankly, that's just stupid. Seriously, it's stupid. It LOOKS idiotic. Where are the steroids coming from? Does Batman mix it up himself in the lab?). Aside from that, his figures look marvelous, though, and I'm ignoring the bizarre muscle tone of everyone... He does various body types and hair better than anyone else, too.
Eye of the Beholder is easily as good as anything Scott Snyder has done in the past decade with Batman. (These are all short stories, after all. Every comic "event" is a bunch of illustrated short stories tied together with a common thread.) Snyder was my first exposure to New 52 in 2014 (3 years after the reboot in 2011). This was good for DC which had too many conflicting origin stories from famous writers and illustrators inserting their own flavors into the recipes. That's fine, it's entertaining, and I like the variety of Morrison, et al....
Tony S. Daniel should have been given Batman instead of Detective and Deathstroke for the New 52, but he had already a successful run with Batman prime, so it was time for new talent. Snyder is ok; Capulla is barely passing. Detective was good thanks to him, and that's probably the 2nd most profitable book for DC. I'm reading the entire New 52 again, filling in books I never got around to, and Snyder/Capullo is so disappointing. I'll review those separately as I'm already going OT.
Here are some of Tony Daniel's covers:
(images copyright DC comics)
Eye of the Beholder is a "mask story" that takes place in Chinatown (NY) with some interesting characters like I-Ching and a potential love interest for both Dick and Damian. Oh, yeah, this isn't Bruce Wayne's Batman, it's Dick Grayson who took over after Bruce died. Which, of course, he didn't. There's a funny scene in this book with two Batmen on the same page and Bruce tells Dick to carry on while Bruce goes off to do his international Batman Inc. thing. (Is that cool? Leaving Gotham a mess for Dick and then just leaving?). The last 30 or so pages is another story arc with Two-Face that wasn't very good, except seeing that Riddler apparently has a daughter named Nigma. (ugh). But anyway, this is all good pre-New 52 canon and it's very enjoyable.
January 2, 2024
Eye of the Beholder
The most notable thing about this is how different Dick Grayson’s Batman is. In Daniel’s last book Life After Death, Grayson’s dark knight was virtually indistinguishable from a young Bruce Wayne. Now that Wayne lives again, Grayson’s Batman is differentiated by talking ‘like an adolescent.’ He also seems to turn to jelly in the presence of his mentor. While I’m all for Dick being distinctly his own Batman, this weakness in front of Bruce does unfairly diminish him I think.
This arc finds him working with new character, Sasha Lo. Her nom de guerre is Peacock and Daniel’s costume design for her is brilliant. Unfortunately I didn’t find there was much more to her as a character. She has a mute little brother who’s not quite telepathic but he isn’t oozing personality either. The twist she resurrected Sensei to set him up for this fall adds a nice shade of grey to her but I’m struggling to find much else worth saying. A flash of the future at the end suggests Daniel had bigger plans for her he never got to realise.
The villain of the piece is Sensei, resurrected to be a mystical villain for this mystical story without having to touch Ra’s al Ghul. The resurrection does fit into Daniel’s overarching theme of resurrection and rebirth across his run. There isn’t really anything else to say about Sensei. He serves his narrative purpose fine without ever excelling.
The actual narrative itself is generic and boring. The Beholder is an ancient mask with generic evil demon powers. Sensei wants it. Peacock wants it destroyed. You’ve seen this sort of thing 100 times.
The various moving parts of Daniel’s run continue to tick over in the background. Kitrina Falcone, now calling herself Catgirl, gets in Batman’s way and then is later useful to him, leaving the question of if her character can stay in Gotham for next arc. The Reaper is disappointingly taken out in the opening making you wonder why bother leaving him at large in Life After Death. The Riddler continues to build up his grand return.
Riddler has a new look here to emphasise he has left his reformed detective days behind him. Think Jim Carrey in a green trench coat and sunglasses. He’s also picked up a new sidekick who is allegedly his daughter. I believe Enigma was a minor Teen Titans character before this so its Daniel picking up an existing potential loose end rather than inventing something new.
As a story, it’s fine and the art is nice. It doesn’t inspire though.
Pieces
Pieces is the final arc of Daniel’s Batman and the final arc of the Batman comic before The New 52 reboot. Unfortunately it clearly wasn’t intended to be either and a promising set up has to rush to any sort of conclusion in the final issue it can manage.
