Batman, La Leyenda, Núm. 56: Cara a cara

Batman (1940-2011) #651-654

by James Robinson

It's One Year Later...and who is the mysterious vigilante who's been murdering Gotham's highest-profile villains? Find out in this new collection featuring the 8-part "Face the Face" saga from DETECTIVE COMICS #817-820 and BATMAN #651-654! Batman must uncover the murderer's identity — even as he finds himself in the unlikely role of protecting some of his oldest foes!

Genres: Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

James Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays.

Reviews

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS ONE!

This was really good omg and so it takes place after one year from infinite crisis and we see Batman returning to Gotham but what he finds is villains dying like KGBeast, Magpie and later on orca and he is working with a reformed Bullock and Gordon and we see them solving the case and also in between focus on Tim and like how he has gone through so many things in that time and Batman trying to think what to do with him and then also focus on the villains and we see them suspect that Harvey as Two-face is back and then what that confrontation leads to and its interesting and heartbreaking at the same time and its a whole load of detecting around until the real villain White Stark and his hench-man Tally man is revealed and its an intriguing reveal, not what I was expecting but it changes so many things!

I like how Robinson keeps it simple and builds on the mystery and has other villains show up like Ivy and some Fire villain and showcasing the partnership of Batman and Robin in such a fun way and it makes for a terrific read and I love the camraderie and in the ending what Bruce does, that scene is so perfectly done and it makes you feel for Tim! <3

And as for the villain not something I had seen coming but then again it might be a way to establish a new rivalry and it seems interesting and I like/hate the trajectory of Two-face like after giving him such an arc, reverting him to the status quo feels like a lazy attempt but the other logic could be like you feel bad for this man, he came so far only to be pushed back even afar.

So overall a cool story with fun battles and aventures, team up and it involves most of Batmans rogues galleries with interesting reveals in the end and a promise for even crazier things to come!

[Molly™☺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather generic story that re-sets the status quo and nothing more. Predictability practically oozes from every page, with the saving grace being the dynamic between Bruce and Tim. However, even the pivotal moment between the pair can't boost the rest of the narrative. It doesn't offer anything new, but serves up more uninspired storytelling that serves one purpose: bringing it back to square one.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good surprise!

This takes place after indentity crisis and when they did the one year later event. For a whole year some of our biggest heroes, including batman and robin were gone. This is their comeback. While away Harvey dent took up the Gotham protector mantle trying to protect people. However, when Bruce and Tim get back and become batman and robin once more he feels rejected. Even worse, someone is killing villains, but who!?

Good. The art is solid throughout. The detective feel and plotting was pretty refreshing. The fights were grand and fun. I really liked Bruce and Tim's relationship here.

Bad: Two face going bad again so quick was ehhhh...

Overall really enjoyable, well written, and detective style storytelling missing in some batman stories. A 4 out of 5.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the story was ok and I had a good time reading it but nothing special. I didn’t like what happened to Harvey here it just wasn’t done well in my opinion. The things that saved this book was the end scene with Batman and Tim that was nice and Jason Bard was a cool character too.

[Garrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is from the One Year Later event and takes place in between "Under the Red Hood" and "Batman & Son". I appreciated the art, but the story felt just like a run of the mill Two Face Story. It's not The Long Halloween or Jekyll and Hyde, and this book just feels kind of like an excuse to bring Two-Face back to being "normal". Overall it was ok, not great.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman and Robin return to Gotham after a year away and relieve their stand-in protector: a reformed Harvey Dent! But after a series of low-level criminals are knocked off in suspicious circumstances, has Two-Face also come back?

I think this one follows DC’s 52 series from roughly 10 years ago where the majority of superheroes disappeared for 12 months and street-level characters took over. Face the Face is a very dull, standard Batman story that’s essentially just about hitting the reset button and restoring the status quo, which it does in boring fashion.

