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Detective Comics (2016)
Batman: Detective Comics, Vol. 9: Deface the Face
Once upon a time, Harvey Dent was the best man in Gotham City. Now he's two of the worst as the bifurcated criminal called Two-Face. Harvey's devilish duality is a painful reminder of the force for good he once was as Gotham's district attorney...and as the close friend and ally of Batman and Jim Gordon.
But when a series of double-themed crimes breaks out and a sinister terrorist organization slithers back into town, the Dark Knight must turn to Two-Face to unravel the mystery and stop the invasion.
For Harvey, it's a chance to crack the one case he could never solve...if he can keep his dark side under control. If he wins, his unlikely partnership with Batman could pay off, and mark a turning point in his tragic life.
But when the balance between good and evil can be decided with the flip of a coin, all bets are off. Some scars run deep. And the conspiracy Batman, Gordon and Two-Face are about to uncover runs even deeper...
Comics writer James Robinson is joined by artists Stephen Segovia and Carmine Di Giandomenico for Detective Comics Vol. 9: Deface the Face --a thrilling adventure that takes the Dark Knight deep inside the mind of one of his most fascinating foes. Collects issues #988-993!
But when a series of double-themed crimes breaks out and a sinister terrorist organization slithers back into town, the Dark Knight must turn to Two-Face to unravel the mystery and stop the invasion.
For Harvey, it's a chance to crack the one case he could never solve...if he can keep his dark side under control. If he wins, his unlikely partnership with Batman could pay off, and mark a turning point in his tragic life.
But when the balance between good and evil can be decided with the flip of a coin, all bets are off. Some scars run deep. And the conspiracy Batman, Gordon and Two-Face are about to uncover runs even deeper...
Comics writer James Robinson is joined by artists Stephen Segovia and Carmine Di Giandomenico for Detective Comics Vol. 9: Deface the Face --a thrilling adventure that takes the Dark Knight deep inside the mind of one of his most fascinating foes. Collects issues #988-993!
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 9, 2019
43 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
James Robinson
1,265 books236 followersJames Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
June 1, 2019
Yup, it’s another one of those “art’s good, writing stinks” (ie. 90% of most comics) reviews!
Detective Comics, Volume 9: Deface the Face looks exactly how I want a Batman comic to look. In a word: awesome. Dramatic, dark, exciting, polished - I totally enjoyed this book from a visual standpoint and cowls off to Stephen Segovia and Carmine Di Giandomenico for that.
James Robinson though - pee-yew! What a rubbish story. Some crap about Kobra contaminating the Gotham water supply to turn everyone into followers of Kobra. Who the fuck are Kobra?! Maybe they’ve been introduced in earlier books - I haven’t kept up with the series as James Tynion IV is a terrible writer I can’t stand. I guess the League of Shadows was busy?
Two-Face “shockingly” helps out Batman even though blah blah predictable crap and status quo is reinstated by the end. A couple Fire Flies are thrown in the mix too.
It’s nice to look at but the convoluted and forgettable story makes Deface the Face a total waste of time.
Detective Comics, Volume 9: Deface the Face looks exactly how I want a Batman comic to look. In a word: awesome. Dramatic, dark, exciting, polished - I totally enjoyed this book from a visual standpoint and cowls off to Stephen Segovia and Carmine Di Giandomenico for that.
James Robinson though - pee-yew! What a rubbish story. Some crap about Kobra contaminating the Gotham water supply to turn everyone into followers of Kobra. Who the fuck are Kobra?! Maybe they’ve been introduced in earlier books - I haven’t kept up with the series as James Tynion IV is a terrible writer I can’t stand. I guess the League of Shadows was busy?
Two-Face “shockingly” helps out Batman even though blah blah predictable crap and status quo is reinstated by the end. A couple Fire Flies are thrown in the mix too.
It’s nice to look at but the convoluted and forgettable story makes Deface the Face a total waste of time.
April 22, 2019
A psuedo-sequel to Robinson's Face the Face. Two-Face teams up with Batman to stop Kobra. The explanation for why Two-Face is helping Batman is very contrived. This feels like nothing more than a holdover before Peter Tomasi takes over the book and builds to issue #1,000. I liked Stephen Segovia and Carmine di Giandomencio's art on the arc although they don't mess very well. The coloring was outstanding.
December 28, 2018
The dialog is sooo bad, so so so bad.