Pieces is the story of Two-Face’s return to Gotham, desperately searching for his stolen coin and killing anyone in his way. And Daniel uses this for one last return from the dead: Gilda Dent.
We get a little more information on how Mario Falcone returned as a generic gangster in Life After Death, and we see he’s the new king of crime in Gotham for the next 5 seconds. Mario shows he’s unstable and entirely dependent on Gilda while trying to live up to his father. Then Two-Face shoots him.
We also see the Catwoman-Catgirl partnership end as Selina supports Dick’s attempts to ship Kitrina off to boarding school. It’s odd that we set up Catwoman and Catgirl so dramatically last volume only to never see them together. It’s like Daniel realised he didn’t space in this book to follow Selina as well and her own writers weren’t interested in Kitrina. It’s a shame there was a lot that could have been done then.
We also see Riddler complete his journey back to villainy as he gets Two-Face back on his feet and gains access to the DA’s files on him to somehow restore his life. The choice of final scene being Nygma satisfied he now has the tools of his restoration gives Daniel the resurrection he’s been building up to for his whole run: The Riddler. It’s a shame he never got to tell the Riddler story he sets up by doing this.
Despite some interesting set up and build up, there is a real sense the last issue is rushed off to tie-up as much as possible as best Daniel can. Mario is killed off without ceremony. Two-Face and Gilda are ambiguously reunited with a helpful explosion preventing Batman or us from seeing their final fate or getting any real explanation about Gilda’s long absence. Kitrina suddenly decides to try that boarding school after all (with a promise Catgirl will return one day), and Riddler gets ‘the tools to my restoration’ and emphasises he’s full back to evil now by murdering Enigma to close the book.
It’s a messy ending but I appreciate Daniel tying up as much as he can. Before I get into hypotheticals about a run that never happened, I should finish passing judgment on what did actually get published: it’s an enjoyable but underwhelming missed opportunity of a book.
So now for the bit that interests me most. What if DC hadn’t rebooted and Daniel’s Batman run continued?
Daniel did keep writing the caped crusader, shifting to Detective Comics and now focused on Bruce. I’m not sure much of what he wrote there was part of his original plans though.
The Dollmaker arc could have been on the table but his Batman seemed much more interested in revitalising old characters than inventing new ones largely. Same applies to his Mr Toxic arc.
Eli Strange, son of Hugo Strange, was an odd addition. Given he left Strange at large in Life After Death and was theming his run around legacies and new holders of mantles, I suspect that may have been a holdover from his plans for Batman.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Penguin opening the Iceberg Casino was planned as Cobblepot’s post-Black Mask relaunch in Gotham, particularly now Falcone is out of the picture too.
Daniel did revisit Black Mask, suggesting the mask was magic and controlled Jeremiah. But this seems to me more likely just a way of keeping his Black Mask 2 canon while the other writers wanted Jeremiah back in charge of the asylum.
So what did Daniel set up in Batman that he didn’t get to do in Detective Comics? Obviously there’s his big Riddler story he never got to tell because Scott Snyder called dibs on Nygma for the reboot. We also definitely had more of Harvey and Gilda to deal with. Life After Death left Fright stepping into a leadership role in Black Mask’s absence that was never revisited. Peacock was teased to return as a love interest for Dick.
I also suspect the ending of this arc wouldn’t have closed the door on Kitrina or Enigma if it wasn’t the final issue. Enigma’s inclusion feels entirely unwarranted just to die then. But knowing she wasn’t making the jump to the New 52 and he wasn’t going to get to tell his Riddler story anymore anyway, I think Daniel saw the opportunity for a dramatic ending that emphasised evil Riddler was back now. Equally her death is only implied not confirmed. And Kitrina’s story ends very abruptly and easily - I find it hard to believe Daniel would have let his new OC baby go so easily if the universe wasn’t literally about to end.
I enjoyed Tony S Daniel’s Batman run despite its flaws and I think it’s a shame its legacy is largely unresolved and messy plots. I do think his Batman had much more of interest than his Detective Comics in the end even though it ended with more of a whimper than a bang as well.
The most notable thing about this is how different Dick Grayson’s Batman is. In Daniel’s last book Life After Death, Grayson’s dark knight was virtually indistinguishable from a young Bruce Wayne. Now that Wayne lives again, Grayson’s Batman is differentiated by talking ‘like an adolescent.’ He also seems to turn to jelly in the presence of his mentor. While I’m all for Dick being distinctly his own Batman, this weakness in front of Bruce does unfairly diminish him I think.
