Review: All Star Batman #5

Quick Summary

Pros: Snyder delivers a very satisfying conclusion. This final chapter in the examination of Harvey Dent was fantastic and will probably define the villain for years to come.

Cons: This story is not nearly as fun, action packed, or exciting as many of the other issues. The art also was not as nice as some of the other issues.

Overall: The conclusion of the Two Face storyline was very well handled and satisfying. It managed to give a conclusion that explained all of the prior cliffhangers and give the fans a little fun along the way. The only problem with it is that it was not nearly as pulse-pounding as some of the other issues, however this is to be somewhat expected for the conclusion of a story.

 

Story

The Two Face storyline has come to an end and thus has managed to wrap up all of the loose ends and tell at satisfying conclusion at the same time. This series has, so far, featured a lot of twists, turns, and mystery that it has yet to elaborate on. This issue is the one that finally draws back the curtain. You finally get to see things like Alfred’s motivation for sabotage, the GCPD’s reason for storming Wayne Manor, and Harvey’s reason for wanting to reach his destination. The best part is that each of these reveals range from being simply satisfactory to amazing, thus creating a wonderful experience for every reader.

This was a very good ending to this story arc as it offers something to the current readers and also leaves room for some of this to be built on and elaborated in the future. Harvey’s solution and the subsequent fallout mean a lot to those who have been following this journey so far; they finally get to see what has been driving this entire crazy quest. Also, the door is open for further Harvey stories since, although his character has been somewhat changed, the concepts developed here can be investigated even more.

(spoilers start here)
Two Face and Harvey Dent were the focus for this story, something Snyder should be applauded for. Two Face received a pretty good treatment in the Batman and Robin series, yet this series has managed to build on the character even more. The reveal that Harvey was the one who seeded the acid clouds was mindblowing. This was the first time that Two Face’s plan to discredit Harvey actually worked for me, which was the exact effect Snyder was looking for. He puts the reader into Batman’s shoes and makes you feel exactly what Batman does. This entire conclusion was simply fantastic and Batman’s choice at the end, though unexpected, worked very well.

Outside of the Harvey plotline, things were still satisfying but simply were not as impactful. Penguin and Beast’s storyline was already lingering on a little too long so I had personally very little care for how it ended, although it was hilarious to see Batman go to Penguin’s house to scare him. In addition, the GCPD finding out Batman’s identity plotline did not really matter much to me. It is hard to become excited for a plotline like that when the reader knows that there is no way that Batman’s identity will actually be exposed in such a way.

The only problem with this issue will not really be a problem for many. It is simply the fact that this issue was a little bit less exciting and action packed than the others. It was still very good but the tone was simply different. It focused on a more in depth look at Harvey than it did on action. However, I know many people simply want to see the action in a story, so those people may be disappointed in that one regard.

(spoilers end here)

 

Art

The art here is very similar to the rest of the series, meaning that it is very good overall. However, this issue happened to be a lot darker and more grim than some of the previous issues. Unfortunately, Romita Jr. is definitely better at drawing clear images in the sunlight than he is at drawing more grimy images in the dark. This boils down to an issue featuring the same wonderful art that the rest of the series has, except it becomes a little less clear to see.

 

Continuity

Being so close to the first issue and not really making any additional connections, I have included the continuity list from All Star Batman Issue #1 (Review).

Since this is a new series meant to be cut off from the rest of the Batman Universe in Rebirth, there are not many connections to be made here. However, parts of this do involve Snyder going back to some characters and unfinished stories from his work on Batman. This means you may be a tiny bit confused if you have not read any of Scott Snyder’s Batman.

• Duke Thomas is a character first appearing in Scott Snyder’s run on Batman. However the only thing about his character that directly relates to this work happens in Batman: Rebirth #1, which is collected in either Batman Vol. 10: Epilogue or Batman Vol. 1: I am Gotham.
• The larger plot points from the rest of Duke’s short history can be found in:
  • Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year- Secret City
  • Batman Vol. 5: Zero Year- Dark City
  • We Are Robin Vol. 1: The Vigilante Business
  • We Are Robin Vol. 2: Joker
  • Batman Vol. 7: Endgame