World: The art is okay for the most part, until Di Giandomencio, then the art gets fugly as all hell. I am not a fan of his scratchy and blurry art and the colors that he chooses and to see him do the Flash and now Batman it makes my eyeballs want to bleed. The world building here is okay, it's a continuation of Batman 50 but where King continues to kill and moves the story forward in that area here the world looks backwards and pulls pieces of the DCU for Batman and tells the same story on a familiar stage.
Story: Wow I cannot express how terribly bad the dialog for this arc is, you have to read it to believe it. It reads like a 5 year old trying to be Batman and falling flat on his face. The lines and banter are painful to read they are so over the top and not in a good 1966 way, this is just terrible writing. The story is aight, it's nothing really special and the idea of Batman teaming up with Two Face has been done before because of the dual personality, it's nothing new here and nothing new is presented to the table. The idea of the two gunshots and who shot first and the pop psychology behind the idea is contrived. Robinson doesn't know what to do with Batman, is he the world's greatest detective, cause he calls himself that in the books, and is he inept cause is pretty much is, the characters are wildly inconsistent but more of that below. The story drags on, it really drags on, normally I like stories that slow burn and give readers a wonderful world and story to enjoy and here, I just wanted it to end cause it was so familiar and the same stuff again and again. I recently read Batgirl Vanishing Point and the same problems are here, why are we retreading the same story again can a writer be not more creative with Two Face? Nope. In the end the story doesn't matter and the stakes doesn't matter and the last issue is laughable in it's conceit. I've already forgotten about this arc and most readers should just skip it, you won't miss much.
Characters: Every character in this book is written poorly and out of character because of the horrid dialog, it's really stunted, janky, and over the top. The dialog makes my eyes want to bleed (along with the art) and reading it makes me laugh out loud in the not good way, this writing is bad. With that the characters don't feel like themselves but feels like a child playing with action figures pretending to be these characters and therefore this entire story is not really real. The same old note with Two Face is old, it's been done so many times I am so bored of lazy writers not trying. Scott Snyder did the same thing in All Star Batman and even there at least the writing was better.
Not a good arc, not a memorable arc, not an arc you need to read...unless you want to experience the painful dialog.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
World: The art is okay for the most part, until Di Giandomencio, then the art gets fugly as all hell. I am not a fan of his scratchy and blurry art and the colors that he chooses and to see him do the Flash and now Batman it makes my eyeballs want to bleed. The world building here is okay, it's a continuation of Batman 50 but where King continues to kill and moves the story forward in that area here the world looks backwards and pulls pieces of the DCU for Batman and tells the same story on a familiar stage.
Story: Wow I cannot express how terribly bad the dialog for this arc is, you have to read it to believe it. It reads like a 5 year old trying to be Batman and falling flat on his face. The lines and banter are painful to read they are so over the top and not in a good 1966 way, this is just terrible writing. The story is aight, it's nothing really special and the idea of Batman teaming up with Two Face has been done before because of the dual personality, it's nothing new here and nothing new is presented to the table. The idea of the two gunshots and who shot first and the pop psychology behind the idea is contrived. Robinson doesn't know what to do with Batman, is he the world's greatest detective, cause he calls himself that in the books, and is he inept cause is pretty much is, the characters are wildly inconsistent but more of that below. The story drags on, it really drags on, normally I like stories that slow burn and give readers a wonderful world and story to enjoy and here, I just wanted it to end cause it was so familiar and the same stuff again and again. I recently read Batgirl Vanishing Point and the same problems are here, why are we retreading the same story again can a writer be not more creative with Two Face? Nope. In the end the story doesn't matter and the stakes doesn't matter and the last issue is laughable in it's conceit. I've already forgotten about this arc and most readers should just skip it, you won't miss much.
Characters: Every character in this book is written poorly and out of character because of the horrid dialog, it's really stunted, janky, and over the top. The dialog makes my eyes want to bleed (along with the art) and reading it makes me laugh out loud in the not good way, this writing is bad. With that the characters don't feel like themselves but feels like a child playing with action figures pretending to be these characters and therefore this entire story is not really real. The same old note with Two Face is old, it's been done so many times I am so bored of lazy writers not trying. Scott Snyder did the same thing in All Star Batman and even there at least the writing was better.
Not a good arc, not a memorable arc, not an arc you need to read...unless you want to experience the painful dialog.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
May 16, 2019
This was... incredibly boring for me.
This had all the elements of the Batman books I don't like to read: a bunch of cool poses, one or two one liners and no real appearances from the Batfamily. The family and the team are what made the first few volumes so enjoyable. Without them, I'm reminded of how boring I find Batsy as a character on his own. So, this wasn't that enjoyable for me - which is fine. I'm sure other people found something to love in this book.