This arc finds him working with new character, Sasha Lo. Her nom de guerre is Peacock and Daniel’s costume design for her is brilliant. Unfortunately I didn’t find there was much more to her as a character. She has a mute little brother who’s not quite telepathic but he isn’t oozing personality either. The twist she resurrected Sensei to set him up for this fall adds a nice shade of grey to her but I’m struggling to find much else worth saying. A flash of the future at the end suggests Daniel had bigger plans for her he never got to realise.
The villain of the piece is Sensei, resurrected to be a mystical villain for this mystical story without having to touch Ra’s al Ghul. The resurrection does fit into Daniel’s overarching theme of resurrection and rebirth across his run. There isn’t really anything else to say about Sensei. He serves his narrative purpose fine without ever excelling.
The actual narrative itself is generic and boring. The Beholder is an ancient mask with generic evil demon powers. Sensei wants it. Peacock wants it destroyed. You’ve seen this sort of thing 100 times.
The various moving parts of Daniel’s run continue to tick over in the background. Kitrina Falcone, now calling herself Catgirl, gets in Batman’s way and then is later useful to him, leaving the question of if her character can stay in Gotham for next arc. The Reaper is disappointingly taken out in the opening making you wonder why bother leaving him at large in Life After Death. The Riddler continues to build up his grand return.
Riddler has a new look here to emphasise he has left his reformed detective days behind him. Think Jim Carrey in a green trench coat and sunglasses. He’s also picked up a new sidekick who is allegedly his daughter. I believe Enigma was a minor Teen Titans character before this so its Daniel picking up an existing potential loose end rather than inventing something new.
As a story, it’s fine and the art is nice. It doesn’t inspire though.
Pieces
Pieces is the final arc of Daniel’s Batman and the final arc of the Batman comic before The New 52 reboot. Unfortunately it clearly wasn’t intended to be either and a promising set up has to rush to any sort of conclusion in the final issue it can manage.
Pieces is the story of Two-Face’s return to Gotham, desperately searching for his stolen coin and killing anyone in his way. And Daniel uses this for one last return from the dead: Gilda Dent.
We get a little more information on how Mario Falcone returned as a generic gangster in Life After Death, and we see he’s the new king of crime in Gotham for the next 5 seconds. Mario shows he’s unstable and entirely dependent on Gilda while trying to live up to his father. Then Two-Face shoots him.
We also see the Catwoman-Catgirl partnership end as Selina supports Dick’s attempts to ship Kitrina off to boarding school. It’s odd that we set up Catwoman and Catgirl so dramatically last volume only to never see them together. It’s like Daniel realised he didn’t space in this book to follow Selina as well and her own writers weren’t interested in Kitrina. It’s a shame there was a lot that could have been done then.
We also see Riddler complete his journey back to villainy as he gets Two-Face back on his feet and gains access to the DA’s files on him to somehow restore his life. The choice of final scene being Nygma satisfied he now has the tools of his restoration gives Daniel the resurrection he’s been building up to for his whole run: The Riddler. It’s a shame he never got to tell the Riddler story he sets up by doing this.
Despite some interesting set up and build up, there is a real sense the last issue is rushed off to tie-up as much as possible as best Daniel can. Mario is killed off without ceremony. Two-Face and Gilda are ambiguously reunited with a helpful explosion preventing Batman or us from seeing their final fate or getting any real explanation about Gilda’s long absence. Kitrina suddenly decides to try that boarding school after all (with a promise Catgirl will return one day), and Riddler gets ‘the tools to my restoration’ and emphasises he’s full back to evil now by murdering Enigma to close the book.
It’s a messy ending but I appreciate Daniel tying up as much as he can. Before I get into hypotheticals about a run that never happened, I should finish passing judgment on what did actually get published: it’s an enjoyable but underwhelming missed opportunity of a book.
So now for the bit that interests me most. What if DC hadn’t rebooted and Daniel’s Batman run continued?
Daniel did keep writing the caped crusader, shifting to Detective Comics and now focused on Bruce. I’m not sure much of what he wrote there was part of his original plans though.
The Dollmaker arc could have been on the table but his Batman seemed much more interested in revitalising old characters than inventing new ones largely. Same applies to his Mr Toxic arc.
