Review: Detective Comics Vol. 9- Deface the Face
Quick Summary
Pros: The main storyline features an interesting mystery and a compelling investigation into this mystery. Two-Face is written well for the majority of the book. The artwork looks good throughout the book.
Cons: The conclusion damages Two-Face’s role in the story a bit.
Overall: This is a fun book that lives up to the “Detective” portion of Detective Comics. The volume has a unique mystery, well-written characters, good-looking visuals, and a worthwhile plot. It emphasizes classic Batman elements in order to simply tell a good story. This is a volume for readers who just want to see Batman take on an interesting mystery or for fans of Two-Face.
Story
Detective Comics Vol. 9: Deface the Face, by James Robinson, feels like a “classic” Batman storyline in a really good way. It brings the Dark Knight back to the basics, with a seemingly simple mystery. This evolves into a compelling investigation that works as a solid detective story. Meanwhile, Two-Face’s presence throughout the book adds a unique element, particularly when it comes to emphasizing the relationship between Two-Face’s personas and Batman. The result is a fun book that works very well on its own.
(spoilers start here)
Deface the Face is primarily a detective story. From the very first chapter, Batman states that he is a detective and that he is looking forward to investigating a case, rather than dealing with the ridiculously high stakes he usually deals with. It is a great way to get Batman back to the basics, without feeling like a regression for his character.
It also helps that the investigation is interesting. It starts with a seemingly straightforward look at a murder, is complicated by intervention by Two-Face, and then is ultimately revealed to be a conspiracy from Kobra. Then, in a closing twist, it is revealed that Two-Face had actually engineered everything. These twists and turns are all satisfying to see play out.
Deface the Face is also a story that simply showcases Two-Face as a character. His split personality and the war between these two halves gives his story a unique aspect too it. I also enjoyed seeing the connection between Two-Face and Batman, as Batman seems to be more familiar with Two-Face’s actions than he is with most of his other enemies. My only complaint is that the story’s conclusion reduces most of Two-Face’s plan into a generic gangster move, rather than something that relies on his unique personality. Overall though, Two-Face is written well through this volume.
(spoilers end here)
Art
The artwork in Deface the Face looks good throughout the book. The first half contains some bold and realistic visuals from Stephen Segovia. These chapters do a great job in making Batman and the members of his rogues gallery look good. Then, the second half of the book switches to some dynamic and stylized visuals from Carmine Di Giandomenico. These chapters are very different than the first half of the book but still manage to make the characters and their actions look great, while maintaining a uniquely appealing style. In both halves of the volume, the page layouts are great and the colors, from Ivan Plascencia, really suite the book’s general tone. All in all, this is a good-looking comic book.
Continuity
Detective Comics Vol. 9: Deface the Face technically takes place after the events of Detective Comics Vol. 8: On the Outside (Review). However, it only makes a quick reference to that storyline. Instead, the story told here is mostly standalone.
The Detective Comics series continues in Detective Comics Vol. 1: Mythology (Review).
This volume also references and continues the stories from other comic books, detailed below:
- The fallout from Batman: The Wedding (Review) (Reading Order) is felt throughout this volume.
- Batman and the Signal’s (Reading Order) previous conflict with Two-Face (Reading Order) is mentioned. This conflict took place across All-Star Batman Vol. 1: My Own Worst Enemy (Review).
- Batman mentions the death of one of Kobra’s leaders. This death took place in JSA #51.
- Vague references are made to the rise of Leviathan. This group’s main play for power is detailed in the Event Leviathan (Review) (Reading Order) event.