Tag Two-Face

Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Three #2 Micro-Review – That Certain Look…

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman the Adventures Continue Season Three 2, cover, February 2023, Kevin Altieri, Monica KubinaTITLE: Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Three #2
AUTHORS: Alan Burnett, Paul Dini
ARTISTS: Kevin Altieri, Monica Kubina (Colorist), Josh Reed (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 14, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Kevin Altieri’s art is reminiscent of the original Batman: The Animated Series, as opposed to the subsequent show, The New Batman Adventures. That’s not a bad thing, per se. But aren’t these Adventures Continue issues are supposed to look like the latter?

This issue is largely about Harley Quinn, and incorporates her bisexual nature into the story. I have to assume that’s been formally done in the BTAS universe before…right? It’s certainly been done in the main DC Universe.

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A Detective Comics #1067 Micro-Review – The Kingdom of Cold

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Detective Comics 1067, cover, December 2022, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1067
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Ivan Reis, Hayden Sherman, Danny Miki (Inker), Dave Stewart (Colorist), Nick Filardi (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer), Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.
RELEASED: December 27, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The overarcing villains for Ram V’s run on Detective Comics aren’t really landing with me. Unfortunately, I’m actually finding them a bit boring…

But on the plus side, he writes a great scene between Batman and Mr. Freeze that Ivan Reis absolutely knocks out of the park. We see what, to an extent, is Mr. Freeze’s Batcave. He calls it the “Kingdom of Cold.” Great stuff.

The Simon Spurrier/Hayden Sherman back-up starring Two-Face hasn’t landed with me either. They do, however, stick the landing as it ends this month. So there’s that.

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A GCPD: The Blue Wall #3 Micro-Review – Poignant and Powerful

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TITLE: GCPD: The Blue Wall #3 (of 6)
AUTHOR: John Ridley
ARTISTS: Stefano Raffaele, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Cover by Reiko Murakami.

RELEASED: December 20, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is a really good character issue. Ridley shows us Renee Montoya’s unrelenting obsessing with catching Two-Face, and is pretty convincing in terms of the former villain’s apparently innocent intentions. Stefano Raffaele also draws a hell of a Two-Face, with a lot of rich detail on his scarred side.

But what impressed me the most about this issue was Ridley allowing us to step into the shoes of Officer Danny Ortega as he’s a victim of racism within the department. It’s poignant, it’s powerful, and it deserves to be seen.

This should be a series. No doubt about it.

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A Detective Comics 2022 Annual Micro-Review – A Villain Problem

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TITLE: Detective Comics 2022 Annual
AUTHOR: Ram V
ARTISTS: Christopher Mitten, Rafael Albuquerque, Hayden Sherman, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Deron Bennett (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.

RELEASED: November 29, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

My eyes glazed over a little bit on this one. Detective Comics has, for my money, a bit of a villain problem right now in that they’re just not that interesting. This annual attempts to fill in some of their background by taking us back to Gotham circa 1776, and it’s simply not that interesting. We see 1776 versions of Batman, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy, which doesn’t do anything for me.

I can’t throw a lot of stones at the execution of the issue, though. Particularly when it comes to Hayden Sherman, who handles the majority of the art.

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A Detective Comics #1066 Micro-Review – Mixing It Up

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Detective Comics 1066, cover, November 2022, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1066
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Ivan Reis, Hayden Sherman, Danny Miki (Inker), Dave Stewart (Colorist), Nick Filardi (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer), Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.

RELEASED: November 22, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

These days, Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock have their own detective. I dig that because, as we’ve seen a bit in recent issues of Detective, it allows Gordon to have his boots on the ground a little more and mix it up alongside Batman.

They’re doing something a little weird with Two-Face here. The character’s good side is in control, but he’s pretending the bad side is in control. All the while, the bad side is talking to Harvey Dent via his inner monologue. It’s a little twisted up, but interesting if you can follow along.