Eli Strange, son of Hugo Strange, was an odd addition. Given he left Strange at large in Life After Death and was theming his run around legacies and new holders of mantles, I suspect that may have been a holdover from his plans for Batman.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Penguin opening the Iceberg Casino was planned as Cobblepot’s post-Black Mask relaunch in Gotham, particularly now Falcone is out of the picture too.
Daniel did revisit Black Mask, suggesting the mask was magic and controlled Jeremiah. But this seems to me more likely just a way of keeping his Black Mask 2 canon while the other writers wanted Jeremiah back in charge of the asylum.
So what did Daniel set up in Batman that he didn’t get to do in Detective Comics? Obviously there’s his big Riddler story he never got to tell because Scott Snyder called dibs on Nygma for the reboot. We also definitely had more of Harvey and Gilda to deal with. Life After Death left Fright stepping into a leadership role in Black Mask’s absence that was never revisited. Peacock was teased to return as a love interest for Dick.
I also suspect the ending of this arc wouldn’t have closed the door on Kitrina or Enigma if it wasn’t the final issue. Enigma’s inclusion feels entirely unwarranted just to die then. But knowing she wasn’t making the jump to the New 52 and he wasn’t going to get to tell his Riddler story anymore anyway, I think Daniel saw the opportunity for a dramatic ending that emphasised evil Riddler was back now. Equally her death is only implied not confirmed. And Kitrina’s story ends very abruptly and easily - I find it hard to believe Daniel would have let his new OC baby go so easily if the universe wasn’t literally about to end.
I enjoyed Tony S Daniel’s Batman run despite its flaws and I think it’s a shame its legacy is largely unresolved and messy plots. I do think his Batman had much more of interest than his Detective Comics in the end even though it ended with more of a whimper than a bang as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 28, 2025Want the mix of Batman in an Asian setting of martial arts and ancient secrets? This story might be for you! Taking place in Chinatown in Gotham city, there’s twists and turns and Batman taking on new villains. This collects Batman issues #704-707, 710-712 during the DC Comic period before the New 52 era.
There's two stories in this trade paperback. Part one involves an old man named Sensei and he’s out to retrieve a secret mask. The ancient mask have made its way somehow to Gotham and his ninjas and him are out in Gotham fighting which of course gets Batman involved. Other new characters include someone name Peacock who is fighting with Sensei since she’s trying to get her brother Sasho Lo back from being kidnapped. There’s a sense of mystery and twists and turn that makes this exciting! I also like the Asian dimension to the story. It also creative and not the typical Batman villains. I give this story a ten out of ten!
The second story involves the typical rogue gallery of Batman villains and this time it is the Riddler, the Falcones and Two Face with Two Face upset at his former wife alleged betrayal of him. There’s also a new character here with Enigma who is Riddlers daughter. This story has the theme of betrayal and I notice it is surprising in the end what the villains will do, which is a contrast and foil to Batman’s sidekicks and their loyalty to Batman or at least to the cause of Batman’s crusade.
Overall fun comics to read and the artwork for the Asian story is especially nice for it is different. It might be a bit more suited for older readers than younger readers.
There's two stories in this trade paperback. Part one involves an old man named Sensei and he’s out to retrieve a secret mask. The ancient mask have made its way somehow to Gotham and his ninjas and him are out in Gotham fighting which of course gets Batman involved. Other new characters include someone name Peacock who is fighting with Sensei since she’s trying to get her brother Sasho Lo back from being kidnapped. There’s a sense of mystery and twists and turn that makes this exciting! I also like the Asian dimension to the story. It also creative and not the typical Batman villains. I give this story a ten out of ten!
The second story involves the typical rogue gallery of Batman villains and this time it is the Riddler, the Falcones and Two Face with Two Face upset at his former wife alleged betrayal of him. There’s also a new character here with Enigma who is Riddlers daughter. This story has the theme of betrayal and I notice it is surprising in the end what the villains will do, which is a contrast and foil to Batman’s sidekicks and their loyalty to Batman or at least to the cause of Batman’s crusade.
Overall fun comics to read and the artwork for the Asian story is especially nice for it is different. It might be a bit more suited for older readers than younger readers.