There’s no way of figuring out who’s behind the killings as the culprit is someone very obscure we don’t see until the end so the whole mystery storyline is a bust. The rest of the book is watching Batman drearily going through the motions that I suppose fans at the time hadn’t seen for a while but today reads like the most mundane scenes.

Didn’t really understand why Harvey had been put in charge in the first place but his fall from grace once Batman returns is very convenient, extremely lame and quick – James Robinson doing what he’s been paid to do: put the toys back in their original positions. It’s as uninspired as it sounds.

I didn’t realise Jason Bard existed pre-Batman Eternal so that was an interesting surprise (he’s a private eye here) and I was glad to see those utterly shite villains, KGBeast and Magpie that I remember from the Knightfall storyline, get killed off. Leonard Kirk and Don Kramer’s art is nice, they use negative space well to focus the pages and make the images more powerful. The story might not be compelling but the comic flows well on a technical level.

Batman: Fart in the Face is just another unimpressive, rote Batman story, the usual crap that James Robinson cranks out for DC by the dozen.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this review and more on my blog.

What would happen if Batman, Robin and Nightwing left Gotham for a year?

Batman: Face The Face follows a time in Gotham when Batman and Robin have just returned from an extended leave of absence. Surprisingly, crime has been decreasing in the year that the masked duo were away, with a mysterious masked bandit taking up the mantle as protector of Gotham.

I found the story easy to follow with enough plot twists that it did not become predictable. There was an interlude almost of another characters perspective, which added some much needed background to this storyline.

The art style is like nothing i have ever seen before. Not that that means much considering how little comic books and graphic novels I have read. It suits how i picture the style of Batman to be as well as drawing your attention to exactly where it is needed to be.

A very well done Batman and Robin story that most people will enjoy.

[H. Givens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the last page a gazillion times, and the spine was already broken there from the last person! All the Batman/Gordon and Batfamily stuff is spot on. The art is dark and inky, eerie and Dark Knight-y -- difficult to decipher in some places, but the full-page panels and issue covers make up for it.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Batman story that starts off and finishes strong.

[Frédéric · Rating 1 out of 5]

By-the-book unimaginative way to bring back Two Face into the fold. Bland and uneventful with an overstretched poorly lead parallel investigation with no clue as to who framed Roger Rabbit Harvey Dent before the final revelation. Soporific.

Art is mediocre throughout. Leonard Kirk obviously draws on auto-pilot and Andy Clarke’s ink don’t embold his style one bit. The Kramer/Faucher duo is even worse.

[Koen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow, wow.. THIS is what Batman is all about! The mystery, the detective work,.. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!!
Truly a masterpiece according to me.. A must read for every Bat fan!!

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very janky story.
On one hand, I loved having the gang back together. I loved having Bruce and Jim and Tim all hanging out together, I missed all of them investigating together, it made me all very happy. This is the format of Batman stories I love the most; mystery happens, Batman and Jim investigate, it's all self-contained and it all makes me happy.
The small bits with Tim also made me happy, finally accepting to be adopted by Bruce, which I've been waiting for for long. Him hugging Bruce??? :(((( Listen I know Bruce is a terrible parental figure, but also I still love him, ok? I also love him substantially more for not having the "pushes everyone away" arc that so many writers seem to love for him.
The reason the rating is not a high one however is because of what they decided to do to Harvey. Like. Uh. ???? You just fixed him up, and then immediately fucked him up. What's that about? You could give him just A BIT more dimension. Just a bit. God. He has feelings too, you know? Also, minus another star for killing the Ventriloquist.

[Justyn Rampa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was interested in reading this volume because it ends with the last issue of Batman before Grant Morrison begins his (mostly) AMAZING run on Batman.

This volume collects the issues that tell the events after the One Year Later storyline.

As you can guess by the title, the storyline does involved Two-Face as Batman left a reformed Harvey Dent in charge as Gotham City's crime-fighting vigilante. His face has been healed, but is Two-Face really gone? Well, you'll have to read to find out.