This had all the elements of the Batman books I don't like to read: a bunch of cool poses, one or two one liners and no real appearances from the Batfamily. The family and the team are what made the first few volumes so enjoyable. Without them, I'm reminded of how boring I find Batsy as a character on his own. So, this wasn't that enjoyable for me - which is fine. I'm sure other people found something to love in this book.
April 20, 2019
I like James Robinson but this was kinda painful. The dialogue is actually laughable in parts. Art is inconsistent but has really strong moments.
April 7, 2019
James Robinson returns to Two-Face, one of his favourite characters, in a pseudo-sequel to Face The Face that drags Batman and Commissioner Gordon along for the ride as the character attempts to unravel a conspiracy featuring not one but two Fireflies, and Cobra!
This arc's kind of filler. After James Tynion IV's run ended and Bryan Hill's Outsiders backdoor pilot arc, Robinson steps in to fill these issues before Pete Tomasi takes over with the next volume. There's definitely a sense that this story isn't essential, and it doesn't really touch on much going on around it aside from Batman feeling a little off as a result of Selina Kyle's decision in Batman #50.
The story itself is fine. It's not as crazy as it could be, and it winds around a little too much in the middle, but it comes to a good conclusion and uses everything Robinson sets up along the way to feed into the eventual ending. It's not even really a character study of Two-Face like Face The Face was, just kind of an excuse for Robinson to use him again.
The art is divided between Stephen Segovia and Carmine Di Giandomenico - Segovia's art is probably more weighty, but Di Giandomenico's unique visuals are always going to be my favourite.
Deface The Face is the definition of a three star story. It's okay, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not going to stand out much.
This arc's kind of filler. After James Tynion IV's run ended and Bryan Hill's Outsiders backdoor pilot arc, Robinson steps in to fill these issues before Pete Tomasi takes over with the next volume. There's definitely a sense that this story isn't essential, and it doesn't really touch on much going on around it aside from Batman feeling a little off as a result of Selina Kyle's decision in Batman #50.
The story itself is fine. It's not as crazy as it could be, and it winds around a little too much in the middle, but it comes to a good conclusion and uses everything Robinson sets up along the way to feed into the eventual ending. It's not even really a character study of Two-Face like Face The Face was, just kind of an excuse for Robinson to use him again.
The art is divided between Stephen Segovia and Carmine Di Giandomenico - Segovia's art is probably more weighty, but Di Giandomenico's unique visuals are always going to be my favourite.
Deface The Face is the definition of a three star story. It's okay, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not going to stand out much.
September 9, 2019
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
If there’s one person who truly embraced both sides of the law, it’s the once-district-attorney Harvey Dent who now embraces his different personalities as he deals in criminality and insanity. His two-sided features make him a force to not reckon with as his friendship with Bruce Wayne and James Gordon gives him a little bit of a cushion on which to land on in times of trouble. With everyone praying that his best side could one day take over, Two-Face is a villain that you just can’t see coming unless you put yourself in his shoes. Channeling his success with Batman: Face the Face in 2006, writer James Robinson returns to helm a new story-arc within the Detective Comics series with the return of Two-Face and his maleficent plans in Gotham.
What is Batman: Detective Comics: Deface the Face about? Collecting issues #988-993, the story takes place after Tom King’s infamous issue #50 of his Batman series with the brutal aftermath regarding his wedding with Catwoman—an unprecedented reference to the ongoing series that has never been done before. Gotham now sees the breakout of a series of double-themed crimes elaborated by a sinister terrorist organization looking to rupture the unusual peace and quiet in this city of doom and gloom. With obvious hints towards the only supervillain who loves duality more than himself, Batman hunts down Harvey Dent for answers only to find out that to end this crisis, they will need to cooperate.
This story-arc turned out to be a disaster. The first disappointment comes from the fact that the previous volume served as a trampoline to launch a new series written by Brian Hill called Batman and the Outsiders, leaving the newly-introduced team in Batman: Detective Comics: On the Outside irrelevant for James Robinson’s story. With almost no sense of continuity, this story arc thus takes on the burden of being a stand-alone tale and you can bet that my expectations for those kinds of stories are pretty high. The second disappointment presents itself when you understand that Deface the Face focuses on Batman rather than the rest of the Bat Family, leading you to wonder what exactly is the Detective Comics series now looking to do differently compared to the ongoing Batman series. With no more identity, this story was bound to be put under the microscope. The third disappointment rises from the incredibly dull and unmemorable story written around Two-Face without presenting anything fresh or extensive about any of the characters included in this mystery.