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A Detective Comics #1065 Micro-Review – Downright Trippy

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Detective Comics 1065, cover, 2022, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1065
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Rafael Albuquerque, Hayden Sherman, Dave Stewart (Colorist), Nick Filardi (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.

RELEASED: October 25, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a moment in this issue where Jim Gordon is with a vulnerable Batman, and it’s suggested that he take Batman’s mask off. He replies that he thinks he knows who’s under there, but he doesn’t want to know. I loved that. That’s perfect. That’s the philosophy Gordon should have as it relates to Batman.

I was excited to see Hayden Sherman’s name on the back-up for this issue. He’s been doing great work at IDW and Image recently. Sherman and Nick Filardi give us a Two-Face story that gets downright trippy.

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Batman – One Bad Day: Two-Face #1 Micro-Review – Sins of the Son

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman - One Bad Day Two Face 1, cover, 2022, Javier Fernandez, Jordie BellaireTITLE: Batman – One Bad Day: Two-Face #1
AUTHOR: Mariko Tamaki
ARTISTS: Javier Fernandez, Jordie Bellaire (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer)

RELEASED: September 20, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue is centered around a seemingly reformed Harvey Dent throwing a birthday/retirement party for his father. Kudos to Mariko Tamaki, as I don’t think we’ve met Harvey’s dad before, have we? I know he’s been referenced…

There’s a great sense of dread that permeates much of this story. It’s like reading a Greek tragedy. You pretty much know what the ending is going to be, and you know it’s not going to be good. But somehow you can’t look away.

What’s more, it’s a beautifully drawn and colored Greek tragedy, thanks to Javier Fernandez and Jordie Bellaire.

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A Detective Comics #1063 Micro-Review – Digging Up the Maestro

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Detective Comics 1063, cover, 2022, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1063
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Rafael Albuquerque, Dani, Dave Stewart (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer), Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.
RELEASED: August 23, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue digs up a Batman villain that even I’d never heard of: Payne Cardine, a.k.a. the Maestro. I wouldn’t mind seeing Ram V and Albuquerque do more with him.

I’m assuming the mask we see Harvey Dent/Two-Face wear in this issue is a Ram V/Albuquerque creation? I certainly haven’t seen it before. It fits with the gothic, operatic aesthetic they’re going with.

These Jim Gordon back-ups definitely put the detective in Detective Comics. It’s got that grim, gritty, pulpy, noir flavor that’s very much in sync with Batman’s world.

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A Batman ’89 #6 Micro-Review – Catwoman ’92, Anyone?

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman 89 6, cover, 2022, Joe QuinonesTITLE: Batman ’89 #6
AUTHOR: Sam Hamm
ARTISTS: Joe Quinones, Leonardo Ito (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

RELEASED: July 5, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

With the benefit of full hindsight, this story really didn’t need Catwoman. (Not to mention the alteration to her costume.) If anything I’d have given her a miniseries of her own, Catwoman ’92. Heck, it’s not too late…

Batman ’89 was an interesting experiment, with some excellent art from Joe Quinones and Leonardo Ito. But it doesn’t succeed the way Superman ’78 did. I’d have kept the story more simple, with less emphasis on the political and financial sides of Two-Face’s attack on Gotham.

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A Batman ’89 #5 Micro-Review – Stache or No Stache?

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman 89 5, cover, 2022, Joe QuinonesTITLE: Batman ’89 #5
AUTHOR: Sam Hamm
ARTISTS: Joe Quinones, Leonardo Ito (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

RELEASED: April 12, 2022

I can’t help but wonder, had he played the role of Two-Face would Billy Dee Williams have kept his trademark mustache? He has it in Batman ’89 and there’s an awkwardness to it that I’m just now noticing…

Great cover by Quinones. He’s great at capturing the likenesses of Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfiefer, Williams, etc. And it’s a nice callback to Batman Returns. I still don’t understand the purple that’s been added to the Catwoman suit. But I suppose I’ll take the bad with the good.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.