November 6, 2017
4.5 stars for artwork and coloring and 2 for storyline. Daniel's artwork is absolutely stunning, great linework, powerful detail, coloring captures the mood perfectly, only complaint at times its too dark much like many modern horror movies. It makes it hard for imagery to pop out at ya. The storyline, im not too sure required a hardcover version as it really only consists of 4 comic issues and followed by another short story with completely different characters. Dick Grayson is still Batman and Bruce Wayne as mostly absent designing what would become Batman Incorporated. Although I love the Nightwing series, to character was more suited to replace Wayne as Grayson, but you cant always get what you want. Similar (in some ways) to the Ras Ah Gul story, I cant ignore the feeling that this is just a filler piece as the storyline develops into something bigger, again showing that a hardcover wasnt all that necessary to capture this.
March 28, 2021
Tony Daniel é um ilustrador excelente, ele retrata bem a obscuridade do Batman. Mas como escritor, sinto que ele neste momento estava aprendendo ainda. Eu não sei como são as histórias escritas por ele posteriores a esta, mas aqui algumas coisas parecem estranhas e sem sentido, assim como em outras histórias anteriores a esta.
Por exemplo: O Charada chega do nada e apresenta uma filha chamada Enigma, que em anos de cronologia da era moderna do Batman nunca apareceu e nunca foi mencionada. WTF? Da mesma forma como ele introduziu a Catgirl em compilados anteriores, simplesmente do nada e sem uma explicação convincente.
Acredito que a DC neste momento estava autorizando os escritores do baixo escalão a introduzir vários personagens de qualquer maneira pra ver quais deles o público gostava, já que os Novos 52 estava próximo.
Por exemplo: O Charada chega do nada e apresenta uma filha chamada Enigma, que em anos de cronologia da era moderna do Batman nunca apareceu e nunca foi mencionada. WTF? Da mesma forma como ele introduziu a Catgirl em compilados anteriores, simplesmente do nada e sem uma explicação convincente.
Acredito que a DC neste momento estava autorizando os escritores do baixo escalão a introduzir vários personagens de qualquer maneira pra ver quais deles o público gostava, já que os Novos 52 estava próximo.
December 15, 2024
Tony Daniel does double duty on two stories as both writer and artist. First off, amazing art. I love his Batman. The stories both felt like filler material. First, we're introduced to Peacock and her brother and an ancient relic that could cause chaos. It was a mostly bland story and didn't actually feel like a Batman story. The second tale was much more a Batman tale as Two-Face, Riddler, and some Gotham crime families are involved. This story was fine but does bring back a long thought dead character that should have stayed dead. I liked that Daniel does a great job of writing Dick as Batman and showing the differences in the two. I wished Damian would have had more of an impact here. Overall, great art and harmless stories that won't matter much in the long run.
January 8, 2018
Maybe 3.5/5, but since GR is too cool for fractions and decimals, I opted to round down.
Very well illustrated. Really liked the artwork and character designs here. Actual writing-wise, it was okay, I’m not sure what TPB comes after this, but as it is “Eye of the Beholder” as a story didn’t satisfy well as a story, felt like a few more issues should have been looped into this collection. There is just no real conclusion here, like not one storyline seemed to wrap up in any sort of way.
Does anyone know what the official follow-up to this story is (if it has been released)?
Very well illustrated. Really liked the artwork and character designs here. Actual writing-wise, it was okay, I’m not sure what TPB comes after this, but as it is “Eye of the Beholder” as a story didn’t satisfy well as a story, felt like a few more issues should have been looped into this collection. There is just no real conclusion here, like not one storyline seemed to wrap up in any sort of way.
Does anyone know what the official follow-up to this story is (if it has been released)?
November 13, 2024
This one was good and Tony S. Daniel's are and layouts in issues #704-707 are still stellar. The team of artists who worked on issues #710-712 were less engaging, in my opinion. Both arcs collected in this book are definitely of the low-stakes-transitional-story-line variety, yet provide a few key elements to the overarching Batman saga.
February 20, 2019
Good but not great. Ending feels rushed with the impending Flashpoint reboot looming over the book. The writing is frustratingly ambiguous, and intriguing concepts like Riddler’s daughter Enigma never go anywhere.
September 10, 2019
Decent, but a tad forgettable. Dick Grayson is an inferior Batman but his team watches his back. The art is good but a bit confusing sometimes (rarely though). Both story arcs are good but too short to really hit hard. I liked it overall.
3.49/5
3.49/5
August 2, 2017
to asiany
it was like .....blah blah asian.....asian
i'm a white man
and what the hell is Dick grayson
it was like .....blah blah asian.....asian
i'm a white man
and what the hell is Dick grayson
April 11, 2018
Confusing??? felt like a waste of time.