Although I love the duality in Harvey Dent’s character, as his story shifts him from good to evil following a tragedy, writer James Robinson beautifully fails to deliver an authentic arc with his story, his characters and his ending utterly incomprehensible. In this situation, he horribly depicts his characters, making no effort in getting the traits and characteristics of his characters right, giving them unrealistic dialogues that make no sense. Take, for example, Batman openly self-proclaiming himself as the world’s greatest detective to Commissioner James Gordon. I think it’s safe to say that being cocky, eccentric, and wordy is not something you’d associate to the Dark Knight. The story also unfolds ambiguously, with motives that are either unknown or impossible to identify with villains that were never heard of before.
To help James Robinson visually translate his ideas, two artists are put to work, each sharing half of the story arc. First comes artist Stephen Segovia who offers some really stunning artwork with some stellar panels that reflect the gothic atmosphere often associated with Gotham, with meticulous attention to detail. Then comes artist Carmine Di Giandomenico who shifts the artwork in another direction that was far from being the worse style imaginable but still wasn’t appealing to my eyes. Ivan Plascencia consistent work with colours does help a lot in giving the overall volume a somber yet vibrant tone but the result is far too unrewarding, and the artwork could never redeem for the horrible writing and plotting.
Batman: Detective Comics: Deface the Face is a terrible story arc that barely stays glued together as it invites Batman to join forces with Two-Face to uncover a confusing conspiracy.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
April 16, 2023
Dumb plot, dumb motivations, predictable ending. Gee, ain’t that enough?
Nope.
I had to endure long and atrocious phony dialogues in the mouths of characters who felt like some 3rd rate actor playing the part.
Art is half in-house bland (Segovia) and half better (di Giandomenico). No pun intended.
Nope.
I had to endure long and atrocious phony dialogues in the mouths of characters who felt like some 3rd rate actor playing the part.
Art is half in-house bland (Segovia) and half better (di Giandomenico). No pun intended.
May 8, 2019
Not bad! But not spectacular! I am big fan of the Two-face character so this book was a definite read for me. Harvey Dent has always been one of Batman's most fascinating villains. Their is just so much potential in telling a story about a character that has a ying & yang like personality. James Robinson is a wonderful comic book writer. I enjoyed his writing in Earth 2, Vol. 1: The Gathering-Earth 2, Vol. 3: Battle Cry, All-New Invaders, Vol. 1: Gods and Soldiers-All-New Invaders, Vol. 3: The Martians are Coming, his underrated Fantastic Four, Volume 1: The Fall of the Fantastic Four- Fantastic Four, Volume 4: The End is Fourever run, and his work in Wonder Woman, Volume 6: Children of the Gods. Those are just a few of the books he has written I really enjoyed. I always feel a since of wonder and fun adventure in his books. This was an okay Batman story. The truth is Detective comics has been like a recovery Batman center for me since Tom King is writing the main Batman book. I have slowly begun to not like his take on Batman. The artwork and coloring really works well with the tone of the book. The pacing is where things really fell apart for me. Those who like a slow burning detective story will be okay here. The story I felt just to long to get to the action. Most of the real plot kicks in towards the end. But to Robinson's credit I love the idea of Two-face's good Harvey wanting to finish a case began as District attorney before he became the villain he is today. There will always be this tug of war between Batman's hope that he can save Harvey and the hopeless realization that he may already be gone. Overall this was a great filler story for the Detective comics series as we move into the Peter Tomasi run.
November 7, 2020
While clearly a fill-in arc that doesn’t relate to any of the major stories going on in Batman’s world, this is a solid Two-Face story. The art styles might be a bit jarring, but it’s worth the read.
January 27, 2022
The ninth volume of DC's Rebirth Batman: Detective Comics diverges tremendously from the previous eight volumes not just in creative team but also in quality.
As opposed to James Tynion's saga of the Batmen or Bryan Edward Hill's segue into the launch of a new Outsiders book, Deface the Face presents a standalone Batman/Two-Face story that aims to complement Tom King's current depiction of Batman (a lethal mistake). The strengths of this story lie in its art. The artwork by Stephen Segovia in #988-990 and Carmine di Giandomenico in #991-993 is absolutely brilliant. If anything, this book's redeeming quality is in the artwork. Usually I don't like di Giandomenico's art (as seen in Rebirth Flash), but he did a great job in this. I would give the artwork a solid 4 out of 5 stars. However, because of my pet peeve regarding changing artists midway through a story, I am kind of annoyed that Stephen Segovia wasn't able or perhaps allowed to continue illustrating this story up until the end.