The story was interesting enough. I was underwhelmed by the artwork and I found the writing to be average at best although I did love the final scene between Batman and Tim Drake (Robin #3).

This is not making on my Top 25 list, but I enjoyed it.

[Adam Spanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a few words, the story is about some suspicious vigilantism killings of villains going on in Gotham and batman is called in action to deal with it along with Tim Drake as a Robin. ( he was previously gone somewhere else, i'm not sure of where exactly).

It's not a mainstream batman story that you will see it suggested on must-read lists. Although it's a great noir-style story that involves Harvey Dent, that i'm glad that got in my hands. (Even by luck)

[Derek Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robinson's narrative on Batman, after his year off from Gotham, is finely written. The focus on Two Face bound everything together, and I particularly liked the somewhat open-ended conclusion.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Face the Face is an eight-issue storyline that is written by James Robinson with penciled by Leonard Kirk and Don Kramer. This particular story is significant because it marks Batman's return to active duty one year after the events of DC's universe spanning event: Infinite Crisis. Batman: Face the Face collects all eight issues (Detective Comics #817–820 and Batman #651–654) of the cross-title series.

"Face the Face" is a eight-issue storyline (Detective Comics #817–820 and Batman #651–654), which Bruce Wayne as Batman and Tim Drake as Robin return to Gotham City one year following the events of Infinite Crisis. It is revealed that Batman, in his absence, entrusted the safety of Gotham City to former district attorney Harvey Dent, better known as Two-Face, who has undergone plastic surgery and overcome his split personality.

Upon returning, a string of mysterious killings involving some of Batman's rogues gallery: the KGBeast, the Magpie, and the Ventriloquist occurred. They were all killed with a double-barrelled gun once used by Harvey Dent. The gun was subsequently found with Harvey Dent's fingerprints on the gun. Surveillance footage also showed Harvey talking to the KGBeast, the Magpie and the Ventriloquist. A fourth villain, Orca, was also detected in the surveillance footage.

It is up to Batman to confront the seemingly healed Harvey Dent about these murders and solve the mystery of the real perpetrator.

James Robinson penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well. Robinson's writing reuses the same tired trope – when a popular villain reforms, they'll eventually turn bad again – this time it is Two-Face. Having undergone reconstructive surgery, Dent has overcome his split personality disorder and is now zealously cleaning the city's streets of his former buddies. However, once a murder spree is framed on him, it is up to Bruce Wayne as Batman to clear his name, which he does, but unfortunately the damage has been done and Harvey Dent has reverted to Two-Face again.

Leonard Kirk (Detective Comics #817–820) and Don Kramer (Batman #651–654) penciled the entire trade paperback. For the most part, they complemented each other styles rather well with major thanks for them having the same colorist in John Kalisz, which made the artistic flow rather seamlessly.

All in all, Batman: Face the Face is an above par storyline that has Bruce Wayne as Batman returning to Gotham City after a year's absence from the Infinite Crisis event.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. It is odd that the introductory OYL arc in Batman wasn't written by a regular Batman writer, since some of this already seems to have been pushed aside, like the status quo of several villains and the role of Jason Bard. But it was still a ripping good story.

Only one complaint (though it is a slightly major complaint) - the Great White Shark reveal was far too out-of-left-field to be satisfying. He'd never been mentioned in the book before the ending, aside from an almost-reference by Orca's husband. In fact, I've never heard of him before. Is this a new character?

Anyway, there were plenty of great moments - Bruce adopting Tim and Tim's reaction, Bard's conversation with Orca's husband (hilarious, yet also believable and almost moving), and Bullock and Batman's "blank slate" conversation was terrific. Seeing Gordon and Bullock back was a relief. They really do complete Batman's world, in my eyes. Batman, Robin, Gordon, Alfred and Bullock are the five that I see as the core of that world. I also liked that they implied Bullock and Gordon's returns without actually spending too much time on those events.

Nice way to take down Poison Ivy using intelligence.
Still, I always liked Ventriloquist and KGBeast....

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Robin (specifically Tim Drake and Dick Grayson), so I relish the rare moments when a writer has the courage to write a modern day dynamic duo story.

This story takes place a year after Infinite Crisis and we see Batman try to rebuild the bridges he has burnt in the past. In terms of the plot, it is definitely one of those stories that focuses more on character development than action. The villains aren't exactly all that exciting nor are we really made to sympathize all that much.

The strongest aspect of this story is the dynamic duo. My most favorite moment is when Batman a bit upset over something regarding Two Face. Robin says something positive which makes Batman think about how he sometimes questioned himself over having a sidekick and then realizes its the positive energy and being the light to his darkness that makes him glad he has Robin. I just love that moment and for me, that is well worth reading the story over and over again.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Robinson tells a good villain-centric story that is unfortunately part of DC's One Year Later storyline. Its a decent mystery with an odd payoff but its good to see Bruce and Harvey interact. I also appreciate Commissioner Gordon and Batman's relationship. The art by Don Kramer and and Leonard Kirk is beautiful. The coloring was way too dark on certain pages making pages hard to see. Overall, this is an overlooked book that is a fun read.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty forgettable story not helped by the "One Year Later" jump DC incorporated into every story released at this time.

[Langston Lardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve given this graphic novel 3 stars (but it’s subject to change to 4 at any point), because it felt like a proper, classic, traditional Batman adventure/crime story, but did nothing new or shocking with the characters/story, but needless to say, I very much enjoyed the book for exactly what it is.
Once again, with the new The Batman score playing in the background as I read this, it only heightened the Crime Thriller/Murder Mystery feel of this book and increased my like of it. I love seeing Batman in his element and I feel like there’s never such thing as too much Tim Drake Robin so this was nice, as well as their team dynamic, it was refreshing to see Batman and Robin work so well together, as a proper team, no underlying beef or disagreements. If this is how all the Pre-52 stories were then I can definitely see the appeal, even Batman came across more calm and cool headed. He talked more then I’m use to seeing, with less anger and grit. As much as I love my crazy and angry takes on The Bat, this was a refreshing pace. It was also nice seeing some detective work from Batman, just like in the new film, I think that’s why the soundtrack for the new film elevated this book so much.
As for Two Face, it was rather predictable his turn to evil again, but I did enjoy it for what it’s worth, dialog wise that is and Batman’s trust in Harvey. I also enjoyed how many lower tier villains appeared in this book, like Orca, great white, ventriloquist, firebug, firefly, and so on. Seems we get little of these characters these days and it was refreshing seeing them.
Now this story takes place supposedly after a crisis event? One I surely need to read as many of the pieces of this story come from that big event, such as Batman, Robin, and Nightwing being gone from Gotham for over a year. And whatever happened to Batgirl, so definitely adding it to the list to give better context to the story.
Overall a solid Batman entry that while not great, or some masterpiece, is the right amount of detective Batman and proud dad Batman for a good Sunday read.

[Hugo Emanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Face to Face" is a sort of follow up to "Infinite Crisis", in the sense that it details Batman returning as Gotham City's protector after a one year absence. After the events depicted in "Infinite Crisis", the so called Trinity took a year off heroing to find themselves and reconnect to what made them the symbols they used to be. As such, every DC comic series jumped ahead in story by one year. But its a very self contained story, and doesn't require reading "Infinite Crisis".

The basic premise is that Harvey Dent, belived to have been cured of its mental issues, and sporting spanking new reconstructive surgery for his face, has been assigned to protect Gotham by Batman himself during his absence. Its kind of hard to buy that concept, to be honest, all things considered, as there were many other better options to consider rather than Dent. Its kind of ludicrous, if one thinks about it. Either way, alot of Gotham rogues and crimminals have been showing up dead in very violent manners, which raises concerns regarding Dent's possible involvement on these.

Despite that very flawed conceit, the story is well written - a good Batman and detective story, with some surprises along the way, and a creative use of plot structure (there's a few issues that focus on Jason Bard, a private detective who works with Batman, as well as a full issue that focuses solely on Harvey Dent).
But altough its a fine story, its not an incredible one, altough it does manage to rise above its flawed premise, which is an achievement in itself.

I find James Robinson to be a very uneven writer - he wrote the brilliant "Starman" and a couple of very good Superman stories that I've read, but he also wrote a very, very underwhelming Justice League of America run. Here, he did a good job, and I read the whole story in one sitting, so it was definently gripping.

The artwork by Don Kramer and Leonard Kirk is very good - moody and dark, it provides a very solid visual renditon of the story.

Overall, its a good Batman story. 7/10

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comic that greatly (and gladly) surprised me. It's not that I expected it to be bad, but I didn't expect to enjoy it this much either. Taking place one year after the events in "Infinite Crisis", when Batman and Robin return from their sabbatical, we face a "reformed" Two Face as a new hero/old villain in the city, a strange series of supervillain murders, and one Batman that seeks help from a detective while he's getting back on his feet. James Robinson writing deals perfectly with the characters and the symbols that appear here, having them as important plot points (instead of just bait for the readers), and the art, by Michael Bair, Keith Champagne, Andy Clarke, Wayne Faucher, and especially Don Kramer and Leonard Kirk, is as consistent as gripping. More than that, it blends perfectly with the script and achieves some amazing sequences (such as the argument between Harvey Dent and Two-Face in a hotel room, that is simply delightful).

The comic success in delivering a compelling story, a good comeback of Gotham's protector, a nice take on a classic villain and, in general, an enjoyable reading that doesn't leave Bruce Wayne out of the picture. The only "weakness" might be the ending, not because it's bad, but because it could have been less rushed and more detailed. All in all, a nice reading that most fans of the Dark Knight will enjoy.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very mediocre and forgettable Batman story. I initially picked it up because it is about Two-Face—my favorite Batman villain, and the premise is very interesting: a cured Harvey Dent is left in charge by Batman to protect Gotham during the year-long absence of Batman and Robin. Certain villains begin dying and Batman returns to investigate whether Harvey Dent is responsible. Batman and Robin also have to deal with several villains who have broken out of Arkham and are attempting to terrorize the town. Overall, I found the mystery to be incredibly generic and it has an extremely underwhelming resolution by the end. Furthermore, the dialogue at times is way too over-expositional and feels almost dumbed down. I give this graphic novel 3 stars, though, because I liked the development of Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake’s relationship throughout this as it shows their father-son relationship. I also liked many of the scenes where Harvey Dent converses with his Two-Face persona through a mirror. It reminded me of the Norman Osborn/Green Goblin conversations in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movie. Those movie scenes may have even inspired the author of this graphic novel. There are much better Batman stories to read.

[Matthieu Savignac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Et c'est le début de One Year Later ! Après avoir laissé Gotham à Dent (meh ?), Batman reprend sa place.
Je ne vais pas revenir en détail sur l'intrigue, qui est très basique (même si certains nouveaux éléments comme Jason Bard sont très appréciables), mais plutôt sur l'ambiance, qui donne le ton du changement survenu pour Bruce et pour son entourage un an plus tard.
Le status quo d'un Batman redevenu ami-ami avec Gordon et la police est très (trop) classique, mais voir un Bruce plus humain, plus émotionnel et à l'écoute des autres change drastiquement le ton donné au personnage depuis ces longues dernières années.
On retrouverait presque un peu de ce personnage pré-Crisis on Infinite Earths, où il joue le rôle de père de substitution avec envie : à l'époque avec Jason, désormais avec Tim.

Un changement de ton que j'apprécie beaucoup, mais malgré tout, cela est noyé dans une histoire convenue, tristement sans grande innovation. Quelques personnages secondaires meurent, d'autres reviennent sur le devant de la scène... Au moins, les dessins sont très agréables, même si rien d'exceptionnel.

Une porte d'entrée qui, même si elle n'est pas exceptionnelle, a le mérite de donner le ton pour la suite.

[Nate]

Face the Face takes place after 52 when Batman was away from Gotham for a year. He tapped Harvey Dent ("cured" during Hush) as Gotham's guardian during that time. First off, I can understand the blank stares: why didn't he pick Huntress, Batgirl, or any number of heroes instead? But I actually like that Batman picked Harvey, because they were once friends and he knows Harvey was a good person, so he actively wants to help him do better. Alas, things don't go as planned, as Harvey reverts to Two-Face once Batman returns. Four villains show up dead and Batman and Robin have to figure out whodunit. Misdirection and tragedy ensues.

Robinson's writing is fine. There's some corny dialogue here and there, the story is decompressed, and the end is anticlimactic, but it's never boring. I like what he does with Two-Face, one of my favorite villains, even though the story is essentially a reset button. Leonard Kirk and Don Kramer's art is nicely cinematic with several striking splash pages. This is a good-looking comic.

So: not essential, but not bad.

[Sotofunkdamental · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tras los eventos de Crisis Infinita llega esta historia escrita por James Robinson, que cumple como función pragmática, que es volver a situar a los héroes y personajes donde estaban. Y es que mientras Batman ha estado ausente durante un año, Harvey Dent ha sido el encargado de tener a Gotham bajo control. Ahora que Bruce Wayne está de vuelta, tendrá que resolver un caso que implica varios asesinatos. Argumento: "Batman regresa a Gotham City un año después de los hechos de Crisis Infinita y se topa con un nuevo asesino en serie que anda suelto. Lo peculiar es que este ha ido a por villanos de primera fila, empezando por la KGBestia. Las pruebas apuntan a Harvey Dent, el hombre al que Batman encomendó la protección de la ciudad en su ausencia. ¿Habrá vuelto Dos Caras o habrá en marcha una conspiración? Ha llegado el momento de que el Caballero Oscuro reclame su puesto como legítimo protector de Gotham City".

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s very good, and a nice way to sort of reset the status quo with a new major villain as the focus but there’s always the same problem with deaths in the main two comic publishers: you know they’ll all be back before too long. I prefer this to a lot of Batman because it’s heavily detective based, and there’s a nice sense of the oppressive nature of Gotham, but it’s still not quite satisfying enough. It’s interesting to compare Dent’s descent into Two Face again with Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin problem in the stories around Siege - it’s as if the latter is a reaction to the former story here, because Bendis sells Osborn’s madness and palpably toxic relationship with his mask a lot better. There’s a far more defined sense of madness in Siege than Dent being talked at by a mirror. It’s all fine but could have been a lot better

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classical Batman story, Batman is called upon by Jim Gordan via the Bat-Signal. To investigate a slew of murder that have been happening in Gotham, he's been away for a year due to the events of one year later.

So essentially it's a reintroduction, but I loved it. We haven't seen Batman like this in years, he's never done old called via Bat-signal since the New 52. As well as incorporating Robin into the story without it feeling overbearing, in this Robin could hold his own and I loved it.

It was nice seeing the dynamic duo taking on lesser known villain's as opposed to normal rouges gallery, it's a shame that the cover gives away a massive twist in the story. Still very enjoyable though, it reminded me a lot of Batman: Hush, in the way the narrative is set up but in some aspects I think is the better story.

[Michael F Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the plot is less focused than the Batman stories that get to be considered classics, and the illustrations are of too inconsistent styles, I do think this book deserves more attention than it seems to get.

Face the Face is a fantastic case study of Gotham as a setting, using a multitude of villains (and amazingly, no Joker), including the version of Two Face that first made me appreciate that character, plus side protagonists to explore everything this setting represents.

Pair that with a heavy detective focus, one of the driving forces of this world and its characters, and some great quieter moments with Batman and his allies. Face the Face is an underrated entry in the Batman mythos.