BATMAN AND ROBIN # 23.1 - TWO FACE Review

Took me awhile before I got my hands on BATMAN AND ROBIN # 23.1 - TWO FACE by Peter Tomasi and Guillem March. But here it is.

Written by:
Peter J. Tomasi
Art by:
Guillem March
Cover by:
Chris Burnham

"Two-Face is approached to join the Secret Society! Which side will his coin land on?"

So what hooked me here is that it's a book that literally surprises readers in a lot of aspects. Let me list down and point out the various two-sidedness of this stand alone issue.

Two-Face always intrigued me, but DC never had great stuff for the character and as such he was always relegated to the sidelines. Jim Lee's Hush gave us a chance to start liking the 'reformed' Harvey Dent and for awhile he really did kick ass both as Gotham's top district attorney (it's a long story) and as a vigilante of sorts. Then DC decided to throw it all out by returning Dent to the Two-Face persona we all know and love to hate.

That was it. Back to being a one-trick pony and a sub villain for major arcs. There were those brief moments when we almost saw Dent as a good guy once again such as during the initial tease for "Batman Reborn" and "Battle for the Cowl' but that was all a ruse and nothing more. Then the New 52 came and cemented Dent once again as a bad guy.

Whew, such a long intro I apologize but all that has a point. You see in this issue, what basically happens is Dent goes on mulling the possibility of joining The Secret Society which leads to that four page spread from FOREVER EVIL # 1. Before that though we see a little of Harvey's noble side. The dude postulates that Gotham needs a protector or a destroyer. As the story progresses we see that Mr. Dent actually has the capacity to do both.

March's panelling here is exquisite much less his art. Around the middle of the issue, we're already being treated to a two-faced panel of sorts with the top focusing on the violence and chaos that the Crime Syndicate has presented to the criminal scum of Gotham. On the bottom panel is the order and justice that Harvey Dent once walked proudly on. Yes it's amazing. 

The last part is the standard denouement for Dent who makes a chilling choice and a stronger case of insanity. His perversion on the fairness of a coin flip and it's play on the Secret Society's mode of communication and teleportation. 

If DC's mission statement for the FOREVER EVIL tie-ins is to let us peer into the mind of a killer I can definitely vouch for Batman and Robin # 23.1 for it's insanity and grit. Go, grab this book. 

GRADE: A

DC Officially Announces Forever Evil Plus Tie-ins and More

As part of their annual gimmick every September, DC Comics has officially announced a new miniseries plus several tie-ins featuring the heavy hitting villains of the DC Universe and it's entitled "Forever Evil". 

The miniseries will run for seven issues and will touch base with most of the New 52 characters including Teen Titans and Suicide Squad. Johns says that this event rises from the fall out between the three Justice League teams in Trinity War. 

Aside from the seven-issue miniseries, there's also a couple of tie-ins including a Rogue-centric story over with The Flash with Brian Buccellato and Patrick Zircher. And then there's also another set of issues featuring Batman's rogues entitled Forever Evil: Arkham War featuring Batman and Robin writer Peter Tomasi and Scot Eaton featuring an all-out brawl between Batman's rogues. 

Finally there's a third, five-issue title entitled Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. which will chronicle Steve Trevor's investigation about his organization (you've got the freaking RED ROOM and BLACK ROOM and it's only now you decide to investigate?). This one will be written Matt Kindt who will also be taking the helm for Justice League of America. Meanwhile Johns will still be handling the main Justice League book. 

Batman and Red Hood # 20 Spoilers ~ Batman is an Asshole

Batman shows his asshole side once again in this issue of Batman and Robin Batman and Red Hood # 20.

Once again spoilers after the cut...

Batman and Robin # 17 Spoilers - Alfred's Kick Ass Dream

It's rare that we get to read some straight out awesome dream sequences in comics these days especially coming from the Big Two. DC's Batman and Robin # 17 however returns to those old segments via Alfred Pennyworth's dream.

In this issue which is sort of a breather in between the story arcs and tie-ins to "Death of the Family", we basically take a look at what each member of the Wayne household dreams up while sleeping.While the dreams of Bruce Wayne and his son Damian might be interesting, the real scene-stealer in this issue would have to be Alfred's dream. Also spoiler alert if you haven't read the issue. 

Spoilers for BATGIRL # 16 and BATMAN AND ROBIN # 16

Interesting that both Batman and Robin # 16 as well as Batgirl # 16 ends in a similar fashion. 

So anyway, I completely forgot that I have this:

Check out the spoilers after the cut. 

Batman and Robin # 0 Made Me Realize Something

Batman and Robin # 0 made me realize that it's already been six years since the first story arc/ appearance of Damien Wayne.

I'm going to come clean. At first I never did like the guy. That was because at that time, Tim Drake was pretty amazing as Robin. He is after all the defacto leader of the Teen Titans around that time and he was pretty smart to boot.

Batman Almost Killed a Man in Batman and Robin # 6

Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason continue to deliver a great story featuring the father and son duo of Batman and Robin in "Batman and Robin # 6" from DC Comics.

The book continues the seeming shift of allegiance of Robin (Damien Wayne) from Batman to Nobody and back again.