As for the writing...it was terrible. Despite his critical acclaim for past works, James Robinson fails to deliver a satisfying story here. There are two issues which I have with Robinson's writing here that I think present the most damage to this story: the script and characterization. First of all, the script was inane, grating, and generally lackluster. Robinson managed to make everyone sound immature and shallow somehow. As for my second gripe, Batman is usually depicted in Two-Face stories as being hopeful about curing Harvey Dent/saving him from the Two-Face persona. In Deface the Face Robinson abandons this dedication and hopefulness in Batman's character, opting for a more pessimistic outlook in which Batman has resigned himself to thinking that Dent is beyond saving. Maybe there are some people out there who wouldn't see a problem with this, but I kind of like the idea of Batman having one villain in which he, and likewise the audience, can hold on to hope for. In most depictions I have seen, Two-Face was that villain.
In addition to this, Two-Face is presented as a competent fighter who can take on terrorists armed only with two handguns. This doesn't really suit his character. Gunhawk? Sure. Deathstroke? Of course. Deadshot? Absolutely. But, Two-Face? It doesn't work. Like the Riddler, Two-Face is one of those villains that uses their intelligence to plot and execute careful crimes. He is not really the type to leap into a firefight and display superhuman marksmanship.
All in all, I would say this volume is entirely missable which is a shame because the artwork is so good.
As opposed to James Tynion's saga of the Batmen or Bryan Edward Hill's segue into the launch of a new Outsiders book, Deface the Face presents a standalone Batman/Two-Face story that aims to complement Tom King's current depiction of Batman (a lethal mistake). The strengths of this story lie in its art. The artwork by Stephen Segovia in #988-990 and Carmine di Giandomenico in #991-993 is absolutely brilliant. If anything, this book's redeeming quality is in the artwork. Usually I don't like di Giandomenico's art (as seen in Rebirth Flash), but he did a great job in this. I would give the artwork a solid 4 out of 5 stars. However, because of my pet peeve regarding changing artists midway through a story, I am kind of annoyed that Stephen Segovia wasn't able or perhaps allowed to continue illustrating this story up until the end.
As for the writing...it was terrible. Despite his critical acclaim for past works, James Robinson fails to deliver a satisfying story here. There are two issues which I have with Robinson's writing here that I think present the most damage to this story: the script and characterization. First of all, the script was inane, grating, and generally lackluster. Robinson managed to make everyone sound immature and shallow somehow. As for my second gripe, Batman is usually depicted in Two-Face stories as being hopeful about curing Harvey Dent/saving him from the Two-Face persona. In Deface the Face Robinson abandons this dedication and hopefulness in Batman's character, opting for a more pessimistic outlook in which Batman has resigned himself to thinking that Dent is beyond saving. Maybe there are some people out there who wouldn't see a problem with this, but I kind of like the idea of Batman having one villain in which he, and likewise the audience, can hold on to hope for. In most depictions I have seen, Two-Face was that villain.
In addition to this, Two-Face is presented as a competent fighter who can take on terrorists armed only with two handguns. This doesn't really suit his character. Gunhawk? Sure. Deathstroke? Of course. Deadshot? Absolutely. But, Two-Face? It doesn't work. Like the Riddler, Two-Face is one of those villains that uses their intelligence to plot and execute careful crimes. He is not really the type to leap into a firefight and display superhuman marksmanship.
All in all, I would say this volume is entirely missable which is a shame because the artwork is so good.
December 1, 2019
Detrás de una premisa llamativa, no hay nada más. Este tomo té la venden como una colaboración entre dos caras y Batman para descubrir si hay esperanza con Harvey.
Pero casi nada me gusto además del arte.
Diálogos cursis donde Batman se la pasa haciendo bromas irónica que no dan risa. Ni siquiera Alfred se siente como Alfred, regañando a Batman después de lo de Catwoman.
La premisa esta muy rebuscada y no lleva a ninguna parte. El caso de detective es complejo pero sin sentido, y la participación de dos caras en eso se siente sobrada. Hay algunos atisbos de buena narrativa, cuando mencionan la dualidad de Harvey y dos caras y de cómo uno tiene que ser bueno y el otro malo si no nada tiene sentido, pero en general creo que pudieron haber metido a cualquier villano de Batman y estaría igual la historia.
Si bien los tomos de Tynion de esta serie, se concentraban en la batí familia, este tomo ignora todo eso realmente y es solo una historia más de Batman. Eso es bastante decepcionante, porque eran las interacciones con los distintos personajes lo que distinguían a esta historia.
Desde que cambiaron dos tomos, esta serie ha dejado de sorprenderme y gustarme.
Pero casi nada me gusto además del arte.
Diálogos cursis donde Batman se la pasa haciendo bromas irónica que no dan risa. Ni siquiera Alfred se siente como Alfred, regañando a Batman después de lo de Catwoman.
La premisa esta muy rebuscada y no lleva a ninguna parte. El caso de detective es complejo pero sin sentido, y la participación de dos caras en eso se siente sobrada. Hay algunos atisbos de buena narrativa, cuando mencionan la dualidad de Harvey y dos caras y de cómo uno tiene que ser bueno y el otro malo si no nada tiene sentido, pero en general creo que pudieron haber metido a cualquier villano de Batman y estaría igual la historia.
Si bien los tomos de Tynion de esta serie, se concentraban en la batí familia, este tomo ignora todo eso realmente y es solo una historia más de Batman. Eso es bastante decepcionante, porque eran las interacciones con los distintos personajes lo que distinguían a esta historia.
Desde que cambiaron dos tomos, esta serie ha dejado de sorprenderme y gustarme.
December 1, 2018
Let me start by saying its refreshing to have a good writer on a mainline Batman comic! I won't lie, I haven't been a fan of Tom King's Batman or Tynion's Detective; I haven't read the previous Byran Hill volume but I'm sure its better than anything Tynion ever wrote! Now we have James Robinson on the title and he does a decent job! So the story has Batman investigating a murder when he soon finds out Two-Face and the Fireflies are involved.
In terms of what I liked, I enjoyed that this was a story about Batman actually being a detective; then the whole team batman debacle. But if your a fan of Two-Face you will enjoy this, as the story very much is about him and the duality between him and Harvey Dent. The artwork as well was pretty decent. Overall this volume won't exactly set the world on fire, but it is definitely a return to good form for me. I now have an ongoing Batman title that I can actually read!
In terms of what I liked, I enjoyed that this was a story about Batman actually being a detective; then the whole team batman debacle. But if your a fan of Two-Face you will enjoy this, as the story very much is about him and the duality between him and Harvey Dent. The artwork as well was pretty decent. Overall this volume won't exactly set the world on fire, but it is definitely a return to good form for me. I now have an ongoing Batman title that I can actually read!
June 10, 2019
2 for the art, but god was that story awful.
If you look at other ratings of Robinson's work, you'll see I also hated his take on Wonder Woman. But I am not one to give up a series, without at least giving the new team a shot.
So what can I say I liked?
Well, the art was great and the colors seemed really rich. I think part of that is also DC's switch to a new style of paper for their trades which seems less reflective of the ink (no more overhead lights r lamps casting a reflection!).
But Robinson wrote Batman like he was a quipping combination of Bart Simpson and Peter Parker. So thanks but no thanks. Next.
If you look at other ratings of Robinson's work, you'll see I also hated his take on Wonder Woman. But I am not one to give up a series, without at least giving the new team a shot.
So what can I say I liked?
Well, the art was great and the colors seemed really rich. I think part of that is also DC's switch to a new style of paper for their trades which seems less reflective of the ink (no more overhead lights r lamps casting a reflection!).
But Robinson wrote Batman like he was a quipping combination of Bart Simpson and Peter Parker. So thanks but no thanks. Next.
February 3, 2019
Basic Plot: Twists and turns abound as Batman teams up with Two Face to take down Kobra.
I really liked the complexities of this plot. It kept me wondering where the story was going and it moved fast as a result. The art was only ok, but there were some very interesting panel layouts, especially for Two Face, that caught my eye.
I really liked the complexities of this plot. It kept me wondering where the story was going and it moved fast as a result. The art was only ok, but there were some very interesting panel layouts, especially for Two Face, that caught my eye.
November 19, 2021
Oh no! James Robinson doesn't know who Batman is! Or at least can't write his dialogue. At one point Batman says to Two Face, "You already tried this, man!" Batman using "man" to address someone is the dumbest thing I've heard.
Also, the story is pretty dang boring with Batman and Two Face teaming up against Kobra for a reason and more convoluted plot for no reason. Ugh.
Also, the story is pretty dang boring with Batman and Two Face teaming up against Kobra for a reason and more convoluted plot for no reason. Ugh.
December 28, 2018
I'm giving this two stars ONLY for the amazing art by Carmine di Giandomenico. Robinson, fresh off of writing "Wonder Woman (actually starring Jason, Wonder Woman's boring brother), writes one of the most boring, cliched, and stupid Batman arcs I've ever read.
April 13, 2020
It was so nice to have "Detective Comics" go back to being an actual detective/mystery book for once. My only complaint was that Batman was a but if a chatty Cathy who was always tooting his own horn throughout the course of the book, which seemed extremely out of character.
April 11, 2019
Poor dialgoue poor plotting with so so art. Cant wait for the new author.
February 13, 2020
Doesn't deliver the bang you'd think this team up would. Someone do a wellness check on Robinson. He hasn't been good for a long time now.
January 31, 2021
booooooring
June 3, 2019
[Read as Single Issues]
Man I miss James Tynion IV's run in Detective comics .
So This was good in parts , the first part of the book , running in continuity with the aftermath of the Bat-wedding , sees Batman do some Detective work , and it was fun to read that . Lately it does feel like the only detective work Batman does is punching people . This was him actually visiting crime scenes and tracing fallacies and collective evidence and then later.... well punching people .
This was also the first book that connected the Scott Snyder All Star Batman run , which I really did enjoy a lot , so I will count that as a pro for this book .And the best part of this book for me was the stunning artwork , Some of the splash panels in particular , I kept staring for way too long to appreciate them. There was also a short bit about Firefly and that was quite fascinating to read as well
But the plot in the end came off as way too convoluted , with a distinct lack of a proper villain. But the most grating thing for me was how Robinson's Batman behaved , he talked too lot , he threw jokes and kept explaining things to his enemies and making puns even and acting all jovial . This was in contrast to how the story started with Bruce struggling to cope with the events of Bat-wedding . And all the chatty things really made me feel like I was reading Dick Grayson's Robin and not Bruce Wayne's Batman
Man I miss James Tynion IV's run in Detective comics .
So This was good in parts , the first part of the book , running in continuity with the aftermath of the Bat-wedding , sees Batman do some Detective work , and it was fun to read that . Lately it does feel like the only detective work Batman does is punching people . This was him actually visiting crime scenes and tracing fallacies and collective evidence and then later.... well punching people .
This was also the first book that connected the Scott Snyder All Star Batman run , which I really did enjoy a lot , so I will count that as a pro for this book .And the best part of this book for me was the stunning artwork , Some of the splash panels in particular , I kept staring for way too long to appreciate them. There was also a short bit about Firefly and that was quite fascinating to read as well
But the plot in the end came off as way too convoluted , with a distinct lack of a proper villain. But the most grating thing for me was how Robinson's Batman behaved , he talked too lot , he threw jokes and kept explaining things to his enemies and making puns even and acting all jovial . This was in contrast to how the story started with Bruce struggling to cope with the events of Bat-wedding . And all the chatty things really made me feel like I was reading Dick Grayson's Robin and not Bruce Wayne's Batman
October 12, 2021
Ostatni tom ze zintegrowanymi okładkami Egmontu, więc pozlowę sobie podsumować krótko:
Ehhhh....
Trochę dłużej:
Historia poszatkowana, run Jamesa Tyniona to delikanie mówiąc nieporozumienie. Wielkie nadchodzące zagrożenie, trzeba się przygotować (w sumie to dalej czekam...) Batman tworzy grupę dzieciaków do bronienia miasta, którzy koniec końców wychodzą na zwykłe pionki bez większej przyszłości, bo dzień i tak był ratowany przez Batmana. Kiedy przestało to działać i nie było pomysłu na coś lepszego - ciekawsze postacie zostały wyrwane z serii, a reszta jeszcze przez chwilę się pojawiała, żeby finalnie odejść w odstawkę. Bez pomysłu, bez polotu. Martwi mnie, że James prowadzi kolejny run głównej serii o Batmanie...
Kolejne tomy po odstawieniu Jamesa już trochę lepsze, może dalej będzie ciekawiej w nowej (aktualnej) serii Egmontu.
Ehhhh....
Trochę dłużej:
Historia poszatkowana, run Jamesa Tyniona to delikanie mówiąc nieporozumienie. Wielkie nadchodzące zagrożenie, trzeba się przygotować (w sumie to dalej czekam...) Batman tworzy grupę dzieciaków do bronienia miasta, którzy koniec końców wychodzą na zwykłe pionki bez większej przyszłości, bo dzień i tak był ratowany przez Batmana. Kiedy przestało to działać i nie było pomysłu na coś lepszego - ciekawsze postacie zostały wyrwane z serii, a reszta jeszcze przez chwilę się pojawiała, żeby finalnie odejść w odstawkę. Bez pomysłu, bez polotu. Martwi mnie, że James prowadzi kolejny run głównej serii o Batmanie...
Kolejne tomy po odstawieniu Jamesa już trochę lepsze, może dalej będzie ciekawiej w nowej (aktualnej) serii Egmontu.
May 11, 2019
It's a decent enough Two Face story, but the dialog just isn't very good, and the character motivations are somewhat lacking. Also, Robinson is clearly not collaborating with King at all, because his version of Batman, post non-wedding, is completely different from King's version. And to be honest, King's version strikes me as much more likely.
August 20, 2025
Shockingly awful lol. One of the worst stories I’ve read from a Batman comic, and absolutely the worst Batman voice I’ve ever read in a book. Horrible.
Two stars simply because the art is nice, MOST of the time.
Two stars simply because the art is nice, MOST of the time.
January 19, 2025
Great solo Two-Face and Batman story working and fighting each other.
January 12, 2021
5 🌟
Batman and Two-Face stop Kobra from taking over Gotham.
Batman and Two-Face stop Kobra from taking over Gotham.
April 8, 2022
Batman takes on a "normal" murder case, to get back to basics so to speak. After the Catwoman fiasco, he's a bit out of sorts, and he feels that doing something like this might help him get his mind in the right place. He takes on a case which turns out to be not so straightforward (of course), and eventually finds out that Two Face is behind it. Well not Two Face exactly, but Harvey Dent. This leads them to team up (because Two Face, doesn't want to be outshined... I guess.... ) and after some trial and tribulations, everything returns to normal at the end of the story.
...sigh. The story is mediocre at best. Which sucks because James Robinson is actually a good writer. I've enjoyed a lot of his stuff, so to see his name on this, I was shocked. It's a very by the numbers plot, the characterization is all over the place, and Batman wont stop talking for some reason. it seriously doesn't sound like Batman in this book.
On the flip side the art is pretty great. Lots of great splash pages, action panels, and just bad ass scenes. The art is really the quality you want a Batman comic to be at, so the art team did not disappoint at all.
Overall, the story is carried by the art, because without it, I would've said to skip this one.
...sigh. The story is mediocre at best. Which sucks because James Robinson is actually a good writer. I've enjoyed a lot of his stuff, so to see his name on this, I was shocked. It's a very by the numbers plot, the characterization is all over the place, and Batman wont stop talking for some reason. it seriously doesn't sound like Batman in this book.
On the flip side the art is pretty great. Lots of great splash pages, action panels, and just bad ass scenes. The art is really the quality you want a Batman comic to be at, so the art team did not disappoint at all.
Overall, the story is carried by the art, because without it, I would've said to skip this one.
September 22, 2019
Well that was dumb. The only person who can help Batman stop Kobra, a new terrorist organization, is Two-Face. Why? The reasons are convoluted and honestly not worth dissecting. Two-Face switches from villain to hero basically instantly. It's all-together absurd.
The art is decent and the action scenes are good. There's an intriguing subplot for Firefly, but it's underdeveloped. Pretty much everything here is underdeveloped. Deface the Face is a thought experiment - what if Two-Face switched sides? Turns out there's not much to the answer.
The art is decent and the action scenes are good. There's an intriguing subplot for Firefly, but it's underdeveloped. Pretty much everything here is underdeveloped. Deface the Face is a thought experiment - what if Two-Face switched sides? Turns out there's not much to the answer.
March 3, 2020
Wow, this was superbly terrible. Like extravagantly awful.
The dialogue is just so bad.
I don't know what else to say...
At first, I thought an honest and "candid" Batman was novel, but then after a few pages, I just realized he was out of character. His interactions with Alfred (my usual, no matter the book, in-character stalwart rock) and Jim Gordon were cringy and stilted.
The art was ok/good (I liked the art by Stephen Segovia #988-990). I liked the colors and mate pages.
1.5 stars.
The dialogue is just so bad.
I don't know what else to say...
At first, I thought an honest and "candid" Batman was novel, but then after a few pages, I just realized he was out of character. His interactions with Alfred (my usual, no matter the book, in-character stalwart rock) and Jim Gordon were cringy and stilted.
The art was ok/good (I liked the art by Stephen Segovia #988-990). I liked the colors and mate pages.
1.5 stars.
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