August 15, 2020
Pretty low effort here. Riddler and Catwoman Jr. made for some grating reading. If I need to build an impromptu fire in the future, this is the book I will reach for for kindling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2024
⭐️3.5
August 22, 2025
Good story, great illustrations. This was a much better book than most Batmans comics.
August 25, 2011
BATMAN: EYE OF THE BEHOLDER (2/5)
One more mediocre story, written and pencilled by Tony Daniel. First published in Batman 704-707, it features the return of the fearful Sensei, father of the immortal eco-terrorist Ra's Al Ghul. Last seen in the crossover event "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul", he nearly killed the original Dark Knight Bruce Wayne but met his own demise after falling in the fountain of life. Deemed unworthy by the protector of the sacred place, he was burned alive.
However, we now learn that an unknown woman, present when the afore-mentioned events took place, revived the Sensei using a "Sip of Lazarus" (whatever that is). I can't help it but agree with Dick Grayson's remark when he heard of this story; doesn't anyone stay dead these days?
Anyway, the Sensei is now in Gotham city, seaking a cursed artifact called "The Mask of the Beholder" which is supposed to bestow upon its host god-like power. A new vigilante is in town to prevent that from hapenning; her name is Peacock- and she actually wears a costume even more ridiculous than her name.
Daniel builds a rather decent mystery here, with a lot of well-drawn fighting scenes. The history of the mask is also extremely well-written and very interesting, involving a secret team of architects dating back before Batman (the original) was even born. There are also a few precious lines of witty dialogue between Grayson and Damian that will definitely make you crack a smile.
As far as the female sidekicks are concerned, Catgirl gets some action and character development although I doubt she will be used much in future stories. A new character is introduced; her name is Enigma and is aparrently Riddler's daughter. I didn't even know Riddler ever had a relationship with a woman, let alone a child. Anyway, yet another destined-to-be-burned sidekick by Daniel.
One more mediocre story, written and pencilled by Tony Daniel. First published in Batman 704-707, it features the return of the fearful Sensei, father of the immortal eco-terrorist Ra's Al Ghul. Last seen in the crossover event "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul", he nearly killed the original Dark Knight Bruce Wayne but met his own demise after falling in the fountain of life. Deemed unworthy by the protector of the sacred place, he was burned alive.
However, we now learn that an unknown woman, present when the afore-mentioned events took place, revived the Sensei using a "Sip of Lazarus" (whatever that is). I can't help it but agree with Dick Grayson's remark when he heard of this story; doesn't anyone stay dead these days?
Anyway, the Sensei is now in Gotham city, seaking a cursed artifact called "The Mask of the Beholder" which is supposed to bestow upon its host god-like power. A new vigilante is in town to prevent that from hapenning; her name is Peacock- and she actually wears a costume even more ridiculous than her name.
Daniel builds a rather decent mystery here, with a lot of well-drawn fighting scenes. The history of the mask is also extremely well-written and very interesting, involving a secret team of architects dating back before Batman (the original) was even born. There are also a few precious lines of witty dialogue between Grayson and Damian that will definitely make you crack a smile.
As far as the female sidekicks are concerned, Catgirl gets some action and character development although I doubt she will be used much in future stories. A new character is introduced; her name is Enigma and is aparrently Riddler's daughter. I didn't even know Riddler ever had a relationship with a woman, let alone a child. Anyway, yet another destined-to-be-burned sidekick by Daniel.
July 17, 2012
This is a good book. Dick Grayson proves that he is a worthy successor to the Bat. After the end of the Knightfall saga, I knew that Bruce Wayne had made a mistake in selecting Jean Paul Valley to the mantle of the Bat. At the time, his hand was forced and needed to make a quick decision. It worked for awhile until Valley became destructive.
Years later, Grayson wearing the cape and cowl makes up for that error. Eventually, Grayson will return to the Nightwing mantle, I am enjoying him wearing the Batman mantle and is doing a great job at it. It also shows how different Bruce and Dick are as people. The common thread that Batman isn't one person, he is an idea and a force for Justice.
Years later, Grayson wearing the cape and cowl makes up for that error. Eventually, Grayson will return to the Nightwing mantle, I am enjoying him wearing the Batman mantle and is doing a great job at it. It also shows how different Bruce and Dick are as people. The common thread that Batman isn't one person, he is an idea and a force for Justice.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews